Man Struggles to Cancel Mom's Home Phone Service

You call customer service when you need a company's help, but a viewer said he's been calling for five months.

So his next call was to NBC 5 Responds.

Weatherford resident Dennis Brown loves his mom. And because she's getting older, he and his wife, Judy, wanted his mother to live with them. They thought the stay would be temporary at first, so Dennis called his mother's home phone provider, Verizon, last October to suspend her service and billing.

"They informed me of the vacation hold and I said, 'That would be perfect!' he said. "And they said, 'We can do it up to 9 months.'"

But they received a bill in November and another in December.

"When I called Verizon they said, 'She should not have gotten this bill. Do not pay it,'" Dennis said.

In January, Dennis decided it would be best for his mother to live with him. So he called to cancel the service.

"The gentleman I talked with said it would take a minimum of 24 hours," he said. "And I said, 'That's fine. I'm in no hurry.'"

Dennis said it seemed they were in no hurry either. His mother continued to receive phone bills and he called back repeatedly, taking notes every time.

Then on April 1, Frontier Communications took over Verizon's home phone, internet and cable service in Texas, California and Florida. A Verizon official said she couldn’t help Dennis' mother because she’s now a Frontier customer.

Dennis was frustrated. His wife, Judy, had a suggestion: Call NBC 5 Responds.

Frontier officials said they can't comment because "Frontier Communications cannot disclose specific information regarding customer accounts," but they're investigating the case.

Dennis confirmed that after NBC 5 Responds reached out to Frontier, a company representative contacted him. Frontier confirms that his mother’s home phone was disconnected in January, but he still owes $140 because they have no record of his having put the phone on vacation hold.

If you have a customer service issue, here’s the advice of the NBC5 Responds Team:

• When you call customer service, always ask for the person's name, first initial of the last name or identifying number.
• If they can't solve your problem, don't hang up. Ask to speak to a manager.
• If that doesn't work and you can prove your claim, go public - Facebook, Twitter, online reviews and, of course, NBC 5 Responds.