A Ramona woman said she signed up for a special deal to make calls out of the U.S. but when she returned home from a trip to Mexico, her bill was hundreds of dollars more than she agreed to.
For Rosemary Fitzpatrick and her husband, making calls from their Ramona home is not a problem. But, when she recently made calls from Mexico, Rosemary said she was shocked by the results.
“So I get home, I get my bill the first of November and I about fainted,” Rosemary said.
Rosemary said it was a shock because before she left to visit her Baja beach home, she said she visited her local Verizon store.
“I told them I was going on a trip and I would like a plan so I can make calls to the U.S. and get calls back,” Rosemary said.
Rosemary said the clerk told her that would be easy.
“She said ‘no problem, we have a plan and it’s about $10 a month,’” Rosemary said.
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While at her home in Mexico, Rosemary said she relaxed and made calls to friends and family, thinking everything would be fine.
When Rosemary arrived home, she found the bill waiting for her.
“I was in shock, I couldn’t believe it,” Rosemary said.
The phone bill included over $300-worth of roaming charges. Rosemary said she went back to the Verizon store and talked to a different clerk who said she had signed up for the wrong plan and that she would have to speak with the store’s manager.
“And then she was sick, so I couldn’t talk to her, and then the next time I went she was on vacation and the next time she was on maternity leave,” Rosemary said.
Rosemary said she called Verizon’s customer service department and they agreed to remove some of the charges from her bill but the rest would need to be removed by the store itself.
“In the meantime, they turned my phone off,” Rosemary said.
Rosemary paid the bill and a $60 reconnection fee to get her phone turned back on, but, Rosemary she said she doesn’t think that’s fair and she wants her money back.
“My husband is the one who said you better call Consumer Bob,” Rosemary said.
NBC 7 Responds contacted Verizon and filled them in on Rosemary’s situation. Verizon officials agreed to investigate even further and the investigation went fast.
“And within an hour, I swear, I had a call from Verizon headquarters saying they got a call from NBC,” Rosemary said.
Rosemary said she received all of her money back including the phone charges and the reconnection fee she had to pay.
In an email, a spokesperson for Verizon said, "We strive to provide the world-class experience every Verizon customer expects and deserves. We are grateful for the opportunity to resolve this issue and will do our best to continue earning Ms. Manion's loyalty."
