This isn’t what you think.
It seems like a lot of bloggers use their blogging voice to call out companies for their wrong-doings. There’s some sort of hope that pointing a finger publicly will allow us to hold our readers as hostages in an attempt to keep them away from the brand we are calling out until things have been made right.
I’ve resolved to stay away from doing that unless absolutely necessary. In fact, I’d like to do the opposite.
So, Verizon Wireless, thank you for doing something right.
Last month, my current smart-phone of choice, the Palm Pre Plus (here’s one reason why it’s worked well for me), started to go wonky. It worked when I used it on speakerphone or with the hands-free earbuds, but it wouldn’t work in the normal phone mode. People couldn’t hear me nor could I hear them.
I gave Verizon custom service a call and within minutes they resolved to send me a new phone (well, a refurb unit which was fine with me – it actually works better than mine did when it was new!). This was a Friday and by Monday I had the new phone. I was able to simply log onto the new phone with my Palm profile information and it automatically restored my apps, contacts, and accounts.
I just want to say that every time I call Verizon’s customer service, it’s a pleasant experience. I almost feel sad that I will probably never talk to the person on the other end of the line ever again. They are always nice and helpful. I always hang up the phone knowing that things are taken care of.
As a piece of advice to the rest of you, don’t go through a Verizon store to set up your service. Purchase your phones online. Use Verizon’s phone-based customer service. They are both fantastic.
To be honest, the only negativity I’ve felt towards Verizon has been from in-store experiences. Prices are higher. Staff don’t have near the device and service knowledge of the phone-based reps. In fact, my brother went into one last summer specifically to purchase two Palm Pre Plus units (for $15 each – heck-of-a-deal!) and the staff-person kept trying to talk him into a Droid device. My brother ended up leaving empty-handed and went to a different Verizon store.
I’ve heard that Verizon is closing some of their stores. If that’s true, I think it’s a good move. The stores are unnecessary in my opinion. The phone-based and online experience that Verizon offers are all that are required and they do an excellent job of it.
Keep up the good work, Verizon. And thank you for taking care of my issue quickly.
