Samsung S21 Ultra 256 gb Phone on Backorder

[twerking]

Went to the local Verizon store to upgrade my phone on May 30th.  Ended up purchasing the S21 Ultra 256gb phone.  I was told they didn't have it in stock but would ship in 2 days.  Well 2 days have come and gone.  Checked the status of the order and now says the shipping date is June 8th.  I check the status on June 8th and now says June 22nd.  This is super frustrating!  Is this the new normal...  to pay for something and it takes a month to get to you?  I've been a loyal customer for over 20 years and I feel Verizon Wireless hasn't been up front and honest with me from the get go.  What is being done to resolve the issue?  What is even the issue?  Why don't the sales reps know what is on backorder?  I could have walked out of the store with the S21 Ultra with the smaller memory but I wasn't told the one I wanted was on backorder.  Can someone please give me some solid truthful answers...

[vzw_customer_support]

twerking, upgrading to a new device should be an exciting time. We are sorry if there have been any issues with your order. When an order is placed, it will let us know if an item is on back order already. With that being, said, your ship date can always change depending on what is in stock, how many orders are placed, etc. Your order will ship as soon as it is back in stock. You do have the option of cancelling your order if you do not wish to wait or would like a different device. You may go back to the store location you had visited or call our sales team at: 800-256-4646. Their hours of operation are M-F 8:L00am-2:00am ET, Sat 8:00am-12:00am ET, & Sun 9:00am-10:00pm ET.

ChristineK_VZW

[Tigerstep]

If something isn't in stock, it isn't. That's life. I paid for a specialty keyboard in mid April and didn't receive until end of May for the very same reason of stock. A company, any company on the planet, can't send you something that isn't physically there. Take it up with the manufacturer, not the seller. 

People need to stop throwing around they've been with a company for 20+ years as if it somehow entitles them to special treatment. 

[NCFM80]

Loyal customers should be treated well in order to keep them loyal, not treated with mysterious order statuses and lies.

I ordered the S21 Ultra on 7/21 online.  I knew going in the estimated ship date was 8/6, so I accepted that delay.

8/6 came and went.  Checking the order status online simply shows no estmated ship date.

I called VZW around 8/18 and was told that because I was a long time loyal customer VZW was "testing" my new phone to make sure it works as it should and would be shipped when testing was completed.  why? I did not order a refurbished phone so that was a lie.  Still not even an estimated ship date.

A few days ago I initiated an online chat and there was no new information regarding a ship date but I was lied to again with VZW trying to sell me an account upgrade.

I was told that even though the S21 Ultra I ordered was a 5G phone, as is the iPhone 12 bought for my wife on July 20th (which she received 2 days later), we would not be able to get 5G service without upgrading the 4 lines on our family plan.  The chat rep said that upgrading our plan/account would lower the total of my monthly bill by x$ amount.  Sounds intriguing to get more & pay less, doesn't it?

The chat rep also asked if I was made aware of a special offer in effect at the time I ordered the phone that would have credited me $800 for my S7 cracked screen trade-in instead of the $100+ I was expecting.  Then a few minutes later in my 3 hour chat, after I showed interest in the $800 & saving money each month, the rep apologized because my credit could only be $400 because the $800 was only for an S8 or higher model.  

Then I was informed I couldn't even get the $400, unless I upgraded my account as they earlier described.  Feeling that I was being lied to I ended the chat & said good night.

I then went into my account and found that we aleady were showing 5G access on all our lines, in effect even before we had 5G phones.  Doing the math also showed that making the "required" upgrade to our plan would have actually increased our monthly cost by over $120 or so.  Another added lie to scam this loyal customer of 20+ years.

[vzw_customer_support]

NCFM80 I'm sad to read about your experience. Getting a new device should be filled with excitement, not irritation. We should always be able to provide you with an expected ship date, and any offers we make should be to help not make the bill higher. I have sent you a private message here on this platform. -Dolores

[silver6055]

> People need to stop throwing around they've been with a company for 20+ years as if it somehow   > entitles them to special treatment. 

I object more to "loyal customer"   A truly loyal customer wouldn't be complaining about anything here, "it is what it is and I am sure they are doing their best"  Long-term customers presumably stayed because they believed they were getting value for money and both sides were somewhat satisfied.

I was a long-term customer (since 1988 with Bell Atlantic Mobile) but in August I switched to T-Mobile, simply because their unlimited plans for 55+ were much cheaper than I was paying for a shared data plan with Verizon.     Works fine, with a few initial issues with billing, just like you read here.   And now I read the T-mobile community equivalent, and they are filled with almost exactly the same issues as here.  Reps lie, trade ins go missing or get a much lower valuation etc.   So possibly all carriers terrible in the same way, just some are cheaper than others!