[February 3, 2005]

4. Slamming and other dubious business practices.

Internal Lawyers for Verizon have made an interesting ruling that governs their internal business practice for DSL services. In the event Verizon Online turns in a service order for a customer who is using someone other than VOL for DSL service (called a "Competitive ISP), then that order is processed without notification being made to the current account holder or even a confirmation call. This creates a number of problems.

First of all, if the end user customer did NOT intend that their account be moved, the first notion that something is amiss is when their DSL link goes down and they get a modem in the mail. The first indication that a customer is potentially lost seen by the "Competitive ISP," is when they get an e-mail notice that the service has been transferred to "Another ISP."

For example, we initiated an order for residential DSL service to the owner of a company we service as a business DSL customer. In due course, we received notification that the order was complete. It didn't work. Repeated calls to Verizon for repair went nowhere. We thought the problem was associated with an extremely old demark box on the side of the house.

A Verizon field tech told the customer that if they had been on Verizon Online, their problem would have been solved a long time ago. He gave her a number to call. The Verizon Online representative, who identified himself or herself as "Verizon," promised to fix the problem with the customer's permission.

Sometime later, the customer gets a modem and I get an e-mail. The end result is that the customer wrote a note that I then filed with Verizon attesting who they wanted service with, and a supervisor with Verizon ADS persuaded Verizon DSL repair to be more thorough—which traced the problem to a Central Office fault that was quickly fixed.

I just received another notice that a customer was moving to another DSL provider. The particular customer in question owes me money. So they move to another DSL provider—here read Verizon Online, to avoid paying me. And there is nothing I can do about it.

Can you say "Chicanery?" Can you say "Slamming?" Verizon is well aware of the situation and is doing absolutely nothing to stop it; I have been told that nothing can be done about the torrent of complaints on this subject.

 

1. Background

what the RBOCs really think about competition

missing the Internet revolution

Robert Cannon

2. Pricing and Cost Issues: predatory prices crush competition

RBOC costs, for the record

3. Business Practices

4. Slamming and other dubious business practices

>5. Networks

6. Customer Service

7. VNXX

8. Verizon's Petition for Forbearance

9. Unintended Consequences

10. Conclusion

RBOCs, why you need me