.002 dollars, or .002 cents?

Jeffrey Kaplan · Joined: 08 Aug 2007 Posts: 65

A conversation between a Verizon Wireless customer and Verizon Wireless
customer support... about the (lack of?) difference between the two
rates.

http://media.GRC.com/mp3/VerizonCantCount.mp3

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Jason · Joined: 08 Aug 2007 Posts: 22

Jeffrey Kaplan wrote:
> A conversation between a Verizon Wireless customer and Verizon Wireless
> customer support... about the (lack of?) difference between the two
> rates.
>
> http://media.GRC.com/mp3/VerizonCantCount.mp3

I just listened to that a few days ago. I would have been asking for
Billing, personally. You figure there's an accountant or two in there,
so they should be able to do math. I love how the Verizon customer care
people kept telling him to get out his calculator, just goes to show you
how good our educational system is these days. Seriously, how hard is
it to double a number and move the decimal around?

Patrick Fitzrichard · Joined: 08 Aug 2007 Posts: 1

Jason wrote:
> Jeffrey Kaplan wrote:
> > A conversation between a Verizon Wireless customer and Verizon Wireless
> > customer support... about the (lack of?) difference between the two
> > rates.
> >
> > http://media.GRC.com/mp3/VerizonCantCount.mp3
>
>
> I just listened to that a few days ago. I would have been asking for
> Billing, personally. You figure there's an accountant or two in there,
> so they should be able to do math. I love how the Verizon customer care
> people kept telling him to get out his calculator, just goes to show you
> how good our educational system is these days. Seriously, how hard is
> it to double a number and move the decimal around?

I'm astounded that the customer wasn't yelling, screaming and pulling
out his hair and those around him.

Harry Gross · Joined: 08 Aug 2007 Posts: 26

Patrick Fitzrichard wrote:
> Jason wrote:
>> Jeffrey Kaplan wrote:
>>> A conversation between a Verizon Wireless customer and Verizon Wireless
>>> customer support... about the (lack of?) difference between the two
>>> rates.
>>>
>>> http://media.GRC.com/mp3/VerizonCantCount.mp3
>>
>> I just listened to that a few days ago. I would have been asking for
>> Billing, personally. You figure there's an accountant or two in there,
>> so they should be able to do math. I love how the Verizon customer care
>> people kept telling him to get out his calculator, just goes to show you
>> how good our educational system is these days. Seriously, how hard is
>> it to double a number and move the decimal around?
>
> I'm astounded that the customer wasn't yelling, screaming and pulling
> out his hair and those around him.
>
The oldest 'math goof' in the book is inadvertently moving the decimal
point (i.e. changing the scale of the calculation) in the middle of a
problem. That's what the Verizon people were all doing.

But it isn't really the fault of the folks in Customer Care (although
their math skills are sadly lacking). The bigger problem lies with the
marketing people who came up with the way of expressing their rate. I'm
fairly sure that the correct rate is $.002, but some idiot decided that
this was .002 cents. Once that made it to paper (or electronic paper),
it was cast in stone. But the programmers who put the billing program
together never saw the marketing stuff, and hence the breakdown in
communication. Oh well.

I really feel sorry for the gentleman who made that recording, and I
must commend him on his patience. I hope he ultimately gets
satisfaction from Verizon, but I doubt it:-(

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