Iphone 6 trade-up NOT as promised!

Question

I've seen other threads so I know I am not alone.  I put a perfectly functional iPhone4 appraised at $200 into the flimsy, required envelope provided me and said a little prayer.  Fast forward to today when I get the "great news" that my $36 is available to me.  Say what??  Verizon Customer Service is unable to help, and the phone number they transfer you to is "experiencing high volume" and hangs up on you!!!!  I've been a Verizon customer since before they were Verizon, and have never experienced anything like this - it seems like blatant dishonesty!  I'm assuming they will say - assuming I can EVER actually reach someone - that my phone was cracked.  Shocker.  Did anyone test those ridiculous envelopes??  I feel utterly deceived and sick to my stomach, not to mention $164 dollars poorer.  I expected more.  And the worst part is there is apparently no way to speak to someone who can actually help me get what I was promised, or make this right somehow.  Seriously considering defecting to Sprint.  Never, ever thought I'd say that.  Has anyone had any luck getting to a person with the ability to help? 

Answer 1

Okay, JenniferH_VZW.....I can relate to the frustration experienced by StephanieS.  When Verizon was running their promotion for "getting up to $299 rebate back on your old iPhone, when you order a new iPhone 6 or 6+", the system you had in place to easily direct customers on how to actually fulfill this promotion weren't terribly clear. I went online to
Verizon's website, read about the promotion, and then completed the submission form to see what I would most likely receive for my old iPhone 4. It is in good condition, so the website confirmed that I would receive $199 (which is the most that they would give me for an iPhone 4 16 gb), depending of course on what the actual phone looked like when they received it.  I completed this form online, and tried to print out the final page, but unfortunately, it didn't print. It was a little glitchy as I was trying to complete the form, as well, as I would completely fill in all the information, and then it would just sit and think, and never go any further.  When I finally got it to go though, I guess I assumed that Verizon would have a record of this when it came time to return my old phone.  No such luck.  I received an email from Verizon  confirming the order of my new iPhone, which I actually ordered by phone from Verizon, because I wanted to confirm with a living person that I was expecting to participate in the rebate program where I would receive credit for my old phone. The representatives all acted like it would be fine, and that I would be receiving packing materials to return my old phone in, once I had received my new phone, which was on backorder and wouldn't ship until 10/24/14. Original order date was 9/26/14.  I got an confirmation email for my phone order, but no mention of a submission ID #,
except a blurb reminding me to fill out the online submission form in order to receive the promotional credit. I had already done this, so it didn't occur to me to do it again. Got my new IPhone 6+, as promised, just a few days after the
10/24/14 ship date, but there were no materials included to return the old phone for the promotional rebate. I remembered someone saying that I would be receiving some return packaging in the mail, but haven't received that yet either. So I started calling Verizon, and have now talked to 3 or 4 different reps, only one of whom seemed to really understand how to help me out.  Verizon has done a terrible job of training their reps on how to help people in this situation. One rep sent me to the "Returns" department, where I was greeted and then transferred and then disconnected, one rep seemed completely befuddled by the whole situation, and kept waiting for a supervisor to get to his station so she could talk to me. In a desperate attempt to help me, he at one point had me putting my old iPhone 4 in the HopeLine plastic recycle bag that came with my new phone, while printing out some return label from somewhere else to put over the printed return address on the bag.....I told him that there was copy on the bag telling me not to use the bag for mail-in rebates.....I called 611 again to see if I could get a different rep who would know more. I finally was directed to go to trade-in.vzw.com, where I found a number to call and talk to them directly. The first person I spoke with gave me the number for Verizon customer service....Lordy!  I called the trade-in number again, and got someone to send me some packaging to return my phone in, and she said that someone fromVerizon would be calling or emailing me...we'll see. This has taken WAY too much of my time. Extremely inefficent for myself and for all the poor Verizon reps who haven't been educated on how to advise people like me, in this situation.