Verizon: bundle your three Internet services at a discount.

Message just sent to Verizon Wireless:

Verizon Jetpack™ 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi® 4620L

I already have Verizon FIOS and Verizon Wireless Internet services.  Four years ago I also had the original hotspot service but dropped it because Verizon would not bundle its three Internet services at a discount.

Your policy has not changed.  I'd subscribe to the latest 4G hotspot but I will not pay retail for each of three Verizon Internet services.

NetZero capitulates!

I just received an e-mail indicating another credit from NetZero for $55, which added to the $65 already refunded.  Yesterday I spoke to my bank, Bank of America, which offered to pay me the outrageous $35 re-stocking fee that NetZero had charged.  I'd given up tying to recover the comparably outrageous $20 shipping charge, which precipitated my cancelling my order for the NetZero 4G hotspot device priced at $100.  All numbers rounded.

Bank of America offered to pay me the $35 if it could not get NetZero to be reasonable.  I declined.

NetZero not only ponied up the $35 for re-stocking but also the $20 for shipping.  However, I do not give NetZero any credit.

1. I am still out the $11 I paid to UPS to return the unwanted item.  How come it cost me $11 and NetZero wanted $20 for the same thing?  And you'd thnk that NetZero would have a quantity discount with its shipper.  This suggests that NetZero was pocketing most of that money.

2. I spent a lot of time for which I was not compensated.

3. My aggravation factor was off the charts.  NetZero has bad business practices and capitulated only after extraordinary efforts.  Too bad.  NetZero once seemed a legitimate company, maybe even one trying to "do no evil".  What happened?

Netzero is charging $35 restocking fee!

You can't make up stuff like this.

from:  billing@support.netzero.com
sender-time:  Sent at 10:30 PM (GMT-04:00). Current time there: 11:18 PM. ✆
reply-to:  billing@support.netzero.com

date:  Tue, Apr 24, 2012 at 10:30 PM
subject:  Confirmation of your NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband device refund
:  Important mainly because of the words in the message.

This email confirms we have received your returned NetZero 4G HotSpot.

We have refunded your account for the cost of the returned device, minus the

$35.00 restocking fee. Your total refund amount is $64.95.

_____________________________________

Read the posts on April 6, 2012.  I called Netzero within minutes to cancel because it was charging $20 shipping on a $100 device (numbers rounded).  Netzero claimed it was too late to stop the shipping and that I had to receive and return it.  I called my lousy bank, Bank of America, to dispute the charge and it has been of zero help, including today when I tried yet again to dispute the outrageous $35 for Netzero to place the unopened item back on the shelf.

Bank of America had also told me to accept delivery.  Big mistake.

And it cost me $11 to return it.  Since Bank of America is not backing me it will cost me $46 to return a $100 that I did not want because Netzero charged me $20 for shipping.  That's a total of $66 I've paid for nothing but aggravation.

Shame on Bank of America and Netzero.

NetZero wants me to pay shipping to return their device!

Message just sent to NetZero:

You people are unbelievable.  The reason I am returning your device is because of the outrageous $20 shipping charge.  I did everything I could to get Netzero NOT to ship it.  You shipped it anyway and now you expect me to pay shipping to return it?

I want NetZero to pay the shipping.

NetZero: a manager calls.

Brad the manager called at 7:05PM.  Nice enough guy.  Basically he re-iterated what I had already been told.  The order went out to a third party, blah, blah, blah.  He will try to see when the process is engaged and intercede but that is unlikely he can prevent the shiping.  Brad even offered to waive the shipping charge but I told him that I was so aggravated with NetZero that, no, I just wanted my money back.

I told Brad that I had already called my bank and he encouraged me to dispute the charge through the bank if the item is shipped.

Argh!

NetZero: documentation they are crooks.

from:		NetZero announcement@support.netzero.com via matinale.net
sender-time:		Sent at 5:59 PM (GMT-07:00). Current time there: 3:34 PM. ✆
reply-to:		NetZero
to:		Kenneth Matinale
date:		Fri, Apr 6, 2012 at 5:59 PM
subject:		Welcome to NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband!

OK, you can see the time stamp.  And I just hung up after wasting 25 minutes on the phone trying to get my money back.  A supervisor is supposed to call me back.  They say some Olympic athlete already shipped the item.  I demanded written documentation that it had already shipped.  Oh it's in the system and there is nothing they can do.  Yeah, right.

NetZero crooks

I ordered the NetZero free 4G service with a $99.95 hot spot device.  What I did not notice was the shipping charge of $19.95.  Maybe it was the black background and tiny font.

When I noticed it in the e-mail from my bank I immediately called NetZero to cancel, maybe ten minutes after processing.  I am now on indefinite hold waiting for a supervisor.  They refuse to let me cancel.  The best I can get is to accept delivery and ship it back, supposedly for another $19.95 shipping.

These tech companies make it as difficult as possible to return or cancel.  They tell you the order is in the warehouse.  I told them there is no way it has even been taken off the shelf.  Stay tuned.