killing me softly

1) I just wrote a post that felt great to write, like I was really doing something useful. I hit "Submit" and then the server reset. The whole post is gone.

2) Verizon Wireless is charging me $500 for trying to do the right thing. My BlackBerry stopped working, so I got a replacement (I had replacement insurance), and the guy switched my numbers to the new one and handed me back the old one and wished me good luck. So I donated the old one, since it could still dial 911. But apparently I was supposed to return the old one (no one told me), and now they're charging me $499 for it! I do not have $499. And it's not even a good phone.

I feel sick. Are things ever just not going to suck? I need a hug. And a new phone. (And a new provider, too.)

I'll try to rewrite the post tomorrow.

Comments

[Elana]

Oh Moxie...(((hugs))). Big ones. Those Verizon a$$holes don't deserve your business - why on earth would they want a broken phone?!

I feel your pain. The other day I dropped my daughter off at daycare and she wailed in anguish as I left. I drove to work, completely preoccupied, and as I was parking my car in the underground parkade, bashed into a concrete pillar.Big dent = 800 bucks!! All because I was thinking about my sweet little girl.

Anyways, I hope it consoles you to know that I forwarded a link to your site to my sister, who had her first baby 2 weeks ago and is having kind of a rough time. She told me that reading your posts and the comments afterwards felt ever so reassuring to her. She slept better that night.

Thinking of you,
Elana

[AmyinTexas]

That's the second time this week I've heard of Verizon sticking it to a faithful customer (my husband was the first victim).

Just keep thinking that the Karma on both ends will pay off one day.

Oh, and {{hug}}.

[pennifer]

Ugh. That bites. And when you are trying to move too. Hugs!

[kelly]

Hugs.

[Libby]

I'm so sorry, Moxie! Big hug to you!

[maria]

Oh, honey, hang in there. This too shall pass. I have AT & T and they suck too, so I don't know what to tell you. But if you got AT&T you could call me for free and kvetch ;-)

[Bethany]

{{Hugs}}!!

[Lissa]

((((( HUGS )))))

[Bugmama]

Big hugs from Seattle.

Suck Suck Suck.

I remember writing the last essay on a college midterm for which I'd stayed up ALL NIGHT. This was so long ago that I had a weirdo dedicated word processor with an odd spell check. It took every word you wrote, put it into alphabetical order, then ran it through the spell check, THEN put it back in the order you wrote.

Well, the last essay was crap and I knew it, but it was 5 am and I just wanted to sleep. So I hit spell check and then must have done something wrong, because before I knew it, I had every word I'd written in alphabetical order and NO WAY TO GET IT BACK INTO ESSAY FORM. At the time it felt worse than losing the whole thing. But I figured it was just God's way of getting me to re-write the darned thing.

You had written something you liked and were proud of, so I bet that was even worse. So sorry.

I've been with T-Mobile forever and have had really good luck with their customer service. Just my two cents.

Hope the new day brings better things.

[enu]

Things are totally going to not suck again, and SOON. You're in a really stressful situation right now (moving) and once you're settled, I predict things will get much nicer for you.

Sorry about the BlackBerry. That stinks. I have a child who is a wizard at getting the results she wants from customer service and billing people. Do you want me to ask her for advice re getting your $$ back?

Lots of hugs and you will get through this.

[Jenny]

Sorry about your issues with Customer-No-Service. Cell phone companies can be the WORST to deal with, in my opinion. I hope you can figure out a way not to have to pay the $, even though it may be a long shot.

I do think things will quit sucking for you soon, though - you're due! Hang in there and know there's zillions of us out there rooting for you to have happy days!

[Globetrotter]

So sorry all this is happening to you, Moxie. :-( Just know that you and this blog are a bright light in the lives of many people.

I was introduced to your site by a good friend when I was a new mom and I have since "payed it forward" several times by recommending your site to other new moms. We love you, Moxie!

Hang in there. Things will get better soon.
{{{HUGS}}}

[MrsHaley]

Oh, Moxie. What a load of suck. Verizon is just awful with customer service and they don't even care because they know you NEED them. Bad customer service is a peeve of mine -- I struggle with not being abusive to the people giving it.

The new place is the start of a New Chapter. The phone problem is a holdover from the bad karma of the old place. Things are turning around for you!!!!!!!!!

[Erin]

I don't know if it's worth your time and energy, but I would strongly recommend going back to the store, asking to speak to a manager, and explaining what happened. You could take the position because the worker (and it would be nice at this point to fail to identify said worker in case they make the worker pay for it) didn't explain Verizon's policy AND handed the phone back even though you didn't ask for it. If you speak firmly but calmly and let them know that you find what happened completely unexceptable, they may do something. Sometimes a good, I will never use your service again and make sure I tell everyone I know how Verizon sought to take advantage of me - you may think you're the only mobile game in town, but I hear great things about T mobile and will tell everybody to switch there. . . If you get the right person, he may do something for you. My husband is really good at this - sometimes it just takes a person quietly and calmly insisting that the wrong be addressed. In the face of persistence, sometimes managers do the right thing. FWIW.

I send you virtual chocolate - maybe some endangered species dark with espresso nubs, so you can feel better and be helping an animal!

[mom2boys]

Verizon's the worst. T-mobile had great customer service. I'm so sorry about the phone and bill and lost post!

[Abacaxi Mamao]

I agree with the commenter who said that you should tell them that they worker handed it back to you without telling you the policy, and that you had no idea. If that fails, you could threaten them with writing and producing a song about how much Verizon sucks!

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo if you haven't already. It's quite catchy and a good story. Although I don't know why anyone would check a valuable musical instrument. But, still, if they threw it, they should pay for it.

[Diane]

I hate that so much, about the server eating your whole post. One thing I've learned to do over the years with web forms is to do a quick select all+copy before I hit submit. This has saved my sanity many a time when leaving lengthy comments on awesome help-a-mama-out type blogs. ;)

[Kathleen]

Sending a virtual (((hug))), as well as good wishes. If there was any dark chocolate and wine in reach, I'd find a way to send that too.

If the Brothers Grimm were writing today, there would certainly be a story featuring the horrors of Verizon customer service.

Speaking just for myself, you have given so much in valuable, helpful writing on this site that I not only hope you are able to salvage the post you lost but also wish that these experiences of total suck are quickly going to turn in a wonderful and happy direction for you.

[Allison]

F-them! That just sucks.

You are awesome. Deep breath, and don't give up.

[Moxie]

So the post came back! And now that I read it, it's really not that good, even. Sigh.

But I will try with the manager. It's worth a shot, certainly.

And, Diane, I usually do do a select all copy, but just didn't last night for some reason. Argh. Perhaps this time I've learned my lesson...

[Wilhelmina]

Oh, Moxie. How awful about the phone. {{{HUGS}}}. It does seem that wrong Monopoly Square feeling after moving when huge strange bills appear out of nowhere by Chance occurs both sides of the Pond. Sadly.

Anyone familiar with that kind of insurance, that is the shop employee, not you, should know that you cannot give the old phone back to the customer.After all,the consumer might sell it for parts or fix it themselves. Or claim it's beyond repair when it's not.

You are terribly unlucky because your donated the broken phone, and didn't keep it in the junk drawer like most people. So you can't produce it.

But if you got any kind of receipt from the charity you gave it to, or can get one so it is clear you don't have the phone anymore I do think you might be able to persuade the manager at the shop to drop the punitive $499.-

It was not your fault that you were given back your old phone.

You acted throughout in good faith.

If it feels any better there was a wheeze here of mobile phones( cell phones) for £ 10. About fifteen bucks. Friend of mine got one and it was stolen on the train. She had to cough up more than five hundred bucks for a much cheaper phone than a blackberry.

[Matt C]

I'd go with Erin's suggestion - they're the ones that handed the old phone back to you. Threaten to cancel your service - that at least will usually get them to take you seriously.

You can also consider submitting a story to the consumerist.com web site.

[sudru]

We have Sprint and I don't think I ever finish a conversation before the connection just goes away. Be persistent with Verizon, if they gave the phone back to you, it should be their problem, not yours.

[Anna]

I'm a lawyer in California (and a new mom who loves this website!) so I freely admit that I'm probably more prone to fight stuff like this than average....but I would soooo not pay this $499 fee.

I obviously can't offer legal advice but if this happened to me I would speak to the person with the highest authority I could find and ask them specifically where in my contract it stipulates I would owe $$ for failing to return a broken product. If there is such a clause, I would then try to negotiate a lower fee. Are they really in the business of spending money hounding customers to collect these types of fees?

If it's worth it to you and you can find the time, see if there are pro bono attorneys in your area who can give you more specific advice. You can usually find them on your county's bar website and pro bono attorneys sometimes hold open houses at public libraries in large cities where people can come in to speak with them about any issue for free.

[Lisa C.]

You need to fight that bill all the way up the chain. NO WAY should they charge you $499 if the employee handed you the old phone. That's crap.

[so anon]

HUGE HUGS! I am so sorry this is the suckiest week for you. I hope you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The good things you offer us every day WILL come back to you.

For starters, I just made a very modest donation as my way of offering you some chocolate across the miles. Maybe in mocha form so you can stay up and pack? Just telling you here since PayPal doesn't let me comment.

Also, F Verizon. Blog tweet blog about this and maybe the media pressure will help you win your case. Sad but true. If you tweet it, I bet we will all re-tweet. I mean, the guy GAVE YOU THE PHONE BACK. How is that your fault?