Verizon's drive to establish FiOS and sell TV and broadband packages is getting in the way of what customers traditionally expect from their telephone companies: quality telephone service. The Tampa tribune reports that regulators in at least 10 states say the telco is giving millions of customers service that's "disturbing," "habitually poor," and a "failure." Regulators say service--as in repair--has taken a major hit, with work orders often taking more than a week to be acted on, raising public safety concerns.
"They've really been selling the heck out of FiOS, but everyplace they start offering it creates a strain on their system that they're not prepared to handle," said Bob Williams, a director at Consumers Union in Washington. "Especially for older folks who are not going to go with just a cell phone, that basic phone is their lifeline to the world. If regulators and public officials aren't concerned about this, they should be."
State regulators in Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, West Virginia, Ohio and New Jersey have all voiced some concern, some calling for hearings, investigations and even millions of dollars in fines for poor service. Check out this Tampa Tribune story [1] for more.
Related article:
Florida AG, AARP seek $6.5 million in fines for Verizon Verizon report [2]
Links:
[1] http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jun/19/verizon-quality-issues-have-gone-long-distance/
[2] http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/florida-ag-aarp-seek-6.5-million-verizon-fine/2008-05-16