Several months ago, Clark told you about a fight that's going on in the TV world between Verizon and the monopoly cable companies. The issue of contention has been Verizon's build-out of its FiOS (high-speed fiber-optic broadband Internet) network.
FiOS comes with the promise of a wide range of programming choices, which has the monopoly cable companies running scared and fighting it every step of the way. The hand-to-hand combat became so intense that Verizon began offering free HDTVs to new FiOS customers.
But now it turns out that Verizon has
not been delivering on its promise. Adding insult to injury, Verizon is also refusing to grant media interviews about the "customer no service" debacle. They instead released a statement that simply confirms that there have been delivery delays.
The one-two punch of the statement and the refusal to talk to the media smells of a monopoly mentality, according to Clark. What would Verizon's "Customer Care Czar" Tom Maguire -- a former guest on the show -- have to say about this debacle? And will it result in a proposed class-action suit years from now, in which case nobody wins??
Clark would like to extend an offer to be the personal shopper for Verizon's CEO, helping him find the best deals on HDTVs. That way Verizon can honor its word to all FiOS customers. After all, Clark assumes Verizon wasn't actually trying to scam people -- they just don't have their act together, right?
UPDATE: Well, Verizon talked to us and they said they have granted hundreds of interviews on this and that my initial statement about "refusing to grant media interviews" is not correct.
On Aug. 20, a Verizon rep confirmed that the last of the HDTVs should ship to eligible customers by the end of the week. Meanwhile, check out this
online gripe site dedicated to the shipment snafu.
-- Clark