the breezy @verizon guy then asks me whether I’m ok with being recorded. I tell him I am, because I am also recording the call.
There’s a pause. Then breezy @verizon guy tells me Verizon DOES NOT ALLOW THEIR REPS TO BE RECORDED so he has to hang up.
So I ask breezy @verizon guy “how can that possibly be true? You JUST told me the call was being recorded?!?” And he says…
“Well, yes, but @verizon does not allow its representatives to be recorded by customers.” So @poniewozik and @consumerist over to you
(Source)
Interesting. I’ve never tried informing a customer service rep that I’m recording the call.
In most states, if you want to record your own phone call, it’s not required to inform the other parties.1 On the other hand, the Verizon rep is within their right to end the call for whatever reason. But I think it’s bad corporate policy, and will get them some bad press.
I record every single call that I have with any business, without exception. If my phone rings and I am not in a position to record, I do not answer. I will call back.
The rules for recording phone calls are very simple. Most states have a 1-party consent law, which means that one end of the phone call has to be informed of the recording. If you’re initiating the recording yourself, then one party is already informed. Federal law is also “1-party”.
Now, eleven states require the consent of all parties. These states are California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington. But if you are in a one-party consent state, you should not have to worry about calls with persons these states, because federal law should take president in those situations.2
Read this guide from the Digital Media Law Project for more info.
Footnotes
1,2. Disclaimer: I am not an attorney. Under no circumstance should anything I say be construed as legal advice.