Verizon account ends, but static over bill continues
Q. I recently canceled my service with Verizon and switched all my telephone, Internet, and cable needs to Comcast. Verizon sent me a statement showing I had a credit of $17.99 and, after two months, I finally received a check for my credit.
A month later I received a past-due bill from Verizon stating I owed them $65.07 from three months previous. Obviously, I was surprised by this and tried on several occasions to reach Verizon, but always was left on hold for more than 15 minutes. In the meantime, Verizon had the North Shore Agency Inc. send me a note stating my account was past due as a result of my phone being disconnected.
I finally reached Verizon and it was explained to me that I owed this amount after my account was canceled because they bill in arrears. However, I always pay my bills on time and was quite upset about the way they went about this bill, which I had no idea I owed, especially after receiving a credit. I sent them a check within a week.
Jill D. Lyons, North Easton
A. You would think things would be simpler than that.
I asked Verizon what was up, and they spent some time researching the matter. Of course, the story they tell is somewhat different.
In a nutshell, here's how spokesman William Kula explained it: Some confusion stems from the combination of a billing period that wasn't completed and you receiving promotional discounts and having two separate accounts - one for the phone and one for your DSL connection.
The late bill you received and paid closed out your phone account. The check you received was for an advance payment you had made on your DSL service, since that bills in advance.
It's unfortunate you weren't able to talk with someone at Verizon who could have better explained the situation.
Given your experience and how you were left feeling, you have already made perhaps the strongest statement you can make as a consumer - you took your business elsewhere. But had you run across someone who provided you some answers, perhaps you wouldn't have felt that way.
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