It looks like many others have had this same issue. I initiated a trade in process for my iPhone on 7/14/24. That day, I picked up my phone and was prepared to turn my old one in, but the Verizon person at the store assured me that I had 30 days to do so if I wanted to make sure everything transferred over to the new one, so I heeded their advice.
On 8/7/24, I went to the Verizon store in Roseville, MN around 6pm to drop off the trade in. They told me the process would only take about 5 minutes, but that there were 3 people ahead of me in line, so that they wouldn’t be able to help me that day. I asked if another representative would be able to help me return the phone that day, and they told me to come back when they opened the next day (which I couldn’t, because I work).
Frustrated, I decided to ship the phone myself using the shipping label provided by Verizon. I printed the label, packaged my phone, and dropped it off at the 710 S 2nd St, Minneapolis UPS drop off box on 8/10/24. Meanwhile, my mother who is the account owner, was receiving daily phone calls from Verizon reminding her to turn in the trade in.
I have tried tracking the package and UPS says they are not in “possession of the package yet”. I am unable to file a claim since Verizon is technically the shipper, and UPS customer support has been entirely unhelpful. Verizon customer support has been equally unhelpful, as they won’t even let me call to ask questions about the shipment because I am not the account owner (though I am an account manager).
On 8/19/24, the account owner spoke with a Verizon representative online who assured her that the “iPhone 11 black has been received to us and you can rest assured,” so I thought the problem was resolved.
However, this morning, 8/27/24, we received an email stating that the trade in was not received and that I am on the hook for the $830 value.
I am incredibly frustrated with Verizon’s lack of customer service and inconsistency in messaging. If the phone was lost, it was through no fault of my own, and I did attempt to trade it in at the store before shipping.
Please advise.
Hello, ablonigen, we're very sorry to hear you've run into an issue with sending back your trade-in. We can help take a look to verify that we have received the phone. So we can better assist, we will be reaching out via Private Message.
-Lauren
I will note that this is an incredibly large expense for me, and that I would not have upgraded my phone if it were not for this promotion. If I am left to pay this $830 after following all of Verizon’s steps correctly, I will be switching phone providers.
Update for anyone who may be in a similar situation - I spent a few hours this morning going back and forth with Verizon reps online. The links they were sending me to verify my account did not work in my browser, so I was advised to stop in at a store. Before driving to the store, I called to see if someone would be available to help me (unlike the first time I went in).
Fortunately, the person at the St. Louis Park, MN store was very kind and was able to look at my account over the phone. He said that it is noted on my account that the phone was received on 8/19, so the email today may have been a mistake. He said I may be charged on the next cycle or two, but should be credited after that. He said if I don't get credited on the next bill, I should call back to the store and he will see what else he can do.
Still disappointed with Verizon's customer service throughout this whole deal - It literally took talking to over a dozen reps over the last few weeks to find someone with potentially helpful information. Hoping my account will be credited as promised.
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