Even though I'm a long-term Verizon customer with more than two decades as a customer, it doesn't mean that I'm satisfied with the carrier. In fact, I'm far from it. And CEO Dan Schulman's ridiculous use of AI to handle customer service calls is an incredible mess. My son opened an account of his own with Verizon over a month ago and he immediately requested a line with the Verizon Simplicity plan.
Carrier reps have reputations lower than used-car salesmen
Of course, the Verizon rep couldn't help himself and signed him up for the top-of-the-line Unlimited Ultimate at a much higher monthly price. Want to know why phone reps are now considered bigger rip-off artists than used car salesmen? This is why. They put their own commission check ahead of doing the right thing for the customers they are supposed to serve.
Why do you think Verizon won't fix this issue?
Between myself and my son, we made six calls to Verizon, trying to straighten out the mess they created and to get his plan correctly listed as Verizon Simplicity, just what he asked for when he opened the account. Even though each rep promised to fix the issue, my son's bill continues to show Unlimited Ultimate as his current plan with its higher $100 monthly price.
Verizon CEO Dan Schulman. | Image by Verizon
As we know, Verizon CEO Dan Schulman loves using AI to handle consumer calls. At one point, the AI tried to sound like a real customer service rep, even pausing at the appropriate times. When I was asked by AI why I was calling, I said "Santa Claus fell through my chimney and broke my toe." Still trying to sound like a live person, the AI answered, "Verizon can fix that issue." Oh really?
When I finally got transferred to a live rep, it was the same "No worries" over and over and over again. By the end of the call, the rep was rushing me off the phone and trying to get me to say that my son wanted to change to Simplicity from Unlimited Ultimate. Nope. He had requested Simplicity from the get go. So here is my theory about what happened:
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My son opened a single-line Verizon Simplicity account. Since a Verizon rep makes more money for selling the higher-priced Ultimate Unlimited plan, the rep decided to unilaterally change the plan to the most expensive one in order to earn a higher commission. The rep hoped that my son wouldn't notice this change for a few days.
But he did notice and called the very next day. He also asked me to get involved, which I was happy to do. I made several calls on his behalf. Each time, I was told that the account had been corrected when in reality it wasn't. Why wouldn't any of the handful of reps I spoke with make the proper correction? I have another theory for that.
This could be why no Verizon rep wants to fix the problem
No Verizon rep is willing to make things right because if they process a plan downgrade, it counts as negative revenue on their metrics scorecard. A Verizon rep I spoke with on Friday would not deny either theory I presented.
I first subscribed to Verizon over 20 years ago because the carrier had the best coverage and I wanted to make sure that any member of my family could stay in touch regardless of where they were. Many Verizon subscribers probably thought the same way and T-Mobile even created an ad around this premise. But times have changed; T-Mobile and AT&T can pretty well match Verizon with their coverage.
Consumers now have to look at pricing, customer service, and perks to decide which wireless provider they will pay each month. T-Mobile is way ahead on perks, both T-Mobile and Verizon leave a lot to be desired with their customer service, and when it comes to pricing, T-Mobile has a slight advantage over Verizon and AT&T.
Will T-Mobile catch and overtake Verizon this year?
Verizon has approximately 147 million direct retail customers compared to 143.3 million for T-Mobile, and 121.4 million for AT&T. Can T-Mobile overtake Verizon?
T-Mobile is transitioning to a "digital-first" carrier, not a move that a majority of its subscribers are enamored of, Verizon has more serious issues. Verizon customers are dealing with poor customer support, as detailed in this article. Recently, Verizon sold 274 corporate stores to third-party firms that will run them as authorized Verizon retailers. Such stores are notorious for scamming customers.
It will be interesting to see what these numbers are at the end of this year.
Six-month unlimited plan is now 57% off
$90
$210
$120 off (57%)
Mint Mobile is now allowing you to get whichever plan you like for either three, six, or 12 months for just $15/mo. If you go for the six-month unlimited service, for instance, you'll now have to pay just $90 upfront instead of $210.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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