It is unfortunate to see this is still an ongoing thing for Verizon and that in over a year they have not learned.
I have been having the absolute worst experience I have ever had with a company with Verizon for over 6 months. I am absolutely disgusted at how they have manipulated me into paying over $500 extra through their lies used to upsell items in their stores and then using a gaslighting technique making you have the same conversations over and over again with reps - them saying it will be fixed and then when you follow up again - you start over from square 1. They deceive you over and over again as if hoping you'll drop it eventually if they just keep sending you on a wild goose chase. I have lost my respect and trust in this company.
When the iPhone 11 was released I was told by customer service reps I could upgrade without having to buy out my old phone. I went into a physical store for my purchase where they confirmed not only could I get the new phone without paying off my old phone, but I could also trade in my current phone for credit that I could use to buy additional on items (an iPad and apple AirPods). This seemed way too good to be true so I asked them to clarify multiple times. They confirmed MULTIPLE TIMES that I would trade in my phone, get credits that went towards the additional devices I was buying (AND still have credits leftover), AND that I would STILL not have to pay off my old phone I was turning in. I even asked them to clarify exactly what I'd be paying for each month and confirm I would have no device charges outside of the monthly charges for the new iPhone (11 Pro) I was getting. I did this at the end of all our conversations before I signed anything. This is to say they were very aware I was buying the iPad and AirPods at this point and told me yet again that I would NOT have any more payments towards my old phone and confirming again that I would not have to buy it out. The ONLY thing I'd be paying for was my new device monthly payments and the data for that phone line.
Then the problems came,
- They told me I would get extra off the Airpods with a mail-in rebate - found out that rebate does not cover Airpod purchases.
- They told me there would be no additional fees on the iPad I was buying, then I find out they were charging for an additional phone line and another data plan for that iPad which I finally got sorted out.
- Then the big kicker, the thing they promised me multiple times I would not be paying ANYTHING else for came out to be yet another lie. Now I have hundreds of dollars being billed on my account to pay off my old phone which they assured me would not be happening.
I went to customer service multiple times explaining the situation and they said they would fix it and it wasn't. I then spent HOURS talking to them and they told me since the rep I was talking to wasn't there at the point of sale there is nothing they could do so I am stuck paying the fees I was promised by the company I would not be paying. They sent me through multiple hoops calling different places at Verizon (because apparently customer representatives need you to go call all the separate departments on a wild goose chase). It felt like they were just trying to get me to give up but I wouldn't. They even stated that the store should never have allowed me to trade in my phone in the first place (so clearly a red flag to them) yet somehow even after they admit their own store's wrongdoing, said they wouldn't do anything about it.
So I asked for the transcript to our chat, which they said they couldn't give me but assured me "This is definitely recorded on the account and the thread will not be deleted. We don't have a way to send it via email but you have a copy of it on your phone." Shocker. I went back to find it for documentation and it was missing. I asked why and the response was that I must have deleted it but they have access to it if I want any details (but again can't send me the conversation). I know for a fact I didn't delete it - so yet another time where Verizon is misleading and lying to their consumers.
They then told me that I would for sure have the money in my account on my current bill (March) and yet when I reached out today - surprise - I'm back to square one and they are now saying I will not be getting that money back.
So after wasting hours and hours over months of speaking to customer service and being BLATANTLY lied to by their salespeople, Verizon has decided that they are okay with false advertising in their stores by their employees. They put it on their customer (who has been a loyal customer for over 10 years) to deal with the outcome of their lying staff. Good for you Verizon for scamming your loyal customer base out of hundreds of dollars that make a huge difference in their lives.
I am so disheartened by Verizon and their decision to allow this shady behavior in continuing to support blatant lies and misleading by their employees. False advertising goes beyond what is put on a poster, it is also what your employees state when trying to upsell customers on items in the store. You cannot lie to customers and then force them into paying something that they can not get out of. Well, I guess Verizon is taking the stand that as a big conglomerate you can lie to consumers during a sales process in order to make a sale on false promises and information and then get away with it.
I will be taking bigger steps after today to make sure my ongoing experience with Verizon is heard on all channels and that none of my friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances choose Verizon. No one deserves this kind of mistreatment by a company.
Lying to your customers in order to upsell them for your quota knowing they will be stuck will extra fees and bills that you lied about is appalling.
