I have an iPhone 11 that was purchased in Nov 2019 from Best Buy. It was paid in full at the time of purchase. I activated it AT at Verizon store a week and a half later in December 2019. Never had an issue until I went to switch carriers in April 2024.
Then this nightmare began and has been going on for almost 4 months now.
My SIM CARD shows as locked and Verizon won’t unlock it saying they can’t because my phone was purchased from a third party (Best Buy). This is a lie they are telling their employees to tell customers.
Resetting the phone completely and switching SIM cards does NOT work. I can see on this forum and others that plenty of other Verizon clients are having this same issue.
Over the past 4 months, I have had to speak to at least 58+ different Verizon techs and “supervisors” and NOT ONE has been able to help me. They keep submitting the SAME form to their fraud department even though this has nothing to do with fraud. My phone is mine and it was paid for the day it was purchased.
Not that it is any of Verizon’s business but the techs and supervisors keep asking me why I want to switch carriers.
I was diagnosed with cancer in February and had to quit my job in April to go through treatment because of the type of cancer. I wanted to save some money and was able to find a bundle package with Spectrum where I have cable and internet. Spectrum was going to give me a free year of phone service since I have been a client for 30 years and then $29/month after that. I have been paying Verizon $96/month for years. I have had two separate accounts under Verizon for over 20 years and always paid my bills monthly. My current account is over 10 years old.
Verizon’s “fraud” department are the “untouchables” meaning you can’t talk to or communicate with them in any way. They only send automated “no reply” emails saying the request is denied and the reason they give has nothing to do with the form submitted. Their auto reply says my phone isn’t paid off which isn’t true. They think it’s a new phone still under the 60 day “no switch carrier” rule.
Well, SOMEONE at the Verizon store where I activated this phone in Dec 2019 never entered my phone as a new phone in their system so they don’t have record of an “order number”. YET they have all info about my phone in the system including the activation date, type of phone, IMEI # etc and have had no problem billing me monthly for it for years. Figure that one out.
I have offered a hundred times to email or text the receipt to them but they will not give me an email address to do that YET keep saying they need a receipt (order #) for proof of purchase.
One of the Verizon techs even told me to “just go buy a new phone”. Are you kidding me?
In addition to the 58+ Verizon techs I’ve had to deal with, most never follow up so I’ve had to call back and tell this whole story all over again. Each call wasting at least 1-1/2 to 2 hours of my day. Many have told me to go to an Apple Store saying that Apple “locked the phone”. Newsflash Verizon - Apple does NOT lock phones. Early on in this nightmare, I wasted countless hours going back and forth with Apple on the phone and via chats as well as going in person to Best Buy numerous times and talking to them on the phone and via chat. I have also been to three different Verizon stores including the one that activated my phone and put the Verizon SIM card in it only to be told “we don’t do that here” (unlock phones or help in that way).
This time wasted is all because Verizon has taught their employees that they do NOT lock third party phones. That is a lie. Best Buy and Apple don’t lock phones. If you insist on teaching your employees that then you need to give clients a way to send a proof of purchase receipt.
I have had two different Best Buy techs from their Activation Dept on 3 way calls with Verizon on two occasions lasting well over 2 hours each. Verizon wouldn’t give them an email address for them to send proof of my receipt from 2019. They wouldn’t take their word for it either even though all info on the receipt was relayed over the phone. The reason they won’t take it is because there isn’t an order # on the receipt. That is because it was an in-store purchase and not bought online OR from Verizon. There is only a sales receipt number which, apparently, isn’t acceptable to Verizon.
Back in mid May, one of Verizon’s techs told me he would credit my account for that month and going forward until this was resolved and my phone was unlocked. He got permission from his supervisor to do so. Yet, I never received full credit and keep getting fully charged monthly. I called back a month ago to their billing department to find out why and that was another 3-4 hours of time. They recently credited me $20 the past two bills only because I called to ask why I was not credited in full since May. That same tech had also offered me a USED iPhone 11 but I would have to send my phone to them in the meantime. I don’t have any other phone except this one and can’t be without a phone because of my doctor appts and treatment. So I had to turn that “offer” down.
I have wasted well over 150 hours over the past 4 months dealing with Verizon’s staff and their pat answers.
I am so angry at this point and feel like Verizon owes me a NEW phone if they won’t unlock this one to let me leave. I have enough going on with cancer treatment and don’t need this additional stress when all I want to do is switch carriers to save some money since I am unable to work right now.
For any Verizon tech reading this, please don’t reply and tell me you can “help” unless you can actually unlock my Verizon SIM CARD and phone. I am not wasting another 2 hours going over 4 months of history that SHOULD listed under my account. You can read it for yourself and see that I have gone above and beyond what anyone should have to do to switch carriers.
I have been a good client for over 20 years and the treatment I have received is despicable and borderline criminal. I am being held hostage by Verizon against my will.
