Installation Gone Wrong

[litig8]

I was supposedly all set up for install today.  After noticing that nobody had come out to do a cable run in advance, I started to get concerned.  I called verizon this morning to make sure I was still scheduled for today.  She checked the schedule and assured me someone would be out.  I mentioned to her that it was my understanding that a cable run needed to be performed prior to the installation.  Once again, she assured me that everything was in order and that installation would, in fact, take place as scheduled.

Fast forward to this afternoon.  The installer comes by, and asks where the cable drop was performed.  After telling him that it hadn't, he makes some calls, finds out that the 3rd party service just learned of my order today.  Long story short, they can't do the cable drop until Sept. 7th.  The technician couldn't do a temporary above ground run because he would have had to cut across a couple driveways. 

I called Verizon and very patiently explain to the supervisor how frustrated I was.  I cancelled my previous internet service at the end of day today, and now I am left without service until the 7th.  I explained to him all the great things I read/heard about not only the service itself, but the installation as well, but that he was clearly dealing with a very unsatisfied customer.  He responded by telling me all he could do was give me a 25.00 credit, and do everything possible to make sure the 7th date is met. 

Personally, I find the 25.00 creidt laughable.  I just switched my long distance/local service/, as well as Internet (fiber) and even ordered directv through verizon.  The relationship is certainly off to a rocky start.

Any other suggestions?

[tbaker397]

Give it time, FiOS is being deployed SO fast, that verizon doesn't have enough workers to do the work and stuff. So they are hiring 3rd party contracters to do the work. And as in the past, one Verizon department doesn't know what the other is doing.

[litig8]

Well the situation keeps getting better.  I woke up this morning and found that I have no phone service.  Apparently, as part of my switch over, my phone will also be put over the fiber.  Since they couldn't do the fiber install yesterday, my phone service could not be switched.  Meanwhile, my old provider stopped service at the end of day yesterday (as they were supposed to do). 

I am on the phone with Verizon now, and they are just as confused as I am about what happened.  More importantly, I have no phone, no internet.  They are telling me I need to speak with the copper department to have phone service connected until fiber can be installed.

This has turned into a joke, and a complete waste of my time.  I should have stuck with my old provider.

[coknuck]

Sorry to here about your problems. You should have never canceled the other services until you were up and running with Verizon and worked out the bugs if any.

[litig8]

That's brilliant advice.  One problem though . .  I didn't quite have a choice.  As part of switching over my phone, I swtiched my phone number over as well.  I think they called it a win-back.  Verizon apparently does something at the backend to switch the number, and cancel it from my other provider without customer involvement.

[jditto]

I work for the DSL side of Verizon and we troubleshoot DSL pending FIOS install as normal.  Meaning, until the FIOS is running, no services should change over.  It sounds to me, as I see sometime, your sales agent did this to you.  He placed a new order and a separate cancel order.  Happens sometimes, but it definitely not the rule, just a mistake.  Sorry you have to deal with it, but when it's working again, you will be happy I'm sure.  I can't wait for FIOS, even if there is an issue installing, I will take it.

[Bwalker25]

i have to agree I would take a week off to get that upload speed!  It would make it so nice to send family videos to my brother in iraq, pictures and play online games (thats the real reason!), nothing like snipping people in battlefield 2 on fios!   however I am stuck with TWC RR, when will we get fios in NC?

Just be patient, many of us who haven't got fios are learning that concept right now.  Hopefully we will have it by summers end, as road runner is upgrading or so I hear, so maybe they know there will be competition coming (fios maybe?)!?

[cholla]

litig8; Too bad you didn't get a written contract.Like most people don't.Oral contracts can so easily be called a misunderstanding by a big company Verizon.Then you're pretty much stuck.I would still be insistant on getting my phone service ASAP like in 1 day If its's their mistake they should do everything in their power to get you as close to like you were as posible With some kind of internet connection.Paying a crew overtime at their expense if necessary.Go as high in management at Verizon as you can get with your complaint because the higher you get the less likely it will just be covered up & you lose.The higher you go the more it costs Verizon in time of higher paid employees & this is what gets their attention.I will say I have never got higher with a complaint than some kind of "vice president" or was told this is who I was talking too.

Back to a written contract if you had one with specific performace in it then you could contract to have the work done with someone else & sue Verizon for the cost.

[jditto]

You DO have a written contract.  It's called the TOS, Terms of Service.  Available on-line all the time and comes written in the install kit.  If you read it, which no one ever does, you will find, as with all internet providers, nothing is guaranteed.  It's not just a RR thing, or a Verizon thing, or a Comcast thing.  No Company guarantees speed.  Hell, the phone company still only says 2400 on dial-up in 99% of areas around the country.  Life is no guarantee.  Just go with the flow.  If slow internet is on the top of your list to be fixed, consider yourself lucky.  You could be loosing your home, or job, or wreck your car.  You just have slow internet issues.

[cholla]

jditto ; The TOS is just part of an electronic agreement usually favoring the company that it is written for .I do read these or I have.How ever if a large company was having a company like Verizon or their competition install their phone system. They would have a written contract that had specific performance of the date the work was to be completed.

I guess I should have read the start date of this topic Aug.31.2005 I wouldn't even have responded.

[jditto]

In order for one company to do that, all companies would have to do so.  Therefore, someone has to be the first to make the claims they can always support certain things on a network.  Since nothing involving a computer can be 100% guaranteed, there is no way any company is going to do so.  You cannot fault just Verizon for what no one does.  Networks are never 100% perfect, and probably never will be.  There's just to many variables to maintain at all times for it to be so.  If you want a 100% guarantee, you would have to build and maintain you own internal home network, optic line to the CO, your own CO, your own back bone, and so on and so forth.  Even then you know you would have no grantees unless you built your own unbreakable, infallible networking devices to regulate said perfect network.  In this day and age, it cannot be done.  I suggest you think about all that's involved in your wanted guarantee before placing blames on one Company for something no company does.  Your logic is flawed and useless in this matter as it means nothing in the real world of the internet.  Things happen, people fix them as fast as possible.  Sometimes the fix is not straight forward and takes more time.  To much time in some cases, but is can't be helped.  Yelling at someone over the phone will do nothing but slow the process.  It's as simple as that.  If you don't want to deal with such things, you shouldn't be buying any internet service and you shouldn't be online at all.

[cholla]

jditto ;I haven't singled out Verizon I said or their competion.The topic really has nothing to do with the internet quality of service.Only that One persons service wasn't installed when it was supposed to be.I don't yell over the phone but insist on going up the chain to someone that can get what I need done.btw I have been successful at doing this.

I don't see my logic as flawed & I'm sure companies do get contracts beyond what most individuals do .But like I said this topic has nothing to do with the internet service Verizon provides after the connection is hooked up.So your logic is flawed in explaing that no ISP can guarantee network service.Who doesn't know that.