Rules and policies are meant to be followed 99% of the time. However, there are cases where it’s far better to use a little common sense. Here’s a perfect example.
After her father passed away, Cynthia Lacy of Treasure Island, Fla., began putting his affairs in order. She ran into a wall, however, when it came to his phone service — disconnecting it that is.
Lacy’s father, Bill Young, passed away in June 2009, but Verizon Wireless continued to bill the dead man until Feb. 2010.
After a series of phone calls, Lacy ended up sending her father’s death certificate to Verizon. With the company in possession of her father’s death certificate, Lacy called up the phone company fully expecting to get her deceased father’s service turned off.
Instead, she was met by a customer service rep who refused to help her. Why? Lacy couldn’t provide the rep with her dad’s PIN (Personal Identification Number).
According to the St. Petersburg Times, the rep told Lacy, “Well, there’s nothing else I can do for you,” before laughing and then hanging up the phone.
After Lacy contacted the media, however, the company changed its tune. Verizon spokesman Bob Elek said the representative did not handle the case properly — and has since been “reprimanded and given coaching.”
“The account in question has been discontinued and backdated to Sept. 1,” Elek added, “The daughter will receive a credit/refund for the months she paid since September.”
