Verizon Strikes Again!!

MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
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The saga of our telephone problems!

After having had a telephone for 7 yrs. our service was "lost" when Hurricane Georges hit the island. How we were the only ones in our building whose line was destroyed I'll NEVER figure out! However gone it was so when we returned to the island we were told we had to make a new application and wait about 3 months for a new line since they were so busy still trying to re-establish lines destroyed by George. No problem- we would wait-made new contract, paid deposit. 3 months came and went and so we returned to Canada sin telephono! When we returned they had "lost" our contract so we had to do another, which we did! Made new contract, paid installation deposit -3 months and still no phone! We bought a cellular to use for the next 2 months and made numerous trips to "reason" with the telephone company and Codetel came to install our phone about an hour AFTER we left to return to Canada (so a neighbour told us!).

When we returned the contract was no longer valid as the rules had changed and we needed a "Dominican guarantor" to have a line installed! NO problem- we got a guarantor, made new contract, paid installation deposit and within 2 months FINALLY had a phone. Before we left that year we asked how we could pay from Canada and were told we could pay by credit card over the phone. Terrific! Got home and called one month later to pay the factura......BIG PROBLEM! They could not accept a foreign credit card over the phone however with a pin we could pay online. No problem - after several phone calls and about 3 hours waiting while paying long distance charges we FINALLY got a pin and I went online to pay the bill.......BIG PROBLEM! Since the bill was now overdue I couldn't pay it online but had to attend a Codetel office in person to pay the bill!

So we returned that year to a disconnected phone and a cancelled contract! Paid what was owed, found a new guarantor and made a new contract, paid installation deposit! 3 months later had a new phone line shortly before we were due to return home. Visited the office to find out how to pay the factura when back in Canada and were told we could pay via telephone with a Dominican credit card! No problem- put 30,000 peso deposit in the bank for a Dominican credit card and returned home to Canada with said credit card and with a deposit in the bank to pay monthly charges on the card! Terrific! Until we called a month later to pay the telephone factura! Then we were told we couldn't pay with a Dominican credit card while outside the country that we could only pay with the Dominican credit card while IN the DR.....BIG PROBLEM!

Returned to the DR that year to a disconnected phone and a cancelled contract! No problem - rules had changed and we no longer needed a guarantor so made a new contract, paid installation deposit, waited 2 month and FINALLY have a new phone! Before leaving we asked that the phone be suspended, internet be discontinued and left a $10,000 peso deposit to cover monthly charges for service! Returned to find phone had been disconnected 10 days BEFORE we arrived because
a) internet service has NOT been discontinued
b)phone had NOT been suspended
c)deposit had been used up by the previous month by the normal charges since the internet & suspension had not been done because the person in charge of this was not in the office the day we went and never got the message from the person covering for her!!

No problem.....paid what was owing, made new contract-paid installation deposit, waited for phone

Now here's the problem......went today to find out how to pay the factura when we return home. PapaTony just called to say that with a pin we can pay via telephone or internet FROM THE USA but NOT from Canada!!
NOW WHAT DO I DO????
Any suggestions???

Before anyone asks -NO- there is no-one here that I trust enough to leave money with to pay the factura until I return 7 months from now!
 

DogsRule

New member
Apr 14, 2004
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Omigawd!

What a horror story! I would have killed someone by now! I was going to suggest that you just keep a cell phone in the house and cut Verizon out altogether, but then realized that you wouldn't have internet access at home then. Maybe if you're close to an internet cafe it would still be less hassle than dealing with Verizon! Can you simply pay in advance and get a receipt for the months you'll be away?

MommC said:
The saga of our telephone problems!

After having had a telephone for 7 yrs. our service was "lost" when Hurricane Georges hit the island. How we were the only ones in our building whose line was destroyed I'll NEVER figure out! However gone it was so when we returned to the island we were told we had to make a new application and wait about 3 months for a new line since they were so busy still trying to re-establish lines destroyed by George. No problem- we would wait-made new contract, paid deposit. 3 months came and went and so we returned to Canada sin telephono! When we returned they had "lost" our contract so we had to do another, which we did! Made new contract, paid installation deposit -3 months and still no phone! We bought a cellular to use for the next 2 months and made numerous trips to "reason" with the telephone company and Codetel came to install our phone about an hour AFTER we left to return to Canada (so a neighbour told us!).

When we returned the contract was no longer valid as the rules had changed and we needed a "Dominican guarantor" to have a line installed! NO problem- we got a guarantor, made new contract, paid installation deposit and within 2 months FINALLY had a phone. Before we left that year we asked how we could pay from Canada and were told we could pay by credit card over the phone. Terrific! Got home and called one month later to pay the factura......BIG PROBLEM! They could not accept a foreign credit card over the phone however with a pin we could pay online. No problem - after several phone calls and about 3 hours waiting while paying long distance charges we FINALLY got a pin and I went online to pay the bill.......BIG PROBLEM! Since the bill was now overdue I couldn't pay it online but had to attend a Codetel office in person to pay the bill!

So we returned that year to a disconnected phone and a cancelled contract! Paid what was owed, found a new guarantor and made a new contract, paid installation deposit! 3 months later had a new phone line shortly before we were due to return home. Visited the office to find out how to pay the factura when back in Canada and were told we could pay via telephone with a Dominican credit card! No problem- put 30,000 peso deposit in the bank for a Dominican credit card and returned home to Canada with said credit card and with a deposit in the bank to pay monthly charges on the card! Terrific! Until we called a month later to pay the telephone factura! Then we were told we couldn't pay with a Dominican credit card while outside the country that we could only pay with the Dominican credit card while IN the DR.....BIG PROBLEM!

Returned to the DR that year to a disconnected phone and a cancelled contract! No problem - rules had changed and we no longer needed a guarantor so made a new contract, paid installation deposit, waited 2 month and FINALLY have a new phone! Before leaving we asked that the phone be suspended, internet be discontinued and left a $10,000 peso deposit to cover monthly charges for service! Returned to find phone had been disconnected 10 days BEFORE we arrived because
a) internet service has NOT been discontinued
b)phone had NOT been suspended
c)deposit had been used up by the previous month by the normal charges since the internet & suspension had not been done because the person in charge of this was not in the office the day we went and never got the message from the person covering for her!!

No problem.....paid what was owing, made new contract-paid installation deposit, waited for phone

Now here's the problem......went today to find out how to pay the factura when we return home. PapaTony just called to say that with a pin we can pay via telephone or internet FROM THE USA but NOT from Canada!!
NOW WHAT DO I DO????
Any suggestions???

Before anyone asks -NO- there is no-one here that I trust enough to leave money with to pay the factura until I return 7 months from now!
 

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
13,470
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You can pay a large amount in advance. Meaning you go with your current bill to the Verizon office in the D.R. and leave for example 25,000 RD over the amount of your bill. They will give you a credit and deduct the bills from this amount each month
 

MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
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Been there....Done that----TWICE!

1. The billing amount changes and the deposit isn't enough!
2. The final months (last month we're here) long distance charges are always more that we "guestimate" so the deposit is never enough to cover!
3. They "lose" our deposit while we're gone and we have to bring in our receipt when we get back to show them it was paid however the phone is STILL already disconnected and cannot be re-connected so we have to make a new application=new installation deposit for a "new" line!

:cry:

Get the picture?????
 

riravaga

New member
Feb 24, 2005
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Also with your local credit card they can charge mouthly to the credit card the payments.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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I am wondering if you

received any of my emails and the package I sent you at the Metro station there in Juan Dolio??

Oh my God that is a real horror story...I can't imagine going through that mess. I'd probably have shot someone or at least puched them in the nose.

You have the patience of Job, dear lady, the patience of Job....

HBV :(:(:(
 

MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
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Got your emails HB but no package yet!!

Is it possible that our friend (the 2208#) picked it up???
Should I call?

Now as for that local credit card......when we charged on it the bank DIDN'T take the payment monthly but instead charged a horrendous amount of monthly interest so that the interest due after 8 months was almost three times what the original charge was!! So........I cancelled the card and withdrew my 30,000 pesos (after all that is almost one months "living" expenses in the DR!:) )
Oh BTW the phone company said they couldn't charge the card every month when we're not here because they needed the factura to know how much to charge??????? :cross-eye :cross-eye :eek: :eek:
Does it sound like we've been running around in circles here?????
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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Doh!!

This sounds like a case out of DILBERT.

You won't be here and nobody will be using the phone so they don't know how much to charge you for five or six months of non-use???

Gee, it seems like Verizon really has taken over CODETEL. At least with the old team you could talk some sense to them....

They sound like a bunch of relatives of our friend Jack Schitt!!

HB :D:D:D:D
 

MommC

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Mar 2, 2002
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We do have a cell phone and my computer is wireless ready

(whatever that means altho' I do know there is an infared sensor on the back) :nervous:

I'm a bit of a technically impaired person so I'm not sure how wireless works or how expensive it would be here in the DR.
It's a thought tho'!
 

Pib

Goddess
Jan 1, 2002
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Forget about temporarily cancelling services it doesn't frigging work. I don't know anyone that did it without headaches later. Your best bet is to pay for the full services and be done with that. Don't try to reason with Verison, it is a waste of perfectly good saliva that could be otherwise used to eat hojaldras.

For reasons beyond my meager capacity for comprehension, Dominican utility companies seem to loathe advance payments. We tried to do that a month ago, that is to pay the electricity, telephone and cable service three months in advance, and for that they make you jump through hoops on fire and ride a tiny unicycle while wearing a funny hat and big shoes. We declined. :tired:
 

rellosk

Silver
Mar 18, 2002
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MONCHI8 said:
Why not get a cellphone and look into wireless internet?
Wireless broadband needs have an entry point into the house. Unless the DR has broadband available via satellite, cable, or cellphone, it needs to come through the telephone hook-up. Although, if one of her neighbors has set up a wireless network in their home, she might be able to use their signal.
 

rellosk

Silver
Mar 18, 2002
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MommC said:
Now here's the problem......went today to find out how to pay the factura when we return home. PapaTony just called to say that with a pin we can pay via telephone or internet FROM THE USA but NOT from Canada!!
NOW WHAT DO I DO????
Any suggestions???

Before anyone asks -NO- there is no-one here that I trust enough to leave money with to pay the factura until I return 7 months from now!
I'm not sure they would actually check where the call or the internet connection is coming from. They may just want it paid through a USD credit card rather than a CD based card. If that's the case, you may be able to get a USD credit card in Canada. (Of course I may not know what I am talking about). I think ricktoronto said he was a banker (or did he say a baker), he might be able to shed more light on the subject.

Assuming they do care about where the payment originates from, do you know anyone the US that you can trust with your credit card number? Or someone in the US who will allow you to put it on their card and you send them a check.
 

rellosk

Silver
Mar 18, 2002
4,169
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Another solution might be to try tricom. Although I think they only offerr dial-up (not broadband) internet.
 

MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
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Rellosk.....Dunhill's broadband is 50 ft short of reaching my apt!!

Isn't that a p@#$$er!!! You won't believe the cost to have broadband installed for my apt! Outrageous!
But I was using his services when I first came down for several months. Went over a couple of times a week with my laptop to download email!

My son who lives in Florida could pay it but it'd be a bother......
Think I'll just send PapaTony back on Mon. to San Pedro to pay six months basic fees then see what happens with the internet or phone payment after that
 

p2020

New member
May 28, 2004
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Online bill payment

MommC said:
Isn't that a p@#$$er!!! You won't believe the cost to have broadband installed for my apt! Outrageous!
But I was using his services when I first came down for several months. Went over a couple of times a week with my laptop to download email!

My son who lives in Florida could pay it but it'd be a bother......
Think I'll just send PapaTony back on Mon. to San Pedro to pay six months basic fees then see what happens with the internet or phone payment after that

As far as I know there are two options for paying your Verizon bill online:

1) http://popularenlinea.com.do/espanol/banca+personal/servicios/pagos+de+facturas.htm

2) https://www.oficinavirtual.com.do/mifactura/index.asp
The pin for the second one is the same pin you use for your voicemail (if I remember correctly)