Verizon not upfront on contract terms

VERIZON NOT UPFRONT ON CONTRACT TERMS
[SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, AUTHOR: David Lazarus]
For years, credit card issuers have gotten away with withholding contracts from customers until they actually have the plastic in their hands -- a practice that denies many people a fair chance to look under the hood for onerous terms and conditions. Now it looks like Verizon has adopted the same technique. Some aspects of the bundle service agreement are included in the order form customers fill out before FiOS installation begins. For example, there's fleeting mention of an "up to $199 early termination charge." But without reading the full contract, you wouldn't know that the termination fee applies even if you cancel just one part of your package -- only TV, say -- without agreeing to a whole new package. You also wouldn't know that you're waiving the right to sue Verizon in court and are instead agreeing to settle any disputes via arbitration. And you wouldn't know that you're agreeing to be subject to Virginia state law for the purposes of the contract, which the agreement neglects to mention is one of the few states that doesn't allow consumers to file class-action lawsuits. Although the online terms of service can be readily accessed on Verizon's website, the bundle service agreement can be viewed only after a FiOS customer receives a user name and password from the company.
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-lazarus19mar19,1,5624...
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