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How to Sue Verizon Wireless

Looking to sue Verizon Wireless? Small claims court is an option, and you may have others…

So you want to sue Verizon Wireless?

At FairShake we’ve helped thousands of users with claims against Verizon Wireless and other big companies that ripped them off get over $5 million in settlement offers [continued below]


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Maybe you’ve tried all the Verizon Wireless customer service escalation options. Maybe you’ve even tried other ways to bring your Verizon Wireless complaint.

Either way, you might think you know how suing Verizon Wireless works. Especially if a bunch of people have the same problem, wouldn’t you find a lawyer and bring a class action suit against Verizon Wireless?

Well, that’s where an obscure term of company contracts comes in — it’s called consumer arbitration — and it’s incredibly common.

If there’s a consumer arbitration clause in your contract with Verizon Wireless then you probably can’t sue Verizon Wireless in a “real” court — like state or federal court. And you probably can’t sue Verizon Wireless as part of a class action.

So what can you do?

Two ways to Sue Verizon Wireless

The first way to sue Verizon Wireless is through consumer arbitration. If your contract has an arbitration clause it gives you the right take legal action against Verizon Wireless through an officially-designated, independent dispute process that’s not a court and won’t require showing up in person. This can be a better option for a lot of regular people.

The second way to sue Verizon Wireless, if you have the time and dedication, is to use Small Claims Court. If you’re ready to sue Verizon Wireless in Small Claims Court, read on below:


Taking Verizon Wireless to Small Claims Court Step-by-Step

1

The qualifiers.

Even if you are prepared to sue Verizon Wireless, you can’t just walk up and demand the world. Small claims courts only take certain cases, so your case has to fall within those parameters. What are they?

  1. First, is the type of compensation. Normally you can ask for equitable (physical things, or anything other than money) or monetary (a dollar amount). But if you want to sue Verizon Wireless in small claims court, you will likely only be able to ask for a monetary amount. 
  2. Second, is the limit to that amount. There are also rules about how much you can ask for in damages. The range is different for every state, between $2,500 and $10,000. So if you are asking for something outside of that range, it might not be possible. 

If your claim doesn’t fall within the limits of your state’s small claims court, you’ll have to arbitrate your claim instead.

2

The demand letters.

Now it is time to send your demand letter. Before you can sue Verizon Wireless, most small claims courts require that you ask them to voluntarily fix your problem. Sure, you probably reached out to customer service already and would consider that asking but in this case you have to send a formal letter to someone higher up the food chain.

This letter doesn’t have to be particularly complicated; it can be nothing more than a few sentences. The goal is to make sure you check the box for the courts before you sue Verizon. Include in this:

  • your name and contact information
  • your account number
  • what your problem is
  • and how you want Verizon to fix it

Using certified mail, send Verizon a hard copy of this document to their official address. According to our most recent research, Verizon is legally based in Delaware and receives mail at this address:

Verizon Communications Inc.
C/O THE CORPORATION TRUST COMPANY
CORPORATION TRUST CENTER 1209 ORANGE ST
WILMINGTON, DE 19801

If you would like examples of demand letters or more information about how to write them, you can find an excellent guide here.

3

The court forms.

If Verizon hasn’t done anything, you formally start the process to sue Verizon Wireless in small claims court which begins with filling out the right forms.

You can visit your state court website to find the forms specific to your state and your county. You should be freely available on the website with all the additional information you need about how to go about this process.

One piece of information, for example, is how many copies you need. Most courts require you to bring three or four copies of every form you fill out. If you don’t have enough copies you won’t be able to use their copy machine and you’ll have to come back another day.

 

4

The official “filing” process.

This leads to your first visit to the courthouse where you formally march up those Courthouse steps (assuming your court has steps–most don’t for small claims court) and file your documents.

The county clerk will take your documents and review them, stamp them, and get some of them back to you while keeping one for the court. They will also assign you a hearing date where you are to go before the judge.

5

The official “serving” process.

Once you have the stamped copies you have to make sure you very promptly serve Verizon Wireless. This is a legal process where you notify them that you have started the process to sue Verizon and inform them that they have to take steps too.

There are very specific ways that every Court mandates you officially serve a company and all this is another piece of that information freely available on the state court website. You have to make sure you follow each and every rule no matter how odd they might seem.

Failure to follow even one of these rules can result in your case being tossed out and you receiving no compensation.

 

6

The official hearing.

Having officially served now you have to head to court for your hearing.

This is when the judge will make a final rule to issue compensation or not. It’s important that you have any evidence to back up your claim as to why you wanted to sue Verizon Wireless.

They may or may not send someone to represent them but either way make sure you tell your side of the story. Assuming you followed every rule, this is usually a good chance to get compensation for fair claims.

Ready to sue Verizon in small claims court?
If this sounds too hard and expensive, try consumer arbitration instead…








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