Problem Solver: Verizon customer dies; widower’s refund request meets static




In the weeks after his wife died, Boyd Dobnikar had many calls to make.

He canceled her magazine subscriptions, notified her credit card companies and made sure he contacted every company with whom she had done business.

The conversations went well, except for the call to Verizon.

Judith West Dobnikar had already paid the cellphone company for the month of July before the 63-year-old had a fatal heart attack on June 27.

Boyd Dobnikar said he called Verizon to tell them his wife had passed, prompting a customer service representative to immediately stop service on the account and issue a credit for the balance, $144.48.

That part was easy. Getting Verizon to refund the money was another story.

“They said, ‘Well, we can’t give you the money. Our policy is it has to be sent to her,’” Dobnikar said. “I said, ‘She’s dead. I can send you the death certificates and whatever you need.’ They said, ‘No, that’s our policy.’”

Dobnikar said he made several more calls, and on Sept. 22 got a customer service agent who agreed to send the money.

Two weeks later, Dobnikar still hadn’t seen a check, so he called Verizon again. This time, they said it could take up to a month to process the check.

Convinced he was getting the runaround, he emailed What’s Your Problem?

“I’m getting very upset with them after trying to get this handled with them for over three months,” he said. “They won’t let me have her money.”

The Winthrop Harbor resident said his wife’s death was unexpected and initially threw him for a loop, but he was able to settle her affairs, except for the unfinished business with Verizon.

“I have not run into similar problems elsewhere,” he said. “I can’t get any closure out of Verizon.”

The Problem Solver called Verizon spokeswoman Carolyn Schamberger on Monday. Tuesday afternoon, a Verizon representative called Dobnikar and apologized for the responses he had received earlier.

“He said, ‘Somebody has dropped the ball here,’” Dobnikar said. “He said, ‘We’ll have to retrain some of these people.’ He said he’s got the notes on what went on, and none of this stuff should have been said to me.”

Dobnikar said the representative promised the check would arrive by Friday. If it doesn’t, Verizon would cancel that check and send him a new one via Federal Express, he said.

“As long as they give me a check, I’m fine with it,” Dobnikar said. “I don’t think they were real happy about me calling the Trib, but he was really apologetic.”

Lunch is on me

Ever wonder what goes on inside the Tribune’s newsroom? Here’s your chance to find out. The Problem Solver is hosting a lunch Oct. 20 at Tribune Tower, which will include an opportunity to discuss the column, the newspaper, anything your heart desires.

I’ll even throw in a quick tour of the newsroom. The lunch, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., is free, but space is limited. If you want to attend, shoot me an email at yourproblem@tribune.com, and I’ll put you on the list.

I’ll fill the spots on a first-come, first-served basis until the spots are gone.

Hope to see you there.

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Article source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-1006-problem-dobnikar-20111006,0,1498091.story

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