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Verizon Trade In Program a scam? BEWARE!

Verizon Trade In Program a scam? IT SURE WAS FOR ME!

I traded in my iPhone 5 in last month under the promotion of receiving $400 trade in credit towards a new iPhone 7 - received in monthly $16.66 credits.

Well I traded in my iPhone, which was in working condition and free on any major scratches and a perfect screen. I powered the device on and did a factory reset. The "welcome to iPhone" screen was present, and I briefly debated whether or not I should sell it on Ebay for potentially more money.

I sent the phone to Verizon after receiving the new iPhone 7, and was happy with the deal I got on the trade in UNTIL...
Last week I received an email from Verizon saying that they were giving me a credit of $11.70 INSTEAD OF THE $400! The email went on to say that the power switch would not power the device on when not plugged in. Well this was untrue, I had just used the device to reset it. Maybe the battery wasn't charged. Who knows. What I do know is that I sent in a good, working, 64GB iPhone 5 and they were giving me an $11.70 credit!

So I call customer service, and after a lengthy wait on hold, and talking to a CS agent, I learned that a 3rd party takes care of all the trade-ins, and there was very little they could do other than submit a "ticket" that it be looked at. The CS agent said that its rare for them to re-evaluate a device, and that they usually just go with the initial assessment. So I ask them to return the phone... Sorry, can't do that either. Can I return the iPhone 7? Nope... You're just outside the 14 day window.

If you trade in your phone, it's your word against yours, and I speculate that they profit greatly by evaluating perfectly good phones for really low values. Not to mention that Verizon got me into a payment plan for a phone I didn't really need, but was taking advantage of an offer that really was too good to be true.

I'll post an update if i ever hear back from the "ticket" that was submitted, and whatever experience I have going forward. I also ordered an iPhone 7 Plus, under the same promotion except this time I am supposed to trade in my iPhone 6 Plus for a credit of $650. To be honest, I am considering cancelling the order in fear that they value this phone for far less than $650. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!

Comments

POWHAR

I was contacted by Verizon, they said the "ticket" would take 5-7 business days to be reviewed. We shall see!

stevehorton0929

Hopefully you will get it resolved. I was fed the 5-7 business day line many times. I switched to Verizon in June of this year and to date I'm still waiting to get everything straightened out.

POWHAR

UPDATE!

So I just wanted to update that I was contacted by Lena, a Social Media Supervisor today. She listened to my frustrations, and sympathized with me. Furthermore, she fixed the whole thing in about 5 minutes! Seriously! I am once again a happy Verizon Wireless customer! Great job, Lena!

Acrillix

How did she resolve it? How was she able to do this without seeing the device? Or without seeing the results of the ticket? Do you have proof of resolution?

SMG2TAG

YES! Beware for sure...they did the same thing to me. Sent a perfect Iphone 6 in for trade, got an email that the screen was cracked or unresponsive...which it was not. It was absolutely perfect when I sent it in in their measly little cardboard holder they send you. So instead of the $650 credit they promised, a "hairline" crack decreased the value to $112.50. They claim they take a picture of the phone and the packaging but who knows. All I know is the phone was fine when I shipped it and now they say it's not. You have no recourse but to pay full price for the phone now. They won't ship the old one back and it's too late to return the new one. They really got me good...THE WHOLE PROGRAM IS A SCAM!!! Easy for them to claim something is wrong with the trade in phone so they can charge you full price for the new one. NEVER AGAIN...I'm pulling everything I've had with Verizon for the last 15yrs+. Customer service was useless, tt supervisor who said we cant help you [Removed]

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CHAENG58

I traded in an iPhone 5s under the same premise of receiving a $400 credit. The program required the phone to meet 6 criteria : be able to power on, have working battery, intact functioning LCD screen with no cracks or breaks, have intact charging ports and aux/headphone jacks, connecting ports free of corrosion and water damage and all password protected security features be turned off. My phone met all 6 of these criteria. However, I received an email yesterday claiming they would only give me $42.50 on trade for my phone. Their excuse was "unresponsive screen or had cracks or had dead spots". My phone was fully functional when I mailed in and I took a picture of the screen unlocked showing no cracks/breaks. I talked to a Jocelyn(sp.??) in the trade in department who was of little help. I was told they would email me pictures why I was being docked on the credit within a 4-5 hours and look into the situation. It has been 8+ hours and still no email. It appears I am not the only person experiencing problems with this trade in program which is feeling like a classic bait and switch. If I don't get a satisfactory resolution in the next 24hrs from Verizon, I will be reaching out to the FTC, FCC, BBB, state AG as well as Verizon executives to get this resolved. It is a shame that a long time Verizon customer can't trust this promotional process.

LARHUT98

Ok so this Verizon program is a total SCAM. As this previous customer posted I have now had a similar experience. I got an offer to trade in my iPhone 6s 64GB for $650 credit towards the iPhone 7. My phone was in like new condition. Zero screen defects, and zero scratches. Tonight I receive an email stating Verizon was giving me a $146.50 credit towards my iPhone 7. I have been a Verizon customer for 16 years. I call customer service and discuss my issue with customer service. The first person I got tells me that he will fill out a reappraisal form and that it will be 50-60 days before I hear something. I then tell him that is ridiculous and that I want my phone shipped back to me and they could have the iPhone 7 back. He then tells me that they can't do that. i then ask for a manager. He then puts me on hold for 45 seconds and hangs up on me. I then call back and get a young lady who was very polite and tells me that she will connect me to the trade in department. A young lady answers and I tell her my issue. She states she is going to put me on a short hold and then will be back on with me. I was on hold for 54 minutes so I call customer service from my wife's cell phone. Within five minutes I get another customer service rep on the phone. They again transfer me to the trade in department. I am still on hold on my other phone now over an hour. I talk to the trade in customer service rep and tell him my issue and while doing that I get hung up on from the call I was on hold. I then continue to tell him my issue from my wife's phone. He then tells me that all he can do is fill out the reappraisal form and that I should hear something within 3-5 business days. This is horrible that a 16 year customer is attempted to be scammed by Verizon. My phone was in excellent shape. There reason is stated in the email that the screen was unresponsive. How could I have reset my phone prior to sending if the screen was unresponsive. I will let you know if I hear from the reappraisal in 3-5 days and let you know how they continue to treat a long time customer.

LISMIT37

The exact same thing just happened to me. I was convinced by the representative at my Verizon store to trade in my perfectly working, blemish free 5S and that I would get $300 in credit if I upgraded to the iPhone 7. they performed the upgrade and data transfer in the store using my 5S where they saw that it was in excellent condition and without scratches or cracks. The phone was perfectly preserved in an OtterBox case the entire time I had it. After everything was done, they instructed me to wait for my postage paid shipping box to arrive in the mail. I followed all of the instructions to a T and returned my phone in the postage paid box provided by Verizon. Once they got my phone out of my hands, they sent me an email claiming that the screen was cracked and that they were only going to give me $42 instead of the $300 they promised when they convinced me to trade it in. I called Verizon corporate and explained to them that there was not a scratch or crack on that phone and that it was in perfect condition when I sent it. They told me that they could not rectify the situation at corporate and that I would have to go back into my local Verizon store to have the problem remedied and get my credit. When I went back to my local Verizon Store, they told me that what corporate told me was untrue and that they could not remedy my situation in the store and that, in fact, corporate can do it, they just lied to me to get me off the phone as quickly as possible. I have been a loyal Verizon customer for many, many years and have never complained and I am so disappointed by the dishonest treatment and run around that I have gotten over this trade in. It seems like such a scam since I have searched on the Internet and seen so many people that have had the exact same experience. What's even funnier, is that after I did my trade-in, my husband traded in his phone at a different store and they advised me to not send my phone in the box, because Verizon corporate would cheat me out of my money. They told me I should have turned my phone in at the store. I didn't believe them, and I sent it in the box anyway and they were right. It seems like a bait and switch scam to cheat people. My 5S was working just fine and I would have never traded it in had the store representative not convinced me that I would get a deal by trading it in.

LYNSOR60

I had paid off I5s phone and 2 yrs of service never late even early on monthly bills. They kept sending me promos about upgrade so I finally called arranged everything to do with the promo & ordered I6s and got $2oo.oo credit to my acct. posting within 1-2 billing cycles. WELL.......I5s was sent in 8/13 they received it 8/30 and I still have nothing except payments for over $600.00 (full Price) on a new I6s,for 2yrs. The I5s was in mint condition and I even sent along the case because it would not fit the new I6s we upgraded for. I have been calling 4x now, today was the most recent. I was on phone about 2hrs. and all that got accomplished was they filled out a request for me to get promo that was promised to me when I originally did all this back in Aug. now I get to wait 2 more billing cycles. I am so upset. I will look for another company to do business with. [Removed]

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LYNSOR60

I just went thru all this today, Can you say "Robbed". I have been dealing with this since August 13. Had previous phone paid off and no longer under contract on month to month. Finally caved into upgrade deal they offered and totally got scammed. Phone I sent in on promo was in excellent cond. and I even sent in case since it would not fit newer upgrade. I feel really stupid now i am paying a monthly payment for new phone for 2 more yrs. They said I never sent in right paperwork and would have to redo it all and it would take additional 1-2 billing cycles. I sent back the paperwork,phone w/case, as instructed and then waited and waited and waited. Guess what I am still waiting. TOTAL FRAUD. I'm on a really strict budget (disability) and when I set this up discussed all this with rep. and with the promo discount for upgrade/trade in it would have been fine, now I am making higher payments for 2 yrs for phone. [Removed]

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EDWEHM39

this is complete [Removed]. the phone I sent was perfect and I was supposed to get $240. now they claim its cracked and gave me $72. how do we take action on this

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LARVIG13

I had a similar situation where I was promised $650 for my iPhone trade. The original email I received indicated $650 payment. Once I sent them my phone I got a new email indicating payment over two years and a lot of terms and conditions forcing me into a two year agreement. When I pointed it out to customer service I ultimately only got $225 for my phone and that was the only option given. I asked for them to listen to previous calls where a sr supervisor told me it wouldn't make a difference. In the end a customer service person told me to stop calling and asking for them to do the right thing because they wouldn't consider anything to correct the situation. So much for my 15 years as a customer. i will be leaving after this phone is paid for since they can't (won't) make this right. I will continue to tell everyone who will listen not to trust them since there is not integrity or customer service left here. Only thing you ever get is, "I'm sorry that ou feel that way". It's not a Feeling. It's a scam!

Sundubious

Wow more horror stories of what I am dealing with in regards to my trade in.

A 669.99 appraised value to just 197.00

Lesson learned; NEVER NEVER Trade in a phone to Verizon

K_YOOJUNG

This is Big Verizon Phone company's Scam! This scam news must be published in major news media.

jfogarty

Please have some social media supervison contact me too!

I had an issue with being charged $329 for a return phone that they said had 'mechanical damage'. The phone did not work and I returned it. It had no user damage from me. I have read so many posts of Verizon scamming people this way. I have already done the runaround with online reps. What a joke. They think we are all fools.

I am going to go 'old school'. I am going to picket my local verizon store this weeked. If I don't get my charge erased as a result at least I will bring awareness and doubt to Verizon customers on this scam verizon is trying to pull.

If everyone would get out and picket this company appropriately... I think we can make a difference. I called the South Windsor, CT police department and they told me where I could picket without getting arrested. I will find at least an hour in every weekend day until this is cleared up, until I feel enough Verizon customers have seen my signs, or until I stop fuming over this scam.

Momma23dogs

@jfogarty
wrote:
Please have some social media supervison contact me too!
I had an issue with being charged $329 for a return phone that they said had 'mechanical damage'. The phone did not work and I returned it. It had no user damage from me. I have read so many posts of Verizon scamming people this way. I have already done the runaround with online reps. What a joke. They think we are all fools.
I am going to go 'old school'. I am going to picket my local verizon store this weeked. If I don't get my charge erased as a result at least I will bring awareness and doubt to Verizon customers on this scam verizon is trying to pull.
If everyone would get out and picket this company appropriately... I think we can make a difference. I called the South Windsor, CT police department and they told me where I could picket without getting arrested. I will find at least an hour in every weekend day until this is cleared up, until I feel enough Verizon customers have seen my signs, or until I stop fuming over this scam.

I’ll wave and laugh as I pass by. As will the rest of the Buckland shoppers. Seriously, we had 3 police shootings and related protests, no one is going to take this seriously.

File a BBB complaint.

DerekByrne

I have the same issue. I was supposed to get $450 for my iPhone 6s plus. I know for a fact that it was in great condition, worked, factory reset, and free of any cracks or damage. They have said that it had a crack on the screen and now is only worth $42. I certainly would not have sent it in had that actually been true. It was worth more to me than that. The picture they sent me of the "damage" shows a crack from what looks like a drop. I am going to save this picture and if there ever is a class action or something similar, show it to the attorney representing. I bet it's the same picture and they try to pass it off to other people.

Verizon is ripping people off and deceiving them.

Momma23dogs

@DerekByrne
wrote:
I have the same issue. I was supposed to get $450 for my iPhone 6s plus. I know for a fact that it was in great condition, worked, factory reset, and free of any cracks or damage. They have said that it had a crack on the screen and now is only worth $42. I certainly would not have sent it in had that actually been true. It was worth more to me than that. The picture they sent me of the "damage" shows a crack from what looks like a drop. I am going to save this picture and if there ever is a class action or something similar, show it to the attorney representing. I bet it's the same picture and they try to pass it off to other people.Verizon is ripping people off and deceiving them.

The offer on a 6s is not $450. It was $300 as a trade in with new service and purchase. $100 as an upgrade with new purchase. $48 as a straight trade in, un damaged. Damaged phones get $0.

bhegseth

I'm in the same boat. My phone's value was only around $65 at the time of trade in, but there was a $500 promotional trade in with the phone I was purchasing. My wife and I both bought these phones with this deal. I was given one box to send both phones in (which is against Verizon policy). Unfortunately I never got the credit, and when I asked them about it, I was told that the phone was cracked. It wasn't when I sent it in. Could it have happened in shipping, especially with 2 phones in one box? I don't know. I say that's fine, can you please just remove the $65 dollars that the phone is worth from the $500 credit? No, they can't do that either. Verizon lost out on a phone worth $65 trade in value, but then they get to keep $500!

I used to work at Verizon, why would I have sent in a phone that had a crack in it? But at the end of the day, it's their word against mine. I've logged a BBB just asking for $430, but based on their 1.09 stars on BBB, I'm sure I probably will just hear no again.

[Deleted User]

Due to the age of this thread, it will be locked in order to keep discussions current. If you have the same or a similar question/issue we invite you to start a new thread on the topic.

Verizon_Support

We're sorry to read about the experience you had with getting your devices returned, and we definitely want to take a look at the situation to see what options we have for this situation. Were you sent pictures of the damage to the device?

PedroM_VZW

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