Caveat Emptor: Verizon's email service and ol 'live' customer support challenges

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:52:05 -0400
> From: Net Communer <cco () netcommuner org>
> Subject: Caveat Emptor: Verizon's email service and ol 'live' customer support
>  challenges
> X-Sender: networker () incoming verizon net
> To: dave () farber net
>
>
> Dave, for IP, if you agree that info is of utility to readers
> paul foldes
>
> ------------
>
> Recently switched to Verizon's dsl service. Following experience should be 
> noted by present and prospective Verizon email users.
>
> Today, after returning from a 2 day weekend away from downloading email 
> from the server, got a warning mesage that my inbox (which holds 30 meg!) 
> was close to being full.
>
> Reason: my 'spam filter box' -- which I had disabled as it is useless 
> --  held 24 meg! of mail (basically copies of my inbox). As my 'spam 
> filter box' which is supposed to automatically be cleaned out every 2 days 
> has not yet been cleared, I was close to my limit. As I get about 130 spam 
> messages every 12 hours! such double counting of incoming messages by 
> Verizon can quickly fill up most user's inbox and start bouncing messages.
>
> The warning suggested that I go to Verizon's web based email 
> (netmail.verizon.net) to delete unwanted messages. I did that.
>
> What I found when I went there was not comforting.
>
> Unlike Yahoo, and other popular web based email providers, Verizon does 
> not provide a 'secure' sign in option to its web based email system. Nor 
> is its sign in automatically encrypted. Such ommision is hardly consonant 
> with Verizon's publicly stated concern for the privacy and online security 
> of its users.
>
> Unlike Yahoo, and other widely used web based email providers, Verizon 
> also does not provide the ability to select 'delete all' and then 
> selectively uncheck messages that one wants to keep for its web based 
> email service.
>
> That means that I would have to <<one-by-one>> check the delete box for 
> 324 messages! all 22 screens of spam !  to delete the messages clogging up 
> my inbox.
>
> Hardly an example of consideration for the user's time or need for 
> unnecessary effort of having to maneuver a mouse 324 times to check off a 
> message needing to be deleted.
>
> Attempts to reach Verizon's customer service personnel by 'im' provided as 
> part of its online customer service center leads to another challenge.
>
> In order to reach the live online support via IM, you have to click on 
> 'submit a trouble ticket'. Hardly a heading most users would associate 
> with 'online live customer support'. And then, one still doesnt go 
> straight to 'online live customer support' but one must hunt around for 
> specifying the topic which is leading user to want to contact customer support.
>
> There is no simple link that states: Live Customer Support.
>
> and, after going to all that trouble, 'live customer support' is not 
> connecting at 6 30 am on a business day. And when the 'live' customer 
> support is not connectiong, there is no option provided to at least send 
> an email to customer support for an asynchronous reply.
>
> I nominate Verizon's email service and online customer support center 
> service for the 'least user friendly' design award of the month.
>
> Caveat Emptor
>
> paul foldes
> cco, netcommuner.org
> on the 'bleeding edge' since 1982

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