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July 19, 2011
When I first heard about the new fiber optic Internet/cable/phone service coming from Verizon, I eagerly awaited for my building to 
be outfitted to carry it. However, I was leery about doing business again with Verizon given decades of bad experience with their old-fashioned FCC-regulated landline phone service. Verizon was cognizant that many people felt the same way and gave the Fios team their best of the best support staff, so they said.
A few yeas ago, when I first signed up, the Triple Play cost $99 per month. Opening my latest bill, it was a whopping $173 without any special services other than HBO.
Part of the reason the bill was so high is that Verizon reneged on a verbal agreement whereby they were supposed to install the new DVR box and give me the “free for life” plan they were offering to new signees. However, Verizon keeps tacking on a $17 fee, and I have to keep calling them to have it removed, wasting my precious time.
The FCC-regulated landline that comes with the Fios Triple Play uses VOIP technology that constantly kicks out leaving the listener hearing empty silence for fractions of a second. Moreover, it incurs an infuriating $6.35 monthly mysterious “FCC line charge”
Regarding the special Fios customer service they promised, it was clearly a bait and switch. The service is almost nonexistent. I tried numerous times, starting in January, to get a more modern DVR box. I escalated it to the CEO’s office, yet the appointments came and went without anyone showing up. Finally, in May, I achieved the monumental task of getting the new DVR box, but only after fighting with rude and condescending phone support.
This latest bill was the final straw for me. Verizon, you’re fired! For $70 a month, I am going back to slightly slower Time Warner cable TV and Internet.
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