Latest news with #consumercomplaints
Phone Arena
4 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Verizon accused of taking punitive actions against customers who file complaints against it
Verizon can be ruthless when it comes to dealing with customers who don't play nice with it. Things can get worse if those customers involve a government entity. It's not unheard of for customers who have grievances with a company to reach out to a government agency to get their issues resolved. While some, like T-Mobile, try to discourage attempts to band against it, Verizon apparently harbors a personal vendetta against those who lodge complaints against it with an external party. A customer has informed us that Verizon maintains a secret internal blacklist of customers who file complaints against it. The said customer was also placed on one such blacklist after they contacted the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia's Consumer Mediation Program regarding a problem which then demanded an explanation from Verizon . An email from Verizon email asking the customer be blacklisted that was sent after OAG was involved. Verizon allegedly retaliated by blacklisting the customer. Being blacklisted isn't just about no longer being able to buy services from Verizon . The user claims that the company tried to wreak havoc on their credit report by re-aging a debt that was already resolved. This means that the company intentionally made the debt newer than it already was. As a result, it became impossible for them to get approval for financial products and loans. The user says that Verizon has kept the existence of the blacklist a secret, which serves to reprimand customers who raise their voices against customer shared evidence, including an email with instructions to blacklist them, to back up their claim. Verizon defended its actions in its response to OAG's email by saying that it had already reported the account to collections when it was paid in full. The company said it followed the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) guidelines, which frown upon pay-for-delete. Pay-for-delete requests involve asking a creditor to remove a negative entry from the credit report in exchange for company refuses to budge from its position and has even asked relevant agencies to consider this when addressing any future complaints from the user. While Verizon might want to be FRCA-compliant by not engaging in pay-for-delete agreements, it's worth mentioning that the FRCA doesn't actually prohibit such agreements. Also, the amount due wasn't substantial. There also seems to be some confusion about a router. The bottom line is that, on the surface, it looks like Verizon could have been more forbearing instead of taking punitive actions against the customers, which had the potential to impact their lives for years to come. Most of all, covertly maintaining a blacklist reflects poorly on Verizon . It looks like the company doesn't take kindly to the escalation of complaints to government agencies. We have reached out to Verizon for comment and will update the article if we hear back.
Bloomberg
20-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
UK Pledges Consumer Champion for Scandal-Ridden Water Sector
Britain will set up a new office to investigate consumer complaints against water companies as part of a 'root and branch' overhaul of a sector in crisis after years of under-investment and pollution scandals. The proposed water ombudsman would have binding legal powers to resolve disputes, unlike the current 'voluntary' system, and bring the sector into line with other utilities, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement Sunday.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Xiaomi's YU7 car buyers face year-long wait for delivery, sparking complaints
SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China's Xiaomi ( XIACY) is telling customers of its new YU7 electric sports utility vehicle they will have to wait more than a year to receive their cars, sparking a fresh wave of complaints against the company. The smartphone turned EV maker said it received roughly 240,000 orders for the YU7 in the first 18 hours after the car went on sale on Thursday night, but only a small number of vehicles were available for immediate delivery. By Tuesday, the Xiaomi app showed purchasers were facing a wait of between 38 and 60 weeks, according to Reuters checks. Since Friday, more than 400 buyers have lodged complaints on Sina's Black Cat consumer complaint platform saying they were not made aware of the long wait and demanding a refund, according to a Reuters review of the records on the platform. Buyers had to make a non-refundable deposit of 5,000 yuan ($697.97) to place their order. They said the official app only showed the estimated waiting time for the car after the order had been confirmed. They also raised concerns about whether the longer wait would mean they would have to pay more because a tax exemption for EVs is set to expire at the end of this year. Xiaomi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its charismatic CEO Lei Jun said on his Weibo account, where he has 26.8 million followers, that he would answer some questions raised after the YU7 launch in a livestreaming event on Wednesday. Xiaomi made a huge splash in China's EV market with the launch of its first vehicle, the SU7 sedan, in March last year. While early buyers of the SU7 initially faced waits of up to 7 months it has outsold Tesla's Model 3 in China on a monthly basis since December. The company has been grappling with a consumer backlash since a fatal crash involving an SU7 in March. It has also faced complaints over the confusion surrounding vehicle delivery times, as well as optional features. The YU7 is Xiaomi's second model and priced from 253,500 yuan ($35,360), nearly 4% less than Tesla's (TSLA) Model Y, currently China's best-selling SUV. Lei has been open about how Xiaomi wants to challenge Tesla's Model Y for the top spot. Xiaomi has been ramping up output at its Beijing plant and plans new factories on two plots of land nearby. Monthly output has increased to 28,000 units in May from 4,000 units last March. ($1 = 7.1636 Chinese yuan renminbi) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CNA
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- CNA
Xiaomi's YU7 car buyers face year-long wait for delivery, sparking complaints
SHANGHAI: China's Xiaomi is telling customers of its new YU7 electric sports utility vehicle they will have to wait more than a year to receive their cars, sparking a fresh wave of complaints against the company. The smartphone turned EV maker said it received roughly 240,000 orders for the YU7 in the first 18 hours after the car went on sale on Thursday (Jun 26) night, but only a small number of vehicles were available for immediate delivery. By Tuesday, the Xiaomi app showed purchasers were facing a wait of between 38 and 60 weeks, according to Reuters checks. Since Friday, more than 400 buyers have lodged complaints on Sina's Black Cat consumer complaint platform, saying they were not made aware of the long wait and demanding a refund, according to a Reuters review of the records on the platform. Buyers had to make a non-refundable deposit of 5,000 yuan (US$697.97) to place their order. They said the official app only showed the estimated waiting time for the car after the order had been confirmed. They also raised concerns about whether the longer wait would mean they would have to pay more because a tax exemption for EVs is set to expire at the end of this year. Xiaomi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its charismatic CEO Lei Jun said on his Weibo account, where he has 26.8 million followers, that he would answer some questions raised after the YU7 launch in a livestreaming event on Wednesday. Xiaomi made a huge splash in China's EV market with the launch of its first vehicle, the SU7 sedan, in March last year. While early buyers of the SU7 initially faced waits of up to 7 months, it has outsold Tesla's Model 3 in China on a monthly basis since December. The company has been grappling with a consumer backlash since a fatal crash involving an SU7 in March. It has also faced complaints over the confusion surrounding vehicle delivery times, as well as optional features. The YU7 is Xiaomi's second model and priced from 253,500 yuan, nearly 4 per cent less than Tesla's Model Y, currently China's best-selling SUV. Lei has been open about how Xiaomi wants to challenge Tesla's Model Y for the top spot. Xiaomi has been ramping up output at its Beijing plant and plans new factories on two plots of land nearby. Monthly output has increased to 28,000 units in May from 4,000 units last March.
Reuters
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
Xiaomi's YU7 car buyers face year-long wait for delivery, sparking complaints
SHANGHAI, July 1 (Reuters) - China's Xiaomi ( opens new tab is telling customers of its new YU7 electric sports utility vehicle they will have to wait more than a year to receive their cars, sparking a fresh wave of complaints against the company. The smartphone turned EV maker said it received roughly 240,000 orders for the YU7 in the first 18 hours after the car went on sale on Thursday night, but only a small number of vehicles were available for immediate delivery. By Tuesday, the Xiaomi app showed purchasers were facing a wait of between 38 and 60 weeks, according to Reuters checks. Since Friday, more than 400 buyers have lodged complaints on Sina's Black Cat consumer complaint platform saying they were not made aware of the long wait and demanding a refund, according to a Reuters review of the records on the platform. Buyers had to make a non-refundable deposit of 5,000 yuan ($697.97) to place their order. They said the official app only showed the estimated waiting time for the car after the order had been confirmed. They also raised concerns about whether the longer wait would mean they would have to pay more because a tax exemption for EVs is set to expire at the end of this year. Xiaomi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its charismatic CEO Lei Jun said on his Weibo account, where he has 26.8 million followers, that he would answer some questions raised after the YU7 launch in a livestreaming event on Wednesday. Xiaomi made a huge splash in China's EV market with the launch of its first vehicle, the SU7 sedan, in March last year. While early buyers of the SU7 initially faced waits of up to 7 months it has outsold Tesla's Model 3 in China on a monthly basis since December. The company has been grappling with a consumer backlash since a fatal crash involving an SU7 in March. It has also faced complaints over the confusion surrounding vehicle delivery times, as well as optional features. The YU7 is Xiaomi's second model and priced from 253,500 yuan ($35,360), nearly 4% less than Tesla's Model Y, currently China's best-selling SUV. Lei has been open about how Xiaomi wants to challenge Tesla's Model Y for the top spot. Xiaomi has been ramping up output at its Beijing plant and plans new factories on two plots of land nearby. Monthly output has increased to 28,000 units in May from 4,000 units last March. ($1 = 7.1636 Chinese yuan renminbi)
