Hi all,
On September 8th, I signed up for a MiFi 2-year contract that came along with a free Jetpack device. I specifically told the salesman to tell me about all of the charges in advance, so I wouldn't be surprised when the bill came. He told me it was $80 per month for the plan, plus $18 for tax on the device. Nothing else was mentioned.
I then sign up on the Verizon website and download my Equipment Receipt and my 1st Bill Estimate. Boy was I shocked! They were charging me $260.66, for what I'm still not sure, because NOTHING ADDED UP. It would seem that Verizon cannot even perform simple addition. I also noticed that the receipt said the following (I'll paraphrase):
1. I had 14 days to get out of this mess.
2. They expect me to pay a restocking fee of $35 just for returning their "free" device.
3. I was only entitled to a credit for the activation fee if I cancelled my service within 3 days of signing up.
This was a red flag to me, having wasted my valuable time previously with other irresponsible credit card companies. So I went into the same Verizon Wireless store where I signed up and told them I wanted to return the device and cancel my plan on September 11th, which would entitle me, according to them, to be credited back for the activation fee; the estimated bill says this amount is $35.
They said they would charge me the $35 restocking fee. I told them I thought that was unfair for the following reasons:
1. The device was free;
2. I never agreed to that when I signed up. They just printed it on the receipt after I signed up. The next thing you know, they'll tell me I owe them my next child. How can they just make stuff up after the fact?
So I refused to pay and told them (the manager was there along with 2 other salespeople) I was returning the device. They refused to give me a return receipt, so I left the device there and walked out, filming the whole thing (just me and the device).
In response, the manager said she was going to charge me for everything as if I never came into the store and returned the device.
Now it's September 13th and I received a call from another salesperson at the same store (on Topanga Blvd. in Woodland Hills, CA) saying I left my equipment there and would I like to come in and pick it up or would I like it mailed to me. I explained the situation to him and he STILL INSISTED ON MAILING BACK THE DEVICE TO ME, unless I agreed to come into the store and let them process the return/cancellation the way they wanted, which would mean (according to this salesperson) that not only would they charge me the $35 restocking fee, BUT THEY WOULD ALSO CHARGE ME ANOTHER $35 AS IF I JUST RETURNED THE DEVICE TODAY.
I asked for his supervisor and was told she's not there today. I then asked for the contact info for someone higher up in the chain of command, and was refused.
This is such a scam! I feel sure that someone higher up would understand that they will lose me (and as many people as I can tell this to) as a potential customer over chump change, which is just silly.
I really don't know if the problem is just this store or all of Verizon, but if I can't get this resolved in the next hour or so through this forum (hello, any Verizon reps out there?) I'll just make sure they can never take any more of my money by never considering using Verizon again, both for personal use and at work (I'm in IT and make those types of decisions at work), and convincing as many people as I can not to use them also.
The ball's in your court, Verizon. What will you do?
(receipts attached for your reference)
>>Attachments removed as they contained personal information<<
Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator
