I traded in my iPhone through Verizon's trade-in program in January of this year and received my new iPhone 12 pro max. Verizon provided me with a box and a label shipment to return my old iPhone. I used the return box and shipping label, providing the package to UPS. When I attempted to track the shipment, I was advised by UPS that the package was lost.
Since Verizon never received my iPhone within the allowed period, it canceled my promotion. I called Verizon with the proof of my shipment and the tracking number. I was instructed to open a direct investigation with UPS, which I promptly did. UPS opened an investigation and asked to call back in 10 days,
When I called UPS back, I was transferred to the UPS claim department, where an agent gave me my claim number.
The agent said that UPS was willing to reimburse the lost package but could not reimburse me directly as Verizon was the sender. For them to go on with this claim, they needed Verizon to call them and provide them the value of the phone and other details.
I called Verizon's trade-in program and told them what the UPS agent had told me. They put me on hold while they called UPS. I was then informed that Verizon was expecting a form from UPS in less than 24 hours and that they would call me back.
A week went by, and Verizon never called me back. I followed up with Verizon three times in three weeks. Each time I had to start my story from the beginning because each new person that took over the file had to begin from the beginning, and each time they promised me that Verizon would call me back, something they never did, although it appears that they put notes on my file each time.
The last time I called yesterday in mid-March, the Verizon agent transferred me to his superior due to my frustration. To my surprise, the supervisor told me that the trade-in program would not help me. He said that because Verizon did not have my trade-in device, it could neither refund the value of that iPhone nor put me back in their trade-in program. Further, the supervisor told me that only the Verizon warehouse could deal with UPS and package loss. The only way for Verizon agents to communicate with the warehouse was to open a ticket and send it to them. This supervisor assured me that they had sent several tickets to the warehouse and that I had to wait at least 12 days. This, although a first ticket, has been opened at the end of January – almost two months from today. I asked for the phone number and email of the warehouse and was told neither was available, and the only means of communicating with the warehouse was via tickets.
I am caught in a no-win situation. Trusting in the Verizon trade-in program, I paid for an expensive new device that I would not have bought without the deal offered. Because the trade-in phone was lost in Verizon's transit, I have been dropped from that program and have lost the benefit of the trade-in value of the original phone. And yet, I cannot claim a refund for my original phone since it was sent as a Verizon shipment on the label VERIZON provided.
Any claim reimbursement by UPS will be paid to Verizon, not to me. How is this fair?
Verizon doesn't care because they have nothing to lose; they canceled the deal.
and UPS pretty soon will cancel the claim (they have a time frame for the claim )
