I have sent an email about this to the President and CEO of Verizon Wireless, as other Verizon Wireless officials.
My husband and I have been loyal customers of Verizon Wireless since Verizon acquired Bell Atlantic Mobile. This has been a very, very long time. So long, in fact, that our first cell phone was the size of a small submarine.

As our family grew, so did our needs, and several years ago we added a line for our oldest son (O). We soon found out that he had no use for the texting option, so we had it removed from our account. We had a couple of glitches, but Verizon worked with us to take care of it and we blocked all features for this line.

Last year, we added a line for our youngest son (Y). Because of the earlier glitches I mentioned in the paragraph above, I was very specific when adding this line. I made sure to tell the Customer Service Representative that I only wanted this to be used as a phone and I wanted no other features to be added. I also made sure to mention that I wanted all features on this line to be blocked. When I received my first bill, I found texting/data charges. So, I called another Customer Service Rep. who was very helpful in removing the charges. I made sure to again mention that I wanted all features blocked and that the phone should only be used as a phone and I wanted no other features added. I really don't know how much plainer I could have made my request. As stated above, I learned quickly to be very, very specific with my desires for cellular service. Again, I was credited the extra amount on my bill and assured that all would be right with my account from that point forward.

Please be aware that until this point we had been exceedingly happy and loyal customers. Therefore, I had no reason to believe I had been deceived. In fact, three months ago I upgraded the O line extending the contract for 2 more years. I've had nothing but trouble ever since!!!

There were problems with the new phone almost from the beginning, and we had to call Verizon. A replacement phone was sent to us, but it did not work either. We again called Verizon. A new battery was sent. The battery worked well in the original phone, so I packaged the replacement phone in it's box and repackaged the old battery. I sent both of these items back in the boxes they arrived to me in a couple of days after I received the new battery. I dropped both packaes in the Fed Ex dropbox at the nearby post office during the very first week of June.

Last week, I received a text stating that I would be charged for a device they didn't receive. I called Customer Service to let them know the date I sent the items back, and that I should not be charged. I was told they would look into it and get back to me.

Meanwhile, on my latest bill I noticed texting/data charges for the Y number, which was supposed to be blocked. The Customer Service Representative quickly took care of the charges but noted that I should not be concerned that my son was receiving texts because we had a 250 text feature on his phone that we were paying $5.00 a month for. I told her that I did not request that feature and that texting was supposed to be blocked. Remember, I have requested a block to features twice already, including texting. Why would I pay for something I would not be using. She told me that I had only had the texting service for three months. I asked if she was sure that I had only been overcharged for three months, and she assured me that I had only been charged the extra $5.00 for three months and this included the current bill. I thought there must have been a mix-up on Verizon's part when I upgraded the O line, so I asked her to credit those three months back, because they were never supposed to be charged.

Because I was beginning to have difficulty with Verizon's service, I went through all of my previous bills for the past year and found that I had not only been charged the $5.00 texting fee every month for three months, but I had been charged this texting fee for over 9 months. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was to be lied to by a company that I had revered so much in the past. I called Verizon, yet again. This time I spoke with a Customer Service Rep who told me that she could not help me because I had already agreed to settle for three months credit of the texting charge. By this time, I was very angry and told her I would never settle for a three month refund when I had been overcharged for nine. I then asked to speak with a manager/supervisor. She put me on hold, but never allowed me to speak with a supervisor. When she came back on the phone she told me she could credit me for 6 months only. I agreed, because I did not really want to fight about it. It took a while, but she finally said she had it all worked out and I would only have to pay $xxx.xx instead of the $zzz.zz on my original bill. I asked if she was sure, and she assured me that I only owed $xxx.xx. Again, I agreed.

However, I checked my online bill again last week and it stated that I still owed $33.98 by June 26. I was concerned because this was the amount that was supposed to be credited to my account because of the overcharging, so I called Verizon yet again. By this time, I am losing patience because I really do not have the time to dedicate to fighting my wireless service provider. I was told not to worry about this charge because it was credited back.

I called Verizon Customer Service again today because the $33.98 was still on my online bill and I was concerned about the cost of the returned mobile phone. I wanted to make sure the warehouse received the phone. I was told that the replacement phone had not been found in the warehouse and I would be charged for it on my next bill. I was also told that if I didn't pay the $33.98 by July 1, I would be charged a $5.00 late fee. I asked to speak with a supervisor, and the supervisor consequently told me the same thing. I have really good credit and I don't need a late fee attached to a bill but I refuse to pay another dime for overcharges, especially when one of your representatives told me not to! Please understand how it can be frustrating to be told one thing by one Customer Service Representative, and an entirely other thing altogether by another.

Subsequently, I requested to end my contract with Verizon, because I did not agree to be lied to and cheated. The last person I spoke with was in the Disconnect Department. He was helpful in finding the replacement phone in the Warehouse. He even found out that it was signed for by a Verizon employee on June 8 at 2:36. By the way, today is June 28. He also agreed to credit me $5.00 on my next bill to counteract the $5.00 late fee that should not be charged. I'm still not sure how a late fee will affect my credit, but at this point I just want out. Unfortunately, he could not help me with the Early Termination Fee. He says it is a legal binding document and I agreed to the service. I did not agree with being lied to, cheated, and treated like a second class citizen by this company or any other company for that matter. I agreed to receive the same service I did for the past 17 years, not this! I have decided to forward this information to the FCC and Better Business Bureau, because this is downhill business. It is shady and mean, and I will not pay a late fee nor will I pay a termination fee.

I would gladly continue service with Verizon had I not been shamed and mistreated. I would not request cancellation had I not had to call Verizon so many times this year regarding bad service. I would expect to have to pay your cancellation fees, had I received the service your company promised to provide. However, I will not pay a blackmailer's fee in order to be free from a cellular contract.

My cell phone has had issues over charging(pins bent) for 6 months now. I was offered a new phone to be shipped to me in April when it first happened but since I was still able to charge it and use it so I declined. This morning I tried to charge it and it would not plug in and the phone actually died. I called the 800 number for verizon wireless and was told that I wasn't due for my free phone upgrade until nov. 17th(today is the 9th) but since it was only 8 days away, the CSR would check with her supervisor and see what she could do. She came back a few minutes later and said the supervisor had said I could get an upgrade but I would have to commit for 2 more years. I said fine as long as I could go to a local store and get the phone. She said she would note it in the computer and I would be all set. When I got to the store, the clerk looked up my account in the computer and said it was not noted in the computer and I would have to contact customer service and have a phone sent to me. I explained to her that I have a son at home at night alone that may need to get in touch with me and that was not acceptable especially since I had already cleared it at 7 am. I called back customer service and told them the whole story again. She again checked with her supervisor and her supervisor said that I was not eligible for an upgrade but if I need a phone I could pay the 2 year contract price at the store. I left, went to AT&T and switched my number over. I am going to be charged $80 for early termination. Unfortunately I had already paid my next months bill in advance so they will get at least $40 of that fee. I pay my bill on time every month and have been a customer for 3+ years. They have now lost me forever.