Slashdot Mirror
Verizon Sued After Tech Punches Customer In Face
suraj.sun writes "A Verizon customer filed a lawsuit after the tech the company sent out got a little punchy. Instead of fixing the customer's problem, the tech allegedly hit him in the face. The New York Post says the tech attacked the customer after he asked to see some ID before allowing access to the apartment. From the article, '"You want to know my name? Here's my name," Benjamin snarled, slapping his ID card into Isakson's face, according to Isakson's account of the December 2008 confrontation. "The guy essentially snapped. He cold-cocked me, hit me two or three solid shots to the head while my hands were down," said Isakson, a limo driver. He said the pounding bloodied his face and broke his glasses. But things got uglier, Isakson said, when Benjamin squeezed him around the neck and pressed him up against the wall. "He's prepared to kill me," Isakson said. "That's all I could think of." The customer broke free and ran away. The Verizon tech then chased the customer until he was subdued by a neighbor who was an off-duty cop.'"
You got beat up by an IT guy. Either he is a paraplegic, elderly or both.
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
Can you !(*^&%$%^$#-ing hear me NOW????
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
If not, the customer is going to have to wait another month for a new appointment.
While it's possible the tech just snapped and went apeshit on the guy (after all, there are violent headcases out there...), why do I get the feeling that there's a whole lot more to the story than we're getting from the victim?...
I can only look on in envy.
I expect the tech assumed racism from being asked for his ID, much like Dr. Gates did in the encounter in Boston.
Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now? What's my name, bitch! Say it!
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
I think his actions speak for 90% of the people that have ever worked a support job.
He shouldn't need to show identification. All Verizon guys walk around with an entourage of hundreds of jumpsuited, smiling techs and assistants. You really can't miss them.
The fact the Verizon tech still has a job is interesting.
"In the months since this incident, his conduct has been blameless. As a result, we will not take further action," Young said.
The lesson here is if you work for Verizon you get to punch the customers as long as you only do it every now and then.
Verizon rep: You don't need to see his identification. Bloodied customer: We don't need to see his identification. Verizon rep: These aren't the droids you are looking for. Bloodied customer: These aren't the droids we are looking for. Verizon rep: He can go about his violent business. Bloodied customer: You can go about your business. Verizon rep: Move along. Bloodied customer: Move along. Move along.
Verizon spokesman Rich Young said the company has "zero tolerance for any sort of unethical or illegal behavior" and noted Benjamin was not convicted of any crime. "In the months since this incident, his conduct has been blameless. As a result, we will not take further action," Young said.
Wow, they've gotten no complaints from the HUNDREDS of homes they've sent this guy into since "this incident." Makes you feel warm and trusting all over, doesn't it?
Apparently "zero tolerance" doesn't mean the same thing to Verizon that it does where I work. Do they at least give their service techs "___ Days without Attacking a Customer" buttons?
In "The Armed Citizen" in American Rifleman than on Slashdot.
This is so damn funny. If we all start punching people in the face when they ask stupid questions, I'm guessing they will start RTFM. I'm off to the gym to start training.
You know I might agree with you if Verizon had disciplined the employee but considering they are quoted in the article as saying he still works for them I am going to say maybe this is one of those suites that makes sense. I'd prefer to think any company that is going to send technicians to my house would have a no punching the customer "even if he really deserves it" policy but maybe that's just me. You can have the crazed employees in your house that get to punch the customer for something unreasonable like asking for ID which I would bet if you check Verizon's web site is even a suggested behavior when you have tech come out.
The words of the Verizon tech before the attack was supposedly "Mister, if you don't shut up I'm gonna kick one hundred percent of your ass!"
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
NO CARRIER
The company didn't fire him, and the DA declined to press charges. So yeah, he's really pissed off that all he wanted was proof that the guy claiming to be a phone tech really was a phone tech, and he got punched 3 times in the face, strangled, and chased down the stairs. And Verizon is just like "Well he wasn't convinced, we can't punish him, have a nice day sir." Lolsuit is his only option left.
ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI
You guys are right, I think this was handled stupidly.
Unless the dude had a history of violence/instability that they were aware of and ignored, I can't see why VZ should be held liable.
The dude should be charged criminally with assault.
"People don't just attack random strangers, there is always a reason."
You're kidding, right? Have you ever worked a job that dealt with the public? Have you ever walked down the street in a major city? Have you ever visited a bar? I've seen plenty of one-sided situations and I suspect a lot of people on Slashdot have also.
established service standards.
What are you kidding? Getting the crap beat out of you vs dealing with Comcast? I'll take the beating any day.
The real pisser is, the guy probably deserved it, but other people at Verizon are going to have to fricking kiss his feet every time he needs something just because one tech lost his temper.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
...I have a begrudging respect for the Verizon guy.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
Had a similar situation, but as we'd just been burglarized recently, I was a little more worried about who was on the other side of the door.
The maintenance guy saw our shotgun, but as I wasn't in a fire position, waited while I put it back up. Office management wasn't too thrilled and gave me a call, but one explanation and purchase receipt later, t'was all sympatico. At present, they don't come in 'less one of us is there, though, so it may've helped in that regard.
{For those who ask what it "helped", be glad you've never had a nosy landlord.}
Don't tell me to get a life. I'm a gamer; I have LOTS of lives!
it happened in New York...and in accordance with verizons standard operating procedures for the empire state physical violence is the second step to trouble-resolution, right after shouting and gesturing obscenities.
the technician may not have been properly trained, and mistook the customer for telco equipment...this happens occasionally and other companies like AT&T can certainly attest that customers, especially if on fire, tend to resemble things like routers.
why yes, Ive done some PR work before, why do you ask?
Good people go to bed earlier.
Sure, it's sad you lost your leg, but you wouldn't have made ten million in ten life times
No one is claiming you would have earned that much.. they are claiming that there are going to be ongoing expenses related to the loss of the leg (crutches, maintenance of artificial leg, installing a wheel chair ramp, etc.) and of course you're quality of life is now diminished because you may not be able to enjoy things you used to be able to, etc. And this is only if the hosipital made a mistake it shouldn't have.
Verizon tech? I don't believe Verizon company policy involves punching customers. Why is Verizon paying for a stupid employee's action?
Because it hired a nutjob and sent that nutjob to a customers home? Ya, its their job to NOT hire nutjobs.
Guess what, your cell phone bill isn't going to go down thanks to this lawsuit.
No, but hopefully it will cause VZ to be much more careful about the people it sends to my house. BTW, nobody gets a tech sent to their house for a CELL phone. This is either a land line or DSL.
This isn't about justice, it's about getting cash. Twits like this cost us hundreds of dollars a year in medical costs, repair bills, etc. Guess what -- your appliance tech gets to pay for insurance for in case a customer sues his pants off. A doctor gets to pay literally tens of thousands for insurance per year. Yeah, this guy got his face smashed, but now the rest of us will be paying for it. So, let me tip my hat and say: I hope your ****ing nose is crooked for the rest of your life, greedy twit.
Ya you know what, if it means VZ is more careful about who they hire, I think that's a good thing and I'm willing to pay the $0.0001 for it.
The only people whining about suits like this are the scummy doctors and shit companies being held to some kind of standard, and you swallowed their lies hook line and sinker.
In this same situation, assaulting me in my house, assuming the story is true, the guy would be dead.
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Funny, that's pretty much the way Verizon always treated me as a customer ...
Wow, these verizon early termination fees are *really* getting out of hand..