CHARLOTTE — Alan Sacks says Verizon was offering a deal: switch companies, get gift cards.
“They basically said it will take eight weeks maximum to get these gift cards,” he said.
He says eight weeks came and went and that all he got was the runaround.
“Like, ‘Come up with the darn money. You promised it to me. It’s not that hard,’” he said. “You’re a huge corporation. You owe me this money. You promised me this money. You guaranteed me this money. I did everything in good faith... you asked me on that initial day.”
By the time he and Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke met, it had been about five months since he switched carriers. He says that —during that time — doctors had diagnosed his wife with cancer.
“The darkest days of my life,” he said. “I’m literally taking a leave of absence from work for four months to take care of my wife and take care of my household and take care of my son during this time. And I’ve gone through nothing but frustration over the simplest little item and they just keep giving me brick wall after brick wall after brick wall.”
His wife says she’s doing well now.
Action 9 emailed Verizon. The company responded the same day, simply saying it “shared the inquiry... with the team that can help.”
The next day, Sacks says the company emailed him, apologizing, giving him the rebate, and tacking on another discount for his trouble.
If your phone company doesn’t honor a promotion, do what Sacks did:
- Keep good records
- Be persistent
- Contact Action 9
You can also:
- Vent on social media. Companies tend to listen to that.
- File complaints with the Attorney General, Better Business Bureau, or Federal Communications Commission.
- Talk to a lawyer
And one word of caution: if you get fed up and shop around for a new company, make sure you know any fees you’ll owe for leaving.
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