I've discovered a systematic billing error affecting Verizon Business customers across Ohio and possibly other states. Clients with FIOS internet services are being charged the full monthly rate even when service was disrupted for maintenance. Contract terms clearly state pro-rated billing should apply for outages exceeding 4 hours. I've documented 47 instances across 12 clients totaling $8,300 in overcharges. Anyone else seeing this pattern?
Major Verizon billing error pattern - check your clients ASAP
Cecilia, yes! I've got three Pittsburgh clients with identical issues. Duquesne Light territory businesses with Verizon FIOS are definitely affected. The worst case was a law firm billed full rate during a 3-day fiber cut in January. That's $420 they should get back. I'm filing formal complaints with the PA PUC for all three accounts. This looks like a software billing glitch rather than isolated errors.
Same issue here in Harrisburg area. Four different business clients, all Verizon FIOS, all failed to receive credits for documented outages. The pattern is consistent - any outage during their billing cycle just gets ignored by their automated billing system. I'm preparing a spreadsheet to track this across all my telecom audits. This could be a class action situation if it's truly nationwide.
Not seeing this with Verizon in Alabama, but I did find a similar pattern with Charter Business services. Huntsville clients getting billed full monthly rates despite documented service interruptions. The telecom industry seems to have systemic issues with prorating credits. I'm now specifically asking all clients about any service outages during billing periods as part of my standard audit process.
This is why telecom audits are so lucrative. The billing systems are more complex and error-prone than electric utilities. I've been tracking similar issues with Time Warner Cable business accounts in Charlotte. Found $2,100 in missing outage credits across six clients last quarter. The key is maintaining detailed service logs and cross-referencing them with monthly bills.
Quick update from California - Comcast Business has the same problem here in San Jose. PG&E territory businesses are getting charged full rates for partial month service disruptions. I've documented eight cases in the past two months. The total overcharges are smaller per incident but the pattern is definitely there. Seems like this is an industry-wide billing system flaw, not carrier-specific.
Thanks everyone for confirming this pattern. I've now identified 73 affected accounts across 18 different clients. Total documented overcharges exceed $15,000. I'm working with a telecom attorney to file a formal complaint with the FCC. This systematic billing failure needs regulatory attention. Will keep everyone posted on the complaint status and any settlement offers.
Cecilia, any update on the FCC complaint? I've continued finding these billing errors and now have documentation on 23 accounts. The pattern is so consistent it has to be intentional or gross negligence. My clients are getting frustrated with the individual dispute process. A regulatory resolution would save everyone time and ensure proper system fixes.
Walt, FCC complaint is still pending but I'm getting pushback from Verizon legal team. They claim outage credits are discretionary, not contractually required. That's complete nonsense based on the service level agreements I've reviewed. Meanwhile I've expanded documentation to 89 affected accounts. This is definitely class action territory now. Anyone have experience with telecom class action suits?
Check with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. They have resources for multi-state telecom billing disputes. This pattern affects businesses across state lines so federal jurisdiction makes sense. I've got documentation now on 31 Harrisburg area accounts with similar billing failures. The evidence is overwhelming at this point.
Following up on this thread - I've seen the same Verizon billing issues here in Idaho but they seem to have fixed the systematic problem sometime in late 2015. New outages are getting properly credited now. Might be worth checking if your ongoing cases are from before the system fix. Could help with the FCC complaint timeline and prove they knew about the billing error.
Update: Confirmed the billing system fix happened in November 2015 based on my client records. All Verizon FIOS outages after that date are getting proper prorated credits. This gives us a clear timeframe for the systematic billing error - approximately April 2014 through October 2015. That should strengthen any regulatory complaint or class action case.