Verizon Wireless Complaint
Submitted by: Anonymous | Post a complaint | Back to Complaints Forum
I went to wireless zone, a verizon retailer, on 9/26/2019 and was approved for service. Verizon was offering $500 trade in value for my phone, a Samsung galaxy note 8. The iPhone 11 was selling for $700 and I chose to trade in my Note 8 towards the purchase of the iPhone which would be billed in installments. ” Total Trade-in Value of $500 will be applied to Customer’s Account as $20.83 credit per month Device trade-in credits ( incl promo credits) issued over 24 months and will appear in 1-2 billing cycles after we receive hour device. If you cancel service, change to an ineligible plan, or device payment amt is paid off or transferred, promo credits will stop. ..” The next day I went to pick up a jet pack (wireless hot spot) and an additional iphone 11 pro for my brother that wasn’t in stock the previous day. The jetpack was added to my acct just fine, but I had to return later in the day because the store rep had to go to another store to get the iphone 11 pro. When I returned to pick up the second phone the store rep was no longer able to access my acct. He informed me I had to call Verizon’s 1-800 number to find out why. I called right there in the store and was connected to the fraud department. I was told that at this time Verizon would be unable to allow me to add an additional line. I left the store and thought of it as simply unfortunate. Tuseday, Oct 1, 2019, I realized I was unable to log in to the MyVerizon app. I wanted to see what my first bill would be and when. The login screen informed me to call Verizon. I called and once again I was connected to the fraud department and informed once again that Verizon was denying my request to add an additional line. I informed the fraud department that I was not trying to add an additional line but I was actually trying to access the MyVerizon app. I was asked to send the fraud department a picture of the front and back of my identification. I did while on the phone then I waited for the next instructions. The representative then said that verizon was unable to “validate” my identity… which she said is different from verifying my identity but didn’t provide any distinction or instructions on how I should proceed. When asked how I should proceed the fraud department representative tells me I have to go back to the store I got the phone from. I protest…I feel like I shouldn’t have to go back to the store and wait after being on the phone so long. I felt as if it was an issue Verizon should be able to solve. The rep then told me that that’s all they can inform me to do and she would have to hang up. I ask her if she would stay on the line while I went to the store so I wouldn’t have to wait on hold again ( every hold is 45 mins or more) she declined so I asked to speak to her supervisor and drove to the store while she put me on hold for her supervisor. When he answered I was in the store with the store manager on speakerphone….. after all of this back n forth before I drove to the store… the supervisor literally gets on the phone and reads the same script about verizon being unable to allow me to add a line. The store manager gets on the phone to explain that I’m not trying to add a line and then that I’m just trying to access the MyVerizon app for my existing account and the phone rep just hangs up. At this point I leave the store frustrated and decide to deal with it tomorrow. The store can’t help because they can’t access my account. After I leave the store my service is terminated completely.
Wednesday, Oct 2
At this point I want to either return the phone and get my phone back or pay the balance owed for the phone so that I can use it with another carrier. I called Verizon to check the phone’s unlock status and was told that it was unlocked and that Verizon doesn’t lock phones. Afterwards I called apple to verify the phones status before attempting to get new service. Apple says the phone is still locked to Verizon. At this point I’ve been on the phone for almost 3 hours. I call Verizon once again to see what must be done to get the phone unlocked. Verizon says the phone is “bricked” and is unusable. It can’t even be paid for because it’s on the non pay list and it can’t be removed. The phone is worthless at this point. I’m told to return the phone to the store I purchased it from.
I go to the store and the store rep says she doesn’t have my phone anymore they sent it to the warehouse and she doesn’t know how to do the return because she never encountered a situation like this. The phone is bricked and they can’t accept a bricked iPhone. She calls Verizon and the phone rep asks the store if they would be willing to give me the “Traded device market value” of $132 which is also quoted on the receipt. The store tells the phone rep they are unwilling to give me the $132 because they already sent the phone to Verizon’s warehouse. The phone rep then says there is nothing else she can do so I ask to speak to a manager again. Eventually after numerous calls and 45 min holds I was able to speak to a member of Verizon’s management team. I was told that the best verizon could do is offer to clear my bill of over $100 for the 72 hrs of service I had that they canceled. This is unacceptable and in direct conflict with the terms and language of my trade-in receipt. I didn’t cancel the contract, Verizon did. I should still be eligible for the $500 trade in credit towards the cost of a new device, or I should have received reasonable compensation for my device which Verizon accepted as a trade in. I should not be left with no phone and a bill after trading in my phone because Verizon cannot come up with an identity verification system that doesn’t label legitimate customers as making fraudulent transactions. This whole experience has felt like a robbery. I feel like I was robbed for my phone and then accused of fraud on top of it all. This is the worst customer service experience I have ever had.