Apparently I am not a real person.

Question

Hi! I was looking for a general complaint or feedback area, the customer service people told me that the only way I could complain would be to go to the feedback section here.
Now, it looks like I won't even be able to manage that.
Okay, lets back up a bit.
Back on the 6th (today as I'm writing this it's the 18th) I had enough with AT&T, Steve Jobs, and Apple, and I decided that it was time to give another company a crack at my business.
So, I wander into my local Verizon store.  I ask what's available, and what makes them so amazing.
Two hours later, they’ve sold me on the latest and greatest 'Droid X', everyone is all smiles, and with enough accessories to choke a horse my bank account has a $500 hole in it.
An investment? sure, but I've been assured that in 3 (4 on the outside) days I'll have the greatest smart phone that all the sales people love!
So I wait.
3 days.  (They did say it could take 4)
4 days. (Huh. maybe it takes an extra day to process the original order? I went in early, but maybe it's Eastern Standard Time or something)
5 days. (Patience is a Virtue.)
1 week (maybe it was 3-4 business days, and was last Wednesday a Jewish holiday? I can never keep track. Well, it's not like I can complain that there are too many holidays in the world.)
2 weeks (this is the longest 3 days ever.)
I decide that maybe I should check on things. Because patient though I may be; if there's a problem I'd like to get it addressed.
So, I go back to my local Verizon store. Interestingly enough, this time I get no smiles.
Hi! I'd like to check on what's taking my phone so long to get to me.
Apparently it's popular. Okay, I understand that. After all, the popularity of Verizon may have had an influence on getting me to walk through the front door.  And it's not like I want them to take a cell phone case, a charger, and a Swiss army knife into the back room and magic something together for me.  But you know, a little understanding would be appreciated.
Me: That phone I ordered, that was suppose to get to me in three, or maybe four days, has not shown up for two weeks.
Them: Oh, you ordered a popular phone.
Me: Well, you said that people that ordered them on the 9th have gotten them, is there any way you can speed up the process?
Them: No.
Me: Can I get a firm delivery date?
Them: No.
Me: Can I get an estimation of a delivery date?
Them: You should get a firm date by the 24th.
Me: That’s like another week from now.
Them: yup.
Me: So, I’ll know in a week, a total of three weeks after I placed the original order WHEN the phone I paid for will show up.  But you took my $500 two weeks ago. I paid that money to get away from AT&T, the spotty service, questionable support, and heavy handed DRM. And here I am, still using my old phone, and my old service, that I’m still paying for as well.  Please tell me that there is SOMETHING you can do to make this wait worth my while? 10 free minutes added onto my plan? I can’t access them without a phone, but it would be nice to know they are there. Perhaps you can sneak an extra GB of memory onto the chip in my phone? Something? Anything?
Them: No.
Me: Okay, well: I guess I gave you a fair shake at my business, if you aren’t going to treat me any better than that, selling me a phone you can’t deliver, and not even attempting to keep me interested in waiting; I’d like to just wash the slate clean. Let’s void the transaction and I’ll take my money someplace else.
Them: You can’t do that.
Me: What? I have the receipt here, the horse choking bag of accessories is right here too. They aren’t opened, because I didn’t have a phone to put them on. You just said that you aren’t even remotely close to shipping the phone. Cancel the order, and we’ll go our separate ways, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Them: You have to keep your accessories, and wait for the phone to show up (some time after the 24th, no guarantees you understand) bring it into the store at that point. THEN we can attempt to process a return, minus restocking fees.
Me: Restocking fees? Really? I asked you to cancel the order now, so you don’t have to deal with any stock or restocking issues. But you can’t do that, You can’t tell me when the phone is shipping, You can’t make the wait worth my time, You can’t even cancel the order; because you need to wait for me to get it, so you can charge me restocking fees.
Them: That’s the way it works.
Me: I am un-impressed with your service. It looks as if you are holding my money hostage. Who do I complain to?
Them: You can’t do that either.
Me: wait… what?
Them: You aren’t a customer.
Me: … taking my money doesn’t make me a customer?  I … I honestly don’t know what to say to that. How is that even possible? Have you ever heard of Webster’s Dictionary?
Them: You are a ‘new’ customer, and your account won’t be created until you get the phone. So, we can’t process any complaints.
Me: That I can’t cancel.
Them: Yes.
Me: So, let me get this straight: from the top;
1)      The phone will take three weeks to get me a tracking number, or an estimated delivery date.
2)      This extension from three days to over three weeks grants me no upgrade in shipping priority, no promotional keychain fobs, or any other special consideration.
3)      You can not cancel this order, even though it hasn’t shipped, and when I get it, and when I bring it in so you ‘can’ cancel it, you will charge me a restock fee.
4)      I can not register a formal complaint, because I’m not a real customer.
5)      You took my money, but I can’t get a phone. I can’t get my money back, and I can’t talk to anyone about it.
Them: Yes.
So, eventually I got a phone number to the corporate people. I spent some quality time talking to them, and they were nice enough to ‘tentatively’ offer a $50 voucher or so (no promises, I have to ask nicely again, once I’m a real customer). That I can’t officially pick up until I get the phone, but at least it’s something.
Apparently, (I did not know this) the individual stores are some sort of sovereign entity completely apart from the Verizon corporation, and they get to make their own arrangements on things like this.
Also; I was directed to the website to leave ‘feedback’, to try to warn people from using the particular retailer that seems so intent on bamboozling me. Because I can do at least THIS without being a ‘real’ customer.
So: Here I am on the official Verizon corporate website. Feedback? I do a search. Searching for “feedback” gets me results about the documentation on phone antenna messing with car stereo speakers. Typing in “complaint” got me a short list of phones (I guess I should be glad I didn’t order one of the ones listed, apparently they are high complaint items) and eventually after 15 minutes of furious mouse clicking I found this forum, where people are complaining; and where other people, who also have complaints, can offer me solace that I am at least not alone in my misery.
So: to all of you who are reading this: do not go to the Riverside California Galleria at Tyler Mall Verizon store. They are{please keep your posts courteous} there. Although, I’m getting the feeling that if you are reading this; you’ve already been there.
I feel your pain.

Answer 1

lol yea verizon sucks, and i can't tell you how many horrible experiences i've had with a number of different verizon stores.  it's gonna be like that no matter where you go.  i live in new jersey and in my whole area, there's only ONE verizon store where things are decent.  just decent.  HOWEVER.  i recently upgraded my phone to the chocolate touch at a verizon kiosk in a sam's club.  my experience was WONDERFUL.  since the kiosk is privately owned they can make up their own rules so i got the chocolate touch for FREE which i haven't seen anywhere, i got a bunch of accessories, also for FREE, and the associate was extremely nice.  he was very helpful, and set everything up before i left.  at a kiosk!  who knew?!  i have also had pretty decent experiences at other verizon wireless kiosks as well.