Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've seen too many reasons to boycott businesses, but this takes the cake:
<<<Whiting immediately called 911 and Philadelphia police took the complaint seriously, entering it as extortion.
A few hours later, at 3 a.m., Whiting got a second call from one of the monsters. "I've killed your dog, it's dead," he said. The call came in on Whiting's land line, which was listed on Edna's name tag but not on the fliers he had posted everywhere.
Later that morning, Whiting tried to find the phone number the extortionists had used. He called his service provider, Verizon, to tell them to release his phone records to police, but it wasn't that simple.
"I made about five calls and kept getting people who were good at passing the hot potato," Whiting says. He was told police know the procedure.
The detective working the case, who asked me not to use his name, says he got a search warrant and faxed it to Verizon on Nov. 16, but it took 12 days before he got a list of calls made to Whiting. The city was charged $150 for the search.
Verizon charged police $150?>>>
Stu Bykofsky | Verizon disconnects 2 lives | Philadelphia Daily News | 11/29/2007 (broken link)
(The first call made was the scum torturing this guy's dog.)
We just switched both our phone and Internet to Verizon (still waiting for the first bill!) and I definately want out now! Thing is, we have a commitment (I think it's 2 years.) It was free installation for hi speed network Internet and a real good deal.
Has anybody cancelled something like this so soon after signing on?
I'd gladly eat the termination fee, but it's my familys' phone, and their computer is Networked in the house as well, and we just switched.
If anyone knows a good company not named Comcast in Phila area (and Cavalier is not available here), please share the scoop :>) Thanks. I'll be scouring the Web in the meantime.
I wasn't sure whether to put this in Tech ... Business?
I don't like the whole contract thing myself. I paid for my cell phone outright no discounts why should I have to have a 2 year contract and have to pay $250 early termination if I decide I'm not happy. I have always thought that was wrong.
I would have only made one call to Verizon. If it didn't get results I would be in someones face, on a personal level. It is amazing what can be done when a customer is standing in a store screaming at an employee, especially when potential new customers are listening.
Keep in mind that Verizon isn't alone with this problem. I think you'll find the same idiocy everywhere. On the other hand, I call Verizon, tell them I'm you and ask them to release your records: they do. What will your reaction be?
I'm not saying the disgust isn't justified, just that companies are, by nature, stupid and paranoid.
But this was a police/crime matter. (It wasn't me, this is a news story.)
It was the Cops who needed the info, to catch the perps. This company only blocked them from doing their job. And, to add insult to inju--er rather death, then they charge the police?!
Being formally charged with Obstruction of Justice would be the most fitting penalty for Verizon (and any others.)
But this was a police/crime matter. (It wasn't me, this is a news story.)
It was the Cops who needed the info, to catch the perps. This company only blocked them from doing their job. And, to add insult to inju--er rather death, then they charge the police?!
Being formally charged with Obstruction of Justice would be the most fitting penalty for Verizon (and any others.)
Yes, I agree. My post was poorly written. Verizon is right to be careful, but criminal in it's disregard of a request for information from police.
Yes, I agree. My post was poorly written. Verizon is right to be careful, but criminal in it's disregard of a request for information from police.
Verizon is certainly not the only one doing this. I heard a report a while back about Sprint doing something similar with GPS info. Basically, this is what happened to the best of my recollection: Someone had been carjacked or kidnapped or some such thing, and the phone they had was still in the car. In order to catch the perpetrators in the act, all they needed was the GPS info from the phone. Sprint would not release it without a warrant.
Due to privacy policies, though, it is probably the right thing for them to have done. If they had an agreement with the phone's owner prior to this that allowed them to release the info, that would be different. Suppose someone (a stalker, for example) was posing as a police officer and went to your cell phone provider and requested your location as indicated by your cell phone. How would you feel if the provider gave it to that person? The Search Warrant is the only form of checks and balances they have in this sort of thing.
I know that this situation is somewhat different than the one in the original post, and it was the user who made the request in that case. I think there should be a way to find out who called you, but think about how many people would request this information just to find out information from telemarketers and such. It would probably overload the provider's record keeping computer.
Caller I.D. with caller I.D. blocking works well, and shows who is calling. In the case in the O.P., though, I doubt that the caller would have allowed their number to be identified, or they would have used a pay phone. On the other hand, though, some criminals are that stupid!
Dunno about the 'story' above, but I've been a Verizon customer for many many years, and besides the dropped calls when driving in the boonies [yes, I talk on a cell while driving], have had excellent customer service and support from them. As to the article in the Philly paper, sorry but I am quite jaded to reading only one side of a story, and esp. when its in a newspaper - where dirt, etc. sells more than good versions...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
