Pregnant wife, no service, and Verizon won't fix it!!

Glad you got out of your contract, like Sprint has done with customers
who aren't profitable, they let you find another provider.

Keep in mind ALL contract providers allow you a 14-30 day TRIAL to
evaluate their service and cancel without penalty if it doesn't work
where it's critical. A location like your place of employment should
be first on your list to test coverage. As others have stated no
carrier can guarantee 100 percent coverage 100 percent of the time. It
is the buyer's responsibility to research this BEFORE agreeing to a
long term contract. As you said the coverage maps on the wall in the
store even showed this to be a dead spot, I am sure all this
information was there when you signed up for service was it not?

I'm glad it all worked out for you. I have my own issues with Verizon
wireless but I would like to point out that they respond to every
letter I have ever written. No other company has done that.

I just got off the phone with Verizon's executive office, and they
said they are waiving the ETF for our account. They based this
decision on inadequate coverage at my place of employment with
significant attempted usage. Perhaps there is something to the
"dropped calls" clause mentioned by someone here in a previous post?

At any rate, we'll be shopping for new phones and new service this
weekend.

Thanks Planetfeedback for a wonderful service you provide here. It
does get results!

The whole termination fee thing might be above the store manager's
head so your screaming did absolutely zero. You should try going
above the manager and calming your demeanor. It's quite obvious your
tirade didn't get you anywhere. If the manager is repeating himself,
then maybe you should stop yelling and listen. Getting pissed off is
not going to change anything.

"Oh, there were about 15-20 people in the store, and a few left the
store during my little tirade."

Ummm, that was a pretty stupid thing for you to have said since if
they left because they felt threatened by your "little tirade" that is
disturbing the peace and that is grounds for being arrested.

"When I first tried to get this service issue resolved (back in
March), I would have been happy with a new tower to be installed to
provide coverage."

What in the hell are you talking about?! You expect Verizon to put up
a cell phone tower only for you? Who do you think you are?

Regardless, you entered into the contract with or without knowledge
that there was service in your area and to be quite honest service is
not guaranteed in your contract. If I was Verizon I would not
terminate the contract, especially if you are coming to our stores and
harassing our employees and other customers. Also, did you enter into
the contract without looking at the same map on the wall that showed a
hole over where you work? Cause if you did, then that was just stupid
on your part.

Even if the manager's computer didn't show service for your area that
is not enough of a reason to terminate your contract and you are still
legally bound to the terms of your contract.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong here. But did people who work in the
field decide to have babies before the cell phone was invented.
Because according to your rather idiotic statements here it is
evidently impossible to manage through a birth without a cell phone.
Man, 10-15 years ago must have been nuts, what are you going to do?
Please, finally decide to grow a pair and get over yourself. Save the
complaints for people who actually have them.

a LANDLINE?

You know that funny looking thing usually attached to a wall or
sitting on a desk with a receiver and those button thingys.

Well you made a scene and they kicked you out of the store. When your
child is born you will have to discipline them and react according to
their behaviour just like the manager did.

I agree with the poster below who said to start documenting your
dropped calls by making calls frequently in the area that drops them
and getting credits for them. Now you will have solid proof of the
problem and may have what you need to work with. Either go back to the
store to a different employee or franchise with the info, or call them
and/or rewrite a new letter addressing the problem again, with facts
and no emotions this time.

I live in the "boondocks" lol myself and verizon isn't good here
either. We use Cingular/AT&T here. It's all that works. Speak with as
many people as you can to find out their opinions in your area on the
best cell phone service to use.

Also, despite cingular being best in our area, we still cannot get
reception in certain buildings in the area, such as, our schools
strange as that may be (and disturbing if there is an emergency).

Good luck with this, and congrats in advance on the new baby! In the
hospital you can call out on their phones locally for free. If you're
busy helping in the delivery room, don't worry, the rest of your
family will be making all those calls for you anyway because everyone
loves a new baby. LOL

those people left because they were afraid of you. if you were
yelling in the store you were disturbing the peace and they were right
to order you out. i'm surprised they didn't call the police. i agree
that you have a problem but you went about trying to solve it
incorrectly. the manager has a boss. they have a corporate office.
you simply handled this wrong. by the way, i'm sure your job has a
phone. can't your wife call them and have them tell you? when i had
T-mobile, there were small towns in my state where my phone wouldn't
work. i didn't demand that they build a tower just for me. congrats
on your baby, you've got a way bigger job ahead of you--that of "dad"
and you can't start sweating the small stuff this early into the game.

I had to file a complaint with the FCC against Verizon. I live in
Mentor, OH and adjacent to Lake Erie, where they say there is a tower
2 miles from me. I had every call I made from home basically dropped.
I had double the drop rate, like 15%, which according to Verizon is
pretty piss poor. I complained and I was "let out" of my contract
pronto, no early termination fee. You need to file a complaint with
the FCC, that is the only way I won. fcc dot gov
I was told at the store that where I live coverage is spotty, so they
gave me a "better" phone, didn't work. You see, it seems that Lake
Erie is a "big" problem with signals. It's funny as my BF had a friend
on an iol platform in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and her has
great service, but not with Verizon.
So, I went to Sprint and never had a dropped or poor call.
You have to file a complaint with the FCC!

There is no resaon to be this rude. I could care less what else you
have to say. Don't mean to be rude, but really.

You need to re-word your letter's title, buddy.

You are proof that most people in the modern Western world are too
spoiled. Women have been giving birth to children for thousands and
thousands of years without cell phone service. I think your wife will
manage just fine. You don't NEED cell phone service, and you're a damn
idiot to think they would build a tower at your place of employment
just for *YOU*.

I worry about the fact that you're about to become a father, but
you're still so immature as to get bent out of shape over some trivial
matter like this.

How is Verizon going to fix the fact that your wife is pregnant?

The maps state on them that they do not show exact coverage, and the
maps get printed once a year, not every time they add a new tower or
increase the strength of one. In a previous post you called the
manager an idiot, but what does it make you if you do not understand
the basics behind a printed coverage map?
Do you think there might be an issue with something at an Airfield
that would block coverage? I heard about this new thing called
'interference', you might want to look it up.
You might want ot be careful when going nuts in a center, your account
has been notated and now you will have a hard time getting anyone to
work with you from now on.

I'll keep my comments brief, since many others have echoed my opinion
in greater detail. But basically it comes down to a few things.

You signed a contract for your service. The service apparently worked
in the areas in which you needed it then, but at your new job they do
not have coverage.

While this is unfortunate, it isn't reason enough for waive your ETF.
If you moved into a new home where there was no coverage, it might be
more likely - but not for a job. If they did that, then people would
be trying to get out of their ETF if they couldn't get coverage at
their mom's house, at their athletic club, in the mall, whatever.

Also... it isn't like they were trying to scam you, because you said
yourself that the map in the Verizon store even showed that there
would be no coverage in that area.

Suck it up and get a pre-paid like someone else said. They are dirt
cheap, and then you can be covered for when it is time for your wife
to call.

Alright, here is my backwoods podunk island opinion. When we first
moved back to SE Alaska, we had At&T/Cingular, it was right when they
merged. We got absolutely no service despite their little map saying
oh yes you do. So after deciding I had gotten tired of arguing with
them over the phone about this, I suspended our account, now mind you
a suspension does not change your contract date, you just don't accrue
fees and you keep the number. Then I decided after a while to call
again and see if the service rumors were true, nope, still no service.
I went with another company, now the beauty of this is, there are no
MAJOR companies in SE Alaska, I live on an island, you can get service
on the north end of the island, the south end of the island, or right
smack in the middle (conveniently called town) but guess what you
can't have it both ways. Hmm, how to decide? So while I absolutely
hate to say this to you, me being a crazy person while pregnant, you
are probably better off getting a prepaid cell phone or something
while you are waiting for your wife to deliver. Cell phone companies
make an arm and a leg, why do they charge ETF? I think it is
ridiculous, but it is what it is and you would be a happier person if
you just let it go and finished out your contract and then moved
elsewhere. I don't know about your exact contract, but I was able to
move mine down to a bare bones plan without any fees or new agreements
so basically I was spending way less money, using my phone less and
then cancelled as soon as I was able. Good luck and best wishes for
the new baby!

To be perfectly honest Michael, I'm pretty disappointed in your
response. Especially your ongoing attitude in calling this other
gentleman an "idiot". Name-calling really shows a lack of credibility
on your part. I would refrain from it in the future.

If you've had other co-workers tell you they have coverage with other
providers, have you checked with anyone else that may have Verizon?
My question would concern your phone and if that was part of the
problem. If you could have someone else with a different Verizon
account and a different phone, confirm the same results.

I still wonder why there is so much question as to service in this
area. It would help you if you just needed a new phone, but lets
accept the argument that Verizon doesn't have service within that
area. It's been established that your still under contract. As such,
arguing over coverage is a mute point. Transferring to a new job
doesn't alleviate your obligation.

To be honest with you, I may have also lost my cool in your situation.
I understand completely why you did. It doesn't help when you are
talked to as if the conversation had been memorized from a script
ahead of time. I think you should also be allowed out of the contract
without penalty. Good luck!

You have every right to be upset, It seems as if some people just dont
get it. You dont go into the customer service field imagining that you
will only get really nice customers there will be those who are
extremely upset and guess whose job it is to listen, the customer
service employee. Ok he was irate if someone called you a liar in your
face how would you feel, he is not getting free service he pays for
the cell phone service and no matter his attitude he should always be
treated with respect.

Yes I see the pressure you must be under, a pregnant wife and new job
ARE stressful events, but how are these issues Verizon's to concern
themselves with? You agreed in your contract to pay the etf, you knew
the plan you signed up for. I think the idea of them extending their
coverage for one person is a bit much to ask.
And your actions reaped the reactions you got. You behaved like a
child in the midst of a tantrum and your jaw hits the floor when they
don't do what you want?
I wish you luck with the new baby, but I don't see verizon doing what
you expect, just because you expect it.

Perhaps I should have been more clear. I was indeed upset when I wrote
this letter, the incident had just happened an hour or so before I
posted this.

The manager that I spoke with was a complete and total idiot. He
actually told me, and this is the thing he kept repeating, was that
their computer said I had service, so there was no need to send a tech
to the location. I even showed him on the map where there was a lack
of coverage, and his response was that the maps were old.

I didn't lose my cool until he called me a liar to my face, and
continued to do so over and over. I've been attempting to work with
Verizon Wireless on this issue since March. I have called them every
couple of weeks or so, until the last time I called and they told me
that the only way to get it resolved was to go the store nearest the
area where there was no service.

So, I went to the store. The manager greeted me with his canned "you
are number one to us!" speech, and when I asked him why he wouldn't
send out a tech to verify that there was no service, he continued to
repeat that his computer told him there was service, so there was no
need to send a tech.

I am paying for a service that I do not receive eight to ten hours a
day. I may as well be throwing money away. Would those of you who say,
"service isn't guaranteed" be happy if you were not receiving your
service for that long every day?

T-mobile, Sprint, ATT/Cingular all have excellent reception where I
work. Only Verizon is lacking, and their sole selling point is
supposed to be their service coverage. "Can you hear me now? No? Too
bad, but you are #1 to us!"

Actions speak louder than words. I just reminded them of that very
loudly in their store yesterday. It wasn't a tantrum, I just have a
booming voice, and I turned it up a notch to ensure that everyone in
the store could hear how Verizon treats the customers who they claim
are #1 to them.

I have to say, although I agree with most of you, that he should not
have threw a fit, his complaint is legitimate. I had Verizon in
Indiana where I lived and we had decided to move to Georgia. The house
we purchased was down a dirt road about 10 miles and to get service,
we had to drive to the end of the road where the pavement began, which
was about a 10 minute drive. I found this absolutely unacceptable and
called Verizon to cancel. They gave me the run around, but after
speaking to a CSR, Assistant Manager, then the supervisor, I got my
fees waived, but it wasn't easy.

"Yep, I was irate at the idiocy of the manager who kept repeating the
same thing over and over and over again, so I started very loudly
stating that anyone in the store who is considering Verizon's service
should strongly reconsider since Verizon doesn't care about their
customers. Oh, there were about 15-20 people in the store, and a few
left the store during my little tirade."

...Which is exactly why you were kicked out. I would have done the
exact same thing. If the manager was repeating the same thing over and
over again, chances are... there was probably nothing else he could do
for you.

You getting kicked out is YOUR problem for being so... I don't even
know what word to use for you. And now they probably noted in your
account how much of a pain in the ass you are which WILL show up every
time you call customer service, and will most likely affect the level
of service you receive.

That said, don't write another letter in a week about how the customer
service rep turned you away because of the note on your account
stating how irrational and rude you are.

Your poor child. hopefully it's better behaved than you.

my suggestion is to buy a prepaid phone with another sevice provider
that has service in that area. it would be much cheaper than paying
the etf.

I wish I had been in the store when you made a scene just so I could
laugh at you. I love when this stuff happens when I shop. It shows
me that I am not nearly as big of an idiot as the majority of other
people in this world.

Ok after reading your first paragraph, I lost interest in your whole
letter. I say GOOD that you were kicked out of the store. If someone
did that in my store, they woulnd't be able to say 2 words before
getting their rear outta there. How dare you cause a distburance.

I once had the "privilege" of being in a McDonalds where a customer,
in the midst of a dispute with a manager, felt the need to inform the
other patrons in the dining area of how McDonalds doesn't care about
the little guy and wouldn't give him his money back.

It seemed to confuse him when, rather than provide him his expected
reaction of leaping to his aid, I instead laughed out loud at what a
jackass he was making of himself. He shot me a dirty look and then
went back to the task of humiliating himself in public a few minutes
longer before leaving the restaurant in a huff.

So I'm glad that you're proud of the fact that you cost Verizon a few
customers today, but the reality of it is that all you really
accomplished was convincing a handful of people that there's something
wrong with your brain.

I'm wondering how you are going to handle raising a child if you can't
do a better job of dealing with a cell phone issue.

No cell phone company guarantees service in all areas nor will they
send a technician to your place of employment to verify service at the
specific place where you stand (or sit) to do your job - - and they
certainly won't install a new tower to provide coverage just for you.

Sounds like you need to grow up, realize that an ETF is not the end of
the world and understand that you are not #1.

Yep, you go into a store, make an unreasonable demand, refuse to
accept the facts of life, become irate, and make a couple of customers
uncomfortable enough to leave, you are going to get kicked out.

And yes, it is an unreasonable demand. (There are some people who,
upon becoming parents, decide that other people have to give in to
their unreasonable demands, so I've got sort of a sinking feeling
here. Maybe you could go spend a little time reading mommage.com?)
Other people have explained that more concisely than I probably could,
so I won't elaborate.

Find someone at or near your job with a landline and the ability to
find someone to go get you, and make friends with them. Do not, if
the first person you try doesn't want to be friends, start shouting
about how nobody should be friends with that person because they don't
care about other people. Thank them for their time and try with
someone else.

And please quit writing letters with titles that suggest that Verizon
could fix the problem by inducing your wife's labor this weekend.
It's a little creepy.

You would have been happy if they had installed a new tower where you
work, just for you? I bet. And maybe next they can put a portable
tower on the hood of your car so that you'll never be without coverage
for a single second....because obviously you are gods gift to earth
and we should all do as you say!

Because pregnant woman are hormonal and irrational. Way to get all
stereotypical on us Mel. :p

But hey, if she threw a hissy fit, it could at least be explained away
(or at least she could use the excuse) but she's not the one acting
like a moron, y'know?

& Bella, I know you aren't hormonal and irrational : )

WOW. In just 60 days you're going to be a father and you can't even
act like an adult. That's just sad.

[Oh, there were about 15-20 people in the store, and a few left the
store during my little tirade.]

Perhaps they left the store not because you were right but because
they didn't feel like listening to a grown man throw a fit worthy of a
three-year-old child.

Actually, I understand where you're coming from. I'm pregnant, and
I'd be upset if I couldn't get service at a place I frequented (like
work). But firing off a belligerent letter, and showing off how proud
you are that you disrupted their store business, isn't going to solve
the issue, and it's certainly not going to give Verizon any incentive
to help you. Verizon is not going to let you out of the contract
because they clearly state they don't guarantee service in every place
you are. Sorry, but it's not going to happen.

Does someone else at the flight line or hangar have a cell phone you
can use, if needed? Can you give the number to your wife? No, it's not
the most agreeable option, but it may be the only solution you have at
the moment.

I'd like to see your situation resolved Michael, but this letter is
not going to accomplish that.

Other posts have went after you with very little tack, for that I am
sorry. There are some important points that you need to understand
however.

To begin with, you are not guaranteed service in any particular
location. In order to assure coverage is sufficient for your use,
most carriers have a 14 day trial period where they will terminate a
contract and allow you to return any promotional items you received
when signing up.

In this case, you had service for 15 months when you decided that the
service was not covering your needs. Remembering, when contracting
with Verizon, they offered you better pricing for a phone(s) and
possible other perks. This being the case, all a cellular provider is
asking for when terminating a contract early is reimbursement for this
promotional pricing when you signed up. Wouldn't you even agree that
this is fair?

And I would hope, now that you've had a little cooling off period,
that ranting inside a place of business was not the proper solution.
I'm sure you understand why they had to escort you out.

If coverage on your job is that important, I would begin by speaking
with coworkers. Find the service that they use and feel is the best.
Ironically, Verizon really is usually the best for coverage area, but
they usually cost a little more because of it. You may actually find
that cellular coverage is not available directly on the airfield. I
believe some airfields block signals to prevent interference from
tower to aircraft communications. This may explain why Verizon, one
of the best carriers in the business, has "a hole" in this area of the
map.

I will tell you I got a little chuckle about your statement "I would
have been happy with a new tower to be installed to provide coverage.
Now, the only acceptable option for me is to be released from the
contract without an early termination fee." Even you have to laugh at
that. It's kind of like saying that it's going to cost them a lot
more to terminate your contract without ETF than it would to build a
new tower ;-)

Good luck with the new baby. Let us know how things turn out.

No wireless company will guarantee service in all areas, it's that
simple. In your Verizon contract is a section called "How Service
Works" that explains this. You signed the contract, you accepted
this.

They are not going to send a tech to verify this and they are not
going to install a tower just for you. That idea is just ridiculous.

Women have been having babies for eons without the benefit of being
able to reach their husbands by cell phone.

Michael--you have every right to be outraged. Dont listen for a
second to anyone who tells you that you do not have the right to
expect your phone to actually work. That is totally absurd.
Hopefully your actions in the store saved a customer from this
horrible service. Be sure to file a complaint with the FCC. You can
easily do so here:


http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cib/fcc475.cfm

"Yep, I was irate at the idiocy of the manager who kept repeating the
same thing over and over and over again"

What about the manager who had a belligerent customer who seemed to
need to hear the same thing over and over and over again?

They don't care about their customers just because they will not
install a tower based on your demand? Are you that dumb?

The only thing you have demonstrated here is that you are an
irrational and quite juvenile person. Here's a news flash: read your
contract. They do not guarantee service in any area. THERE IS NO CELL
CARRIER that will guarantee service in a given area. NONE, NOT A
SINGLE CARRIER!!!!

Your going to the store to be an impromptu anti-verizon cheerleader
definitely does not help your cause.

The fact your wife is 60 days from giving birth is really not a reason
to get out of a contract. Obviously you never read the terms and
conditions of the contract so you want out because you do not get
service in ONE PLACE. When my wife was pregnant with our first, I had
a beeper and SHE had the cellphone.

Stop being a big baby. People like you are like a deer stuck in the
headlights without the little tech conveniences you take for granted.
I am quite confident that women have given birth without their spouses
having Verizon cellular service--or any communication medium for that
matter--prior to your decision to reproduce and grace us with someone
who is going to grow up to be as immature as you under your guidance.

I have one word: cope. The world is not a perfect place. If you mean
to tell me you can not adapt to changes around you and work out
solutions, then really, you need to quit being a baby.

Drop the ETFs because YOU changed jobs and are now in a poor area? I
don't think so. You mentioned there is no land line service there
either. You never mentioned other cell carriers. Lemme guess, your new
'kid' is an iPhone and you came up with this lame post to get out of
paying $175.

If this were me and I had ZERO options like you came to, I'd pay the
$175 or teach her to use smoke signals.

You are one sad case you big baby. Grow up and cope.