Why are you so upset? This process was obviously set up by a security expert to protect your valuable account. After all, everyone knows how safe it is to send passwords thru the mail.
Come on man, learn a little about how a real security expert designs systems!
I am a security-conscious guy, I do what I can to protect my information online and I appreciate the efforts of companies I deal with that do the same. But my recent experience with Verizon Wireless shows that when the security effort interferes with the customer’s ability to use the service properly, it has been taken too far.
A couple of weeks ago I bought a Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot from Verizon and signed up for the monthly data plan. Since the transaction, enough time has passed for me to review the device on ZDNet, take it back when it started failing and replace it with a new one, and chronicle that experience. During the time that passed since starting the service I’ve already received the first monthly bill via snail mail from Verizon. What I can’t do is go online and track my data usage due to the insane security process the carrier uses for online account activation.
The instructions that accompanied the Samsung device and data service made it clear that the only way to track data usage is through a My Verizon account online. This data tracking is important as my monthly plan ($50) gets me 5GB of data usage, after which a hefty $10/GB overage fee kicks in. It is only prudent for me to keep a watchful eye on my data consumption through the My Verizon account. The problem is I can’t do that.
Following the instructions laid out by Verizon on the day my service was activated, I went online to set up and activate the My Verizon account. It stepped me through a process of entering my personal information, including the all-important email address that Verizon will use to warn me when I start getting close to hitting my monthly data cap, and then it asked me for the phone number associated with my mobile hotspot service. I entered the number and was greeted with a screen that informed me Verizon would send a text message to the “phone” I was registering that included a temporary password to get the My Verizon account up and running.
The problem is the Samsung device is not a phone, and is not capable of receiving text messages, much less displaying them. The account activation process gave me a link to click for information about the process if that was the case, which told me that for security reasons the temporary password would be snail mailed to me. This would happen after spending 24 hours attempting to send a text message to the device. There was no other way forward, I would have to wait for the postman to bring me a letter from Verizon containing the temporary account password to finish create my online account. So not only can I not go online to pay my bill, I can’t track my data usage which is what I really want to do. Little did I know it was only going to get worse.
