New York – Attorney General Seeking Action over Lousy Verizon Land Line Service

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    Isaac Brekken / AP PhotoNew York – State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is seeking action against Verizon New York over mounting complaints of poor repair service for millions of its land-based telephone customers in New York.

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    Schneiderman said Thursday the state’s largest provider of traditional telephone service is shortchanging is customers, while focusing on the more lucrative wireless cellphone market that’s drawing thousands of new customers daily as they hang up land-line phones.

    He told the state Public Service Commission that the percentage of customers without service for more than 24 hours has increased and the commission has allowed Verizon to provide poor service to 92 percent of its customers. “Verizon customers deserve the high-quality service they’ve been promised,” Schneiderman told The Associated Press.

    The PSC hit Verizon with a $400,000 penalty in March for similar concerns, accusing the company of “apparent intentional” reduction in its repair work force in  September before a backlog of repairs was completed. Verizon didn’t agree with the commission’s conclusion, but paid the penalty to, as it said, look forward.

    “The goals of Verizon and the attorney general are the same — to provide the best, most reliable telecommunications services for New Yorkers,” said Verizon spokesman John Bonomo. He said the company would submit its comments to the commission after it reviews the attorney general’s filing.

    For example, he said Verizon invested $1.5 billion in land line service in 2011 for infrastructure, maintenance, repair and expansion of copper and fiber lines. That’s about five times the amount spent on wireless, he said. He also said that as a monthly average, 98 percent of customers don’t have service problems. Bonomo also said the company lost more than half its landline accounts over the last 10 years, a major factor in job reductions.

    Bonomo said the $400,000 penalty paid in March was a direct result of a strike by the Communications Workers of America union in August and substantial, almost unprecedented, damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in late summer. He said Verizon is doing “exceedingly well” so far this year.

    “CWA members know from first-hand experience that Verizon is failing to invest in the people and equipment necessary to ensure that over 4 million New York phone consumers are receiving reliable, high-quality phone service, and the PSC has defaulted on its responsibility to require Verizon to meet its obligations to the public,” the union stated. “The cuts in the workforce are too deep, and the refusal to refurbish aging infrastructure too pervasive, for Verizon to deliver good service to its customers.”


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    11 Comments
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    11 years ago

    This past year Verizon has been horrible, both with it’s landline and dsl services. Every phone call to them is at a minimum an hour long and that’s just getting past their miserable recordings and “techs” who don’t know anything other than what’s in the script they’e been given. They deserve to be fined but their customers deserve to get the money from those penalties instead of whichever agency is getting it.

    11 years ago

    Landlines are a money losing technology for Verizon and most other telcom companies. The state regulators don’t allow them to charge enough to make a decent profit. The lousy service is what you are paying for. If you want better service, call your legislator and/or contact the NYPSC and tell them to allow Verizon to increase rates so they can afford to provide a higher level of service. Otherwise, get a cellphone.

    DovidTheK
    DovidTheK
    11 years ago

    Why should Verizon invest money in a technology that is old and will be gone for good in a few years. Soon everybody will get phone service with only cell phones, internet phones and phones that run through cable or fiber optic. Why should Verizon pour money into the old copper phone line service? In two years it will be obsolete.

    Butterfly
    Butterfly
    11 years ago

    You are lucky you only had to wait an hour. I waited 4hours and was disconected. Sorry!! I was out of service 4 times last year and the fault was verizon’s – a cable, inside the bowels of their office. –Once it took 2 weeks to find it, once I was out for nearly a month! They think they can play with our lives, then we lost the internet, do not ask my opinion of verizon!! For a large corp. they are very small!

    MINBP
    MINBP
    11 years ago

    I’m in telecom business. One of the happiest moments in my business was when I dumped Verizon. I have had cablevision for years every month the bill is the exact same amount. The amount that its supposed to be no bs & unexplainable misc charges. I have had 1 major outage which lasted less then 12 hours. I lost track how many Verizon customers call me for service explain me there problems and I tell them it’s a verizon issue, but Verizon told me they checked ( without showing up ) and it’s an inside problem. I explain 2 them its there money if they want me to come out and tell them the same thing it will be $125.00 No one has ever called me back to tell me I was wrong. Verizon is the pits !!!! It’s a chutzpah the way they treat customers.

    IMHOpinion
    IMHOpinion
    11 years ago

    Finally.
    It’s about time Verizon takes responsibility for leaving so many customers without service this year.

    I’ve heard countless cases where people had no service for as long as 2 months because verizon has such lousy service.

    ProminantLawyer
    ProminantLawyer
    11 years ago

    They tell you that they will show between 7am and 7pm. The problem is they don’t tell you what day of the year.

    HolyMoe
    HolyMoe
    11 years ago

    It pays for them to pay the $400,000 and not have to hire more staff.

    chayamom
    chayamom
    11 years ago

    I recently switched to Verizon thinking it is a reputable/reliable company. Was I mistaken! After a few months I left them for optimum for internet service that works and Google voice for my telephone service. Anyone who is interested should check how to make Google Voice their home land-line service. The sound is great, the price is fantastic and the information is online.