Previously I had written about getting ripped off by Verizon. Their customer service was of no help. The elevator music that their phone systems played while waiting to speak to customer service stated that they solve your problems the first time you call. Unfortunately I had called three months in a row without any satisfaction. Escalating it to a manager did not correct the problem either. I was unable to speak with anybody higher than a first line manager. It was time to involve the Better Business Bureau.To tell the truth, I had never used the Better Business Bureau before. But I figured through rumor that they might be able to help. I looked them up on the web. I was surprised to find out that there are regional and local chapters of them that deal with your problems. So I guess it is not some monolithic federal agency.
The BBB did have a way to file a complaint online. However they first encouraged you to try to work a resolution yourself. They provided a lot of training online on how to do this effectively. The best advice I read was to communicate with somebody in authority such as the CEO or president of the company.
I used Yahoo finance to research who was in charge of Verizon. It was some guy who makes $6.2 million a year. That sounds like somebody with power to solve my little problem. I copied the corporate address down from Yahoo finance. Then I drafted a letter to the Chairman and CEO of Verizon using a template provided by the BBB.
This actually seemed to produce some results. Of course the big chief did not call me directly. But somebody from executive relations did. He seemed like a competent guy. And he was able to share some future changes in Verizon policy that might help me out. He was also able to come up with a plan that took care of my immediate needs until the future changes took place. I was still a bit salty about the poor treatment I had received so far. This guy was very good. He addressed all of my concerns.
Here is my advice to you. Don’t use Verizon for your wireless phone needs. Expect little help when calling their customer support. But if you do need action and can’t get it through normal channels, write to the CEO. It worked for me.
