I'm being FUCKED by Verizon

[UnrepentantLiberal]

Last month I got notices from Verizon that I had exceeded my call time. My bill then doubled. I called assuming that my phone had been hacked. Instead she took me through my calls and assured me that it was my calls. Well, my phone bill DOUBLED. Then it it happened again this month.

The thing is, I haven't done anything that unusual. I'm thinking that some weasel figured out a way to up Verizon's quarterly profits. So I'm wondering, has anyone else had this happen to them?

[diane in sf]

1. They retroactively changed my plan for me when I was making a lot of volunteer calls for Obama

and had gone over my limit. Ask if they'll do this for you. You can always change it back later if your call volume goes down.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

8. That's the thing.

My call volume hadn't changed much.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

2. Not that...

but Verizon billed me for a full month of service after I cancelled it, 8 days before the billing cycle was over. I called and asked why as you pay for cell phone service 1 month in advance and they owe me for 8 days of unused service The customer service rep says "well it's more complicated than that, it's actually half a month in advance...I said fine, send me a bill that reflects I what I owe you, 15 days minus 8 days of credit and I'll be happy to pay you. They sent me to collections, who called every day, I simply hung up and they have now sold it to a collection agency while still sending me bills asking for the full amount! I should send a copy of both the letter from the collection agency and Verizon to the State Attorney General, but this is FL and AG is a Republican so I wouldn't get any satisfaction. Maybe I'll send them to the FCC. The cell phone companies have become as corrupt as the cable television companies.

[dlwickham]

3. you should never ignore a collection agency

unless you don't care about your credit

there is a form letter that you need to send them requesting a copy of the bill upon which their demand is based validating the debt

http://www.creditinfocenter.com/forms/sampleletter9.shtml

they have 30 days or so to respond and if they don't, the debt is dead

send it certified and keep the receipt stamped with the date you sent it and the green return card

[Sekhmets Daughter]

4. Thanks...but

I was going to add that at my age I don't care about my credit scores. I have all the credit cards I need or want, a paid for car, no intention of getting a mortgage and I've been with the same auto insurance company for years. At this point in my life good credit is more of a liability as it makes one a target for identity theft. I do appreciate the information however, in case one of my children ever gets into a dispute with someone.

[dlwickham]

7. you're welcome

[diabeticman]

5. is this a cell phone or landline

[UnrepentantLiberal]

6. Cell phone.

[Whovian]

9. Go with a PAYGO company such as Virgin Mobile or one you can pick up at the

local Walmart/Sears or Target stores. I have been using Virgin for years and have a smartphone with unlimited web and text plus 300 minutes of talk for around 29.00 a month. Unless you talk on the phone A LOT it is a good economic way to go.

[Lokey]

10. Are you still in your contract?

Pull it up online and double check. You can see your minutes, calls and texts right there.
I am wondering if your contract expired and they switched you to something...I am always watching mine.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

14. I think I'm about a year in.

Smart phone.

[Separation]

11. There are a few things you can check.

If you go to their website it will list all of your calls and graph it out by most called, most expensive, etc.

Also if you haven't, you can add 10 numbers that are a "circle" type plan. These numbers won't be charges minutes, as are any numbers to other Verizon numbers.

If all else fails give em a call and try to see if they will work with you. We ran into this problem and they knocked off some of the bill. Hope it works out for you.

[jackbenimble]

12. .45 per minute

When you go over your minutes you are charged 45 cents per minute. That could easily cause a bill to double. I have found from experience, as someone else on this thread also mentioned, that when you get the notice if you call them right away and nicely explain you need a temporary bump up to the next level of minutes and could you please have that retroactive they usually fall all over themselves to help you out. If you continue to make calls after you've been notified you're over your limit then they can only figure you understand your contract and are aware of the .45 per minute charges.

Sorry this happened to you. Sounds like it's gone too far to fix now since it is with collections.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

13. It's not in collections.

I just think something is fishy here.

[jackbenimble]

15. Sorry, got you mixed up with the person who said theirs went to collections.

So if your usage did not exceed your allowed minutes but your bill doubled then yes that would be great cause for concern. But if your usage did go over your allowed minutes, even by what seems like a low #, then it isn't surprising to me. If you're over, times the number of overage minutes by .45 to see how much they cost you. For instance if you have a 700 minute plan and you pay $40 for it but you used 790 minutes then you pay .45 for 90 minutes which is $40.50, so your bill would be doubled.

I know some folks who have the 'free nights and weekend' plan which is a great deal. But unfortunately that can get you in trouble too. If your provider sets 9PM as the beginning of 'night time' then if you pick up your phone and make a call at 8:59PM and talk for an hour then all 60 minutes of that call are going to count as regular minutes against your plan. Only calls originating after 9PM will be considered part of the 'free nights and weekends'. The rate doesn't automatically change mid-call. That might be something that is happening with your bill too. If you can, log into your Verizon account you can look at your detailed call log and determine if it was the timing of your calls that pushed you over the limit rather than the actual usage.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Here's what my friend did when she had a problem with Verizon

She wanted a new phone and when she called customer service they said yes she was eligible for an upgrade but when she went into the store they told her no she wasn't eligible.

So she made a 6 foot long banner that said VERIZON LIES and she and her husband stood in front of the store holding it. They weren't there long, she said less than an hour. The regional manager came out and brought her into the store and ended up giving her the phone she wanted plus an upgrade for everyone on her family plan. And at a discounted price. He apologized and told her that he was mortified that she had to go this extreme to get his attention, that he had raced to this store when the employees called to tell him she was out there with this sign and he was shocked that none of them had come out to talk to her.

So I would recommend trying this. It works.