Poor Customer Service and Care

[Tangiles]

December 23, 2020

This letter is to file a formal complaint against the Verizon Wireless 12 Oaks store. My purpose for going to the store was to see about exchanging an accessory that was previously purchased about six months prior.  The charging station accessory no longer held a charge and I wanted to know if there was something Verizon could do. The first store worker I encountered shared they no longer carried the accessory I purchased and he went and spoke to the manager. He proceeded to look up my account to see what I paid for the accessory. The manager came over and looked at the screen and stated you can sell it at cost. The store worker told me that if I wanted to get a new charger I could pay 36$. I asked the worker why I would pay 36$ after I had already paid 70$ for the charging station I had and he stated because they can not exchange the accessory but they can sell me a new accessory at cost. I asked to speak to the manager on duty. He came over and was agitated in his speech to me and told me that there was nothing else he could do. I said sir I am a loyal Verizon customer and that does not seem fair. He stated I can’t do anything else. I asked “who is your manager” his response was “I’m not going to tell you,” I said I would like to file a complaint and I would like to know the name of the manager for this Verizon Wireless location. He stated that he would not tell me and that I need to leave the store. I stated, “you have to tell me who the manager is because it is the law and that I would call customer service”. He stated, “we will see about that”. As I waited on the phone line for customer service, 12 oaks mall security Sgt. ***** came into the store. She spoke to him in private and then came over to ask me what was going on. I explained to her the situation and she stated I can not require you to leave the store.  I was shocked that I was called to this because you are standing here and not disturbing anyone. I asked why I had to leave the store since I wasn’t doing anything and I frequented this location to purchase items for my family. I explained that I was on the phone with customer service and I felt threatened by her presence and the manager’s since I was a black woman and the manager and the Sgt. were white. The customer service representative asked me to get the store number and when I asked another employee who was white he stated "he didn't know" I felt embarrassed and ganged up on. A few moments later another officer entered the store who was also white. I shared with Sgt. ***** my feeling of being mistreated due to my race and she asked the other officer to leave. I continued to try to get the name of the general manager for the store. The current manager who was agitated and rude even stated to Sgt. ***** that I was calm and patient and was not irate. However, he could not tell me why I was asked to leave the store where I am a paying consumer. From there he finally got his boss on the phone and said do you want to speak to him now. I stated, “I am not going to touch your phone due to Covid-19 protocols”. He gave us a phone number to call with an extension. We tried to get a hold of someone several times but could not get in touch with "Brandon *****" who he stated was the manager in charge of him. Sgt. ***** apologized and I asked her to write down that she was called to the Verizon store even though I was calm and waiting patiently to hear from customer service. I called the mall to make a formal complaint and was told the manager on duty "Jeff *****" called the Novi Police against me. Since I had already left the store after working with customer service I did not encounter the police. 

This incident has caused me great stress and anxiety. No consumer should ever be treated in a disrespectful manner due to the color of their skin. I will never visit the Twelve Oaks Mall Verizon Store due to this treatment.  I have purchased several phones from this particular location as well as service on two watches. This should never happen. I will also mail an official complaint to the address listed on Verizon Wireless. 

[vzw_customer_support]

Hello, we are sad to read about your previous interaction at the Verizon Wireless Twelve Oaks store. The last thing we want is for you to have a negative impression of us. Customer satisfaction is our number one priority. Providing a world-class experience is our goal. You can rest assured your input is taken seriously and your voice will be heard. The information will be sent through the proper venues. Regarding the charging station, have you been able to address/resolve that accessory dilemma?