like a fire

A while back, my pastor preached a sermon that had the scripture reference “woe to you” in it. He referenced it as translated close to “damn you.” Well, that made quite an impact on my small group of guys and it has just stuck. Why tell this story? Because today I had a “woe to you” moment with Verizon Wireless.

My past with Verizon hasn’t been very good. In the beginning, I had a cell phone with them in Butler, PA. It was a very crappy phone that kept breaking its antennae off. Every time it broke, I would get a different story from the repair department at Verizon. I began to wonder if they were just bored and made something up every time someone came in just to pass the time. This was when I found out about cell phone plans and how you are stuck once you get locked into a plan. I left Verizon after that plan vowing never to return. I should have listened.

Recently, after breaking down on the side of the road traveling to my parents for thanksgiving, I was reminded of my need for a cell phone. I decided that I would get one while in Montgomery, AL. I have had a good relationship with Cingular, but the first store we went to wouldn’t give me a decent phone for less than $100. I then went to another Cingular store that had the same phones for free (feels like buying a used car here). But they couldn’t get me a number that was local to O-town. So I decided to give Verizon a try.

BAD MOVE!

I spent an hour having a guy try to get me a phone that was acceptable, only to get a phone that most people get for free. The sales rep made insinuations that Cingular was about to have lots of problems because of its technology and guaranteed that I would get better service with Verizon. Wrong! Plus the phone was just junk.

So today I took it all back and canceled my plan. An hour later, after calling back to Montgomery and talking to several people, I finally got them to cancel my service along with some hidden charges.

This is why I will never be a Verizon customer. Their phones are sub-par, but mostly they aren’t very helpful. They know that most people don’t want to go through the hassle, and they count on that to keep their business. Once they’ve got you, they will not help you - at all.

Woe to you, Verizon.