Bait and Switch? Deal promised is not what receipt shows.

[bestdogever]

Husband is a long-time Verizon customer. 2 kids and I have been with ATT for past 5-ish years. One kid needed new phone so I contacted ATT to get their promotions/loyalty offers and thought I would contact Verizon for comparison. Was told over the phone (800 number) and in-store (yesterday) that I could trade in our 2 iPhone XRs for $800 credit toward purchase of new iPhone 12 64 gig ($799), plus get $200 VISA gift card/line for porting our numbers. Alternatively, we could each get a $450 Verizon credit card if we wanted to keep our existing phones and come over to Verizon. My son with the iPhone 7 needs a new phone, and I was told that he could get an iPhone 12 mini for free if we added his line to the Verizon account. I was further told that he could also get the $200 credit for porting his number if the new phone cost at least $800, so he got the 256 gig 12 mini (basically paying $150 more than than 64 gig mini in order to get the $200 credit). The store rep wrote all of this down on a sheet of paper, which I kept. 

After weighing our options, my daughter and I decided to trade in our XRs for 2 new iPhone 12s. I went to the store today, and left with the 2 iPhone 12s. The mini needed to be mailed since they don’t stock the 256 gig minis. I also left with both of our XRs because I was told they no longer port the contents of your old phone but instead you DIY at home and then mail in your device in a box they provided. I didn’t get a printed receipt, but had them emailed. Before opening the boxes, I thought I would check the receipts. At that point, I realized that the iPhone 12 purchase was done as a BOGO (with each of us getting a $172 credit for our XR) rather than each of us getting the promised $800 credit for our trade ins. Also, looking at our next bill and the monthly bills thereafter, we are being charged $100/month in device protection fees. This is crazy, since I declined the device protection plan and the receipt we were emailed shows that it was declined. I discovered all this after the store had closed, but the online chat person I “talked” to tonight said they they “automatically” add the device protection plan when someone purchases a new device. What? 

Not sure what to do. I have two unopened boxes with the new iPhone 12s. My daughter and I have our old XRs but our ATT service has been cancelled since our numbers have been ported to the new Verizon phones in the boxes. I need a phone, but I definitely don’t plan to keep these iPhones if we aren’t gonna get the deal we were promised. My son’s iPhone 7 still has service with ATT because his new Verizon 12 mini needed to be mailed. THIS IS SO MESSED UP and I”M SO MAD! And even if someone at the store offers to switch the BOGO to the promised $800 credit for each XR, I’m afraid to mail them to Verizon in Texas after everything I’ve read on this forum about people not getting the promised amounts. At this point, I think I’d rather either get the $450 verizon card for keeping our devices OR just go back to ATT. I agree with the people who say that the state AG’s office needs to be contacted about these practices. They seem very misleading and deceptive. 

[bestdogever]

We got an email saying there is a private message from customer support. The message says to reply to this private message, but there is no "reply" button or link. So am I supposed to reply here? This is so frustrating. I texted the sales clerk Wednesday to ask why they can't cancel the sale and re-ring it correctly (if they aren't willing to give me a written promise to correct the incorrect sale). He replied Wednesday evening saying he would talk to the store mgr yesterday when both were at work and get back with me. Heard nothing. AND I texted him twice yesterday asking for an update. No reply. ATT is willing to re-port our numbers at no charge. Calling us back at noon to confirm that's what we want to do. All the phones are sitting in unopened boxes because they're going back if we don't get this taken care of today!

[vzw_customer_support]

As a consumer, I sincerely understand your concerns and your desire to get the promotions that you were offered at the store. You mention that want to cancel the sale and ring it up correctly and this can only be done at the store, please visit the same store and bring the devices for immediate assistance. I would like to inform you that any cancelation or exchange must be done within 14 days from the purchase date, please confirm at this link (https://www.verizon.com/support/return-policy/).

AntonioC_VZW

[bestdogever]

I sent a text to Kyle (salesperson) Wednesday evening asking if they could return the original BOGO purchase and re-ring it under the $800 promotion. Kyle said he needed to talk to his supervisor who was gone for the day and he would get back to me on Thursday. I sent 2 texts Thursday afternoon (no reply) and called the phone number associated with Kyle's text number on Friday, and I've received no reply. 

I also learned during a call with customer service that Kyle did not cancel the multi-device protection plan that he had put on the account without my permission and which he said he would take off when I visited the store Wednesday. The customer service rep said she would cancel it as of Friday, but she could not back-date the cancellation to Tuesday. Instead, she said I would need to call billing after the bill for this period was issued. This is crazy. The company should take responsibility for their mistakes and the onus should not be on the customer to call or visit store a million times just to get the promised goods/services. 

So what do you suggest I do?

[vzw_customer_support]

I'm sorry to learn that you haven't received a call back from the sales rep, bestdogever. We certainly want to ensure we follow up and follow through with our customers. We've sent you a Private Note to best assist.

[bestdogever]

What is the purpose of sending customers a "private message" if you don't intend to respond? Are you just hoping to keep us from airing our complaints in public? In response to the note above, I logged in to view the private message below that was sent on 5-30.

Re: Bait and Switch? Deal promised is not what receipt shows.

We want to ensure you get the correct promotion, bestdogever. Can you please share details on what BOGO offer you wanted when you purchased your new devices?

I sent a reply (text copied below) that same day (5-30) and have yet to receive any response. 

Re: Bait and Switch? Deal promised is not what receipt shows.

I didn’t want a bogo. I wanted to get two $800 credits for trading in 2 iPhone XR’s when we switched from ATT to Verizon. That is what I was told we would get at the time of purchase. But when I checked the emailed receipt, I saw that it was done was a BOGO with $172 credits for each phone. I returned to the store the following day with the unopened phones. There were 3 salespeople and the store mgr present. They verbally promised to correct the sale after the trade-in phones were received in Texas, but would not give me anything in writing to this effect. Said they could not put it in writing. I would have to trust them to do it. Later that evening I texted salesperson Kyle asking why I couldn’t return them and re-ring it under the correct promotion. Said he would need to check with MGR Dre the next day and would let me know. Since then, 3 texts and 1 phone cal have gone unanswered.

I've long since given up on getting any response from the local store, but had hoped that corporate customer service would be more responsive. But one week after the message above was sent, and I'm still waiting for a reply. 

[vzw_customer_support]

We're sorry that you haven't heard back yet, bestdogever. We definitely want to make sure your issue is resolved. We'll be sending you another private note that you can use to join us in a chat when you are able.