ULMAN URGES RESIDENTS TO BE VIGILANT IN REVIEWING VERIZON OFFERS AND CHARGES.

ELLICOTT CITY, MD -- The following information was released by Howard County (Maryland):

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman announced today that the County's Office of Consumer Affairs is investigating telephone sales practices employed by Verizon in selling bundled television, internet and telephone service. The inquiry was launched after the Office received several consumer complaints.

Ulman is urging residents to exhibit caution when purchasing packaged services through a telephone solicitation. "Verizon and other providers advertise all the bells and whistles of their new technologies, but the information they convey and how it's marketed makes it incredibly complicated for consumers to purchase only the programs and services they actually want and need," said Ulman.

Rebecca Bowman, Administrator of the Office of Consumer Affairs, advises consumers to "take detailed notes while talking with sales agents about the options being offered." Verizon offers "bundles" of up to four services (TV, internet, land-line telephone and wireless telephone), as well as a number of packages and options to choose from. "That is a lot of information to keep track of," said Bowman.

According to the Office of Consumer Affairs, telephone sales representatives usually start by running consumers through the myriad of bundles and options available. These bundles may sound simple at first but when the sales rep gets into the details, consumers can easily become confused. For example, when discussing the TV portion of a bundle, consumers may find that the price option that fits their budget has a limited selection of channels included. When consumers ask about the inclusion of specific channels, they are often told that select channels cannot be added 'a la carte' and that they will have to upgrade to a more expensive bundle that includes a number of other channels they are not interested in purchasing. If consumers balk, they may be told they can stay with the original bundle but add-on a specialized package, for example a sports package, with a different group of extra channels. Consumers who appear reluctant may be offered a special discount to help offset the extra cost.

While consumers are quoted specific prices for bundles and packages, they should keep in mind that the Verizon representatives have the power to offer various discounts and price adjustments. "It's not that different than purchasing a car," says Bowman.

"If you multiply that scenario by four to include discussion of internet, land-line and wireless telephone services, it's usually overwhelming," says Bowman. "Consumers who do not keep notes can easily forget significant parts of the verbal offer."

Consumers need to compare their notes to any "confirmation" e-mails or letters they later receive from the company as well as their first several bills to ensure all details discussed in the telephone transaction are accounted for and that the price is accurate. Consumers also need to be vigilant in reviewing communications that claim to confirm the purchase of add-on services such as game packages, virus protection or tech support that the consumer did not agree to purchase.

When consumers find the confirmation information does not match the telephone agreement, it is important for them to address the discrepancy with the company as soon as possible - and be prepared to walk away from the deal if the company fails to make good on its original offer.

"Addressing such problems takes determination," says Bowman. "After spending 30 to 40 minutes negotiating the original deal, many consumers simply can't bear the thought of having to spend more time fighting with the company. Unfortunately, too many consumers just give up believing that it is not worth their time and energy to save a few dollars."

In a recent complaint, however, a County consumer would have been charged more than $1,000 above the price of agreed-to services over the course of a year. The Office of Consumer Affairs is urging County residents to file complaints about these and other Verizon sales practices. "The more we hear about the problems that consumers have in purchasing Verizon services, the better able we are in addressing those problems with the company," said Bowman.

Consumers can complete the complaint form posted on the Office's website at http://consumer.howardcountymd.gov or can send the Office a letter describing the experience to Office of Consumer Affairs, 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD, 20146.