Everything will be OK, sir

[Papa_Kenobi_]

Once upon a time, there was a Verizon customer who was told he could get an early, free upgrade to a brand-new iPhone 15. Now, this customer was more of an Android kind of guy, but he hadn’t quite mentioned this to his wife. So, in her infinite wisdom and loving spirit, she decided to surprise him with the iPhone upgrade.

"Surprise!" she announced, presenting the new phone with a flourish. The husband, masking his longing for an Android, smiled and said, "Thank you very much!" She, being the responsible and efficient partner, promptly sent back the old phone, following Verizon’s incredibly "simple" instructions. It was the end of May, and everything seemed peachy.

But then, just as they were settling into their new phone routine, a message arrived: "If you do not return the phone you traded in for the iPhone 15, you will be charged $538 for your negligence."

The husband, feeling like he’d just been slapped with a wet fish, exclaimed, "How could this be? We have the tracking number!" So, they embarked on the first of many epic journeys with Verizon’s customer service. Two hours and several rounds of hold music later, they were reassured: "Our sincerest apologies, sir. This will never happen again."

Breathing a sigh of relief, the husband continued using the iPhone, even though he still dreamed of Androids. But alas, another week brought another dreaded message: "If you do not return your phone, you will be charged $538. Please return the phone promptly, or we will take our pound of flesh."

"Are you kidding me?" he yelled, dialing customer service once more. His fiery Irish wife, who had zero patience left, was ready to storm Verizon HQ herself.

"We are so sorry, sir," said the agents, their voices dripping with scripted empathy. "We have opened a ticket. This will ensure no further issues."

Fast forward a week, and wouldn’t you know it? Another message demanding $538. By this point, the husband was considering whether Verizon was run by goblins who hoarded gold in exchange for sanity.

Desperately, he called again, while his wife, now channeling a banshee on a bad hair day, screamed, "I WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER!" so loudly that even their houseplants wilted.

"Sir, we can’t switch your phone to an Android," said Verizon. "We have contractual morals to follow." They promised again that everything would be fine. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

Finally, Verizon took the $538. Feeling like he was stuck in a bad comedy sketch, the husband called again. Two more hours later, the money was credited back. "Congratulations, sir! Your bill is covered for the next two months!"

"Great," he muttered, wondering if Verizon’s idea of customer service was akin to offering a Band-Aid after pushing someone off a cliff.

And so, the family lived in constant fear, waiting anxiously for the next message demanding $538, knowing that their saga with Verizon was like an endless loop of bad jokes and worse service.

The end. Or is it?

[vzw_customer_support]

Papa_Kenobi_, we appreciate you sharing your experience with us. While we always want our customers to have a positive experience with us, we certainly want to learn from experiences when things did not go as anticipated. We are pleased to learn that it sounds like your issues have been addressed based on the details that you have shared here and we appreciate the opportunity to learn from your prior experience to ensure a positive experience  in the future. 

-Andi

[Papa_Kenobi_]

My pleasure, Andi. I hope you appreciate my feedback as much as Verizon appreciated taking the money that didn’t belong to you in the first place. It's been quite the rollercoaster—minus the fun part! I’m glad my experience can serve as a learning opportunity. Just remember, the next time you’re thinking of taking $538, make sure it’s not from someone who’s already sent back the phone! Looking forward to a future where our interactions don’t involve surprise charges and endless hold music. Cheers!

[Papa_Kenobi_]

Oh, Andi, calling holding $538 hostage until my phone bill gets paid a “resolved issue” is like saying a bear hug from a grizzly is just a friendly squeeze. 😂 Hope you have a great weekend, and may your phone bill never be as adventurous as my trade-in saga!

[vzw_customer_support]

I apologize if I misunderstood the information that you shared, that was never my intention. I understood the details you shared about the adjustment being placed to mean that your issued had finally been addressed. If I misunderstood and there are still unresolved concerns, please let us know so that we can investigate and work towards a total resolution.

-Andi

[kaniyar6]

It's amazing how something that should be straightforward can turn into a never-ending saga. I've had my fair share of frustrating experiences with customer service, but your story takes the cake!

[Papa_Kenobi_]

You’re telling me, my friend—this has to be the most ridiculous situation I’ve ever been stuck in! I can handle a hiccup once or twice, but two solid months of this? It’s like Verizon turned customer service into a never-ending soap opera. Honestly, I’d have better luck negotiating with my houseplants! Thanks for the sympathy—it's been a real circus!

[SynthpopAddict]

Verizon moving a good part of their CS overseas some years ago hasn't helped them.  It also appears that at least some of the receiving warehouses for trade-ins can't keep track of what's coming in, or else multiple trade-in devices are not getting separate shipping labels/packages, causing things to get lost in the shuffle.  I've posted about this elsewhere and can only hope Verizon is making an effort to change things for the better.  Longtime customers remember days when it didn't use to be like this.

[Papa_Kenobi_]

Yeah, I totally get it. Things really seem to have changed since the pandemic. Getting good employees who care about their work has been a challenge for many companies, and Verizon was once known for being pretty solid. My main concern is, as a father, times are tough for everyone right now, and I can't afford to have $538 taken from me just because of their mishandling. That money is needed for my son and his needs, and it's frustrating to see it being jeopardized like this.