Virginia Woman Suing Verizon Says Awful Customer Service Gave Her Heart Attack

Corporate logo of Verizon wireless on the mirrored-glass of an office building, in April 2013. Photo by: Frank Duenzl/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
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CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) — A Virginia woman has sued Verizon Wireless for $2.35 million claiming the company caused her to have a heart attack during a customer service call.

The Virginian-Pilot reports 53-year-old Angela Hawkins filed a lawsuit in Chesapeake on Wednesday. Hawkins told the newspaper she called Verizon last year to straighten out a billing problem. Representatives accused her of saying she was going to kill everyone and threatened to call police.

Hawkins’s attorney says the call was so upsetting she was scared the police were going to arrest her. The day after the call, an EKG revealed she had a heart attack. Hawkins underwent surgery and spent four days in the hospital.

The lawsuit claims both negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

A spokesman for Verizon Wireless declined to comment.

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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  1. Avatar for gr gr says:

    I had to write to the CEO of Verizon to get a $35 refund and spend postage on several earlier letters.
    There’s almost no way to email anyone with any authority. Their “chat” forums are staffed with “virtual” people.
    I gave them up for another cable co, saved $60/mo.

  2. She is correct about the customer service. It took me 3 months for them to refund my overpayment of my final bill which was their fault. 3 months!!!

  3. If she’s filing against the customer service reps, shouldn’t she file the case in Mumbai?

  4. Oh how I wish this could be a class-action lawsuit that was still open to join.

  5. The Verizon defense will be like Fox News’ “everybody knows we are an entertainment channel” defense against the Paris lawsuit:

    Everybody knows that the purpose of Verizon customer service is upselling to every customer that will fold to persuasion or coercion, and to slowly suck hope and the will to live out of customers that won’t fold.

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