Better pay that Cell Phone Bill!

[GeneW]

Sheriff Sgt. Ron Clapper and firefighters found the man about 1 a.m. after 11 hours of searching in an area just north of Augusta, including Manfull Orchards, where there is a Verizon cell phone tower.

Williams said he attempted to use the man’s cell phone signal to locate him, but the man was behind on his phone bill and the Verizon operator refused to connect the signal unless the sheriff’s department agreed to pay the overdue bill. After some disagreement, Williams agreed to pay $20 on the phone bill in order to find the man. But deputies discovered the man just as Williams was preparing to make arrangements for the payment.

http://www.timesreporter.com/homepage/x862899385/Unconscious-Carroll-man-found-after-11-hour-search

Somehow I just can't see this being a good thing for Verizon... even as a shareholder (which I'm not) this wouldn't make for good public relations. Saving someone's life would have done the company a good turn, instead they look petty and cheap.

Please.... no diatribes about "capitalism", or I'll quote Solzhenitsyn.

Gene

[mr9865]

Maybe a Pay Phone for next time for him

[BailOut]

Please.... no diatribes about "capitalism"

Capitalism and apathy don't always go hand in hand, but the larger a corporation is allowed to become the more apathetic it seems to get. Unchecked capitalism is what allows metacorporations to exist and I don't know anyone that can name a single metacorporation that they just can't live without.

In this case a single cellular bill, or even just $20 of it, was worth more to Verizon than a human life, and more than a peace officer's direct request. I hope they get the holy bajeebus sued out of them as that seems to be the only thing that even hits a metacorporation's radar these days.

[GeneW]

Capitalism and apathy don't always go hand in hand, but the larger a corporation is allowed to become the more apathetic it seems to get. Unchecked capitalism is what allows metacorporations to exist and I don't know anyone that can name a single metacorporation that they just can't live without.

Verizon, Brian, is a public utility and is tightly controlled by Government agencies at the State and Federal levels. FCC and many many state public utility commissions, plus oversight by Congress and numerous states legislature.

A more publicly responsible company might have had more latitude to be nicer than this "Partnership between government and industry". Higher profit margins to be generous and customer relation concerns, for example.

What do utilities care about public opinion? They're "locked in". Right?

In this case a single cellular bill, or even just $20 of it, was worth more to Verizon than a human life, and more than a peace officer's direct request. I hope they get the holy bajeebus sued out of them as that seems to be the only thing that even hits a metacorporation's radar these days.

You may be confusing the responses of a single operator and billing service with the policies of an entire Corporation. I suspect that you are either self employed, Brian, or work for a small firm. I say this because if you worked for a medium to large Corporation you'd know how fluid policies can be on some middle and upper levels, while on "lower" levels middle management is terribly risk aversive and thus will not "take chances" like letting "overdue" customers go for "free". I agree that's not a wise policy but that's their policy.

The ones making the decision are disassociated from the people on the ground, and the person talking to the people on the ground is not making a decision. Decision making I'm sure was kept to "management". Too bad that they issue policy directives, emails and such. It's going to be easy to ID who made this policy, or failed to make it.

These clowns go before government boards many times a year to argue rates and rules. They're basically partners of the Government, given a charter to have a near monopoly in exchange for obeying the Man's edicts and not "gouging" the public. A partnership between Government and Industry.


Given the absence of "rant" I'll spare the board any bed time stories courtesy of Uncle Alexander.

Gene

[Tamago]

not getting lost > not paying your cell bill

[SilverBack]

Williams said he attempted to use the man’s cell phone signal to locate him, but the man was behind on his phone bill and the Verizon operator refused to connect the signal unless the sheriff’s department agreed to pay the overdue bill.

Isn't that technically an interference with an emergency? It'd be like traffic not pulling over for the ambulance in the rear-view mirror

[GeneW]

Isn't that technically an interference with an emergency? It'd be like traffic not pulling over for the ambulance in the rear-view mirror

In way, except that Verizon wasn't "interfering" as much as refusing to cooperate. It's more like a Tow Truck refusing to come to an accident because they won't get paid to remove the car - except of course that they can get a Mechanic's Lien against the wreckage.

As a heavy duty Capitalist I can't complain about Verizon's response. It's their time and money. "Compassion" can and is abused by scumbags who want free rides, which is why the Operator was told by her or his supervisor to say "No" to ANYONE who called. "NO EXCEPTIONS" is just that, no exceptions. That was probably their "policy", and people who don't enforce Policy get fired.

I'm not annoyed at the Operator but at Verizon Management, which didn't have a policy in place to deal with such a contingency. This can't be the first time that a Sheriff, LEO or someone else asked them for such a hook up. Such an attitude shows a lack of flexibility and brains, something Capitalists need today to fend in a tough market. Being fixated on rigid systems is rigor mortis. A good system must push decision making down and infuse a sense of mission into every player, from the CEO to the people on the line and even the custodial services. Most of all with people who deal with the public. That Operator should have had the latitude to help that Sheriff and then settle the accounts later on.

A good capitalist tries to please the customer. This "No ticket, no laundry" attitude is going to harden a lot of hearts out there against Verizon. Customers of Verizon (such as myself AND my employer) will wonder why we're paying all these kinky fees and surcharges for "emergency" but then hear that Operators are letting people die in the wilderness because they were late on their bills. Everyone is late on their bills from time to time, is that cause to let them die? To me a late bill is proof that someone is a customer, so take care of the emergency now and settle it later. Put that in a policy so that middle management and operators can obey it. Better still, let them make the call on the spot so that they can help customers.

Gene

[frownonfun]

A good system must push decision making down and infuse a sense of mission into every player, from the CEO to the people on the line and even the custodial services. Most of all with people who deal with the public. That Operator should have had the latitude to help that Sheriff and then settle the accounts later on.Gene

never gonna happen. sorry that i don't have more to add to this thread but i just didn't want anyone thinking that this was an actual possibility.