It’s not unheard of for customers who have grievances with a company to reach out to a government agency to get their issues resolved. While some, like T-Mobile, try to discourage attempts to band against it, Verizon apparently harbors a personal vendetta against those who lodge complaints against it with an external party.
Verizon allegedly retaliated by blacklisting the customer. Being blacklisted isn’t just about no longer being able to buy services from Verizon. The user claims that the company tried to wreak havoc on their credit report by re-aging a debt that had already been resolved. This means that the company intentionally made the debt newer than it already was. As a result, it became impossible for them to get approval for financial products and loans.
The user says Verizon has kept the existence of the blacklist a secret, which serves to reprimand customers who speak out against it.
The customer shared evidence, including an email with instructions to blacklist them, to back up their claim. Verizon defended its actions in its response to the OAG’s email by saying it had already reported the account to collections when it was paid in full. The company said it followed the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) guidelines, which frown upon pay-for-delete. Pay-for-delete requests involve asking a creditor to remove a negative entry from the credit report in exchange for payment.
The company refuses to budge from its position and has even asked relevant agencies to take this into account when addressing any future complaints from the user.
While Verizon might want to remain FCRA-compliant by not engaging in pay-for-delete agreements, it’s worth mentioning that the FCRA doesn’t actually prohibit such agreements.
Also, the amount due wasn’t substantial. There also seems to be some confusion about a router.
The bottom line is that, on the surface, it looks like Verizon could have been more forbearing instead of taking punitive actions against the customer, which had the potential to affect his or her life for years to come.
Most of all, covertly maintaining a blacklist reflects poorly on Verizon. It suggests that the company doesn’t take kindly to the escalation of complaints to government agencies.
We have reached out to Verizon for comment and will update the article if we hear back.
