Billing Investigation

Posted Thu May 10, 2012 12:00 pm, by Kevin A. written to Verizon Wireless (Cell Phones)

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Billing Investigation 315447

My email to executive customer relations, on 5/10/2012, stated:

am writing to you as a last resort. If you look up the notes in the above phone number account, you can see that I have made several attempts to a) resolve an issue of being billed for international data before I actually used it and b) what I would describe at outlandish and incorrect data usage charges while in Mexico. Concerning (a), I believed I had resolved the issue with Kelly, a CSR, but the amount she eventually told me to deduct from my bill in two cycles ago now shows past due. Concerning (b), I have waited 7 business days (I believe it is now 7) to hear back on my having disputed the charges.

I want to state, on the record, that while in Mexico, I typically had my phone on Airplane mode or the roaming turned off. I also set the phone not to download updates from applications using 3G. I used it to check emails from Google, Yahoo, and GoDaddy accounts, and occasionally on the GMail web page. After discussing with my wife the issues in this email, she reminded me that I went on Facebook and posted 2 or 3 times a picture. This activity, to my way of thinking, could not generate the roaming utilization alleged in the statement from the most immediate past billing cycle. You can find in the notes from my call with Nichole that some of the charges were made in the middle of the night on our last night in Mexico--I can assure you that I had the phone on airplane mode and was not up in the middle of the night checking email when we had a 9 a.m. flight, and a 7 a.m. shuttle from the resort.

I have several concerns:

1) the initial call with Kelly should have informed me of the pending data charges and offered to allow me to pay the entire month's worth of international data while the charges were disputed.
2) on my call with Nichole, I was informed that I would here back by now regarding the disposition of the investigation into the disputed charges, but I have not heard back. To Nichole's credit, she texted me last Saturday to indicate she had not heard back, so I am inclined to be concerned about the investigation process, not the service from Nichole.
3) On 5/7/2012 I called to determine the disposition of the investigation and requested to be escalated. The reason for my request was that the the CSR, John, seemed unwilling to read the notes in the file and began the arduous process of asking questions and reading policy to me, something Nichole and I did before and I now considered a waste of time. Colby, the supervisor, then began the same process as John, and I requested to be escalated to executive customer service, which he refused to do and denied that there was any further step beyond him, other than to be transferred to another supervisor.
4) Colby indicated he would call me back during the call with him on 5/7/2012. It is now 5/10/2012 and he has not in fact called me to report any progress.

I am requesting that a) the account be credited for the charges for the international data plan that exceed the actual dates that the international data plan was used, and that the excessive roaming charges be removed, and b) that the account status of past due be removed, and if any credit reporting adverse to our company, that Verizon Wireless correct that report. If Verizon Wireless intends to charge for the excessive roaming charges, then conversely I would request that the entire month of international data service be reinstated while I continue to dispute the roaming charges through other means.

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Re: Billing Investigation by Kevin A. Posted Mon May 14, 2012 @ 9:43 AM I received a call from Executive Customer Service, which I returned on 5/14/11. The resolution, which was not to my satisfaction but which was likely a reasonable solution (to save my time) was a "splitting of the difference." The "research" on the Mexican towers supposedly showed the usage I was charged for, but the lack of capacity to validate the reports from the towers, and the unwillingness to own part of the problem (e.g., no call backs when I returned from Mexico as promised to review level of usage) both left a "we are doing you a favor" taste in my mouth. However, at least it is now resolved, and the call was managed with a level of professionalism that far exceeded the regular customer service channels. It remains to be seen if I will continue my corporate account with Verizon and keep sending them the roughly $500 per month that the account represents. The call I received was from Andrew, at 412-266-7427. Reply