Damaged Phone

[Harris_2021]

How can I file a formal complaint over being charged for a damage phone when Verizon was the one that wanted to replace the phone. 

Let me give a bit more detail here. A few months ago my husband was having major issues with his phone dropping signal and phone calls and what not. When he called Verizon, their first response was to send us a signal booster for the house. Mind you, it was not just at our home that he was having service issues. We would be in the same place, both with our Verizon phones and I would have full service and his phone would say S.O.S. and have no service. The second time he called the tech he spoke to said that it was probably an internal component causing the issue and that they would send a replacement phone. While on this call my husband informed them that his phone was damaged(literally the first week he had it he damaged it while working, and it has not caused an issue thus far, well over a year since the damage occurred). The person he spoke to assured him that it was okay, because it was an internal issue anyway. Fast forward to our last bill where there is a $329 charge on our phone bill for a damaged phone. We call and they tell us it is because damaged phones need to be put through insurance not the plan. to which I responded, the reason for replacing the phone was not the damage, but that the Verizon tech person he spoke to said it was internal. The first person I spoke to said that she would look into it and create a ticket and call me in 3-5 business days. I got no return call. Then my husband called again last Friday and spoke to a manager who told him that he can give us a credit and we can pay $99 for the damaged phone. Again, I don't feel like we should have to pay at all considering the phone was NOT returned due to the damage. This manager told my husband he would look into it and call back today. Well he did call back today and my husband merged a phone call between the three of us. During this phone call this manager now told us he could only give us a $150 credit, because we don't have insurance, which is untrue, we have insurance on all 5 lines we have through Verizon. When I told him that, he tried to tell me we did not have insurance on this line, but I checked myself and we do. I also went on to ask why it matters when the phone was again NOT returned due to damage, but because VERIZON insisted on sending him a new phone. He tried to tell me the damage on the camera was so bad that it damaged the motherboard. To which I responded, so the phone has worked for a year with a damaged motherboard, because that damage has been done for over a year. He told me it got worse and that caused the damage, but I sent that phone back myself and there was no further damage then when the incident initially occurred over a year ago. Honestly at this point I am looking into other carriers, because we pay almost $500 a month to Verizon and for this to happen, it is extremely off putting, but I do want to submit a formal complaint. I just need a contact number or email to  do so.

Thanks.

[vzw_customer_support]

Harris_2021, we're terribly sorry to learn of your experience, and certainly understand your concerns regarding the charge that was billed to your account after we replaced your damaged phone. We would hate to lose your loyalty, and completely understand where you're coming from. We'd love to take a closer look at this matter, and help review options. To better assist, we'll be sending a Private Note. 

~Izzy