Mark McSpadden

I realize that just about anytime I call a company, I end up on hold. I thought I’d use this time to write (hopefully) short posts chronicling my experiences.

So I’m trying to order the Verizon FiOS that they have just finished running to our apartment. An “account rep” came by a few weeks back, going door to door helping people sign up. Well for starters, this is a very flawed system. This guy comes to my door, asks if I want Verizon FiOS, I say “Yes!”, he then CALLS Verizon and has to do the same stuff I would have done from my living room. Well this call takes longer than 30 minutes in my case…so we hang up.

Fast forward a few weeks and I start seeing Verizon trucks doing install…so of course I get the itch for some FiOS.

I go online to sign up there…but they say my address doesn’t have fiber. Ok, so I’ll call the number they list. The lady answers…tells me I called the New York office (like I screwed up by calling the number on the website) and she would transfer me to Texas. Transfer #1.

Well the connection breaks, but luckily she had given me the Texas number…so I call that. After a little hold, they tell me I need to be transfered to the Verizon FiOS center. Transfer #2.

(If there is a ‘FiOS Center’, why wasn’t that the number listed on the website?)

At the Verizon FiOS center, I talk to a really nice and helpful lady. We can’t find my property as Verizon FiOS ready…so we dig a little deeper and can finally find it by my apartments main phone line. She then transfers me to another section of Verizon FiOS to see if we can get it worked out. Transfer #3.

Now I’m talking to another nice lady, but she needs the help of several people to tell me Verizon FiOS isn’t here. I tell her it is…I had an account rep out here two weeks ago signing people up. She checks with someone while I hold…nope it’s still not there. What about the account rep signing people up? Installation got pushed back…we can call you on Monday and update you. Ok…

Overall, mostly nice people, but frustrated with the number of transfers and the overall lack of knowledge of this product that they are actively marketing. We’ll see what happens on Monday.

Update: Several weeks later, I finally get a call from Verizon and am finally “ready” for FiOS. I get a technician out the next week…and this guy saves face for all of Verizon. Not only was he quick, and quiet, but he also gave me some heavy duty wall anchors for a shelf I was hanging while he was here. He went above and beyond and Verizon has him to thank for me not having a bad taste in my mouth from the whole FiOS experience.