Last December, a Verizon person came to my house and informed me that they are getting rid of DSL in my area and had to get Fios. I was told that I will pay the same as I am paying for DSL, which was $37. I was told that I didn't have to pay any installation, activation, or equipment fees. I thought it was a great deal and told him to sign me up. As he was signing me up, we came across a problem, Verizon wouldn't wave a fee. I told him I was not interested and would only agree if I didn't have to pay for any of the fees. He said he will come back later and see what he could do. He comes back 30 minutes later and got all the fees waived. The contract was signed which shows that the $37 per month is guaranteed for 2 years and no fees will be charged. He even got a Verizon rep on the phone who went over the contract and told me the exact thing that was stated on the contract.
January comes around and the tech comes to install fios. The installation goes smoothly and enjoy fios. It is amazingly better than DSL and I'm happy.
The first month's bill comes and it's $60, not the $37 that I was promised. I call Verizon, they inform me that the extra cost is for the activation fee. I told them that the contract that was signed waives that fee and I was told I would not be charged. Verizon rep said since I only got Internet and not a bundle I had to pay the fee and nothing could be done. So I just sucked it up and paid the amount.
Then next month's bill comes and it's $60 again. So I call up Verizon and ask why it's high again. They say it's the second half of the activation fee. I explained to them the above, about being guaranteed and signing a contract that stated I will only pay $37 for two years and not being charged the activation fee. She said there was nothing she could do. I ask when will I pay $37, she said next month it will start being that price up until December of this year and next year it will be $60 bucks. I again, tell her about the contract not mentioning any of that and I was told that the price is guaranteed for 2 years. She then pretty much told me "well that person who went to your home lied to you and nothing can be done. You are getting an excellent deal and fios is the best Internet around".
I understand I am getting a great deal, but if I would have known that the $37 was only guaranteed for the first year and the next would be $60, I would not have agreed to get fios. I honestly was not interested in fios but was told I couldn't keep DSL since they were getting rid of it in my area. I am really frustrated with Verizon, money is tight and I can't afford to pay almost double for the Internet next year. My family has been with Verizon for a long time, even before it was called Verizon. I am upset with how horrible customer service is and how they can treat such a loyal customer.
I feel helpless, is there anything I can do to stop them from charging more than I was told? This has been frustrating and stressful.