In august I changed internet to Verizon 5G. I was promised ful coverage in my small 2 story home, and to save money. Neither has happened.
We were mailed a free w-fi extender for choosing Verizon 5G. We've been getting our phones there for almost 10 years now. This wi-fi extender is broken. It does not respond when plugged in to an outlet. Its getting no power. I tried a different cord I had in the house, still no power to the extender.
The wfi extender was nt broken by us. We plugged it in, it connected to the main router device after a lot of online troubleshooting, and we relocated to another area without connection. It wouldn't connect. Eventually after more hours researching, my IT son gets it connected. But it only offered internet in that room and the room the main device is in. So, now we get two rooms.
That's not going to help, we need upstairs coverage too. We unplug it, and try another outlet. It doesnt turn on, we get no power. We try other outlets and a different cord. No response, its just dead.
We have working internet in only one room of the house. Its so pathetically weak, that no where else can access it (only the single room its in) no matter where we set the main router thingy up. We were hoping the extender would help ... well, extend it.
So I go to the online chat support. I'm told a new one will be shipped out. Yay, so simple! But no, I wait about 10 days, I receive nothing.
I go back to online support. This time I'm told the same thing but also receive an automated text from Verizon stating (copy and pasting the exact text here) "Verizon Msg: The replacement order for the WiFi extender has been successfully placed." Another 8 days goes by and nothing, no other confirmation, no extender.
I go online again, back to support, and explain the situaton. Third times a charm, they say. I'm told a replacement will be ordered and sent out. I doubt it, and was right to do so. Still nothing, and now going on about 4 weeks since we started paying for the service.
After another 8 days, I call. I speak to someone that ultimately says a new one can't be sent out until she's able to do a few troubleshooting steps. I'm at work, don't have the extender with me to do that. I explain that it seems to get no power, and am told she'll get in trouble if a replacement is sent without troubleshooting. Thats cool, she doesnt need to get in trouble on my behalf. The agent promises to call me at 7pm EST that same day, when I'm home. No phone call.
At this point my son is tired of having his work affected by the mistake I made by swapping to Verizon 5G internet, and sets up a second account for internet. We now have, and are paying for, TWO internet accounts, just so ONE house that is 1200 sq ft can have coveage.
So, now I call again. I speak to someone that, after consulting another department, is able to process a replacement. They send me something to confirm through Verizon, and when I review it, the extender doesnt look like the one I currently have. I mention it, the agent tells me its just a stock photo but its the wifi extender. I confirm the order online. At this point it is at least 6 weeks since we started paying for internet we can't use as promised, around 9/16/25.
We received the replacement two days ago, 9/27/25. The box is tiny. I open it up and its a LTE Network Extender. So now I have a broken wifi extender and an unneeded and unrequested LTE extender. Still no internet in anywhere except the living room. Family is now paying $50+ more per month than we were with our previous internet provider that covered every inch of our house.
So, again, I call back. I spoke to someone this morning on 9/29/25. I'm on the phone roughly 52 minutes with this individual, 45 mins of that on hold while she works on the issue. I'm told I have to pay for another one, or I have to upgrade my internet plan!! What?? I'm told the upgrade will provide 2 wifi extenders and is $5/mo more.
There seems to be no option to replace the broken one I received. The agent says their hands are tied but they are escalating the case to offer a discount or waive the extra $5/mo on the upgraded plan. So I call about broken equipment, and am being told I have to upgrade a service that is already not working, and pay MORE for a service that has yet to provide internet consistently in more than one room of my house. Or I have to pay for the replacement of something we've never gotten to use.
The agent tells me I'll get a phone call Thursday with an update. I received a Verizon text mentioning a scheduled call back when the 4th agent that promised to call arranged that. I didnt get that text this time, and so I have a feeling its not going to happen, again.
So at this point:
- I've spent 7.5 hours talking to agents.
- I've spent more time now, typing this out on here.
- I've talked to 6 customer service agents.
- I've been promised a replacement wifi extender 4 times.
- I received an LTE extender that I never asked for, or ever had on my account before with no information on how to return it. (There was supposed to be a label to return the broken wifi extender and there wasnt).
- We have a service we are paying for that isn't providing what was promised.
-We still have a broken wifi extender.
How is this standard practice? To force a plan upgrade to replace broken equipment? To make me pay to replace an extender we havent been able to use yet?
I'm on the verge of going somewhere else for phone and internet. I have been happy paying more than the other phone competitors for over 9 years because the service was always good. But this? I'm beyond exhausted, I'm beyond upset. This is phenomenally and unacceptably ridiculous.
