Montgomery County residents are seeking help from local officials in obtaining flat-screen televisions they were promised when they signed up for a Verizon deal combining-fiber optic Internet and TV access and the company’s phone service.

As part of a national promotion between December 2007 and February 2008, Verizon promised a free 19-inch, high-definition TV or a $200 gift card for customers who signed up for a two-year “bundle” package of  fiber-optic service TV, FiOS Internet and a new unlimited calling plan known as Freedom Essentials.

Employees with Montgomery’s Office of Cable and Communication Services say between January and July 2008, about 20 residents requested help in obtaining the flat-screen TVs, months after they’d signed up for the promotion. Montgomery cable complaint investigator Keith Watkins says all 20 residents received their televisions soon after the county got involved.

Silver Spring resident Sharon Fried says she bought the Verizon package in December and was told she’d receive a letter in the mail instructing her on how to go about obtaining the TV or gift card. Several months went by and she had not received a letter, so she contacted Watkins in April.

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“It was a nightmare, they didn’t show up for their first appointment, it took a month to six weeks to get everything installed,” Fried said. “My first bill didn’t have the bundle package on it, I had to sign up all over again and after one call after another after another, I called the county for help.”

Fried said the award letter appeared in her mailbox so quickly after she contacted Watkins that it’s possible it was already en route.

Verizon spokeswoman Sandy Arnette said in an e-mail that the company experienced a flood of customers that responded to the offer, and some delivery processing delays have occurred. Arnette maintains shipments are ongoing and all customers who qualified will receive the TV.

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler’s staff has looked into the situation, his spokeswoman Raquel Guillory said, and they believe it to be a “supply issue.” Despite delays, Guillory said, people do eventually get the TVs.

kmiller@dcexaminer.com