Complaint Review: Diversified Consultants Inc. - Internet

LOL .... Honestly, I recognize that DCI has a job and a role to play. I get that. But if that's the case, then do it well.  I ordered Verizon DSL some 3 months ago, which includes local calling. We do not use a land line - we don't have a physical phone b/c we only use Verizon Wireless cell phones. So that means in all the time we've lived in our apartment, we've never used our phone line - never set it up. DSL would only be a way for us to get rid of our usb modems and cut costs. Unfortunately, after we received the DSL kit, Verizon could never get the line activated - they did not activate the line (emphasis added). So in less than week or so, we returned the kit and went with another provider. When I canceled the service I explained to a very nice person at Verizon that we are (and still are) long standing VZ wireless cell phone customers. And that 2 technician visits were canceled by Verizon b/c support was unable to reconcile whether the problem was on their side or at our location (personally, they should've just sent someone to check the line but that's another story/we didn't want to miss any more days of work to set this up). At this point the story is that the very nice customer service rep canceled the account, explained how to ship back the hardware and assured me that there were no charges on the account.

About 2-3 weeks go by and we receive a Verizon bill on the closed account for $5 - that's $5 folks to just highlight how ridiculous this is going to get w/ DCI. We call Verizon and go over the closed account and the rep tells us, yes, we never activated the account, do not worry about that activation fee. 

Fast forward to the present - about 3 months later. We receive a Verizon bill for $19.32 on the same non-activated account. Only this time, when I call Verizon the billing option forwards me to DCI. Now that's a weird one isn't it b/c usually you are contacted in writing by the collection company, from what I understand. But this was a Verizon paper bill, the number on the bill that I called was 1800-Verizon, but after I entered the account number and selected the "for billing inquiries" option I was transferred out of Verizon to DCI.

And here's the fun - I tried to explain .... There's not much more to say here - DCI was just rude ... over a $19.32 that I never incurred b/c I never even reached "activation" on the line - a line which Verizon's own technicians could not resolve. They would not take notes or hear any background from me. After being really rudely treated by DCI - I'm talking, you'd think I'd made off with $10,000 in goods and services - I managed to reach Verizon by phone by just saying I did not have my account number. 

I again was put in contact with a very nice person at Verizon, explained that I'm a long time user of Verizon wireless, and then all of the above that took place in regards to this canceled account. He explained that what I was being charged for was a non-refundable activation fee BUT he could see that the line was never activated and the past history on the account. So after some patient working out w/ their financial services department he had the balance credited to the account - the account was now down to zero. He also provided me with a reference number and said that the financial services unit would now contact DCI their vendor. 

Today, I get another call from DCI but I'm at work, so I don't answer it. Later I'm on my way home from work and I get a call again, while driving. My wife is expecting, so I answer the phone in slow traffic and it's DCI. I try to quickly explain that the matter was resolved with Verizon yesterday, that I'm driving and now have to hang up. But the guy was so rude, so I hung up rather than risk an accident. I get home and call them back, I give them ONLY the closed account number and ask, "Verizon is your client, correct?" and the DCI agent gruffly replies "yes, we have many clients". So I say, "Okay, I'm going to help resolve this - I have a reference number from Verizon financial linked to their crediting of this account down to zero, do you want that number so you can note it and more quickly connect with your client?"  Her response was sort of like that Charlie Murphy segment with Rick James, where Rick James goes "I never ground my feet in to Eddie Murphy's couch ... what do you think I am .... Yeah, I ground mud in to Eddie Murphy's couch" b/c she goes why would we want to contact our client, we don't communicate with our clients?  I felt like saying "yes Miss, cocaine is a helluva drug."

There's more to the story. So after attempting to also share this news with someone higher up at DCI - you know, so that their employee's time is not wasted working on resolved or a mistaken case (and truly, what an inefficient company, if they can't do things like take a reference number to verify a resolution or better determine, as in other cases mentioned here, that they have a wrong John Doe or not the right one, etc.) - I called Verizon. And another polite Verizon representative informed me that my reference number does show him that the account was credited to zero by Verizon. He advised me to wait until the information takes in DCI's system.

I'm going to give Verizon the benefit of the doubt but DCI is ridiculous. The weird thing about today was when I called (and they asked this before) they wanted my social or the number I was calling from, after I gave him the canceled account number. So I said to the supervisor, "can't you see the account from the account number I gave you - your reps were able to pull it up w/ the disputed amount yesterday"? And he goes "no", so I said, do you think that perhaps what I'm telling you about the matter being credited by Verizon, may be why you can no longer bring up that account. [silence on the other end and then ...] " If you're not gonna give me that information, we have nothing to talk about" [click] .... NO WAY I was going to give him my social or cell phone number now, for all I know, these people rip others off, after the fact.

Horrible company. DCI, I had no outstanding debt - you bought or assumed zero debt - because my phone line was never activated. And get your reps and supervisors some help b/c they all act like Rick James! ("Cocaine is a helluva drug").