I have been with Verizon for over 20 years and today has made me start looking for a new provider. My husband and I as well as my mother who I have on my acct choose to only have flip phones and no internet on our phones. They have lasted well. Apparently so well that I was unaware of all the changes at Verizon in the last few years. You can no longer go in and get a flip phone for free since they did away with contracts. You also have to put a new phone on your payment plan for at least the first 30 days and not just buy one outright. You can absolutely forget about a courtesy replacement for long time customers. And you can no longer find a pleasant sales person who is not a condesending millennial. The female at the Chattanooga Corporate store informed me when I said that there is really no benefit to being a long term customer that "you get a service" Well no actually you do not. The customer service person on chat told me that he would note my acct so I could go to that store and they could look up his notes and see I could get a flip phone replacement without a fee. When I got to the store, which I had to leave work early to do, I was told he had just put that I could pay to get a new phone. So they are consistent in failing to provide any assistance either by chat or in their main stores. Then there is the new "upgrade fee" of $40.00. I am not upgrading anything. This is apparently a fancy new way of saying activation fee while claiming in past ads that there is no activation fee. So their marketing plan to do away with contracts has established new ways of replacing that income because a phone that at one time could be given to a customer free of charge will now cost anywhere from 120.00- 160.00 with a 40.00 "upgrade fee".
A Phone company who WON'T provide access to a Customer Service PERSON is beyond Horrible.
We are sorry for any miscommunication, Engle968. This is definitely not the experience that we want you to have, as your loyalty means the world to us. The great news is that you have the option to complete the order online, where you can purchase the device without having to wait 30 days, also the upgrade fee online is only $20.00. Keep in mind that these devices are 4G devices. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
AaronS_VZW
I also recently had a terrible experience. Went in to get a new phone from the store with the giant "Verizon " sign on it. Rep kept trying to sell me eveything but the Iphone I wanted. Found out after the fact that his is an authorized retailer not a corporate store. Charged me $35 set up to transfer old phone info to new and $40 activation on an upgrade.
Was told the $35 was for activation. When I went back to speak to someone they said " oh sorry that the rep gave you the wrong information."
Reps in the store are misrepresenting themselves and not forthcoming that they are authorized retailers not corporate. Not tranparent about fees .
I never understood the appeal of why someone wants to go to a store over ordering online. There's way less pressure, no risk of commission fraud and fees are often cheaper.
So you want to switch carriers because no one will give you a free phone? That's the same level of entitlement of the generation your post put down.
My Verizon account was originally an Altell account and never have I once felt like Verizon owed me anything. My phone was a little over $800, I didn't harass staff to get it free, I paid the then $30 fee (it's $20 if you self serve now).
You know you can get a phone elsewhere and activate it if not buying it outright or fees bother you.
Phones cost money. If your phone is past it's warranty and you didn't purchase any insurance, that's 100% on you. No carriers do subsided phones on 2 year service contracts anymore.
Yes, it is too an upgrade if you swap your phone for another that wasn't provided by insurance/warranty/provided equipment. You're not handed a phone without any kind of paperwork.
PS: Back when VZW offered 2 year contracts and device payments at the same time, if it we're a smart phone (which realistically majority of are now), your line charge was doubled over that 2 year duration to recoup costs making financing the same device over 24 months a little less expensive than the contract.
Flip phones are dying and the market says it's not changing any time soon.
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