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Verizon Allegedly Overbilled Beth Israel $9 Million
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 10, 2011
Modified Jul 10, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 10, 2011
Modified Jul 10, 2011
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Finally, some muscle to match the unabated monopolies of the telecom industry: Beth Israel Medical Center is suing Verizon for overbilling them $9 million for services they didn't want in the first place. According to the complaint, they got away with it because of their confusing billing scheme, and "Verizon's guide and website are designed to be impenetrable to its customers." But Big Red isn't paying up, and continues to charge an 18 percent interest rate on the hospital's unpaid bills until the dispute is settled.
According to the Post, Beth Israel claims that they were overcharged $7 million for services it had pre-paid, $1 million for jacked-up long-distance rates, $345K for unused data services, and they're also asking for $25 million in damages. Verizon says the hospital's claims are "too old" for them to refund, and through a spokesman, uses the fairly sleazy excuse that they're a massive, evil conglomerate too: "Verizon is disappointed that the hospitals, themselves large, sophisticated business, have attempted to spin a past billing dispute into tales of fraud." Says the company that started giving it's customers less for more. Now who will take on the bloated, sinister, "please-hold-while-we-transfer-you-to-sixteen-different-people" morass that is Time Warner Cable?
Tagged
beth israel hospital
confusing phone bills
time warner cable
verizon
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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