Verizon Waives Voice And Text Charges For Sandy Victims
Verizon has done a lot of great things to help with the recovery effort after Hurricane Sandy, and today it added one more altruistic thing to its list. The company announced that customers living in some areas hit hard by Sandy won't be charged for voice and text usage for the period spanning October 29 to November 16. This means Verizon customers have about a two-and-a-half week period where they don't have to worry about incurring text or voice charges, which will surely be nice for those who were hit hardest by Sandy.
You don't have to worry about dealing with credits to your account either, as Verizon simply won't charge you for voice and text usage during this period. Keep in mind that this only applies to voice and text charges – meaning that mobile data charges will presumably still go through as normal. If you're living in any of the following counties in New York or New Jersey, you're eligible for this program:
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.
If you live in any of those areas, you're not required to do anything – just continue the recovery after Hurricane Sandy and Verizon will take care of the charges automatically. If you don't live in those areas, don't take that to mean you're out of luck, as Verizon will be examining requests on a case-by-case basis too. All you need to do is call 1-800-922-0204 to speak to a Verizon representative and they'll see if they can help you out.
Be sure to check out Verizon's full FAQ on this program if you live in one of these areas. Verizon has been assisting in the recovery process by offering free mobile phone charging and domestic calls at stores in affected areas, and it has been working to quickly restore service in places where it was knocked out by the storm. Verizon, along with other carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile, definitely deserve a pat on the back for their efforts after Hurricane Sandy.