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Verizon tries to stop sale of VerizonMath T-Shirts!

verizonmath.blogspot.com — Once again, defying all logic, Verizon attempts to cut off its nose to spite its face. To stop a tiny group of people from buying parody T-Shirts, Verizon risks further bad PR. Perhaps we should create a T-Shirt about Verizon trying to stop the T-Shirt?

Who dugg this? Made popular Jan 10, 2007

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  • JamesWilson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+39Verizon would misunderstand and try to settle for $0.0002 Million
  • chrono13, on 10/12/2007, -3/+38"But the VerizonMath t-shirts are infringing on Verizon's intellectual property"

    Not quite... http://www.publaw.com/parody.html
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use#Fair_use_and_parody
  • Cglass, on 10/12/2007, -0/+29I still don't see the problem, could someone explain it clear as day for 27 minutes and post a link to audio, thanks.



    -Verizon Regional Manager
  • baxtermaddux, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21dang. i really hate to do this but Verizon is going up on my "will never do business with" list.


  • dorianh49, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18George Vaccaro (the original VerizonMath blogger) should just hire a lawyer and settle for $0.0000002 Million dollars!
  • Darph.Bobo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12What does the shirt say? The fracking rollover doesn't work.

    This is a case of idiots mocking idiots.
  • dorianh49, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10@ baxtermaddux: It's obviously a difference of opinion.
  • baxtermaddux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9thats 200 bucks according to google calculator
  • kernelhappy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Actually, the guy called to confirm the per kilobyte charge for roaming areas (specifically in Canada) and was told 0.002 cents per KBy, asked them to confirm it, they did, then he asked them to note it in his account. He was then charged 0.02 dollars per kilobyte. (It wasn't like he was misquoted and then tried to get over on them, he specifically questioned the quoted price and asked them to confirm it).

    It became a news story and subsequently a t-shirt when he called them up and numerous Verizon customer service reps, including supervisors and managers could not wrap their brain around the difference between 0.002 dollars and 0.002 cents. They even confirmed that the price of 0.002 cents per KB was correct and noted in his account but then multiplied the amount of data (approximately 35,000 KB) times 0.002 and gave him the product as the cost in dollars. They simply could not understand that if the unit cost is in cents that when you multiply it by the quantity the result would be in cents not dollars.

    I found the transcript of the recording amusing only because like most people, I've dealt with idiot customer service people myself. Here is a link to the transcript:
    http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/asinine/transcript-verizon-doesnt-know-how-to-count-220723.php
  • masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7@Zinite: You clearly didn't click on the story. How does this t-shirt infringe any sort of intellectual property? It's clearly and undeniably a parody -- so much so that if I hadn't seen this site, I very likely wouldn't have even known what the shirt meant (although I would've understood after seeing the shirt's backside).

    http://bluefishtshirts.com/verizonmath/2.jpg
  • baxtermaddux, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8agreed. i would definately buy their Fios if i could get it. kudos to them for leading the way in Fiber
  • eonblue, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11@chrisdisregard

    1. If its written into a contract and signed that is verizons problem.
    2. The guy had a service in which you could use unlimited bandwidth and hot no price to compare against. (if youve read anything about it)
    3. Its principle, and if the guy wants to climb that hill let him.
    4. The shirts are funny and are we even sure he made them and not some random people?
    5. It's a parody and legally protected.
    6. If verizon does not defend this "breech" then they can be shown to not protect their tm and lose it (IANAL)

    "This is right up there with people suing McDonalds after finding out the coffee they're spilling all over themselves is actually hot."

    If coffee is hot enough to scold you to the point of being stupid there should be a little legal recourse, especially if it was a bad handoff or something. Shouldnt have won that big a settlement though.

    I'll wrap up by letting you respond to your own post "'I'll just close it up with saying that this is exactly the problem with blogs, Digg and all these other silly geek trends that give every retard out there who likes the sound of their own voice the illusion that they actually have something intelligent to say (or more usually complain about)'"

    If you don't have anything intelligent/interesting/helpful to say nobody cares, I think the number of times you get burried will prove that (and possibly the number of times I get burried as well).
  • asspants, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5for the didnt rtfa / tl;dr crowd here's what happend
    guy asked for a rate quote of price per kilobyte for the intarwebs while in canda
    they told him .002 cents
    they meant .002 dollars
    he got charged 71 dollars instead of 71 cents
    he made t shirts and a blog to get attention and a refund

  • jimmajamma, on 10/12/2007, -7/+12The VerizonMath T-Shirts (sold at cost) may soon become collector's items. Be the first nerd on your block with one!

    http://www.bluefishtshirts.com/verizonmath/

    Verizon once again displays its mastery of numbers, instead of a few select people on the inside of the story wearing them, they have paved the way for many more people to become aware of them...
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5You'll regret that...for every bit as much as verizon may suck...cingular sucks about a 1000x more.
  • phlux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5here was my letter to their council:

    Dear Verizon

    You are both clearly misinformed and misguided for thinking that a parody line of T-shirts that poke fun at your inability to use common cents (intentional) is going to somehow confuse consumers.

    Corporations in general have been given far too much power over the actions of people in a supposed free and democratic society. On behalf of all consumers, you are asked to cease and desist. Know when you have lost the battle and are only reducing the integrity of your brand, yet again. In this case you should be embracing such situations and using your time to *correct* the deficiency on Verizon's part. Obviously your council is simply creating meaningless busy work for them to either charge you for the work, or justify their position (and hence salary) within Verizon.

    Actions like this only serve as a detriment to Verizon - far more so than the actual sale of the shirts. Here is an idea, why not shoot a commercial with that smirky smart ass representative you guys use on television spots - you know the guy, the one who acts so smug about his "network". Why is it that the "network" shown in the commercials always shows a bunch of technical people and support crew behind him - but never any faulty accountants, robotic and "ghetto" billing department agents or nearly illiterate customer support representatives with brash attitudes ignoring his requests to review the charges on his bill? Are they not a substantial part of the overall Verizon brand identity as well?

    Your actions cause to drive (potential) customers away, not protect your brand identity. In this case, you have succeeded in keeping me and many friends from being customers of Verizon. My corporate cellular budget is $35, 000.000 per month - and I am in charge of vendor selection, so I would warn you from being so arrogant as to believe that the customers you are keeping away are of low revenue potential for Verizon.

    Sincerely,
  • FuzzyBunny, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@Chrisdisregard

    You obviously haven't heard the audio. It wasn't just one customer service representative who made a mistake. It was 6 or 7 customer service representatives, all the way up to their regional manager who couldn't tell the difference between $0.002 and 0.002 cents. And he didn't assume that he could use the service for such a low price. In fact he thought the price sounded too low before he left so he called to confirm that that's what the price really was. The guy starts recording after 45 minutes on the phone and going through 2 customer representatives already. After that he spends another hour and 45 min trying to explain to people basic, 4th grade level math, as they continually shuffle him up their chain of command. After all that, they still don't understand what's wrong and only offer him a half discount to get rid of him. It's only after he posts the story online and it starts getting attention that they finally give him the refund he deserved.

    Verizon rightfully deserves to get admonished for this. It's probably the worst customer service story I've ever heard.
  • jimmajamma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@chrisdisregard

    Which rate would you have thought it was - $2/meg or $.02/meg? I'll translate that into practical terms - $6/song downloaded to your phone, or $.06/song? Your whole argument goes away as soon as you admit that me assuming it was the smaller of the rates was reasonable. Also, in light of all of the reps on the call continuing to "correct me" that the rate was .002 cents - despite me telling them the actual rate - how the hell could you say that I should have known it was $2/meg?

    Nice try, ass - you're the one wasting time. I got the problem corrected, an apology, a change of policy, and alerted probably a million people to the issue. Also, it goes far beyond a simple mistake - it exposed that Verizon prefers to make customers go away instead of making the customers' problems go away.

    If you don't think that was worth the time, thats your prerogative, but I've certainly been much more effective than you considering your comments get dugg down deep.
  • attamars, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I really feel like dropping Verizon and getting a new provider now. Seriously. Verizon continues to compound their stupidity.
  • smartmlp, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Someone needs to learn how to name their javascript variables!
  • gregthebunny, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4digging because i just plain don't like verizon
  • abaddono1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Google knows:

    search for ".002 cents per kb * 35893 kb" at Google (with out the quotes)
  • Cain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I use to do Customer Care for VZW and yes they will screw you over and over. I was mazed at how many people I worked with that was clueless - this is reps and sups. mind you.

    When you call in, it's all chance - you'll get someone who know what they're doing or someone who will pretend to know what they're doing
  • ebob9, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2IANAL - but after reading through the PDF letter at http://w3.georgevaccaro.com:81/Blue_Fish_T-Shirts_Letter_010907.pdf:

    The Verizon lawyer attaches the trademark registration for Verizon at the bottom of the letter. I don't see any of the uses registered that seem applicable to T-Shirts.

    However, I do see they registered their logo for use "on a web page". So, unless I'm missing something (and I likely am), all they would have to to comply is remove the image from the T-Shirt webpage?
  • tripple-breve, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"You should note this is Verizon Wireless, I understand it's the same company, but I really do love my Verizon DSL and Telephone line, nothing but quality there."

    Yeah? Try canceling your service, in order to move, then restart it again. See how much you love 'em then. My Crapcast line is way faster than Verizon DSL ever was.
  • Cglass, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6You should note this is Verizon Wireless, I understand it's the same company, but I really do love my Verizon DSL and Telephone line, nothing but quality there.
  • khag7, on 10/12/2007, -6/+8that damn iPhone. i cant wait till they have www.smashmyiphone.com
  • lokoluis15, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Notice Exhibit B, the linked website printed, then scanned, put into a pdf. -_-
    Obviously, they don't much care about looking proffessional.
  • listrophy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Just like booze, everyone has a wireless carrier that they can't justify going back to. Different experiences for different people.

    I, for example, cannot see myself buying a Verizon Wireless plan or a bottle of Jameson ever again.

    Perhaps every post by every digger regarding a wireless carrier should include "YMMV"
  • Jerky1312, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I don't think Verizon understands the power of the internet and its community. They are ruining whatever positive image they had. Even though, this may seem like a trivial thing to most, the fact they are not solving the problem when clearly they are at fault, are making them look like an arrogant company who doesn't give a ***** about their clients. Also, looks like they are running dirty business tactics and giving this guy his money back might undermine this dirty business model they are running and don't want to risk that, even if it means bad PR.
  • sporb, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4these shirts arn't being sold at cost....
  • jmikola, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"$.002 = .002c : They're both the same if you look at them paper wise."

    http://www.bluefishtshirts.com/verizonmath/1big.gif

    lesson of the day: don't use onMouseOver attributes on IMG tags.
  • mattryan50, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2***** Verizon.
  • 0004, on 07/04/2008, -1/+3@khaq

    rofl... www.smashmyiphone.com is already registered by someone who's asking for paypal donations

    domain: smashmyiphone.com
    created: 04-Jan-2007

    i can tell it's not the same people that brought us the SmashMyPS3 and smashmywii because the originals are using WhoisGuard for domain privacy protection, and these ones are using some service i never heard of, OneAndOne.

    add to that the fact that the smashmyps3 and the rest sites are all linked to each other, and smashmyiphone is not included in their links
  • david76, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I don't know that I would've referred to their billing department as "ghetto".
  • nyadney, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1owned
  • Vanburene, on 08/11/2008, -0/+1Smithsonian Institution Receives $100,000 Grant From Verizon to Update and Expand Smithsonian's Asian Pacific American Program
    http://www.sourcerelease.com/corp/kw0?r=6mmm8c
  • donsherio, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I agree they were trying for a parody, but the "Z" part of the verizon logo they used IS the same as the official logo used by verizon, therefore they ARE infringing on trademarks/copyrights. Even if this was a parody, they would have to alter the "Z" a bit.

    However, Verizon's claims about altering their name to Revizon has no merit to it. Verizon doesnt own a trademark for Revizon and therefore cant make any claims against it.

    Time to go make my own Tees :p
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Honestly...I really like their cell service, but their customer service sucks. I have had my own Verizon issues lately with hidden charges. Jesus...
  • bluefishtshirts, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Actually they are. Neither George Vaccaro nor BlueFish TShirts make a penny off the sale of the VerizonMath t-shirts. The price may seem high but that is because we are printing these shirts on demand (meaning that after you order one we print it and then ship it out within 24-48 hours). These were not printed in bulk up front (which would be less expensive per shirt) because we did not anticipate a large response.
  • anachronaut, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@ baxtermaddux: Whoooosh!

    22:25 of the transcript:
    http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/asinine/transcript-verizon-doesnt-know-how-to-count-220723.php
  • dongiaconia, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Yea, seems like another good reason to switch to Cingular, er AT&T... (The iPhone being the first good reason)
    Although I must say, EVDO is really nice when compared with EDGE.
  • bluefishtshirts, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Sorry folks! We are working on the javascript issues. In the meantime you can click on the images and it will bring up bigger or alternate photos. Everything should be fixed in a few hours.
  • sporb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1so now there is a large response... but i just checked and the price is the same.

    also, i work for a screen print shop, i know the costs... if these are at your costs... you're getting ripped off.
  • dave911la, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Umm well lets see 25% off a 100 dollar calling plan, + considering about 2000 mins a month are mobile to mobile calls, id have to say YES it is a big ***** deal to stay with them even though i dont like them too much. sometimes you sacrifice quality for BIG savings which is exactly the situation in my case!
  • jimmajamma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. This was new news, the first post was a month ago, and didn't include this recent information.

    Verizon essentially served a cease and desist to the T-Shirt company. If you don't think its newsworthy digg it down, otherwise why are you commenting? Obviously many other people found it interesting as evidenced by the 50,000 hits to my blog yesterday. And where would you have me aim the digg post? I was the source of the information so I pointed to my blog, which also happens to be the source for all the background.

    Cheer up.
  • jt670, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1http://www.sitemeter.com/?a=stats&s=s28verizonmath&r=12
  • phlux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Agreed - it was 4am and my brain wasnt working too well - i couldnt pull the right synonym out fast enough and moved on...
  • nofxjunkee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You cheap bastard. If they suck you should switch. Is 25% of your money worth something you're only staying with because your friends are doing it?
  • Snokage, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1my experience is the opposite of yours...

    my ping almost doubled when i switched to comcast.

    i think i am going to switch back in the next month or so.
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