Annoying and unnecessary text messages at really bad times of day about my AUTOPAY prepaid account
ReadyToSwitch
Newbie

My Verizon Wireless account I prepaid. That account is configured for AUTOPAY.

I get three text messages and annoying times regarding that account:

Two days before renewal I get a text message that tells me to have sufficient funds in my account by the renewal date or lose phone service.

The day before renewal I get a message that tells me that money has been added  (AUTOPAY) to my account in the required amount.

The day of renewal I get a message that my AUTOPAY method has been charged the monthly fee plus tax.

NONE OF THESE IS NECESSARY, ALL ARE ANNOYING. ESPECIALLY WGEN THEY ARRIVE AT 02:12 IN THE MORNING.

This is enough of an annoyance that, combined with your bill-pay-oriented phone support and its interminable waits for a real human voice (who has NO ABILITY TO ASSIST IN PROBLEMS OF THIS NATURE, NOR TO ESCALATE THEM TO CORPORATE ) are reason enough for me to move to any of many providers whose plans are a good as (or better than) Verizon offers,

I complained before and the early morning texts stopped because a programming error was found.

If an account is found by your notification algorithm to be set up for autopay, then the texts do not need to be sent. Proper operation is not a proper notice. If the AUTOPAY debit fails, a text is appropriate.

I am one early-morning unnecessary text away from becoming a permanent ex-Verizon user.

Make this stop.

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Re: Annoying and unnecessary text messages at really bad times of day about my AUTOPAY prepaid account
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

Does your phone have a Do Not Disturb setting?

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

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Re: Annoying and unnecessary text messages at really bad times of day about my AUTOPAY prepaid account
ReadyToSwitch
Newbie

I don't pay for a device that I can't use sometimes because the vendor writes bad software. My wife is recovering from surgery in a medical bed. If she needs me at 3am, I must be able to respond to her need.

Verizon fixed the time zone issue last July. Now it's broken again.

Disabling any function on my phone is not a fix. It's a no-cost (to Verizon) workaround that loses that functionality to me. They don't reduce my rate if I disable a feature. They can keep me as a customer if they fix their software. Right now, it seems to treat prepaid accounts as untrustworthy folks who have to be reminded of simple things. Like paying their accounts. Which subject is the first five minutes of suggested paths to take on their customer support line. *611

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Re: Annoying and unnecessary text messages at really bad times of day about my AUTOPAY prepaid account
ReadyToSwitch
Newbie

I originally reported this problem in July, 2014. Here's what resulted:

End result: They are going to "back out a change they made in October" that removed the reasonable-hour check for sending the messages. Since they do releases monthly and I don't know when they did the last one, I have no idea when this will happen. I'm not hopeful, since my initial complaint was in July, before they made the October change.

So they KNOW how to fix this. But they don't communicate with customer support.

I am getting closer to leaving Verizon every text they send. I got the final "good news" today.

1. You better have enough money in your [autopay set to ON] account to renew or you will lose service.

2. We've charged your credit card.

3. Your account balance has enough in it to renew.

4. Your account has been renewed. You won't get any more annoying messages for a month. (I made that last sentence up).

To cancel this account, I have to do it at the very end of the month. If they haven't notified me of a fix before then, I'm gone.

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