Who runs Verizon-FEMA?; Haunted Connecticut

Last week, when I talked to Jessica, she assured me that my bill for the phone I don't have would be totally credited and I would have a zero balance. Well, guess what - I got ANOTHER bill, now up to over $300 for a bill I will never pay.

So, I had to waste another half an hour on another call to the misnamed 'Customer Service'. I got another person, whose name I didn't write down, who told me they were trying to bill me for the phone that they claim arrived on Sept. 1 when in fact, it has been sitting in their warehouse since July 20th. I have the pallet number it is sitting on. She told me that 'someone' misunderstood the 'note' that was written on it. What should have been written on the bill, was 'delete from system'. I asked her why it was possible that they can put a phone in my hand within 24 hours, but getting rid of an erroneous bill takes months. She was 'all apologies' took my real cellphone number and promised me a call back. I didn't get one. I guess my next step is to write a letter to the Corporate Office in the great and powerful land of Oz to see if there is anyone competent in the entire company who can shred and burn this bill.

Ironically, if it isn't enough hassle to wade through the automated phone system, you get treated to an 'infomercial' about how Verizon is 'working hard' to help the residents of the Gulf States to get phone service back after Hurricane Katrina. Haven't these people suffered enough from both a hurricane, FEMA and now Verizon?

I think the real culprit here is those 'contracts' that users are forced to accept. Corporations shouldn't be 'guaranteed' loyalty if people are 'guaranteed' jobs or health care. The best way to ensure customer loyalty is to provide a quality product and quality customer support. And I don't mean my misleading customers into believing that their requests are be handled by Americans by a guy named 'Kevin' who is located in Bangalore. You and I know that 'Kevin' isn't the guy's birth name. I guess they don't want us to be reminded that most high-tech jobs (as well as customer service) are handled overseas. But that increases the corporation's bottom line. And cellphone companies figure they don't have to provide good service, because, if you don't like it and try to leave, we'll send the lawyers after you for breaking the 'contract'. I call upon the so called 'free market' Republicans to file legislation to ban cellphone contracts, if they are not to busy passing legislation that affects every aspect of your personal life, that is.

Verizon can go to hell, which is where most of the ghosts from Connecticut come from.

For the past few years around Halloween, PBS showed a great two hour show called 'A Haunting in Connecticut'. It is the story of an upstate New York family, consisting of a father who is often not home as a salesman, the mother, two teenage boys and a younger girl. The eldest boy, Paul, has cancer and he has to travel to Connecticut to see a specialist. The specialist is located about 4 hours from home, so the family decides to make a move to somewhere closer. They find a lovely Victorian in central Connecticut, for 'the right price', if it only had enough rooms. The house was being renovated and she asked the workmen if it had the required number of bedrooms. He said no, but the basement could be converted into a bedroom. Sold! But what is that 'walkin freezer' for and all those chemicals...

If this show is reprised this Halloween, check it out. Recommended.