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Verizon Denies DSL Because of Subscriber's Name

Posted by kdawson on from the gravel-in-ya-guts-and-the-spit-in-ya-eye dept.

mikek2 writes "When retired Philadelphia-area doctor and Vietnam veteran Dr. Herman I. Libshitz went to upgrade his dial-up connection to Verizon DSL, he was informed they wouldn't complete the order because his last name contained an expletive. Repeated calls to several levels of management at Verizon failed to resolve the problem, with several managers suggesting he change his last name. It all worked out in the end, after the Philadelphia Enquirer intervened."

9 of 493 comments (clear)

  1. Change of name by Fred_A · · Score: 5, Funny

    In the end he changed his name to "Harold I. Libshitz" and everything finally went through.

    --

    May contain traces of nut.
    Made from the freshest electrons.
    1. Re:Change of name by jamesh · · Score: 5, Funny

      I remember it as a skit from a Monty Python or Not The Nine o'Clock News or something from that era. The joke is probably much older. It goes something like:

      A man walks into the office of the department of name changes:
      Man: I'd like to change my name please
      Clerk: Okay, what is your name?
      Man: Colin Tittybumface
      Clerk: I see. And what would you like to change your name to?
      Man: Roger Tittybumface

  2. Wait, what? by untaken_name · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, let me see if I have this straight: Verizon wanted someone to change their last name in order to get DSL, and that person didn't do it??? What, are you going to get a cablemodem or something? Just change your name, already. This is internet connectivity we're talking about here. It's important. It isn't like you haven't been getting libshitz for yoru name all your life, anyway.

    --
    http://xkcd.com/386/
  3. Tell me about it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can't even get dial up and had to wait until my neighbors had wireless to steal it.

      -- John Fuckinson

  4. Re:Obviously.. by srjh · · Score: 5, Funny

    Or Fucking, Austria.

  5. Re:Obviously.. by bhima · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't live all that far from Fucking. It's a tiny, tiny village and they can not afford to replace the signs that get stolen... mostly by tourists from the UK.

    So when you go to fucking, please just the pictures of the Fucking Signs and do not steal the fucking signs.

    Really.

    --
    Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
  6. Re:This has nothing to do with his name.. by jeremyp · · Score: 5, Funny

    The filter is obviously intended to screen out truly nasty phrases, like "verizonisfullofshit@verizon.com"

    FFS stop posting my e-mail address on the Internet. Now I'm going to get spammed.

    --
    All I want is a secure system where it's easy to do anything I want. Is that too much to ask ~~ Randall Munroe
  7. Re:Obviously.. by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, what you're saying is that Fucking tourists from the UK visit and then steal the Fucking signs. Since the Fucking village is so small, they can't afford to replace the Fucking signs.

    And what you're asking is, then, for the Fucking tourists to keep their Fucking hands off the Fucking signs? Sounds Fucking good to me.

    --
    My blog
  8. Re:Monopoly by jimicus · · Score: 5, Funny

    So how did that crude obscenity filter come into place when he spoke to people at Verizon... multiple times?

    I once had the misfortune to be a customer of an ISP with such an attitude. They'd essentially installed an obscenity filter on all their staff and if you said anything which tripped the filter, they'd put the phone down on you.

    What made this particularly galling was that the service they were selling was filtered internet access for the benefit of the sort of organisation that wants one - schools, mainly. So you ring them up to say "There's a problem with your filter - it lets me visit www.hotteensluts.com" and they've hung up on you before you can finish the sentence.