In these very stressful times, Verizon Wireless is trying to relieve a bit of the stress and just sent the following e-mail to its customers:

Dear Valued Verizon Wireless Customer:
To stay updated on everything Verizon Wireless is doing to assist our customers in the regions hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy, please click here for more information.

From everyone in the Verizon Wireless family to yours, we wish you a safe recovery during this challenging time.
Sincerely,
Verizon Wireless

Hurricane Sandy - Voice & Text Program FAQs

Dear Valued Customer,

Verizon Wireless continues to focus its efforts to assist customers in the regions hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. We announced November 4^th that customers in portions of New York and New Jersey will not be billed usage charges for domestic voice and text usage incurred between October 29^th and November 16^th 2012. No action is required by our customers to be eligible for this program.

The following Q&A was made available to assist with additional program details.

Am I eligible?
This program will support customers in the following impacted areas:

New York:  Bronx County, Kings County, Nassau County, New York County, Putnam County, Queens County, Richmond County, Rockland County, Suffolk County, and Westchester County

New Jersey: Atlantic City, Bergen County, Burlington County, Camden County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, Essex County, Gloucester County, Hudson County, Hunterdon County, Mercer County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, Ocean County, Passaic County, Salem County, Somerset County, Sussex County, Union County, and Warren County.

What do I need to do if I’m in an impacted area?
Nothing, we are proactively taking care of this on your behalf.

What if I’m not in an impacted area listed above?
Please call customer care at 1-800-922-0204, where we’ll address additional requests on a case by case basis.

Will this program provide me credit?
This process will remove voice and text activity incurred between 10/29/12 and 11/16/12 for those in the designated counties.  You will not see an actual credit on the bill, but simply won’t see any usage charges for voice and text activity during that period.

Will I still be billed for monthly access?
Yes, you will still be responsible for monthly access charges.

Can I still be billed usage outside of these dates?
Usage charges will apply to usage outside of the date ranges of 10/29 – 11/16.  So there is still a possibility of charges for usage before or after those dates.

Why is the end date set for November 16^th?
By 11/16 we’re hoping that the lives of our customers impacted by storm will have returned to pre-Sandy normalcy.

I received an alert that I am close to (or over) my usage allowance for voice and/or text, is this correct?
You may still receive normal usage alerts during your bill cycle for voice and/or text usage.  If you are an account owner you can manage alert preferences, including opting out, by signing into My Verizon. See Usage Alerts for additional details.

What else is Verizon doing to support impacted customers?
We continue to assist recovery efforts in the Northeastern United States in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy by:

• deploying Mobile Wireless Emergency Communications Center (WECC) trailers in hardest hit areas
• supporting public safety agencies with additional wireless communication devices
• opening device charging stations in impacted areas
• offering device charging and free domestic calling at its open retail locations
• match customer text-to-donate contributions to American Red Cross relief efforts up to one million dollars
• suspending late fees during the storm recovery period

All this is in addition to our round-the-clock efforts to restore network coverage in the affected areas.