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Let's look at them one by one:
Filing a complaint with the
FCC The FCC has probably been the
biggest disappointment out of this entire situation. I have yet to hear
of an individual even receiving a response back from them. If you are a
large organization, you might receive
acknowledgement that they have received your complaint, but even so, it is
highly unlikely that any action will be taken. In fact, the last report I received about them was that
they were scrambling to figure out what to do when someone brought it to their
attention that they violated the law with one of their rulings.
Idiots. Filing a Complaint with the PUC/PSC The acronyms stand for
Public Utilities Commission and Public Service
Commission. I have a little more faith in these bodies,
only because I have received occasional messages from people stating they
actually did get results. They both serve the same function, the only
difference being that some states call it one name while other states call it
the other. They may be helpful in
straightening out problems that you are having with your actual, physical
service. Issues such as installation, download/upload speeds, no
service, run arounds, etc. they can take care of. Like I said
though, I think it may be hit or miss with
them. Class Action
Suits
Class action suits will not do much for the individuals involved in the suit
with the exception of whoever is the lead plaintiff and the
lawyers. For example, people sometimes receive small checks in the mail as a result of a suit
that they did not even know they were a part of. Although the
award my be for millions of dollars, divide it out between
thousands of awardees, a lead plaintiff and an expensive lawyer and you might walk away
with a $10.00 check. The Attorney
General The Attorney General's office is the best choice out of
all the options listed so far. Each state has an attorney general who
keeps a record of all complaints that are received (unlike the FCC who can't
even keep a record of their last ruling). Typically it does not take a
great many complaints for their office to begin stirring things up, and they
have no conflicting interests that may prevent them from wanting to assist
you. Additionally, you will at least receive a call or a letter letting
you know what they can do for you. Small Claims
Court If you have an issue that centers around an amount of a
few thousand dollars or less, then this is most likely your
ticket. First of
all, the maximum allowable amount one can sue for in
small claims court is dependent on the state. For some states it's $2,000
while for another it may be $3,000. You can undoubtedly determine the
exact figure for your state by doing a search on-line. The reason why this is an exceptionally effective tactic
is because Verizon only thinks of one thing...$$$. Therefore, they will
do the math and determine whether or not it's less expensive for them to
settle with you or if they should send a $400/hour attorney to the courthouse
to argue their side. I learned this first hand from a Verizon employee, and
then used it myself to recoup some of my early losses. To be honest,
it's worked 100% of the time thus far for anyone who I have suggested it
to. Now that it's a proven strategy, I am more than happy to promote
it. The process will entail going to the courthouse, paying
a nominal fee, filling out a form and then returning it back to the
courthouse. You will both receive a court date very shortly. Then
one of two things will happen: either a rep from Verizon will show up on that
date or instead you will receive a letter from Verizon asking you to accept
an amount that is slightly less than what you were asking for. This is
done so Verizon can comfortably say that there was no admission of guilt and
that your acceptance of the check confirms this. When filling out the form, you
will need their corporate address which is: Verizon Communications, 140 West Street New York, NY 10007 Also, in some states if they do not respond within the 30
day window, you are allowed to sue them for triple the damages. In order
to do this however, you have to spell it out using the particular legal jargon
associated with your state. Consult any of the courthouse administrators
about this.
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