Is Anyone Else Having Problems With Their Verizon Gift Cards?
KYUCHO47
Enthusiast - Level 1

I purchased two of gift card on different dates for Christmas gift. I got both gift cards (not prepaid card). when I checked my first gift card balance, the system said "invalid card". I talked to Verizon wireless agent through chatting and phone, but no one knows why gift card balance said "invalid card". I got second card couple days ago, it had a same problem. OMG..... Total was $200. I am so frustrated about this. The agent on call kept saying that gift card doesn't need to be activated. I put 11 digit of card number with 6 digit PIN. no luck. Can someone help? I like Verizon service so far, but this issue made me very frustrated. I answered automatic phone survey after the phone call, system said that manager can contact me later, but nothing happened so far. If anyone who can handle this issue, please contact me. Thanks for reading this.

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19 Replies
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Oh no, help has arrived KYUCHO47! We want you to get the most from the gift cards and learning of the issues does have our immediate concern. Please reach out to us directly in one of the following ways listed here: http://spr.ly/65878KhGW We have representatives standing by who will be happy to help.


ChrisM_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the �Correct Answer� button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

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jman02
Enthusiast - Level 1

I have a similar story...

I purchased a $100 Verizon Wireless Gift Card (https://www.verizonwireless.com/accessories/gift-cards/) from VerizonWireless.com on Dec. 4th 2016 and got it delivered on or around Dec. 7th. I decided to use it for a promo VerizonWireless was having on accessories. It was get a $50 card for a $200 or more accessory purchase. I tried to use it to purchase some items on Dec. 9th. When I got to the checkout page and added my Verizon gift card, it said the card was invalid. I double checked and the numbers were entered correctly. I decided to try again later. Same error.

Later that evening, I called customer support and was on the phone for about 30-45 minutes explaining the situation to which the representative could not assist me. I had a dinner to go to, so I had to cut it short and decided I would deal with it in the morning. On Dec. 10th, I called customer service in the morning and restated the problem. It went back and forth. She thought it needed to be activated, then later took it back. She tried calling the number to see the gift card balance. It said the card was invalid. She then tried to get a different level of support to help out. After about 80 minutes, she could not help me and created a ticket and suggested I try going to a Verizon Wireless store so that they could exchange it. She said the ticket would take 2 business days to process.

Later that evening, I decided to go to a Verizon Wireless store. I explained the situation and the customer service staff there also tried dialing the number and then found out the card was invalid. They then tried to refund the card. Which it does say on the back cards can be refunded if there is proof of purchase. They could not refund me my money. They directed me back to the customer service phone line. The issue was still not resolved.

The accessory deal ended on Saturday, the night I tried going to the Verizon Store to use the gift card after two days of trying to fix the problem. I'd say I've spent about 4+ hours trying to figure out why a card, which was purchased from VerizonWireless.com, was invalid and why nobody could help me at all. I still do not have this issue resolved and I don't think anyone can help me at this point. I just wanted to buy some accessories from the website. This is a serious problem that I have wasted too much time with for reasons I cannot figure out.

nd_football
Enthusiast - Level 1

Hi,

I am having the exact same issue as the Original Poster.  Bought two $100 gift cards and when I go to check the balances on both of them they come-up as Invalid.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Hi nd_football!

I'm so sorry you and the other posters on this thread are having this issue with your Verizon Gift Cards. We do have a team that handles all of the gift cards, and the number is on the back of the card. I know that when calling, you will be put through an automated system, but if you press "0" you will be connected with a representative to assist you. The direct number is 1-800-876-4141 or dial #GIFT from your wireless device to reach them. I'm sure they will be able to resolve this for you.

ChristinaB_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

If my response answered your question please click the "Correct Answer" button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

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knic4896
Enthusiast - Level 2

I am having the same issue and I have talked to 7 people in 5 departments since December 26th and it is not January 3rd. My issue still is not resolved and i have $500 worth of gift cards. Were you able to solve this?

John070170
Enthusiast - Level 2

My wife and I purchased 10 $100 cards.  Two sperate purchases of 5 cards each.  Two different orders, delivery dates, and none of the 10 were activated.  Bought before Christmas 2019.  Today is 2/2/20 and we have been getting passes off and promised resolution for a month and a half.  Today came to corporate store (2nd time).  They now say they have to fill out forms for each card.  We have a evidence of the purchase, receipt shows number for each card.  You would think they could see never activated,. Can see on Verizon acct we paid $1,000 and simply activate them.  But instead we sit here at a corporate store speaking to a very defensive customer service rep.  But will apparently be leaving without resolution and still completely frustrated.  With all the issues I have now seen on line with other people expericing this same issue there is no way that Verizon is not aware and has not fixed the lssue  Seems to be corporate fraud and they just hope cards are gifted and no one is ever the wiser.  I'm giving them this last opportunity then I may seek legal assistance.

vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

John070170. We're sorry to hear that you're having trouble with the gift cards that you purchased from us. Please call our gift-card team at

800-876-4141 for assistance. 

TrinetteW_VZW

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John070170
Enthusiast - Level 2

No thank you.  We have talked to them many times without help.  Again you just continue to pass the issue on without resolution.  I am at a corprate store . Been here over an hour today and .    They can  call you.  Oh wait.  We did that too.  Again, if your manager at this store cannot resolve the matter we will escalate to your next level of mngt.  If needed, I will simply seek legal action.  Appears to be a well known issue and I can only imagine how many customers may have been impacted.  

vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

This isn't how we want things to turn out. We'd like to have another opportunity to assist. What solution did the Gift Card team provide? Did you get a digital or physical card?

 

ChristianP_VZW

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John070170
Enthusiast - Level 2

I haven't been able to speak with a "gift card team"; when I call the number provided to me by Verizon reps, it is just an automated process where I must enter the gift card numbers only to find out they are not active.  There is no option to speak with anybody. These are physical gift cards...10 of them that I purchased for $100 each; that's $1000 in gift cards I purchased and cannot use! I bought them on your website through our Verizon account. Please see my other posts for all we have been through trying to get resolution.  In addition to the store visits detailed in my posts, I have spent much time on the phone with Verizon customer service reps; still with no resolve. This is absolutely Ludacris!

vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Thank you for the details, John070170. $1000.00 is definitely a lot of money and we want you to be able to use it. We sent you a Private Note to look closer into this matter.

VictorC_VZW

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mookie8
Enthusiast - Level 1

Is there a number that we can get to call in and speak with someone about this? I've had the same thing happen to me. This is the second time I bought a gift card and it wasn't activated when it showed up. I tried calling the number on the back and pressing "0" as a Verizon rep suggested but it just read the T&Cs to me. I figured it was a weird anomaly last time but after doing it again I'm not sure why VZW is even selling gift cards online since they can't seem to activate them before shipping.

vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

We're sorry to see you're having issues with your gift card mookie8, and we would love to help you with your situation. Generally gift cards are activated automatically when purchased, there is no actual activation process. We recommend using the following link to make sure the gift card has a balance: http://spr.ly/66011cniZ

 

IvoneA_VZW

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mookie8
Enthusiast - Level 1

Yeah I've tried that link and it just says "Invalid Gift Card". It says the same thing when I call in to check the balance. Somehow it wasn't activated. If it was I would assume it would say the balance is $0.

John070170
Enthusiast - Level 2

Good luck!!! My saga still continues; most recently I just persisted through the customer service chain of command until I finally reached a man by the name of Todd (he identified himself as a member of the Verizon Customer Service leadership team). He said I have reached the right person to get this corrected/resolved, and that he is the best at what he does. He again took down all the information on each card and said that it would be investigated and that he would get back to me personally. That was last Tuesday; I have not yet heard anything back. This has been going on for 2 months, and I will not give up until Verizon fixes this problem. There is an obvious disconnect somewhere in thier gift card system, and it needs to be corrected.   As a side note, this is being investigated as a "payment issue"; they have my money...I paid them last December for the gift cards; there is clearly no payment issue on my end.

John070170
Enthusiast - Level 2

Update: Verizon finally came through and loaded/activated my gift cards yesterday.  Just to recap, I bought $1000 in Verizon gift cards directly from their website through my Verizon account ($500 on 12/3/19, and $500 on 12/10/19). They were shipped to me without funds on them. I have been in contact with many different verizon reps (phone, chat, corporate stores) for 2 months regarding this problem! Finally it is now resolved. I give a shout out to the leadership team member, Wallace, who finally got this done; however, I am still very disappointed in the process. 

To Verizon: I challenge you to use this as a training opportunity on many levels. First, it needs to be determined how this happened in the first place, and that obviously needs to be corrected. Second, customer service representatives (chat, phone, store) need to understand the process for getting an issue such as this corrected; it seems that it should be escalated to a member of the leadership team right away for resolution. A 2-month "investigation" is absurd. Each time tickets were created for this, I was told that it would be under review for 5-7 busines days, and that I could expect a call with the resolution. Each time...no call, no resolution; and when I would call to follow up I would be told that the former rep had done something incorrectly and/or that the tickets had been closed.....WHAT?!?!?! 

To the consumer: Please check the balances on your gift cards immediately upon receipt; and if it shows that the card is not active; call Verizon customer service directly and ask to speak to a member of the leadership team. Be prepared to spend much time on the phone as these calls are not quick. Do not waste your time with the chat option online; and for absolute certain do not go to a corporate store as you may be directed to do by a customer service rep. The store personel do not know how to resolve this problem....but they will attempt to help you for hours on end.  To be fair, I'm sure most of the gift cards purchased from Verizon are recieved fully loaded with no issues at all; however, my situation is proof that this is a real problem, and I will certainly be cautious in the future. Perhaps, the best way to get verizon gift cards would be to buy them in a store, and stand there while the rep verifies that the cards actually have a balance and are ready for use. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

 

John070170
Enthusiast - Level 2

Just wanted to let you know that I did not get resolution today at the Corporate store. Instead they filled out forms, told us that they had done all they could do at the store level.   ( basically a f-off and don't co.e back here). Mind you it is a corporate store and you would think they are the ones to fix it.  But they filled out forms for us to send to someone else who will apparently be in touch in about 7 business days to tell us what they are able to do.  Really????  Been dealing with this for 1.5 months .  But don't worry Verizon is on it just give them more time.  Mind you I'm out $1,000 while I wait for them to review it some more.  I have been a loyal customer going on 20 years.  Apparently means nothing to them.  

vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

We are sorry to hear you were not able to get a resolution at our store. To confirm, what exact location did you visit? Did they tell you who exactly was going to contact you in 7 days?DavidR_VZW

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John070170
Enthusiast - Level 2

This is the second corporate store we have visited trying to get resolve on this issue.  The first location was at 2415 E Baseline Rd Ste B107, Phoenix, AZ 85042. We spoke at length with a rep named Dari on January 3, 2020; he (working in conjunction with someone on the phone at Verizon) created ticket# INC003234086, and said to allow up to 14 business days for resolution. He indicated that he/his manager would contact me directly with updates/resolution. After receiving no communication back from them and verifying once again that the cards still did not work, I called that store back and spoke to a manager that had been involved (from the periphery) with our January 3rd visit to the store; he remembered the issue. He said that Dari was not available as he was helping another customer, but that he would have him research the ticket's status and return my call. Still no return call.  At my next opportunity, we visited the store at 670 N 54th St Suite 3, Chandler, AZ 85226, where we had a very defensive representative helping us. After much time spent in the back offices, he returned to tell us that the the previous ticket was completely wrong and that forms had to be filled out for each of the 10 non-activated gift cards. He again disappeared into the back for quite some time, returning later to get the credit card numbers that we used to purchase the gift cards.  He explained that this is going to be investigated as a payment issue (which didn't make any sense to me, but he claimed that this is what must be done); he created a new ticket number, calling it a "trouble ticket" #PH4648498. He finished by stating that they've done all that they can do; that some other department would contact us by phone and email, and that it could take up to 7 business days for them to get back to us with what the next steps should be.  I don't remember his name, but I do know that the manager on duty that day was named Jeremy.  The customer service rep and Jeremy, the manager,  basically explained to us they had done all they could to asssit us and insinuated that we should not return to their store for any further assistance.