As one of the fastest growing cell phone companies in the nation, you would think Verizon had all of the money that they needed. Wrong.
Although a lot of customers have switched over to new smart phones that automatically come with data packages, a lot of customers still have un-smart (?) phones that don’t automatically come with data packages. I recall (when I had an un-smart phone) flipping my phone open and accidentally hitting a key that sent me to the internet and then pressing the end button multiple times to try and get out of it before I was charged since I didn’t pay for interent for my phone. I actually did that quite a few times. Well, each time a Verizon customer does that, they are charged $1.99. EACH time they do that, they basically give Verizon two bucks. According to the research done by a New York Times blogger, a Verizon customer will accidentally hit that button three times a month on average. Verizon has 87 million customers. Let me do the math for you. Each month, Verizon makes over $300 MILLION in data revenue (par. 2).
So, as Verizon says, why stop that revenue? The New York Times blogger also said that, when confronted by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), Verizon claimed that they don’t charge their customers for hitting that button (par. 9). However, about 400 people commented on the blog and said that they were charged for accidentally hitting that button. Obviously, Verizon is just trying to cover their behind.
Although a lot of customers have switched over to new smart phones that automatically come with data packages, a lot of customers still have un-smart (?) phones that don’t automatically come with data packages. I recall (when I had an un-smart phone) flipping my phone open and accidentally hitting a key that sent me to the internet and then pressing the end button multiple times to try and get out of it before I was charged since I didn’t pay for interent for my phone. I actually did that quite a few times. Well, each time a Verizon customer does that, they are charged $1.99. EACH time they do that, they basically give Verizon two bucks. According to the research done by a New York Times blogger, a Verizon customer will accidentally hit that button three times a month on average. Verizon has 87 million customers. Let me do the math for you. Each month, Verizon makes over $300 MILLION in data revenue (par. 2).
So, as Verizon says, why stop that revenue? The New York Times blogger also said that, when confronted by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), Verizon claimed that they don’t charge their customers for hitting that button (par. 9). However, about 400 people commented on the blog and said that they were charged for accidentally hitting that button. Obviously, Verizon is just trying to cover their behind.
Eventually, the FCC won out and required Verizon to refund their clients for all of the charges. That sum totalled $90 million. And according to Verizon’s website, in their ethics and governance section, they claim to have a special department of senior executives that makes sure that they stay on the road to becoming a better corporation. They even developed a “corporate responsibility process [that] helps [them] assure that [their] practices keep pace with the evolving needs and expectations of [their] customers” (par. 4).
So, if you’re a Verizon customer, watch out! Corporations are hard to trust and their past actions don’t make it any easier.
Photo by: Matt McGee
Sources: http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/verizon-comes-clean/
http://responsibility.verizon.com/home/approach/chairmans-message/
