Verizon Wireless Salesmen Lying - extending contracts without informing you. Rip-off! Miami Florida

IN MAY 2004 I CHANGED MY PRICE PLAN WITH VERIZON. I SWITCHED TO THE NEXT PLAN UP THAT WAS 100 MORE ANYTIME MINUTES A MONTH. THAT WAS THE ONLY THING I CHANGED AT THAT TIME. 2 MONTHS LATER, IN JULY, I AM ON THE PHONE WITH A VERIZON CSR ASKING A FEW QUESTIONS AND LEARN THAT MY CONTRACT END DATE, THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DECEMBER 2004, IS MAY 2005 FOR SOME REASON. HE INFORMS ME THAT DURING THAT PLAN CHANGE IN MAY MY CONTRACT WAS EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER YEAR. HE SAYS ITS BECAUSE VERIZONS "NEW IN-NETWORKING" WAS ADDED. WELL, BY DEFINITION ON VERIZON'S WEB SITE THAT IS EXACTLY THE SAME SERVICE AS THEIR MOBILE-TO-MOBILE, THEY HAVE JUST MADE UP A NEW NAME FOR IT. I ALREADY HAD MOBILE-TO-MOBILE SERVICE. SO I TOLD HIM I WAS NOT WILLING TO HAVE MY CONTRACT EXTENDED BECAUSE THEY WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO CALL THE SAME OLD SERVICE A NEW NAME. I ASKED HOW THE CONTRACT COULD BE EXTENDED WITH OUT INFORMING ME. HE CLAIMED THAT I VERBALLY AGREED TO IT AND WAS ALSO SENT A CONFIRMATION PACKAGE WHICH GAVE ME A 30 DAY OPTION TO CANCEL ANY CHANGES I MADE. I TOLD HIM I DID NOT AGREE BECAUSE I WAS NEVER INFORMED AND I NEVER RECIEVED A PAKCAGE EITHER. FOR THE NEXT WEEK THE ARGUMENT CONTINUES, OVER THE PHONE AND ONLINE (WAY TOO MUCH TO INCLUDE HERE), WASTING HOURS OF MY TIME AND CAUSING PLENTY OF STRESS. FRIDAY, WHEN I GET HOME, A CONFIRMATION PACKAGE FROM VERIZON IS IN THE MAILBOX. IT IS DATED JULY 15TH, 2004 AND THE FIRST PARAGRAPHS BEGINS BY APOLOGIZING FOR THE DELAY IN SENDING THE PACKAGE FOR MY PLAN CHANGE BACK IN MAY. ITIS THE CONFIRMATION PACKAGE THEY SAID I WAS SENT BACK IN MAY. WAS IT A COINCIDENCE THAT THE PACKAGE FINALLY SHOWED UP AT THE END OF THE WEEK THAT I STARTED MAKING PHONE CALLS AND SENDING EMAILS AND ASKING QUESTIONS? WHY NOT IN THE TWO MONTHS BEFORE? OR IN MAY, LIKE THEY CLAIMED IT HAD BEEN SENT? I SUSPECT THERE WAS NO CONFIRMATION PACKAGE UNTIL I STARTED CAUSING PROBLEMS. ANYWAY, I INFORM VERIZON ONLINE THAT THERE PACKAGE HAS MAGICALLY APPEARED AND THAT I HAVE THIRTY DAYS FROM THE JULY 15TH DATE ON THE PACKAGE TO UNDO THE CHANGES THAT SUPPOSEDLY EXTENDED MY CONTRACT. I RECEIVED MORE THAN ONE EMAIL FROM DIFFERENT CSR'S INFORMING ME THAT THEY CAN TELL FROM NOTES THEY HAVE THAT MY CONFIRMATION PACKAGE WAS SENT ON MAY 8TH 2004, SO MY THIRTY DAY PERIOD TO UNDO CHANGES HAS EXPIRED. THEY TREATED ME LIKE I WAS LYING ABOUT HOLDING THE PAPERWORK FROM VERIZON RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. THE CSR'S WERE AMAZINGLY UNHELPFUL AND UNINFORMED. EVEN WHEN THEY WERE INCORRECT AND I WAS CORRECT THEY STILL ARGUED AND REFUSED TO HELP ME. AFTER MANY EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS (UNFORTUNATELY TOO MUCH TO INCLUDE AGAIN) I FINALLY SPOKE TO A GIRL ON THE PHONE WHO JUST GAVE UP AND CHANGED THE END OF CONTRACT DATE BACK TO DECEMBER 2004. MAYBE SHE WAS AUTHORIZED TO GIVE UP AND HELP ME BECAUSE I HAD MADE THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS AND DEALT WITH MORE THAN MY FAIR SHARE OF CSR'S WHO PROVIDE INCORRECT INFO AND ARGUE WITH ME WHEN THEY WERE WRONG AND BE RUDE AND IMPLY THAT I WAS LYING. I HAVE BEEN HAVING ONE PROBLEM AFTER ANOTHER WITH VERIZON FOR THE LAST 8 MONTHS (THIS IS JUST THE MOST RECENT).

EVERY TIME THEY EVENTUALLY ADMIT THAT VERIZON IS AT FAULT AND MOST OF THE TIME RESOLVE THE SITUATION. NOW THAT I HAVE MY DECEMBER END OF CONTRACT DATE BACK I WILL ABSOLUTELY BE CANCELLING MY VERIZON SERVICE. I DONT HAVE TIME TO FIX THEIR MISTAKES EVER MONTH. SO, DONT GIVE UP, KEEP MAKING THE PHONE CALLS AND SENDING THE EMAILS AND MAYBE YOUR MAGIC CONFIRMATION PAKCKAGE WILL APPEAR OUT OF THE BLUE IF YOU MAKE ENOUGH NOISE, OTHERWISE THEYLL JUST KEEP RIPPING YOU OFF.

I have personal experience with this type of situation. Verizon Wireless tries to stop these automatic renewals but can't. It's a way of getting extra commissions, but it can't be detected until it is reported by the customer.

Write a letter to the company president in your area with objective details about your situation.
The company rule is that the salesman who did this will get fired if they can identify the situation as an automatic renewal without talking to the customer.

I had AT&T Wireless pull this stunt on me when I went from a local to a national plan, they extended my contract for 1 year without my knowledge, even though I explicitly asked and was told it would not be extended. I first discovered the problem about 2 weeks after it happened, I had changed the plan because I moved across the country, and wanted a national plan so I could keep in touch while driving. When I got to my destination, I called to find out about my billing and was told the contract end date had been changed.

I went back & forth with them for a while about this, and in the end was told that they could change it, but I had to have a $0 balance first (having moved, all the mail/billing cycles got messed up, so I was about 10 days late with the payment).

I didn't really care about it at that time, since I was happy to keep the phone. But finally about 4-5 months later, we got a new provider, and I called again to hash it out with them. We'd been having some money problems, so the bill was once again behind, this time by about 20 days. I was again told nothing could be done until it was current.

In the next 2 weeks I brought it current, and then called again to finish things off, and then they started telling me that nothing could be done because I'd never complained about it!! I told them that they had better check their records, I complained only 2 weeks after they had changed it!!! It took me a good 2 hours on the phone, but I got them to fix the problem, and I cancelled my service. I was always happy with their phone service, but their customer service stunk!!

I don't know how far you can get on it, but I would definitely try to fight this. They will need to prove that you were informed that your contract end date would change; otherwise, you don't have a contract. So they will have to show you something, that you signed, that states that any changes to your service will result in an extension of your contract. Also, see if they have a recording of your original conversation.

It may not be worth it to you to try and fight it, but I certainly would! These companies rip people off all the time, and they need to learn that they can't do it anymore! Good luck!