iPhone 4S loyal customer,good credit unable bill to account.Different excuses every time!
stumptowngirl
Enthusiast - Level 2

We are loyal Verizon customers who are both (my husband and I) eligible for phone upgrades. We patiently waited and were excited once the iPhone 4S was announced. I was told by two of your phone reps that due to a "computer glitch", you were unable to bill two 16 gig 4S (one black/ one white) to our account AT THIS TIME- even though we qualified to.

 

I called back a later and was told that we would have to wait until things "calmed down" and the phones were actually in stock. I visited our local Verizon store downtown and was told the same thing. I then emailed customer service twice and was given two different answers, 1. The repeat have to wait until the phones are actually in stock, and 2. You will need to wait until the phones are out of the "iconic " stage. Even after clearly stating in the email that we were not interested in another Android or any brand other than the Apple (4S) I still received a cookie cutter, lengthy response that included the latest 4G phone information. 

 

I then revisted the Verizon store downtown and was told that due to the "system"- we are unable to do bill it to your account and that it will probably never be possible to do so.

 

So Verizon- is this how you treat your loyal customers that have patiently waited for our upgrade dates AND have credit in good standing with you? We are outraged and considering going to AT&T. While this still may not be possible with them- that is fine. At least we aren't getting screwed over by the company we stood by and told our family and friends about. 

 

What do you plan to do about this? It's NOT OK to treat your customers this way and it's very frustrating to receive emails delightfully notifying us that we are eligible for an upgrade and being reminded by customer service that we do indeed qualify to bill equipment to our account. The worst part is the varying excuses we are told time and time again by different people. 

 

Disappointed Verizon Customer

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Re: iPhone 4S loyal customer,good credit unable bill to account.Different excuses every time!
kaebfly
Champion - Level 3

It has nothing to do with you being a loyal VZW customer...there are many loyal customers out there that feel like certain things should be given to them because of their loyalty. Despite what you or anyone thinks, none of us (even us loyal customer...which I too am one considering how long I have been a customer and how much money I spend with the company monthly) are entitled to anything other than the services we pay for. The iPhone 4s is a device that is in high demand and has a lot of people on the waiting list to receive their device...so this may be why you can't bill to account. This is not the first device that the option to bill to account was not immediately available...and it's not VZW's way of treating their customers poorly. Some people had initially stated they were able to bill their phones to their accounts but it's possible the option to do so was suspended considering the backlog of demand. You can pay for your devices upfront like many of the other loyal customer that upgraded to it decided to do or you can wait until the option is available. But to complain like you have been wronged is not the route to go. Honestly, if you can't afford to pay for the device upfront then upgrading shouldn't be your priority. I get if you choose that option as a convenience but if the option isn't there and you can't pay for it by some other means then why are you trying to purchase now anyway? That was a rhetorical question...it really doesn't matter what your reasons are...the point is, you can't act like you have been denied a right...when it isn't a right that ever has to be extended in the first place.

 

As far as being given varying answers...that IS frustrating but unfortunately, it seems to be the norm with customer service across many companies. Blame it on poor training. You can try asking to speak to a supervisor to get a more correct answer....but I have a feeling you won't be happy unless the answer is the one that you want...and unfortunately, you might not get that answer regardless of who you speak to. Good luck with whatever you choose. I can say that AT&T will not allow you to bill to account...especially as a new customer. Plus current AT&T customers that I know stated that they have never been able to bill certain devices to their accounts, including iPhones.

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Re: iPhone 4S loyal customer,good credit unable bill to account.Different excuses every time!
stumptowngirl
Enthusiast - Level 2

Ummm- are you a Verizon Rep? Last I checked- nowhere in my email did I mention entitlement. It's about how you treat your customers. This is BAIT and Switch- it applies to the phone iteself.  My next step is the Better Business Bureau and not to be rude by any means because I don't know you but it's none of yours or anyone elses business why I would elect to have a phone billed to my account. Credit has been around for a long time now and those who choose to use it wisely reap the benefits as they should.  Please do not respond to this. I have no interest in chatting with someone telling how I should or shouldn't feel. " I know this is an email but that's how the tone felt to me. 

Re: iPhone 4S loyal customer,good credit unable bill to account.Different excuses every time!
kaebfly
Champion - Level 3

stumptowngirl wrote:

Ummm- are you a Verizon Rep? Last I checked- nowhere in my email did I mention entitlement. It's about how you treat your customers. This is BAIT and Switch- it applies to the phone iteself.  My next step is the Better Business Bureau and not to be rude by any means because I don't know you but it's none of yours or anyone elses business why I would elect to have a phone billed to my account. Credit has been around for a long time now and those who choose to use it wisely reap the benefits as they should.  Please do not respond to this. I have no interest in chatting with someone telling how I should or shouldn't feel. " I know this is an email but that's how the tone felt to me. 


No, I'm not a VZW rep...employees that post on here are clearly identified by their user name. As far as telling me not to respond to this...if you didn't want a response then you probably shouldn't have posted to a user forum or responded to me. Now, if you got an email that specifically stated that you are eligible to upgrade to the iPhone and that same email stated that you could bill the cost of the iPhone to your account (none of which you stated in your original post) then you might have a claim. Otherwise, you are getting upset that VZW decided that an option they offer but never promised to "loyal" customers could not be used for a device that is currently in high demand and is back ordered. I used the word entitled because you stressed that you are a loyal customer and VZW not allowing you to bill the phone you want to your account was in some way a poor way to treat you as a loyal customer. As I stated in my original post, the question about why you feel the need to use the bill to option was a rhetorical question as your reasoning really doesn't matter. Point was if the option isn't available (which it appears to not be) and you really want the phone then paying for it should not be a problem. IF you can't afford to pay for it in lue of the billing option then honestly, if you don't have a credit card to which you could bill the purchase to then perhaps getting the device shouldn't be a priority right not until the option is available. Consider it this way...say there is an equally loyal customer that wants to purchase the phone and they have the money to pay for it today, but they have to wait longer to receive it than many already are waiting (some have been waiting for a month to date) because others that don't want to pay for it today are allowed to bill to the account...is that fair to them? Both you and the person that wants to pay for their device today are equally as loyal to VZW...difference is that one customer can or is willing to actually pay for the product and the other is wanting to get the device now (or at least order now) and pay later. Nothing that I said was intended to hurt your feelings or come off as rude. It's just that it is not fair for you to act as if you have been wronged when you really haven't. Yes, you're disappointed...nothing wrong with that at all. But nothing was taken away from you by telling you that right now VZW can't allow you to order the iPhone while it is in such high demand and orders are backlogged. They didn't say you couldn't order an iPhone at all or say you were eligible to upgrade to any phone EXCEPT the iPhone. They just said that they couldn't let you use something they offer as a courtsey (not something that they are obligated to allow customers to use) due to the demand of the device. Now, if you're determined to file a BBB complaint and the email you received didn't really tell you that you could get the iPhone and bill to your account specifically, then by all means do so. I wish you luck with the complaint, but if none of that was in the email then I highly doubt you will get the resolution you expect.

 

The plus side you have is that you can switch to a different provider like you stated in your original post if you truly feel wronged by VZW. Another option you might consider is ordering through Apple. I say this because an option you can use for a billing method method is the Bill Me Later program. Apple is one of the stores they use. With Bill Me Later you can place your order and if the amount is eligible (with 2 iPhone purchases it will be) you can get 6 months no interest...this is assuming that you are credit worthy. That option might actually be better than billing directly to VZW unless VZW allows you to pay devices off over a long time period...although I have never heard of them allowing you that long to pay off a device...if they did I doubt too many people would ever pay upfront lol. If you're slightly interested then check out billmelater.com. And no, I don't work for them either. I have used the service before when I wanted to get something and not pay interest over a short timeframe and knew that paying it off was not an issue and would not have to worry about interest being tacked on.

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Re: iPhone 4S loyal customer,good credit unable bill to account.Different excuses every time!
Xyvis
Specialist - Level 1

While I can certainly understand your frusteration why not just use your credit or debit card for the purchase? It can be frusterating to not be able to use your preferred method of payment, but out of principle I never charge phones or accessories to my VZW account, I much prefer to use my credit card and get a little of my cashback rewards.

 

Again, I understand you being upset that you having a VZW account in good standing cannot use your account's credit to purchase the phones, however these phones are in extremely high demand, and are a bit pricey (depending on the model of the 4S you want). Wanting to charge approx $400-800 on your VZW's account credit is a bit much.

 

 

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Re: iPhone 4S loyal customer,good credit unable bill to account.Different excuses every time!
gina7289
Contributor - Level 2
Breaking news all iconic phones vzw term not mine u cannot bill 2 account. Not sure if its true but I was told new iconic phones iPhone 4 8gig iPhone 4s droid razor included if on backorder or over the phone especially backorder because they don't want to have u place an order then u might not be eligible when they try 2 bill right before shipment if there so much time inbetween order and shipment.
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Re: iPhone 4S loyal customer,good credit unable bill to account.Different excuses every time!
gina7289
Contributor - Level 2
They have to use a different system to order iconic phones which won't let u bill to account. Over the phone there not sure if the store is the same way. These phones they don't have lots of quanity or backorder. Who knows how long it will take to get out of status. I think this happened when the iPhone 4s came out. With all ordering problems u know.
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Re: iPhone 4S loyal customer,good credit unable bill to account.Different excuses every time!
stumptowngirl
Enthusiast - Level 2
Thank you for your replies. I am working with Verizon directly now.
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Re: iPhone 4S loyal customer,good credit unable bill to account.Different excuses every time!
gina7289
Contributor - Level 2
Tell us what u find out thanx
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Re: iPhone 4S loyal customer,good credit unable bill to account.Different excuses every time!
JoeNe
Contributor - Level 2

stumptowngirl wrote:
Thank you for your replies. I am working with Verizon directly now.

Probaby the smart thing to do.  Good luck!

 

 As this is a User Forum the responses you received are the thoughts and opinions of other Verizon customer, like me.  I personally would not use a forum to make a complaint like yours.  Phone, email or a good old fashioned letter will net you a better result without the grief.

 

Now  . . . if you are looking for help with your new iPhone once you finally get it, feel free to stop back and ask for help.  That is the real purpose of a user forum.  Enlisting the help of other users who may have run into and / or solved an issue that you are having.

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