Misled About Trade-In Offer and Billing: No Resolution After 19 Years of Loyalty

[TSpivs]

I've been a loyal Verizon customer for 19 years, but my recent experience has left me feeling deceived and stuck in an extremely unfair situation.

Here's what happened:

On November 27th, I called Verizon after noticing a bill increase. I was informed my autopay discount had been reduced, and I asked if there were ways to lower my bill. I was told about a $1,000 trade-in offer with a new plan that would LOWER my bill. They sent me a quote and promised to call back the next day (Thanksgiving), but they never did. 

On November 29th, I called again to confirm my adjusted bill if my family ( 3 of the 4 lines) traded in and upgraded under this new plan. Again, I was told my bill would be LESS than before.

On November 30th, I placed the order online, and on December 1st, we picked up our phones and traded in our old devices.  

December 2nd was spent resolving a technical issue with one phone, which took all day because neither the online retailer nor corporate stores could help because it was bought online. I had to troubleshoot it myself after getting confirmation from both places that there was something wrong with the update but not the phone. 

On December 3rd, I checked my new bill. While I expected taxes from the phones to increase it temporarily, the new monthly bill was SUBSTANTIALLY higher than what I had been paying. 

I called Verizon again and explained my situation:

• The representative I spoke to admitted I had been misled and when I asked if it was because all of the lines didn't move that it increased he informed me that changing the final line would increase it further. I told him to leave the final phone number alone. He said he would need to speak to his specialist and I sat on the phone for 3 hours! At the end of which he said the specialists said there was nothing they could do to help
• I escalated to a supervisor, who essentially told me, "You signed it, so you're stuck". I asked her to listen to the recordings of my calls to verify I had been lied to, not once but twice and she said she couldn't.
• When I asked about option, I was told it was too late to my old phones back. Switching back to my previous plan would result in me paying full price for the phones because the trade-in was tied to the plan change.

I'm now stuck paying more than I was previously paying, with no viable resolution, despite being a Verizon customer for nearly two decades. I could've traded my phones directly to Apple for money towards a new device, but I trusted Verizon's representatives and their promises. 

Has anyone else faced a similar situation? What recourse, if any, do I have? Do you upgrade your phones directly with Apple, if you're iPhone users??

[vzw_customer_support]

I appreciate you taking the time to put together such a detailed breakdown of your experience, TSpivs, and for your near two decades of loyalty with us. As a consumer myself, I understand the importance of getting accurate information when making a purchase decision. I also want to be transparent with you that while I am happy to take a fresh look into this to see what I can do, we also cannot modify a plan cost, or return devices back that have already been received to our warehouse. I'll need account access to take a fresh look into your concerns, so please be on the lookout for a private message from me.

-Joseph

[budbottle62]

I upgraded at the store level last year.  20 years with Verizon  . It is ironic that customers of a phone company has no way to talk to a live person when they have an issue with billing when  the chat option cannot answer.  I'm worried that if I pay off my phone my bill will go up as it did when I cancelled one of my four lines when my mother passed even though I paid off a $506.00 balance on her phone. no one online told me my bill would not go down until I already made the choice of paying it off . I'm undecided if I pay off mine and my bill goes up if I should switch carriers with more transparency.  Good luck straightening out your issue !

[TSpivs]

Thank you. I’m sorry for your loss and also that you weren’t told paying it off wouldn’t lower your bill. It’s been super frustrating being bounced around and not being able to resolve the issue. I will also be contemplating finding a carrier with more transparency. Good luck.

[Pasadena91106]

Yes, I have similar problem.  I;ve been with Verizon for 28 years.  I took the bait and attempted to take advantage of a trade in on June 29 2024.  Like you, I realized the steep increase in billing.  I initiated a return and I did return the phones but was repeatedly accused of not returning.  Everyomne should take a screen shot of return lable, keep UPS documentation. I have devoted 6 months of haggling with Verizon and now Verizon Visa which has a definite disconnect with Verizon Wireless. I continue to be billed by Verizon Visa because of that disconnect.  I spent 10 hours today organizing all billing documents from both Verizon Wireless and Verizon Visa.  Because the billing cycles are different there is no true correlation. I exited Auto Pay but I continue to be on Auto Pay. Cnnot shake loose from auto pay.  I composed several letters to Verizon Visa Synchrony Bank and to Verizon Wireless.  The chat feature and the phone feature are useless when you need efficient customer service.  Hoirrible.  Six months of stress.  Thought I had it resolved and then Verizon Visa charges me $ 893 for I guess equipment or ?  I have a crummy iPhone 13ans I urge people to beware of any offer.  Just play it straight and don't take the bait.  If you attempt to return equipment, be prepared for a prolresidence in a bad place. .