Today I entered a Verizon Wireless location - an actual location, not an authorized retailer. I wanted to purchase an iPhone 5c at full retail price (month-to-month) as a gift. I was told that the iPhone would have to be activated at the time of purchase. I explained to the sales representative that I could perform the activation myself using My Verizon online, and that activating the phone at the time of purchase would interrupt the gift recipient's service until the the gift was received, and also ruin any surprise. The representative just reiterated Verizon Wireless's policy, and confirmed that I could go to an Apple store and buy an iPhone 5c without an activation. I then left the store and contacted Verizon Wireless Customer Service which explained that this is not policy, and that I should have been able to make the full retail price purchase without activation, and the customer service representative appeared confused at how the store could have turned me away.
I then returned to the same store, waited in line again, and explained my conversation with Customer Service with a different sales representative and he explained that the iPhone would have to be activated at the time of purchase, and that I could personally contact Verizon Wireless Customer Service on my own phone and that he would explain this to the Customer Service Representative. I then called Verizon Wireless Customer Service again and waited, and explained my situation to a different representative, who was equally as confused as the first as to how the store could have turned me away. The sales representative and customer service representative had a conversation for approximately 10 minutes while the manager on duty walked by several times never taking charge of the situation, and just stating, it is because we have a different system.
I left the store without being able to make the gift purchase. I have been a Verizon Wireless customer for many years and I have always gone out of my way to make my purchases at Verizon Wireless locations, and not Apple Store, BestBuy, or authorized retailers. I am confused as to wether or not this is Verizon Wireless's actual policy, and if so how is anyone suppose to make a gift purchase through Verizon Wireless at full retail price?
I also would like to note that the two Customer Services Representatives were very helpful and polite, and the first one was trying to order the phone for me so that I could in fact activate it at home, however the shipment would not have been quick enough for the gift purpose.
Verizon Wireless Customer Service please contact me directly.
