Will Verizon Wireless fire employees who help customers save money?
Wireless is in the midst of a tangle over claims that, if true, will be a public relations disaster for the company. An email from a worker at the company to New York Timeswriter David Pogue claimed Verizon Wireless was using some not so savory tactics in order to force customers to pay for services they don't want.
Data blocks, for example, are an option for customers who want to prevent inadvertently accessing the web on their wireless phone -- and paying $2 a pop each time they accidentally do so. The memo, passed along by a Verizon employee, indicated that if a customer service representative fielded a call from a consumer who wanted to get a data block they could be punished -- or even fired -- for granting the request. Instead, the customer service representatives are supposed to convince the consumer to upgrade their service and buy data plans.
