Pissed Off Fridays!

Verizon provides telephone service to my parent's house. Recently my dad tried to remove a high speed internet line and downgrade to a regular DSL line. You would think a quick call to Verizon customer service would be all that's necessary to accomplish a simple feat such as this.....

Happy Customers! Yay!

50 hours of customer service calls later, Dad tells me this morning that they are finally getting the high speed internet line removed, but that they will have to lose their home phone number of 30+ years! This is the phone number that I grew up with. It's a number that gives me security and peace of mind. I know the tones that each number makes as if it is a song that I've been singing my whole life.

And now this number will be lost to my family forever because Verizon cannot provide the most basic of services in a timely manner.

Thanks Verizon! You're awesome, Great Job!

I thought the company bosses should know firsthand what a great job they've done, so I checked with Consumerist to find their email addresses and wrote them a thank you letter. Wanna see?

Date: Fri, Jul 29, 2011 at 2:00 PM
Subject: Unacceptable Customer (Non)Service
To: holly.hess@verizon.com, suleiman.hessami@verizon.com, virginia.p.ruesterholz@verizon.com, thomas.j.tauke@verizon.com
Cc: Dad


Good Day,

It is only out of complete and utter frustration that I have resorted to contacting you directly.

My father has spent over 50 hours speaking with various customer support reps at your company to perform what to my ears should be a simple task: remove a high speed internet line and replace it with a regular home DSL line. Well, after those 50 hours, it's finally happening. But, he was just told that in order to complete the removal of the line, he will have to give up his home phone number of 30 plus years. It is beyond my comprehension that

A. This took 50 hours to accomplish

B. He must lose his home phone number of 30+ years

How on God's Good Earth does your company manage to fail my father so perfectly and precisely, fitting the worst possible image of a corporation that cares nothing about it's customers?

Should you have any sense of decency at all, you will immediately call my dad (310-459-****) and apologize for your ineptitude, ensure that my parents keep their home phone number, and perhaps offer him 50 hours of foot massages to settle your debt to him.

Sincerely,

The Engaged Observer
http://engagedobserver.blogspot.com/