Upgrade for loyal customer of 25 years

[PaulineAH]

I have been a customer of Verizon Wireless since I got my very first cell phone right after I graduated from college in 1999. That makes me a loyal customer of 25 years. Last time I upgraded my phone they refused to give me any deal on a new phone, saying that a free phone was only being given to new customers. I wasn't even expecting a free phone, but for 25 years, 12 months per year, I have paid my bill to Verizon Wireless 300 times. I wish I could even begin to estimate what the total amount was for 12x25, but I'm sure when I first got my phone, my bill was much less because there weren't smart phones then, so the bill was much lower, and the phones were always upgraded for free so I only paid for the service and wasn't forever paying a phone off on top of my monthly service bill. I know that the phones today are much more sophisticated then back then, so I know the cost of them is much greater, but when I went to renew my phone the last time a couple of years ago, I asked them about any deals on a new device. I was willing to turn in the current phone I had which was only a couple of years old and worked fine, and to sign another contract, but I was told there was no deal. I told them I had just seen a commercial on TV that if you did those two things I mentioned you could get a brand new phone. He told me, "That's only for new customers." He then said that if I wanted a new phone for no cost, I could close my account (and lose the number I had for well over a decade) and sign up for a new account as a "new customer." I declined because I didn't want to lose my phone number that I had for so long. I bought the phone, only having just finished paying of my previous phone, and enjoying a one month reprieve of a bill with just a charge of the service and not the additional cost of paying off the phone, but starting right back over again.

I called support when I got home from the store to see if there was something they could do. No, I wasn't a new customer, but did it mean nothing that I have been a customer for 25 years? Did they care so little for the people who have remained loyal when I could have walked away a long time ago when years after first signing up with them, other companies had come onto the scene and offered cheaper priced plans, just as good service in the area I lived, and better rewards for current customers, especially long term ones, as opposed to just new ones. After an hour of back and forth, the support person said he could offer me a bit of a discount of what I paid on the phone, but in order to do so I had to agree to sign up for unlimited data. I had literally just been on the phone with another VW agent months before and, although I didn't have unlimited at the time, I had the plan right below it, she told me that based on the amount of data I used, I could downgrade to lower. So now in order to get a discount on a new phone, I had to agree to a data plan two tiers up to where I had just switched down to. So to get a discount, I had to pay more for something else. And when all was said and done, I think the discount, with the addition of data, ended up making a big fat monthly discount of a few dollars.

Now here I am, May 2024. If I pay off my current phone in monthly payments it will take a long time. I only have about $300 left, and I am in a financial position that I can pay it all off this month. But when I went on the Verizon website to see what my upgrade options were, I saw that the only way to get a new phone with no monthly payment, I would have to add an additional line, or just like last time, I would have to cancel my current account, lose my number, and sign up as a new customer. I am not married, don't have children, so I DO NOT need an additional line. I also shouldn't be forced to give up an account, a phone number, that I obtained while being a loyal customer, just to get a discount on a $800 phone, that over the years I have paid for a zillion times over. Verizon Wireless only cares about getting people in the door. Once you are in, you are forgotten, treated as an afterthought, and picked dry to the bone for every cent, with no incentives. So Verizon, you'll give me a free phone if I choose to get an additional line that I don't need, and then pay for two lines for the next three years? Doesn't sound like that phone is going to be all that free. Sounds like another way of not paying for a second line I don't need, and just paying off the new phone every month on top of my service bill yet again. I think it may be time to walk away from this company that I have stayed loyal to for more than half of my life, when they have shown absolutely no loyalty in return.

[vzw_customer_support]

Hey PaulineAH, I first wanted to say thank you for your loyalty since 1999. That is definitely a significant amount of time, and it shouldn't go unappreciated. I know how much a great deal on a new phone matter to me when I am shopping for a new device, especially since these phones continue to increase in price. 

While we do have some exciting offers for new lines of service, we also tend to have offers for upgrades for existing customers, and I would be happy to take another look to see what options we have for you to get a new device and keep costs as low as possible.

I'll need account access to assist with that, so please be on the lookout for a private message from me.

-Joseph

[PaulineAH]

I have been a customer since my first cell phone after I graduated from college in 1999, 25 years, and I have 300 monthly payments to this company.  I don't expect something for nothing, but you get a free phone if you add a second line you don't need and will be paying for monthly for three years?  How is that nothing different than NOT getting a second line and being charged full price for the phone with monthly payments for two years?  OR losing a phone number I have had for over a decade so that I can sign up as a new customer?  OR finish paying off my current phone (like clockwork every time I make my last payment  on a phone that never gave me one problem, something happens to it within a few months, and I have no choice but to start the cycle all over again).  I just don't get how us current customers are so shafted.  So as I said in the title of this post, the rewards and initiatives they give current customers feels exactly like  winning a $25 dollar gift card, but you have to the $30 for the shipping.

[charlessa]

I am in the same position and have been with Verizon over 30 years My daughter and I and one time carrying three lines now I only carry two I'm tired of the runaround I am searching for another company I won't put up with this being treated like this after 30 years of service Verizon

[vzw_customer_support]

Your loyalty for 30 years means the world to us. We are saddened to hear of your recent experience and that you are considering leaving the Verizon family. We would like to help you change this impression and stay with us. Please tell us, are you interested in upgrading your lines? Do you want to make a change to your service plan?

~Maria

[SynthpopAddict]

There's currently a trade-in promotion at the Verizon website for new and existing customers:

Accessed August 9. 2024

[rich335789]

"with unlimited unlimited" means you have to give up your old plan. 

I'm in the same boat, I just got off the phone with a sales rep. He basically told me Verizon does not now or in the future, have any promotions or deals for members with an old plan. Verizon cares more about its new customers than loyal customers because new customers pay more.  I've been a stupid, loyal customer for 9 years but I can't get a deal for any phone, even if I open a new line. I have to "upgrade" to a new line. It's a joke. 

[Ann154]

---

@rich335789 wrote:

"with unlimited unlimited" means you have to give up your old plan. 

I'm in the same boat, I just got off the phone with a sales rep. He basically told me Verizon does not now or in the future, have any promotions or deals for members with an old plan. Verizon cares more about its new customers than loyal customers because new customers pay more.  I've been a stupid, loyal customer for 9 years but I can't get a deal for any phone, even if I open a new line. I have to "upgrade" to a new line. It's a joke. 

---

I recently upgraded to a new phone with a new device payment agreement without a trade-in or changing my plan and still got a promotional credit to reduce the cost of the phone. It certainly wasn't a big promotion, but it fit the requirements I wanted of no trade-in and no changing of the plan. 

[bltolbert]

you did the right thing stupid me i have kids bought more phones but they gave me the promotion so they said but they really didn’t because when i went back and looked they charged me full price on 4 phones over $4000 i have been with them 25 years as well !!!

[vzw_customer_support]

Hey there, bltolbert, we appreciate your loyalty over the last 25 years and it's concerning to hear that you were expecting to receive a promotion with your purchase but are not seeing this offer. Did you take advantage of a trade-in offer when purchasing your phones? Are you currently paying monthly for each of your upgrades?

-Lauren

[sticksandstonesllc]

Agreed, I too have been loyal for 25 plus years. We never receive the promotional deals. Can't walk because this is the best network and I don't want to change my number either. Seems as if only a few people in the world care about the same number....weird.

[vzw_customer_support]

sticksandstonesllc, thank you for being one of our very long time customers! We really appreciate you and we're glad you find our service to be worth staying for! We also want to make sure you're getting the best deals possible whenever you want to look for a new phone, and there's no better time than the Holiday season to get a new phone. You can actually take a look at our Holiday deals here: https://www.verizon.com/deals/ 

~Jesse

[Devil00Child]

That was a lot to read lol but it was interesting because I’ve had the exact opposite experience - I haven’t been a customer as long but I’m going on 5 years now & I called in to see if I could request an altered deal to get the Samsung TV if I purchase home internet instead of a new phone because I don’t need another phone (I have 2 for myself) & the customer service rep gladly helped me put in the request & randomly gave me a $6 monthly discount for being loyal - this is just one  of many stories where my experience with Verizon has been amazing so it’s confusing to hear your experience because I’m not sure how they could be so drastically different, I didn’t have a problem trading in my old phone for the brand new iPhone 2 years ago & I’ve been offered the same deals since then, I hope your relationship with VW turns around because they really are an amazing company filled with amazing people & it seems like you got the butt end of something that wasn’t meant to happy.

anyways… happy holidays mate🤙🏻

[Imtiredofverizon4001]

Verizon could careless about existing customers. After 16 years all they have done is delete my account so I lost all of my photos of my daughter. Nobody was willing to give me the plan back I've had for several years. Now I'm on a new way higher priced plan. Absolutely disgusted with all of this. When talking to customer service letting them know I'm leaving the little weasel says you have to pay your phone before you can leave as if I can't afford it. Whatever verizon,  increase my bill do whatever because I see no reason to keep paying 170.00 a month with zero consideration for me being a loyal customer. I can save on a new phone only if I add another line I guess that makes sense when it's just me pay over 300 a month to get a phone deal sounds like a joke to me. O well who cares anymore I'm tired of the greed and disrespect of this whole company. Everybody around me is fleeing this company sounds like it's time for me to move on.

[vzw_customer_support]

We hate to see that this has been your experience. We do make changes to our plans throughout the years based on our customers needs changing, so you may have been on a grandfathered plan that was no longer offered. If the plan you have now isn't the best fit we can absolutely take a look and see if there is a better option for you though! With the upgrades most promotions are available to both new and existing customers. If you have a specific upgrade you are interested in, we would be happy to discuss the upgrade options with you! We can also help make sure you have a backup for the photos because we absolutely understand how important it is to have those no matter what happens to the phone! We are sending over a private message to help. 

-Meg