Blogography Logo
spacer

  Home  

Placement

Posted on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2005

Dave!Not two minutes after I've sat down at my desk, I am told I have a phone call from "Rosetta." I don't know anyone named Rosetta, but heaven only knows that's something that's been missing in my life, so I accept the call. It went something like this...

Rosetta: I am calling because I visited your web site and really enjoyed it, but I am seeing that you don't have very good placement on search engines like AOL, MSN, and Google... am I right about that?

Me: WHAT?!? What are you talking about? What web site?

Rosetta: Oh let me see here... I've got the name right here...

Me: So you like my web site but you don't know the name of it?!?

Rosetta: It's DaveWeb.com... yes, DaveWeb.com!

Me: Well, there's nothing going on at DaveWeb.com... I'm not putting anything there right now. What did you like so much about a site that has nothing on it?

Rosetta: Oh, if there's nothing there, then that's probably why it's not showing up on search engines then.

Me: Tell me, don't you find it embarrassing that you've told me you like my site when you've never even seen it? Don't you feel incredibly stupid about being such a bad liar?

Rosetta: You have a nice day. =click=

When it comes to telemarketing calls, this is about as moronic as it gets. First of all, even though DaveWeb is not being updated right now, it's the #1 hit on Google, MSN and AOL when you actually type in "DaveWeb" so I can only guess that in addition to not bothering to even look at my site, they didn't bother to see how it's actually ranked in search engines either. Does this type of scam ever work for anybody?

Oh, and this just in... VERIZON DSL SUCKS ASS!!

After Verizon canceled and then reinstating my DSL order twice, I finally got everything straightened out after having spent nearly two hours on the phone. Third time's a charm, right? Uhhh... no. I am now getting emails telling my that my DSL install is scheduled for March 8th... but the name, address, and phone number referenced in the email are not mine.

So, if your name is "Angela" and you live in "Stafford, Virginia" - then, congratulations, your DSL installation is underway!

Naturally, the email says that it "was sent from a notification-only e-mail address that cannot accept incoming e-mail messages" so my only choice is to call the idiots.

After yet another hour on the phone this morning trying to get everything straightened out AGAIN, I am still not sure if or when I am ever going to get a DSL line installed. Which begs the question: does Verizon ever use their own customer service line to see how absurd it is? Nobody has the capability to do anything. All they do is take your name, then pass you on to another department. This morning I've been through Tech Support, Billing, Sales, Equipment, and was then transferred back to Tech Support where I started in the first place. Nobody knows anything.

How does Verizon make any money when they keep their departments tied up on the phones all day not doing anything but passing people around? Why don't they have a SINGLE department you can call with people there who can actually DO SOMETHING when there is a problem? The ridiculous system they have now does nothing but waste everybody's time and money. If I were a Verizon stockholder, I'd be absolutely furious to know that my investment was being pissed away on paying employees for stupid shit like this.

Verizon's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is Ivan G. Seidenberg. And Ivan, may I call you Ivan? You desperately need to reorganize your support system for DSL customers. You might want to start out by FIRING the INCOMPETENT DUMBASSES of everybody responsible for the "pass-the-buck" policy that's currently in place. Then tell whoever you hire to replace them that the very meaning of "Customer Service" is to SERVE THE CUSTOMER!! You are not SERVING THE CUSTOMER when you waste hours of their time and provide them no answers and no way to solve their problems. The only thing I was served today was my own ass.

I'm beginning to wonder if saving $20 a month was worth my time in Verizon purgatory?


Categories: Internets 2005Click To It: Permalink
   

Comments

  1. Uncle Horns says:

    The answer is no. It’s not worth it. My wife had Verizon DSL four years ago, before we were married, and cancelled after I shared my cable experiences. She had the service for about a year. Just two months ago we got their billing f-ups take care of.

    Ironically, we’ve been very happy with the service from Verizon wireless. Their technology is lagging.

  2. Annette says:

    Well, you are not alone… except my experience was with Verizon Wireless. I simply wanted to change my method of payment, but I was unable to log on. After spending an hour on the phone with a helpless customer service employee, I was told that I had to use Internet Explorer rather than Safari as a browser, and finally, that because I was using a Mac, I couldn’t make the changes at all. Both statements were complete rubbish of course. So I got in my car, drove to the mall, and talked to the young computer-savvy guru at the Verizon kiosk. Back home, and ready to make my attack, I found an email from the helpless employee, who had finally managed to cancel my payment method. I was then able to log on and enter a new payment method, using my Mac, in Safari. Good Luck!

  3. karla says:

    I hear your pain Dave. We went thru the same thing here with our Norwegian DSL provider. Try going thru all that…but in Norwegian.
    Plus, their way of “customer service installation” here is to send you a little box of routers and such and you have to install the DSL yourself. With Norwegian instructions. And still pay $200 installation fees!
    We finally called a tech savvy friend of my husband’s and got him to install it with promises of a free dinner, beer and wine.
    I think DSL sucks world wide. Honestly I do. In fact, read this article. You will know you are not alone!

    http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article983910.ece

  4. Richard says:

    Is this the same Verizon that has blocked all email from European IP addresses?

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/21/verizon_class_action/

  5. DSLTECH says:

    Well maybe dave you should think about who you are calling. You are calling tech supprt not customer service. Yout want to bitch and moan about how much of “your time” was wasted then you should call customer support. If you want to wype the tears from your eyes and attempt to grow something simmular to a brain then you can tall tech support for some help. As far as you idea of “pass the buck” style we have, what we have is ” we can’t help you buy cheap computers that break and expect the tech support of your isp to fix it”. Tell me Dave if you got a new car and then filled it up with gas and 10 days down the road the axle breaks, are you going to expect the gas station guy to fix it cause you got gas there or are you going to take it to the place that made it/ or sells for the makers of it and tell them to fix it. Try to think before you speak numb nuts

  6. Dave2 says:

    Your analogy doesn’t make sense… the gas station and the auto dealership are two separate companies. Of course I wouldn’t blame the gas station for an axle problem… besides, when I DID call the auto company about my busted axle, they wouldn’t transfer me to a gas station. But Verizon is a SINGLE COMPANY, and they transfer you to departments WITHIN their company while trying to solve a problem… and that INCLUDES Customer Service.

    And speaking of Customer Service… they were the ones who took care of my SECOND attempt to get DSL installed, and ended up mixing up my record with somebody named “Angela” across the country.

    It was not MY choice to be dumped in Tech Support, that’s where the voicemail system put me after calling the number I was given on the email. I thought I was calling Customer Service, but apparently the email thought I had DSL already and needed to be in Tech Support. It’s not my fault I was told to call the wrong place.

    In the end, it didn’t matter, because DSL orders are tied to phone lines, it was determined that only Billing could correct the information. While I was on the line with Billing, a Customer Service agent WAS consulted, and THEY were the ones who determined I needed to go back to Sales and start all over again, because there was no “order” in place with the proper information for them to work on.

    Sales said that a new order was already showing with the correct billing address, but it still had the wrong shipping address, so I was transfered to Equipment so that they could tell me where they had sent the modem. Equipment said that this was a Customer Service issue, but then transferred me back to Tech Support, where I gave up and called the Customer Service number I had used the last time (and where my account was hopelessly messed up).

    It was while I was on hold for Customer Service (again) that I occupied my time writing this blog entry.

    And do you know what happened once I got to Customer Service? The transferred me to Billing, because I was STILL entered into the system as “Angela” and they couldn’t alter it because only Billing would be able to change that information. Never mind that it was Customer Service who screwed it up in the first place!

    All I did was call the numbers I was told to call and do what I was told to do. I had no control over where I ended up… I just went where they transferred me. Several times it was Customer Service who was doing the transfers! So don’t get mad at me for saying that Verizon DSL sucks… I was not the one who set up their “pass the buck” support system.

  7. Hassan says:

    Verison sucks BIG TIME. Yesterday the yo yos showed up at my house uninvited and proceeded to unhook connections to telephone (Verizon service), cable TV (COMCAST service) and DSL (COMCAST service). No one alerted me that this was going to happen; I never invited VERIZON to come to my place. The bastards did not even leave a note saying what they had done. When I contacted VERIZON customer service at night using my cell phone, I was given a run around and finally transferred to someone who told me that the earliest I could expect a service person top come look at the “problem” was 48-72 hours later. I am without essential communication services and fuming; about the blow the head of the idiots when they show up at my house.

  8. dave says:

    verizon tech support people are nothing short of retards. after flashing my firmware on my motorola router i found i could not get back online. i called verizon for help and found that they will only talk to you about lynksys routers and nothing else. when i asked to talk to a supervisor, i was put on hold for over twenty mins. and then was basicly told the same line. all i asked for was the domain and host names, but nooooo! and rude, these people are as rude as they are stupid. as soon as i can i am going to dump the dsl, the phone line and the wireless phones, and go to a real company that cares about its image and the people that need help.
    “F” verison. i think their tech support is actualy a mental institution.

  9. Dave2 says:

    The strange thing is that after the installation FINALLY took place… Verizon DSL has been nothing but super-sweet to me so far as service goes. And they were so incredibly helpful over at the wireless division when I needed a “global phone” that I am fairly certain I’ll be renewing my contract there as well. I have never had ANY problems with my “land-line” service, so keeping Verizon for long-distance isn’t a problem either.

    Usually, I don’t recover well when met with gross stupidity, but Verizon now has me won-over at every turn. About the only complaint I have is that I wish they were cheaper. My combo phone / DSL / wireless bill is outrageously expensive each month.

  10. Jo says:

    Yes, Verizon DSL is a nightmare. I ordered my DSL on 4/10/06 – mailed the modem and setup package and confirmed that DSL was available. One week later I get an automated call that after testing the line, DSL is now not available. I too have been on the phone for over two weeks trying to figure it out and ask myself why? I’m simply going with Comcast because Verizon’s Customer Service, Tech Support AND Sales office have not clue as to what each is doing. I went back to Verizon’s web site today (4/25/06) and now the website says DSL is available! When I called to order, they say DSL is not available. This company needs a serious revamping. YO VERIZON – COMCAST IS LOOKING GOOD!

  11. Rob Adcox says:

    Verizon DSL tech support is the worst, most incompetent service I have ever had. I had Verizon DSL for 48 hours. I had to call tech support 15 TIMES and STILL they didn’t have a clue as to why I kept getting bumped offline. (“The page could not be found”). I HATE Verizon! I hope the f*ckers go out of business and die a painful lingering death!

  12. Bob in Texas says:

    I have to tell you folks that I, as an employee of the company that this thread is discussing agree wholeheartedly with Ya’ll. I on occasion have to do DSL repairs and find that the tech support has a lot to be desired.I have seen customers that are told that they can get DSL even though they are too far from the central office. I have even seen customers wondering while their DSL isn’t working when they are getting dialtone from a remote that isn’t even provisioned to support DSL. Heck, I have some customers that are moving into 1/2-4million dollar houses and can’t even get plain jain dialtone! I sure wish that we were still GTE as at least in this area we were proud to provide good customer service.Now days I think that the company in general is only interested in the numbers. And on an afterthought, the management that is in place over techs like myself…that have been in the business for over 25yrs just don’t have a clue as to what being a phoneman means. Complete idiots…most of them.

    Sign me..
    PhoneMAnTX

  13. punk says:

    I work Verizon and though I agree that alot of the hassles like sold out co’s and accidental disconnects are stupid and that the company is just way to big to know what every department is doing, I find that people call for support that is just amazingly beyond an ISP’s function. Having been through many ISPs myself, I have never called tech support to set up my network, tell me why my fax machine isn’t working, configure a router I bought from best buy or explain to me how to use outlook. ISPs are just that – if someone needs and IT person or help setting up windows, they should call the appropriate people. VZ techs are trained in dsl and the cpe’s that we send the customers – free does not mean everything under the sun.

  14. Rob Adcox says:

    It always amazes me how many Verizon tech support people show up on boards like these just so they can prove to customers what total assholes they (the tech support) really are. Verizon’s competitors don’t treat me that way, plus their service is superior compared to Verizon. Verizon dsl tech support includes way too many arrogant, incompetent little assholes who don’t know shit about anything. It’s clear to me that the only reason Verizon hired those losers is because they work cheaply.

  15. AFX says:

    Sometimes, it is all luck. I am sub-contracted by Verizon to do their tech support. As you all know, they have support boundaries. But if it’s something I know how to do, I usually go out of my way to do things, even get the customers’ order expiadated the best I can.

    For the most part, I feel sorry for most customers I talk to. I agree with everyone on this website (and the other anti-Verizon ones), Verizon is only in it for the money, then I think why do I even work this job? It pays the bills that’s for sure!

Add a Comment

Blankatar!

   
I love comments! However, all comments are moderated, and won't appear until approved. Are you an abusive troll with nothing to contribute? Don't bother. Selling something? Don't bother. Spam linking? Don't bother.
PLEASE NOTE: My comment-spam protection requires JavaScript... if you have it turned off or are using a mobile device without JavaScript, commenting won't work. Sorry.




   


   


   
   
   
Your personal information is optional. Email addresses are never shown, and are only used by me if a public reply would be too personal or inappropriate here. The URL link to your web site or blog will be provided, so only fill this in if you want people to visit!



   

  Home  

spacer
Welcome:
Blogography is a place to learn and grow by exposing yourself to the mind of David Simmer II, a brilliant commentator on world events and popular culture (or so he claims).
Dave FAQ:
Frequently Asked Questions
Dave Contact:
dave@blogography.com
Blogography Webfeeds:
Atom Entries Feed
Comments Feed
translate me
flags of the world!
lost & found
Search Blogography:
thrice fiction
Thrice Fiction Magazine - March, 2011 - THE END
I'm co-founder of Thrice Fiction magazine. Come check us out!
hard rock moment
Visit DaveCafe for my Hard Rock Cafe travel journal!
travel picto-gram
Visit my travel map to see where I have been in this world!
badgemania
Blogography Badge
Atom Syndicate Badge
Comments Syndicate Badge
Apple Safari Badge
Pirate's Booty Badge
Macintosh Badge
license
All content copyright ©2003-2022
by David Simmer II
   
Creative Commons License
This weblog is licensed under
a Creative Commons License.
ssl security