Upgrade and customer service experience

[Mbfam]

I’ve been a Verizon customer for over 20 years with 5 lines, and I’ve always worked to keep my upgrades aligned so that all contracts remained clean.

About 32 months ago, I upgraded online and had the phones shipped to my home. On the day they were scheduled to arrive, a man was parked near my house. When neighbors approached him, he gave my name and mentioned FedEx. They immediately called me, and when I returned home and confronted him, he left aggressively. Given the number of phone thefts happening at the time, this was concerning.

When we set up the phones, the first two activated smoothly, but the others would not. After hours of troubleshooting, we discovered that some devices were tied to the wrong lines. Whether this was a mistake or somehow connected to the suspicious individual outside, I’ll never know. I share this background to highlight that I have previously dealt with errors during upgrades—and unfortunately, I am now facing similar issues again.

Fast forward to today: our phones were nearly paid off, we’re all on the Unlimited Ultimate plan, and with the new iPhone launch Verizon offered a “Leave the Balance Behind” promotion on 3 of our 5 lines and have screenshot.  To avoid repeating past problems, we went through a Verizon store(non corporate)The order was placed for three iPhone 17 Pros and two 17 Pro Maxes.

When the first two 17 Pros arrived, we went to trade in. Unfortunately, the salesman who originally helped us was no longer there. The new rep noticed that one phone’s IMEI was tied to a Pro Max line. He explained nothing could be done with that phone until the Pro Max devices arrived, requiring us to return later and this was created by the employee that was no longer there.  Called Verizon phone support after was told independent retailers can’t correct and was also unable to resolve the issue

We were able to upgrade the other phone that had arrived, but it was not one of the three lines originally offered the “Leave the Balance Behind” promotion. When I asked why, I was told it was based on “metrics” and advised to call Verizon directly. After doing so, a manager confirmed the promotion could not be added but did apply a $310 account credit to the account to cover.

When the third 17 Pro arrived, my son went in to upgrade his line on 10/7 -one of the three originally offered the promotion—only to find that the “Leave the Balance Behind” option had been removed. Since he was away at school and could not make another trip, he completed the upgrade and paid the remaining balance on his old phone.  Received a email on 10/11 the promotion had been removed with no explanation. 

A week  later, the 17 Pro Maxes arrived. When we returned to the store, we discovered the promotion had been removed from the two remaining eligible lines, and the $310 credit had disappeared or was never there. . The rep helping us this time was rude and unhelpful, blaming the former employee. Later, when I returned to meet with the original rep, he was polite and tried to assist. He was able to adjust the IMEI, upgrade the third 17 Pro, and pay off the balance on the device. I also showed him screenshots of Verizon’s original promises, but he explained that the mix-up was potentially due to how the original order was placed. My impression is that this explanation came from store management. At present, the two Pro Max devices remain at the Verizon store while we wait to see if the issue can be resolved otherwise, I’ll be returning this weekend to complete the upgrades.

My takeaway is that this is a corporate system problem, not an isolated mistake by one employee. From other Verizon’s forums, I see that many others have experienced similar issues, which confirms this is not an isolated case.

Maybe if I went to corporate store and not an independent retailer the experience may have been different.  However that store was further away and long wait times. 

For now, I was waiting to hear back from the one rep who has been genuinely helpful before escalating further with Verizon.  So today I called Verizon and the lady I was speaking to immediately offered a $20 per line loyalty credit to each line.  As she was doing it there was a glitch took the credit off the three lines she had applied it to and the offer disappeared from her screen.  
I have tried to get a customer service number or email to contact someone that can help.  They cannot provide that.  It’s becoming very questionable how things are offered then disappear.  

[vzw_customer_support]

Mbfam I will be messaging you privately.

~Jorge

[Mbfam · Accepted solution]

I just wanted to share that Verizon reached out to me directly, and they’ve been incredibly helpful. They dug into the account and found that the original upgrade order from almost three years ago had IMEI numbers mixed up. Those carried forward and created confusion during this most recent upgrade.  They walked me through what happened and explained everything clearly.  I feel like they are taking ownership and making sure it gets fixed. Once we finish the upgrades on the last two devices and old ones returned, everything should be straightened out.  I appreciate Verizon to have someone step in and help get this sorted out.