I am literally afraid to call customer service again to tell them about their mistake, fearing something will happen to my phone being shipped.
As you can see in my screen grab, there are THREE order requests for my replacement phone. I just want to vent my frustration and the epic journey I had to go through to see that tracking number for my replacement phone.
I will try my best to remember and describe what has happened ever since my Samsung Note 4's screen just went blank on me on Tuesday, September 22, 2015.
I have searched every YouTube video and websites on how to reset and soft boot my phone, but to no avail.
Since the screen went blank and I did not have any other phone handy, I used my laptop to log in to Verizon website to go to "Contact Us" link.
Luckily there was a chat feature, so I started a chat with "Hope". I explained to Hope on what happened to my phone and she was very helpful in sending me a replacement phone. I told her to send me the replacement to a California address, which was different from my billing address (Washington State). She said no problem-- it's going to be $12.99 for the overnight fee, but since i contacted her a little too late, she was going send it out the following day for $6.99 or something in that price range. No problem. I could endure two days without my phone. That's the first order you see in the screenshot of 9/22/2015.
On a side note: I moved to California 4 years ago, but my phone bill was still going to Washington State. When I got my Samsung Note 2 in 2013 in California at a Verizon retail store, I asked them to change my billing address to the California address; however, they said they couldn't do it. No biggie--I could just pay via Verizon website. When I was perusing around the Verizon website after ordering the replacement, I saw a link for the billing address change, so I went ahead and changed it to my California address.
So the next day and the day after, I log into Verizon to see my order status and it kept saying "Your order is being processed. Please check back later".
I was expecting my phone by Thursday, at the latest, Friday; but all I saw on my order status was "Your order is being processed. Please check back later".
Came Friday and I still did not get my replacement and got the same message in my order status, so I decided to chat with Verizon. The customer service representative's name was "Ava". Ava told me there was a problem with my credit status and told me to call technical support. WHAT??!! Why wasn't I notified that the phone shipment was on hold because of my credit status? My credit status is FINE, and my payment balance was $0.00. There's gotta be some mistake. My anxiety was getting more and more serious because Saturday was the AC/DC concert in San Francisco and I needed my phone to take pictures! It's not just the picture-taking that I was anxious about--I also use the Nike+ running app four times a week to track my runs through my phone AND that weekend was the Korean holidays(Chusuk) and I needed to call my family members.
I had to borrow my fiance's phone to call Verizon customer service to talk to the technical support staff named David. David looked into my situation and told me that it was an error on Verizon's part and I have no credit status problem. He took care of it and even waived the overnight shipping charge and told me the phone was going to come in Saturday. THANK ALL THAT'S GOOD AND HOLY! I said David was a lifesaver and at that moment, about 500 pounds of weight has been lifted off my shoulder. You will see the second order in the screenshot made in 9/25/2015. Since then, I logged into the Verizon website every few hours hoping to see some updates in my order status, but still--"Your order is being processed. Please check back later". I felt slightly uneasy, but since I really trusted in how David assured me, I was hopeful that I was going to receive my phone before I take off to San Francisco.
Come Saturday, I log into the Verizon website, I still get the same message--"Your order is being processed. Please check back later". Now my patience has reached rock bottom. I used the chat service and got a hold of "Tiesha". I asked her if the meaning of "Your-order-is-being-processed-please-check-back-later" message meant that the phone has not been shipped, and she said I was correct. I was now FIVE DAYS without my phone--I completely lost it. She told me my credit status is not good and I'm going to have to contact the financial department to get this problem sorted out. I mentioned to her what David had said, but she said she's sorry that David has "informed me with misinformation". She also said her knowledge of my account information is limited, so I really have to call financial department.
I called Verizon customer service and got connected with the customer service representative--I don't remember her name. She looked into my record and said that I need to get in contact with the fraud department, and she was going to conference me in with the agent. Minutes went by and I got connected with Cathy. She looked into my record and told me that since there was an address change and the phone shipment address was NOT my original billing address, the company has put a hold on it. Now, how is that a credit status problem? Cathy needed additional information to prove I'm not committing fraud against the company or myself, so I had to give her my whole social security number and my original address and whatever information she needed. I guess I passed the identity check. She told me that she will mark my account as "not fraud" and my order made on 9/25/2015 will resume process. Now, I really believed her because I had to go through the FRAUD DEPARTMENT to get this problem sorted out. She gave me the phone number and additional automated directory number to check my order status. She told me to check back in a few hours to see if I got the tracking number in my order status, and if I don't call the number she gave me to make sure or something in that sense. Although I've been extremely angry, inconvenienced, and frustrated for the past few days without my phone, I just wanted this conversation to be over and get my phone.
Couple hours has gone, and I checked my order status and STILL THE SAME MESSAGE!!! I called the number Cathy has given me and it was back to the fraud department. I told the lady(I don't remember her name) about my situation and she told me all she can do is check for fraud and there's nothing she can tell my about my order status or what's happening with my account. I was cursing Verizon in my mind at this point. She did connect me to technical support(I don't remember her name either--at this point, my mind was too jumbled to remember anything) and I explained my situation(everytime I chat or talk to someone, I have to explain my situation--I have done this about SEVEN TIMES). She told me that both of my orders have been cancelled. CANCELLED!!!! She said she will put in another order and asked me if I wanted the overnight for $12.99 or the regular ground shipping. I really thought for all the inconvenience and the mental anguish Verizon had put me through, I thought this fee could have been waivered. I really didn't care at this point--I asked for the overnight shipping. Mind you that this was Saturday and they ship USPS and it will be shipped Monday and I will be getting the phone on Tuesday, so is it really overnight shipping? Here's the real lid-blower: the technical support agent asked me why I needed a replacement so she can put it in her records. I'm wondering why any of what I've gone through, the people I chatted with, the people I spoke to and the information that I gave them is not in any records for her to ask me why I needed a replacement in the first place?? Anyway I thought 'Finally! The phone is coming!' With all this BS I've been put through, there's no way she'll mess this up; or so I thought... I went to the AC/DC concert feeling iffy throughout the entire time--no phone, no photos, no joy--well, maybe some joy.
Last night(Sunday) I decided to check my order status. Guess what I saw??!! A TRACKING NUMBER!!!!!!! ON THE ORDER THAT WAS SUPPOSEDLY CANCELLED( the 9/25/2015)!!!!! The order that the technical support agent out in was 9/26/2015, as you can see in the screenshot. That order status reads "Your order is being processed. Please check back later".
I clicked on the tracking number and it is going through Houston as I'm typing this, so I know the phone is coming at least. Since the phone is coming via ground shipping, I'm expecting the phone to arrive Wednesday, maybe Thursday. That is 8-9 days without my phone.
I guess this really isn't a question, but my rant on what a terrible customer service Verizon has given me. I am disappointed beyond imagination. One conversation with the customer service representatives averaged 30-40 minutes--I've had four. Even writing my experience in this discussion forum took over an hour.
Verizon is really quick in sending you emails on your bills being due, but nothing when it comes to this supposed "fraud" that I experienced.
Last but not least, all these address changing and chats, I have done through Verizon website's secure sign-in with their little "security image". I do not believe there should be anything that should be even considered fraud.
