Am I out $300 ?

[Huggyjd28]

Had an s7edge on the payment plan. When the note 7 came out , I had to pay $300 in order to get the note 7. So I pay $300 they send me the note 7 and I send them back the s7edge. All good. Now Verizon wants me to send the note 7 back. They will send me another new s7edge and i start all over. Pay the taxes, $20 fee and i get my new phone. So what happens to my $300 ???

[rcschnoor]

Simply ANOTHER example of why early upgrades are not a good idea.

The BEST way to get an early upgrade is to pay FULL PRICE for a device and then sell it yourself when you want to upgrade(or keep it as a backup). You will ALWAYS end up better off than if you pay 50% of the device cost to Verizon simply to BORROW a device for a year or less. That ALWAYS works out in Verizon's favor, NEVER in favor of the customer.

[Huggyjd28]

Verizon keeps stating. Turn in your note 7 for a full refund. It should be just that. I paid $300 to get the note 7. Now I have to give it back but Verizon gets to keep my $300 . Even though im going right back to the same phone i had before the note 7. So basically, I just rented a defective note 7 from verizon for a little over a month for $300. Total crap !!

[rcschnoor]

Huggyjd28 wrote:

Verizon keeps stating. Turn in your note 7 for a full refund. It should be just that. I paid $300 to get the note 7. Now I have to give it back but Verizon gets to keep my $300 . 

No, you paid $300 to get out of your obligation to completely pay off you previous phone. That you chose to THEN purchase a Note 7 is irrelevant. Whether or not you would have purchased that Note 7, you STILL would have had to pay that $300 on your old phone.

People keep talking about their ANNUAL upgrade. THAT is a misunderstanding by the general public. You are agreeing to purchase a device at the FULL RETAIL COST. You THEN have the OPTION, with a price, to back out of paying the remaining balance of your device in order to upgrade early. That is a PREMIUM PRICE to BORROW a phone for a year. If ANYTHING goes wrong, Verizon ALWAYS makes out. If ANYTHING goes wrong, the customer NEVER makes out. That is why these "annual upgrade programs" are such a bad idea for the consumer. Now you are complaining that the annual upgrade program is working EXACTLY how it was designed. If you are unhappy, don't fall for it again because the EXACT SAME THING will happen if there is ever a problem. Pay full retail for a device. You can STILL do so on payments. Simply pay off the device when you want to upgrade and you will most certainly recoup MORE than that amount when you sell the device yourself. You may say that is more work for you, but THAT is why you are paying Verizon the PREMIUM you NOW do not seem to want to pay. If you DON'T want to pay that PREMIUM, you CAN'T use their method of the annual upgrade. They ARE going to charge you the PREMIUM which you seem so unhappy with now.

[DXLDRIVER]

If anything the Note 7 situation has exposed Verizon for what it is...  a company that believes that just because they built the best network in the country, they can lie, cheat, scam, and over charge their customers.  Tell me can anyone out there really decipher their monthly bill?  I am with Verizon because of their network, but feel like I got scammed every time I have dealt with them.  The stories I could tell from over the years!!!

[rcschnoor]

DXLDRIVER wrote:

Tell me can anyone out there really decipher their monthly bill?

I don't think my bill is hard to decipher. Of course, I don't have any phone payments. I have a More Everything Plan with 4 smartphone lines(15 line access fees for being month to month), 1 smartwatch line($5 line access fee), 15 GB shared data allowance($78 after my employer discount) and about $24 in taxes/fees for a TOTAL monthly bill of $167.

Of course when you add phone payments that many customers don't understand, early upgrade fees that many customers don't understand, insurance fees that many customers don't understand, overage fees that many customers don't understand, etc... I can see your point. That along with the fact MANY customers don't actually look at their itemized bill but just the billing summary.

[jenniferh_vzw]

Your feelings for Verizon have me extremely concerned, DXLDRIVER. I appreciate you being our valued customer and want to be sure that you enjoy all the aspects of your Verizon Wireless experiences.  This recall is certainly the first of its kind and has taken many of us by surprise. But the safety of our customers is paramount and I appreciate all the efforts you’ve been putting into getting the phone replaced for the recall from Samsung https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/samsung-galaxy-note7-recall-faqs/ . We also want to be sure that any question you may have about the bills gets addressed when you need our help. There’s an extremely helpful video at https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/new-online-bill-video/ that may help to shed some light on the way the newest bills are displayed on My Verizon. And Customer Service is always standing by ready to help. Do you have any questions or concerns I can assist with specifically?

Thank you

JenniferH_VZW

Please 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!!

[Dbeak]

rcschnoor great post! The carriers very rarely offer something where the consumer is going to make out. It usually only benefits the carrier! I never understood the reason behind the device payments anyway (even though I participate in it as well). Why are phones not treated like any other electronic device we own. If I want a laptop I go out and buy a laptop whatever it cost I pay for it (hopefully on sale) but I don't use a device payment for it. When I feel its time for a new one whether it is 2 months later or 2 years later I go back to the store to buy a new one. I have the option to sell my old one, keep it, donate it or whatever I want.

[Huggyjd28]

I know how the deal works. And im fine paying off half the value of a phone to get an upgraded new phone. Thats how it works. But the problem lies to where i have to return the phone i paid the $300 fee to get. I made at least 6 payments on the s7edge while i had it. Plus the $300. So now i get the s7edge back. Start all over makings payments as as a new phone. I loose the money for the 6 payments i made plus the $300. All to get the  the same phone i started with ? How in the world do you think thats fair? The way this should work is, i get the s7edge back and continue to make the payments on it like all this never happened. I get my $300 back. Thats a refund !!!

[rcschnoor]

Huggyjd28 wrote:

I know how the deal works.

Possibly, but it appears you want it to work differently. You seem to want it to work such that you pay off half the device and then Verizon has to hold THAT device until you are done paying off your NEW device in case something happens and you have to go back to your original device. THAT is not how it works, even if it would be beneficial to you. For it to work THAT way, you would have needed to pay off the FULL amount of the device. Why should Verizon simply hold on to your old device after paying off half of the value. You want to have your old device held in reserve so that you can go back to it in case something happens? Pay off the FULL amount and hold it in reserve for yourself. YOU chose to pay a premium to be in a situation where you can upgrade after paying off only HALF of the device. You then return that device for Verizon to do with it what they choose and you go on with your new device. THAT is the full responsibility Verizon has for that old device. They don't hold it in case you need to go back to it. You want THAT option, do what the rest of us do and pay the FULL amount and hold it in reserve for yourself. Why should you only have to pay 50% to have a phone held in reserve? YOU chose to pay a premium to upgrade every year. You don't THEN get to say "I want my old device back". You would have had to pay FULL retail in order to have THAT option.

Huggyjd28 wrote:

So now i get the s7edge back. Start all over makings payments as as a new phone. I loose the money for the 6 payments i made plus the $300. All to get the the same phone i started with ?

No, you don't get the same phone back you started with. You get a NEW phone, NOT your 6 month old phone. You want the SAME phone you started with, you should have paid it off and kept it.

Huggyjd28 wrote:

How in the world do you think thats fair?

Because you are paying that premium in order to upgrade every year. You don't like it, don't enter into an annual upgrade program with Verizon. Use your OWN annual upgrade program where you pay the FULL amount for your phone, keep it in case something happens and THEN you would not be in the position you are in now. Of course, that would cost you a bit more than only paying 50% of the device(actually double). You want the same benefits of someone who paid DOUBLE for your old phone than you did. "How in the world do you think that is fair" to those people? THAT is the premium YOU chose to pay for an annual upgrade. THAT is the cost you have to live with. People who choose to pay full retail and keep their phone have chosen their premium cost and you have chosen your premium cost.. This is no different than someone losing their phone or having it stolen and being in the same position you are in now except YOU actually get a refund on all payments you have made towards the Note 7.

[Huggyjd28]

I understand what your saying. I agree with it. I like my note 7. I want my note 7. Verizon wants it back. I not returning it because i dont like it. Im not returning it because its broken. Im returning it because verizon demands i do. Im not even asking for a new s7edge. Ill take a refurb. I dont have that choice. As the customer should not be taking the hit on this.

[Huggyjd28]

I relate it to a car. You buy  new car. Its a lemon. You have lemon laws to protect you. Or a vehicle recall. You take it in and they fix the recall free of charge. The Galaxy note 7 is a lemon. They want me to return my lemon. I say fine. Give me my old car back( Phone) and my $300 and ill be on my way. Theres no harm to anybody. Verizon gets their note 7 back. Samsung gives verizon their money back. I get my old phone back ( or one like it) i get my $300 back and i keep paying my bill. But as of now the only loosers in the deal are the folks that bought the note 7.

[MRJones33]

Huggyjd28 - I am in the exact same boat. My S7 Edge was purchased in June and in August I traded it in and paid $390 to walk out of the store with a Note7. Now they want the Note7 back, but won't refund the $390 that I paid to get it. Why will Verizon not tell us what we are getting as a refund when we return the Note7? I think it makes zero sense to return the Note7 until someone at Verizon can definitely tell me what my refund amount will be... if it's $0 and I'm free of my Note7 installment agreement, that's not acceptable.

[FAIGUY9]

So you own your Note 7 out-right? Could you return it for a full refund, get your money back (instead of an "exchange") and then start all over with a different phone? I don't even know if that would work, just an idea....

[rcschnoor]

FAIGUY9 wrote:

So you own your Note 7 out-right? Could you return it for a full refund, get your money back (instead of an "exchange") and then start all over with a different phone?

Yes, if someone paid FULL RETAIL for their Note 7, they will receive a FULL refund of the amount they paid.

The only people complaining about not getting the "supposed" amount they paid for the Note 7 are those who upgraded early BEFORE reaching the 50% payoff amount on their PREVIOUS device. They didn't pay off that amount for the Note 7, they paid off that amount to get rid of their PREVIOUS device as detailed in the contract agreement for the purchase of THAT device. THAT payment has nothing to do with the Note 7 purchase.

[robbscut]

Verizon must love that you are working as a customer service rep for free

[rcschnoor]

robbscut wrote:

Verizon must love that you are working as a customer service rep for free

I think they are "love" it less than you think. With some of the responses CS reps give, I think Verizon prefers confusion over stating the facts which is what I try to do.

No, CS reps try to sugar coat things to get people thinking they have a chance to get something they don't actually qualify to get.

I simply try to explain things as I see them. I ALSO advise people to NEVER early upgrade as it is NOT a good deal as evidenced by this fiasco. I don't think you would EVER see a CS rep try to steer someone away from an early upgrade/insurance/etc... as I constantly have done in the past. They are just not good deals for the customer.

Doesn't mean people listen, though, they prefer to listen to what SOUNDS better than it actually is and normally end up with the short end of the stick. THIS exact thing comes to mind. People who file an insurance claim come to mind when they are flabbergasted at the insurance deductible. People who return a device for early upgrade with a "tiny" crack on the screen only to find out they still owe the FULL amount n the phone they returned. You can only help people who are willing to be helped, though.

[MRJones33]

I know how to read my bill and I know what I got myself into. I have absolutely zero remorse for paying $330 to upgrade my S7 Edge to a Note7... and I would do it again in a heart beat. I needed a phone in June and the S7 Edge was upgrade eligible once 50% was paid off. it was a very simple business decision and it made sense to me. Sure... I could have paid $800 for the S7 Edge and sold it on ebay and gotten more for it, but there is the time, hastle, etc... A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

What doesn't make sense is that Verzion wants to "go back to the way things were." That means I had an S7 Edge that was half paid off. Right now I have a Note7 which is the best phone on the planet right now. They want me to give it back to them and in return, I don't have to make any more payments on it. That isn't anywhere close to fair... in anyone's book. I paid good money to upgrade to the Note7... and if I can't keep my Note7, I want my money back... and I'm not taking about a $100 credit from Samsung to make up for my $330 loss to Verizon.

There is absolutely no difference between my complaint and the complaints of people who traded in something that was upgrade eligible already. In the end they paid $400 over time and I paid it all upfront. What's unacceptable is that we get a new phone with a new 2 year payment plan and Verizon is going to make us pay the full 2 years on it, not half.

Verizon needs to see that people are being cheated out of $400 here... in my case it was on the front end... for a lot of other people it is on the backend (meaning they got out of their phone contract to get the new Note7).

[rcschnoor]

MRJones33 wrote:

Huggyjd28 - I am in the exact same boat. My S7 Edge was purchased in June and in August I traded it in and paid $390 to walk out of the store with a Note7. Now they want the Note7 back, but won't refund the $390 that I paid to get it. 

THIS is the entire problem. You DIDN'T pay $390 to get that Note7. You paid $390 to get out of CONTINUING to pay for your S7 Edge. You basically AGREED to pay 50% of full retail value to BORROW a phone for 3 months(June, July & August) just so you could upgrade early. This is NEVER a good value for the consumer. You would have been better off paying off the device IN FULL and selling it yourself. You pay a PREMIUM to do business this way with the "annual upgrade" program and even MORE SO if you upgrade in 3 months or less. You now want that value to be better because of the recall? The value of your S7 Edge is STILL the same, you paid 50% to BORROW that phone for 3 months. The value of your Note 7 is STILL the same, which you will get back IN FULL when you return it. That means you get back the payments you have already made or the full retail value if that is what you paid up front. That is all. You don't get back a BONUS. What about people who upgraded early after ALREADY paying off 50% of their device and didn't have a payoff amount to reach 50%? They should not get $390 back and neither should you. NEXT TIME don't give up your device if you are not prepared to live with not being able to have that device.

If you had paid the $390 to get the Note 7, I could understand Verizon needing to refund that amount. YOU DIDN'T. You paid $390 to get rid of the Galaxy S7. You are STILL rid of it and Verizon is not, nor should they, give you back that money.

[Huggyjd28]

YesMrJones33. This pretty much sucks. We got a lemon and we have to take the loss on that lemon. I always used that edge program because i get a new phone about every year or so. I got 3-4 new phones that way. If one breaks, i use the insurance and get it repaired. The note 7 was a lemon right out of the box. Customers should not be held to their contract agreement with this phone. There should be an exception made.

[rcschnoor]

Huggyjd28 wrote:

Customers should not be held to their contract agreement with this phone. There should be an exception made.

You are not being held to the contract agreement with the Note 7. Verizon is giving your money back and making you upgrade eligible.

The money you had to pay to return your previous phone was a contract agreement with THAT phone, not the Note 7. THAT is why you had to pay an amount to reach 50% if you had already not done so. THAT is a completely different contract and has NOTHING to do with the Note 7.