To: Dan Mead, Chief Executive Officer

Verizon: Extend discounts to retirees

Stop Verizon from discontinuing employee discounts for customers who have retired.

Why is this important?

Verizon Wireless is discontinuing monthly discounts for customers who have retired from affiliated employers and/or organizations. It's purely a revenue issue for Verizon. It began when Verizon wooed and smoooozed large employers; seeing an opportunity to attract thousands of customers, all at once. A 5-20% discount was an genius marketing tool and strategy that could be easily absorbed; compared to the millions to be made with the potential thousands of new customers. The organization I retired from had over 2.6 million employees.
Verizon was mesmerized by the shear number of potential customers with these contracts, and reverification was obviously not a Verizon company policy or standard. They have not monitored "the discount"; because this is the first time I've had to reverify my employment. Consequently now, I would imagine, Verizon has thousands of customers who are receiving the discount still, after terminating employment with the original employer, which qualified them to get the discount.
When I received my notice to reverify my discount, I promptly called Verizon to learn where to send my annuity statement. I was quickly told "Oh No, you are retired." Since I'd never been asked to reverify my employment and/or association, in four years, I assumed the discount was for retirees too. In my organization the previous retirees never said, "Oh, when you retire you will loose your Verizon discount." I would also imagine that most other retirees have had opportunities, over the years, to switch to a different carrier, but did not and have stayed as happy satisfied loyal customers.
In today's toilet economy, with companies laying off people, downsizing, closings, etc. there are thousands of people stampeding towards the retirement door. Verizon sees, with tunnel vision, the potential of the money to be made off the thousands who have, and will retire. A 5-20% revenue jump, times thousands of retirees, should look pretty good on the bottom line.
It's very unfair of Verizon to create this system, to get our business, not monitor it, and now suddenly decide to terminate it, without warning. This is a knee jerk impulsive attempt to make millions. We retirees are on limited incomes; usually a fraction of our former salaries. Thousands of us may well take our celluar telephone business elsewere.