Scott Porad

Let me tell you why: two weeks ago I bought a Verizon mobile Internet card: $59.99/month with $0.05/MB overage charges.  However, when I logged in the device gave a warning that there is a $0.25 overage charge.  Yikes, big difference.

Headed over to Verizon.com and tried to login to “My Verizon” to check my plan.  Turns out I’ve already been registered–must have done that when I bought the device, but forgot.  So, I need to reset my password.  No problem.

Oh, wait: the way this is done by is by sending a text message to the device.  Well, my device is a little USB thumb-card type of thing…no way to receive text messages.

So, I call Verizon customer service.  First, I explain to the customer service agent my 5-vs-25 cent problem, but she really doesn’t have an answer.  Nor does she know if anybody there has the answer.  Hmmm.   So, I sort of gave up.  Then move on to explaining my login problem to My Verizon.

Oh, not a problem, she says: the software that runs your card has a text message inbox, and that’s how you can get the message.  But, my version of the software doesn’t seem to have the inbox.  Okay, let’s transfer you to tech support…

…oooooohhhh, you’re running a Mac.  The software on a Mac doesn’t have the inbox.

Now, what the very kind woman on the phone is going to do is disconnect my device from my account.  Then, hook her phone up to my account, send herself the text message, and reset my password for me.  Finally, she’ll hook my device back up to my account.

Not a bad plan, a kluge, but a plan.  From this point, it takes about 30 minutes because there are various setbacks to the plan.  Nevertheless, it works, I thank the agent, and like all helpful agents, she asks, “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”  As a matter of fact, yes: the whole reason I want to get into My Verizon is because of this 5-vs-25 cent problem…can you help me with that?

Well, see, if you look carefully you’ll see that it says “$0.25/minute” and what that really means is that if you’re using voice services on your plan that would be the overage.  But, of course, since your device doesn’t do voice, that’s irrelevant.  If you look over here, you’ll see where it says “$0.05/MB” which is what applies to data.  Oooohhhh…well, thankyouverymuch for explaining…makes perfect sense.

And, with no further adieu, let me recount the very simple ways Verizon could have prevented wasting roughly 90 minutes of my life, roughly in order of sequence:

1. If your device can’t do voice, they could suppress the voice overage charge warning. [Relatively simple software design problem.]
2. If they must have the warning, then they should clearly identify the difference between voice and data overages. [Very simple software design problem.]
3. The first customer service agent could have known the answer to my question.  [Training problem...training can be tricky, so they get a break here.]
4. The first customer service agent could have transferred me to a more knowledgeable agent when she didn’t know the answer.  [Business process problem.]
5. The web page where you reset your password could have said that Internet devices can receive text messages, and have included an explanation of how to receive them.  [Extremely simple software design problem.]
6. Unless you’re on a Mac, in which case you’ll need to call Verizon for 1 hour and 8 minutes.  [Very, very lame software design problem, and one that is not terribly hard to fix.  If the Windows software can do it, then so can the Mac...it's just development time.]
7. In My Verizon, like #1, if I don’t have voice services then don’t show the voice overage rates. [Relatively simple software design problem.]
8. In My Verizon, like #2, if you must show the rates, then clearly identify the differences. [Very simple software design problem.]

Long story short: it’s not hard to have a good user experience.  There are 8 places where for a relatively low cost the UX could have been improved.