Verizon tries to benefit from soldiers death

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

"didnt know when they were bringing her home". Yeahhhh riiiight. Every news station even here put out that info. Unless he lives completely under a rock, doesnt use a computer, doesnt watch tv nor read newspapers, I wouldnt buy that. He knew exactly what he was doing.

BTW I never seen these billboard trucks operate in anything but large cities. We dont even get them in Janesville and we are how many times larger than Kiel?

[Dr675]

That was my point too.  People from Kiel have never seen any kind of mobile advertising truck before, and I lived in Appleton for 17 years until recently and never saw a mobile truck billboard there either (85,000 population, 200,000 Fox Cities metro area). I just have a hard time believing that they would go to Kiel (pop 3200) on that particular day, especially as they have never been there before.

[dylanfan53]

Well, it might have been a big corporate conspiracy as you suggest, but isn't it inconsistent for you to blame Verizon when the truck driver himself says that he was there on his own?  If he was sent by Verizon and got fired by them, as he was, wouldn't he be laying the blame on them?  Since he's not, I'm inclined to believe that he acted on his own, dumb as the act was, and that Verizon's reaction was to fire him.  That was the only thing they could do after the deed was done, and was responsive to the situation. 
I admit I just scanned the posts, but unless I'm missing something Verizon canned an independent contractor for a dumb mistake.  That seems like they were sensitive to the offense and took action.
As for the company's initial comments from the PR person from Madison, she apologized and it's quite conceivable that at first she was simply relaying what she may have believed to be an explanation. 

BTW, I don't care about Verizon one way or another.

[JBraun]

Despicable as it is, it not Verizon's doing. Verizon does not own that billboard, or determine where it travels. Those companies have been in my office more than once to sell me advertising. They sell you space on the truck, and tell you where and when it will be on the road.
However they do tell you that they take advantage of sporting events and high-traffic situations to broaden their reach. It sounds to me like the driver of the truck was scheduled to be in Kiel on that day and amended his route when he spotted an opportunity. It's pretty disgusting, but people are stupid, and I'm guessing the mobile billboard driver wasn't a Harvard grad. It seems that the hostility would be more appropriately directed at the advertising company.
I just noticed that Dylanfan already covered most of that. I should really read the whole thread before I post. Now if verizon could just get my phone to work right...