Verizon review: Free trial scam! 49

I signed on with Verizon in December of 03 for web hosting. I again signed contracts in 12/04 and 12/05. In early Jan. 06 I knew I had had enough of Verizon and was anxiously awaiting the end of 2006 when my contract was up so I could sign on with a new web host. When my contract finally ended in 12/06 I tried to contact my Verizon rep to inform him I wished to terminate services with Verizon. My rep never returned my numerous phone calls. I then notified Verizon customer service and spent endless hours on the phone on numerous occasions trying to close my account. Customer Service repeatedly promised to close my account and contact my rep but never did anything. My website was transferred to another hosting company in Feb 06 and Verizon just kept billing me. I continued to receive bills for 5 months. I was on the phone to these idiots every month and nothing ever got resolved. Then, “out of the blue” in June of 2007 I received a check from Verizon for $148 for “credit on my account.” Then in October 07 the bills started again.

I now have my lawyer working on the situation and just found out that my Verizon Rep is claiming I gave my consent during phone call with him in July of 06 to renew my contract for another year. Verizon claims that if a customer agrees by phone to renew a contract then the contract is binding. This of course is an out and out lie. First of all I never spoke to my rep in July 07 and secondly, there is no way I would have asked to renew my contract because I was already totally fed up & disgusted with Verizon. Their employees seem to hide their total incompetence with a sickening sort of politeness to the customer….and their phony slogan: “At Verizon, we never stop working for you!” What a crock! Whenever I wanted anything done on my web site they’d either promise to do it and not do it right; not do it at all, or, they would total screw things up. (But I won’t go into that dimension of my dissatisfaction any further for now). I am, to put it mildly…enraged. Oh, and by the way, when I was under contract with these crooks I always paid my bills in a timely manner.

If anyone feel so inspired to connect with me in regards to your experience with Verizon I would be thrilled to hear from you and find out what might have worked for you. If nothing has worked yet, we can at least commiserate with each other! My lawyer is working on this and I’m also planning to contact the FTC, Department of Consumer Affairs and Attorney General’s Office in my state which is NY.

Good luck to all of you on your dilemmas with this Crooked Evil Corporation.

Totally agree. I was scammed. I am suing them in Small Claims court after a BBB complaint (which is a sham org for BIG business to rinse their dirty laundry) did nothing and they blind-sided me with a collection. I paid them off, now I'm suing them for the balance.

Advise, gather ALL docs then seek the help of your local Small Claims Court. Most have an adviser to help you. Don't let them get you rip-off.

If anyone has some HELPFUL ADVISE I'd love to take a look!

I requested twice to the telemarketers to non renew my advertisement, as I am retired. These requests were way in advance of the new directory being published. Guess what? The new book came out and my ad was in it and I called on two occasions after that to complain and it is like talking to the wall. They both just repeated that it was up to me to cancel the ad before it "automatically renewed". There was no notice at all and the two telemarketers that called to sell me more advertising as in every other year in the past, were told in no uncertain terms that I am retired and do not sell insurance any more. You can bet that everyone that calls (if any) will be told this story and that they should throw the directory in the trash.

I (dumb) believed there was a free listing two years ago. A sales person called and talked me into a trial pay per click on my add. She said I could cancel at any time. After my credit card got charged for 3 months and I got no results from the add, I cancelled the service. I cancelled it by email, by mail, and by phone. They continued to charge me. I cancelled over and over. They continued to steal from my credit card. So, I cancelled the credit card. Then they sent bills to me by mail. They all said "This is not an invoice" so I ignored them. Then they sent a letter threatening me with a collection service that would wreck my credit rating. I called and begged them to leave me alone. They said if I just sent one final check that that would be the end of it. So I did, just to make the whole thing go away. Guess what? They are still sending me notices and threatening me. They should be ashamed. They are frauds, lairs, and bullies.

Has been 11 months and I still trying to cancel my account with IDEARC MEDIA. They refuse to cancel my account and keep charging me.

Now they sent me a letter saying that I am going to collection.
I paid full the first month DEC 08/2006 and DEC 11/2006 I called the sales person, customer service and sales director, they keep transferring me and they say they don't understand why my service wasn't been canceled, next month another bill and an e-mail saying that "per MY request my account has been upgraded".

The sales person WILLY BONG does not work there anymore and I can't cancel my service, now I canceled my credit card and the bills still coming. I am very tired of this. I sent so many e-mails and called people to cancel this service that I got NOTHING in return not even a single call or e-mail. No business at all!
IDEARC is a very bad idea!

I have been frustrating and fighting with Verizon Super Pages and Idearc Media since Oct. 2004. Installing my business phone supposedly gave me free internet listing( I didn't even have a computer then). My first bill sid "This is not an invoice"-I immediately called and concelled when they said I would be charged. Then every month for the next 3 years, I got invoices marked "This is not an invoice"-Every time I called-they said disregard-the bills are artomatic until ...so I disregarded them. Any way, I tried for hours and hours aevery couple of monthes to call someone or get a name tao write to. impossible: then I gest a call from a collector! Ane now frustrating lestters and calls from a new collector company. Help. I have kept records of invoicses and phonecalls, names addresses and responsed. Tsellme what to do? Any suggesstions. I worked hard to have good credit. My business ended this year(Art gallery and Frame).l All my advertising was done with a local paper for trade of sservicses. I might go to small claims court if I find my credit is wrecked. Diane

File complaint with Attorney General of Texas, Consumer protection division. (Texas is state where Idearc HQ is located) Then file complaint with FTC. Forms are available on respective web sites. The more complaints filed the better chance of action taken against them.

ALSO if demands of payment for something you did not request are sent to you in the mail file a mail fraud complaint with the USPS, also available on their web site. The more complaints filed this way the better chance of stopping them.

I've been scammed! That's why I searched and found this complaint site. Can't we do something collectively? Like send a letter of complaint to the company?

We have the same problem. We sent the notice of cancellation and they claim they never received it. We've been fighting with them for some time. But the bill just keeps coming with the increase about. We were promised great returns. We have not made one dime off the advertisement.