Verizon stops in-home internet repairs and installations except for emergencies
“To reduce the spread of Covid-19 and keep our employees and customers safe, we are making every attempt to perform work without going into homes or small businesses,” Howie Waterman, Verizon director of corporate communications in technology and innovation, told CNN Business in an email.
The company is limiting installations to “medical emergencies and critical installations,” Waterman said. Verizon did not immediately respond to a question about what qualifies as a critical installation.
However, Verizon is working on plans to ensure customers maintain access to the internet.
The company is piloting a virtual assistant tool that allows technicians to aid customers via video chat to troubleshoot issues without workers having to enter homes. About 10,000 technicians started using the new tool this week, the company said.
A technician can send a customer a text message with a link to a chat, where customers can share a picture of their equipment so the technician can diagnose the issue and talk through the repair on video chat.
Self-installation options are also still available for some services.