Comments on: The importance of browser testing: Verizon Wireless’ account login feature

By: John Stanfield

John Stanfield — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:24:03 +0000

It still doesn’t work. I’m using FireFox on openSUSE, so there’s no way I can log in with IE. I’ll just call 611 since Verizon has found it to be less costly to deal with non-IE users on the phone than provide them with a web site that works. Someone must’ve pooped in Verizon’s think tank.

By: Annoyed

Annoyed — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:31:45 +0000

I’m amazed that this has been going on for years, considering that the CSR I just spoke with told me “they’re working on it!”. Doesn’t sound to me like they care one iota! Not only would browser testing have addressed this long ago, but more customer-friendly error messages would be appropriate [I've only had a Mac since Sept. 08]. That of course presumes that Verizon would be upfront about the problem with customers and direct customers to call customer service. Instead they’ll let us waste our time. I’ve been a VWireless customer for almost 10 years and have just dropped my landlines and chose not to get FIOS. My loyalty to VW is seriously eroding…. Verizon needs to spend less on advertising and invest in customer service and website support.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:13:59 +0000

get the “user agent switcher” extension for firefox and switch to “netscape 4.8 XP”
Seems to work on linux in spite of verizon

By: John Brier

John Brier — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:42:15 +0000

^Correction on the above: The phone was not disabled because I didn’t pay my bill on time. I have an enV and it actually just stopped working (“service required”). I called Verizon and they said the phone was not disabled because I didn’t pay my bill on time. I ended up paying it shortly after I posted the above comment here. The phone is over a year old and it needs to be serviced. The website not working in Firefox for over a year is still annoying though. It’s definitely intermittent, though. Sometimes it works wonderfully and sometimes it doesn’t work all night. I have no idea why that would be.

By: John Brier

John Brier — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:32:52 +0000

wow. I didn’t realize this was a firefox issue. I thought they were just down. I have had this issue in the past and I would just try again another day. Most recently I had it after I was emailed my bill on February 1st. I went to pay the bill online like normal and got the error over and over. I put off trying again because I kept getting the error. (I use firefox exclusively in Linux and in Windows the few times I’m in windows). Well, I forgot to pay my bill on time because of this and my phone is now disabled as of today (February 25th). I still get the error in firefox even today. I guess I’ll have to boot to windows to fix this. Very annoying. At least an error indicating the issue is with the browser, not that the service is down would be better than this disinformation.

By: jafo

jafo — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:50:16 +0000

I wish you would run your vzw tests again, I have only been able to avoid that message one time this year, the first time I tried with a clean IE7. Otherwise, no joy with either FF or IE – I do not have the resources to sleuth this bs, and there’s very little information on this floating around

By: Ripley

Ripley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:35:56 +0000

My Verizon website fails with the K-Meleon browser as well. I use this one ’cause I’m temporarily stuck with a low-memory laptop, and K-Meleon does a nice job in the face of such limitations. Verizon, on the other hand, can’t seem to adapt to change. Weird: No other site with a login has given me a bit of trouble. Apparently, Verizon CAN’T hear me now.

By: Mindy

Mindy — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:59:01 +0000

I thank you very very much for pointing this out. I was going crazy, thinking my computer was garage, when its just Verizon being stupid and not supporting Firefox… (Which I must add, is THE BEST BROWSER!)

Anyways, I guess I’ll make an exception and use IE…

By: LI_Mom

LI_Mom — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:47:45 +0000

I’m another customer who got that idiotic “temporarily unavailable” error message for MONTHS & like others, I gave up in disgust & headed to the store to pay my bill.

I finally called today & found out it wasn’t really some ‘temporary’ problem…. Verizon just can’t be bothered to make their site available to users of the most popular browser.

When I move there’s no way I would ever consider switching from Optimum to FIOS since it’s obvious VZW is totally out of touch with how people browse the internet.

By: cSoul

cSoul — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:56:04 +0000

Yep, still broken. Verizon’s Customer Service Rep didn’t recognize the login server, tried to tell me I had a phishing site redirect in Firefox. Time to get with the times guys!

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:25:34 +0000

2 frustrating issues with Verizon. I’m a new USB data card customer and am very pleased with the card/coverage itself. However, when registering for online access to my bill, I was unable to do so from my Mac using Firefox or Safari — had to go to a PC running IE to do that. The second issue was that the only way they can get you your temporary website password is to send a text to your Verizon phone — problem is I don’t have a Verizon phone and the data card for the Mac does not accept text messages. So, I now need to wait for my temporary password via US Mail — frustrating…

By: Tritech

Tritech — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:19:40 +0000

Verizon just lost a customer. I moved to SunCom and my phone bill is halved–and that comes with MORE features and nearly equal network coverage to Verizon. I know, because I’ve been using the crap out of it and it’s working great. Verizon’s network coverage isn’t enough for me to justify Firefox incompatibility and the extremely high prices of their service plans, so I gave them the boot. At least I don’t have to worry about “My Account being temporarily unavailable” anymore, eh?

By: Tritech

Tritech — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 01:16:29 +0000

As an avid computer user and pro-Linux enthusiast, I am disgusted that my online account access has been broken for over half a year. This is inexcusable and I am spreading the word. I’ll get Verizon’s director of public relations on the phone if I have to, but I’m fed up and won’t put up with their choice to lock me into Microsoft’s software. If Vista is any indication, Microsoft, is going to go the way of the dinosaur because they have completely lost touch with their customers, and apparently the cuckoo vapors have hit Verizon’s web programming team too.

By: Doug

Doug — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:29:13 +0000

All the Verizon TV commercials tell me that I have the largest network behind me. Instead of spending all that money to blow smoke up my butt, I wish they would use some to restore service for FF users.

I have been a customer for eight years and have decided to terminate my service as soon as my contract expires.

Everyone needs to call Verizon and have your account deleted (user name/password). Also request to be notified when FF is working again.

If that 20 % acted maybe, just maybe Verizon will act.

By: Christie Maness

Christie Maness — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 13:45:04 +0000

I am using Internet Explorer 7.0.6 with Windows Vista and I can not get into my account either! It simply refreshes the screen and then it closes my browser!!!!!!!!!

By: Annoyed

Annoyed — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 20:40:19 +0000

Thanks for the nice write up.

The least they could do is be honest and say non-IE browsers are not supported and their plan for support in the future. Redirecting to the last version of the site would be optimal.

I didn’t realize their was no FF support until today when I tried to login again, assuming the last failure was temporary like it said. This affected the VZ bottom line since last time I was trying to switch phones, and I was forced to call customer service instead. That’s just plain stupid on their part.

By: liafail

liafail — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:41:27 +0000

I have this same problemn with Opera; masking as IE does not work.

I have used Opera to access my account for a few years with no problem; this failure to allow Opera is recent, possibly a web site upgrade wherein bugs are introduced? Or purposely supporting MS?

By: Frustrated

Frustrated — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:04:23 +0000

Unfortunately, “IE Tab” only works with Firefox on Windows, and essentially bypasses the point of using Firefox in the first place.

Verizon has still not fixed this as of November 21, 2007, and now that I’m running 64-bit Linux I am NOT going back to Windows and therefore can’t access their site from my main machine from which I conduct business.

So, the bottom line is that if Verizon doesn’t fix it, this customer of six years is bailing out. No, pressing #PMT on my keypad is not an acceptable alternative. Verizon, are you listening?

By: Frustrated verizon customer

Frustrated verizon customer — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:33:47 +0000

I finally found the “IE Tab” extension for Firefox that will allow Verizon’s website to work within FF. Just right click on the page and select “View in IE tab” and it will work like a charm!

http://ietab.mozdev.org/

By: Catherine

Catherine — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:18:59 +0000

Thank you for this post. I recently purchased a Mac, and was unable to log into Myaccount and after 10 minutes searching their website for a listing of which browsers they supported, I gave up after not finding anything. It was only after I found your posting that I confirmed my suspicions. How ridiculous that anyone with a Mac (not to mention 20% of potential customers) is unable to used Verizon’s webpage.

By: Bill Rowell

Bill Rowell — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:02:35 +0000

Rick,

I saw the same thing earlier this week when looking at phone upgrade options and I just closed the browser and said forget it. I had decided it’d be more productive to just go to the store down the street.

-Bill