The Verizon Wireless location in Miller Place has shut down, and is reportedly one of many Verizon franchises now closed on Long Island following a contract dispute.
ZCom Wireless, which runs close to 120 NYC area stores, 90 which are are subleased, had its contract with Verizon Wireless discontinued. This has resulted in the closing of some stores on the Island, the latest being the Miller Place location.
According to a report in the New York Post from December, ZCom filed a lawsuit against Verizon Wireless alleging that the company artificially inflated pre-paid activation numbers in order to boost profits.
Miller Place store owner Rick Pere left a sign on the window reading "Verizon Wireless Miller Place is closed due to big corporations not caring about the little guy." He also thanked his loyal costumers in the note, and said he enjoyed serving the community for the last 10 years.
"They allowed some of the stores to reopen and not others," Pere said. "I’d say about 50 of us are closed around Long Island now."
Pere said even after the contract with ZCom was discontinued in December, he was never sure whether or not his store would remain open until February when he was told his store would be a casualty.
