I am writing this email to highlight an oversight in the standard operations procedures within Customer Service group at Verizon Wireless. Early this month (July) my wife and I decided it was time for us to create our own family cell phone plan. We recently got married and have been on our parents plans to date (My family has Verizon, and her family had AT&T). I convinced my wife that we needed Verizon. She was okay with getting a new phone number and not bringing over her AT&N number, but I needed to keep my phone number currently within Verizon. Weeks leading up to our purchase, I contacted Verizon customer service reps through multiple avenues- via phone and the Verizon online chat option. I wanted to be sure my phone number currently within my father’s Verizon account could be transferred over to our family plan. On the phone call placed, I was advised that “the easiest way of accomplishing my goal would be to create the new plan with two NEW numbers, one for my wife and one for myself, and to then call Verizon and request my old number to replace the new number.” This sounded great— but I still contacted another Verizon rep via online chat, session “RT11366760339”, to confirm there would be no charges as a result of these actions.
We received the two new phones on Wednesday, July 29th. Since then I have learned that I received incorrect direction to create a new line for myself, and that I would need to return the phone, cancel the line, AND IF I did want to bring my old number over I would need to contact the Assumption of Liabilities Office.
On July 30th I had multiple phone calls with the AOL office. The first phone call went very well— the representative, Emery, apologized for the mis-direction and inconvenience and said that we could easily take care of this. However, she said she was going on lunch break and if I gave a number to be reached at she would call back in an hour. I received a standard phone call from Verizon Services asking me to rate my recent call with Emery. I rated her 9’s and 10’s because she was very understanding and ensured me the issue would be resolved shortly. I regret this rating, because I never received a phone call back from Emery. Instead, I called the AOL office 3 hours later, to be told there’s nothing I can do in this situation and I would need to return the phone. When I asked if there is any further escalation we could pursue in this unique situation in which the customer was ill-advised in, I was told I could file a complaint, but nothing can be done. I am extremely disheartened that there is no sense of ownership for responsibility for directing a customer in the incorrect process and putting resolution order in the customer’s hands.
I am left now with trying to navigate a solution myself, while having a diminished confidence that calling a customer service rep will help in any means.
From this situation, I hope that it is learned that unique situations as these, need to be handled in a unique manner. OR, that unique situations have a different operating procedure than the standard.
I still do not know what to do.
