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A local woman contacted WRAL 5 On Your Side for help after she said Verizon failed to cancel an unused phone service.

For the last decade, Suzanne Markham has had to navigate a new normal with her husband, Harold, who, as she puts it, is "way into an Alzheimer's diagnosis."

Aside from the obvious emotional pain of the diagnosis, Markham also had to deal with finances and paperwork. As Harold's health declined, he could no longer use his phone. So Suzanne called Verizon, explained the situation, and said Verizon told her the line was cancelled.

But a month later, Markham received a bill for $239. She called again and said she was once again told the service was cancelled, but the bills continued to show up every month.

"I didn't know what to do. I mean, I've called them a million times, I've emailed them, I have even sent snail mail to them," Markham explained. "I kept getting, 'Okay, okay, okay.' But nobody ever stops the bills for a service."

After a year and a half, Markham said she was fed up. At one point, she said Verizon threatened to ding Harold's credit score.

"He doesn't really even have a credit score anymore," she said, laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation.

Frustrated and looking for help, she contacted WRAL 5 On Your Side.

"I called Keely, I emailed 5 On Your Side reporter Keely Arthur, explained the situation and she said she'd get right on it, and she did," Markham said.

Within two days, Markham was connected with a Verizon executive who asked her if she had power of attorney (POA).

"And I said, 'yes, I do.' And she said, 'okay, that's all we need,'" explained Markham.

Up until that point, Markham said no one had mentioned she needed the document, which gave her the legal authority to make Harold's medical and financial decisions.

5 On Your Side asked Verizon:

"Are front facing Verizon employees trained to let customers in Suzanne's situation know a POA is necessary for cancellation?"

A Verizon spokesperson responded:

"...all Verizon representatives... have been trained on this process."

However, the company did not explain why that protocol may not have been followed in Markham's case.

Here are all the questions WRAL sent to Verizon and the company's full response:

Q: How did this happen? Can you explain how a canceled line could remain active or show as only "suspended"? What's the difference between canceling and suspending a Verizon line?

A: We are unable to answer specific questions about a customer's account due to privacy laws.

Q: What should customers do to verify that a phone line has actually been canceled, not just suspended?

A: If a line is requested to be disconnected, it's processed at the end of the bill cycle. Customers can log on to My Verizon via the app, mobile, or desktop to check the status of their account, including to see if a line is suspended, pending disconnect, or has officially been disconnected.

Q: How common are billing disputes like this? Does Verizon track or audit cases where customers believe they canceled service but continue to be billed? *Verizon declined to respond.*

Q: Did Verizon find that Ms. Markham did anything wrong or made any mistake when she believed she canceled the account?

A: We are unable to answer specific questions about a customer's account due to privacy laws.

Q: What is Verizon's policy for handling billing issues involving customers with serious illnesses or their caregivers?

A: To maintain account security, all accounts are treated the same; the only individuals who can make changes on an account are the account owner or manager, or someone with Power of Attorney. (https://infomanager.verizon.com/content/km/categories/account-support/201615.html)

Q: Ms. Markham says she was never told that she needed a POA until after I contacted you, despite her having called and written Verizon customer service many times over a year and a half. I'm wondering what you make of that? Are front facing Verizon employees trained to let customers in Suzanne's situation know a POA is necessary for cancellation?

A: Our best in class representatives have robust policies and training to handle all types of customer service issues. In this case, the customer's request to deactivate was handled properly after the customer initially failed verification, engaged in a billing dispute and subsequently provided the POA.

It turns out many companies like T-Mobile and ATT require the power of attorney or notarized form to cancel a phone service, so remember to have your documents ready if you're ever in a situation like Markham.