BOGO early payoff

[Jterrett]

I bought a Samsung Note 9 on BOGO last August.  I attempted to payoff the devices early just yesterday.  I did not attempt to migrate, cancel, upgrade, etc. anything to the account.  I simply wanted to pay off the devices.  Why is it that I am being charged for both phones?  I can understand if early pay off led to account closure, cancellation, upgrade, or any other kind of change.  That, however, is not the case here.  Everything on my account continued as usual.  Why did paying off the BOGO not pay off both devices?  I could understand if paying the devices off early led to a loss in revenue to you due to missed interest, but me paying off the device now was the exact same amount of money as if I were to continue to pay out the devices over the next 10 months.  This is a terrible way to do business.  This makes for a horrible experience to your customers, and I still can't wrap my head around this.  Now I am out 450 dollars.  I essentially paid it into nothing and I can't seem to recoup it.  Monetarily I filled my obligation with these devices.  Contractually I still have both lines active and the account is in good standing.  If I ran a business in this manner I wouldn't have a business for very long.  Can anybody provide a reasonable, sensible answer because to this point I have not received one.

[glitchedpixel]

You agreed to a 24 month comitment you didn't commit to. There is no contractual obligation on service, pay DPP off early and you sacrifice any promo credits on the line receiving them. It's always been this way for those type of promotions.

You didn't pay off both devices with one payment because you have two agreements. Verizon gives you credit on the second one to cover it for 24 months. Never, ever pay off an agreement early getting credits.

[Jterrett]

I would beg to differ.  If I cancelled my service I would be hit with an early termination fee.  Furthermore, when the entirety of the promised money is paid the future credits should remain.  And just so that we are clear, if the customer is about to do something that is going to negate something else within the agreement there should be some painfully obvious red flags that say, "HEY, DON'T DO THIS BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT TO ROYALLY MESS YOU UP."  Which there was not!

[Jterrett]

Not to mention I still have the service and the phone.  Obviously I am still honoring my committment.  

A quick search through the forums and I found this post of a Verizon customer interacting with a Verizon CSR, at least it would appear as such, and the CSR said this type of action is acceptable.  From what I can see it is the exact same thing I attempted to do.  I wonder how this ended for them.

I am just posting a link because it won't let me copy and paste the original messages and replies:

https://community.verizonwireless.com/t5/My-Verizon/BOGO-note-9-if-I-pay-off-the-one-I-pay-for-is-th...

[vzw_customer_support]

Jterrett, I know that when I have a little extra income I definitely like to get ahead or reduce monthly costs. In this case, as the Buy One Get One specifically requires a 24-month period for the promotional credits, if you do pay off early,you will find that any promotional offers do end. As these promotional offers did involve both lines as  Buy One Get One, this is why you have seen this charge. Details are available under number 1 for Buy One, Get One Promotions at http://spr.ly/66041Eqhn.  LorenB_VZW

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!!

[Jterrett]

Then you guys need to incorporate some hard stops, giant warning messages,  or not even allow people to pay off their phones online at all when it involves these types of plans.   

If I would have realized that I was handing over 450 dollars to you that went to nothing at all.   Not my phone,  not my monthly phone bill,  not apps, not music,  not accessories...... absolutley nothing.   If I would have realized the only thing I was doing by paying off my 450 phone bill was causing myself another 450 phone bill,  I never in a million years would have paid it.   

Now in most corners of the US if you are handing money over to a company expecting a certain product or service, and you don't get that,  the consumer should be able to recoup that.   At the very least make the contracts go back to what they were and give me back my money.  Because I certainly wasn't expecting this.   

If this is the way the contracts are designed there should be no reason why it is so easy to pay their phone off without first having to speak to a CSR to ensure your consumer fully understands what they are about to do to themselves and their bill.  

Keeping all of this in mind, the companies motives and ethics come into question.  Also, my desire to do business with your company from this point moving forward is lacking to say the least.  

[Jterrett]

And why did alans_vzw write to CMV-KV on 12/07/2018 at 9:09 AM

"You are correct, you can always do a voluntary buyout for the one you're paying for and your monthly credits will indeed remain intact for the free one you added with a new line.  To be 100% sure of this, I researched the BOGO promotion we ran for your Galaxy Note 9 so you're safe to pay off your upgraded line.  As long as you don't transfer your service to another account or disconnect either line, the 24-month promotional credit for the free phone still applies."

This was in reference to a BOGO promotion of the Galaxy Note 9 that was being ran in August of 2018.  The same BOGO promotion of the Galaxy Note 9 that I bought my phones under.  

[vzw_customer_support · Accepted solution]

Help is here for you Jterrett. We want to provide the answers you need regarding this promotion. Please view your Private messages for support on this issue. BobbyN_VZW