LG LUCID UPDATE BRICKED MY PHONE, COSTS ME $20 TO GET A REFURBISHED RATHER THAN $50 FOR A NEW ONE.

Question

Hi all,
I made this account because I was so upset with the customer service I have received in the past 24 hours after Verizon installed an UNWANTED update on my LG Lucid phone (there was no option to defer the update or to cancel the installation). The update went to restart my phone, but for 2 hours it sat with a black screen (with the backlight), not proceeding to update. I googled and found this (https://community.verizonwireless.com/message/924484) with my exact same issue, and I followed the Verizon Wireless Customer Support advice, which ultimately BRICKED my phone. No matter what, it never moved past the LG logo with errors on the front screen.
I took it into the Verizon store, where they were kind enough to hand me the phone to customer service, who basically old me that all I could do is get a REFURBISHED (rather than NEW) phone, for the low low price of $20 for overnight shipping. WHAT A RIP OFF!!! This was an UNWANTED update to my phone, which ended up BRICKING my phone, and now I have to PAY $20 for a REFURBISHED rather than NEW phone?!?! This isn't the top of the line phone either, it was free with my update and it was the cheapest phone out on display; but I couldn't buy it new in the store for $50 because the phones are tied down to the plans -- I would have to spend $500 to buy it new! What the heck?! They tried to sell me an Iphone 4 for the $40 (just the taxes), but I would have had to buy a whole new data plan!! That is ridiculous!!!
This was a crappy update that looks like it has had the same problems since at least Oct 2012, probably longer. Since there were the same problems for the past 4 months, it is beyond me why they wouldn't update the software rather than sending out a faulty update that breaks phones. This is just a giant scam where you get your phone broken, you send it in, and you get a refurbished phone (that probably had the same problems), and it perpetuates the same scam over and over again. I am so disgusted by the way that I was treated for an unwanted software update that broke my phone (NOT a hardware or any other physical damage), and I was looked at like I was crazy when I asked for a new phone for the listed price of $50 rather than paying $20 for a refurbished one.
This whole thing is a giant scam and I am very upset with the entire situation. Verizon, you seriously need to get your act together and stop setting customers up for these scams.

Answer 1

A bricked phone due to a bad update is LG's responsibility, not Verizon's. Did you contact them?
They should have sent you a replacement if the phone was still under warranty.
If Verizon offered you a replacement and you didn't have a replacement plan, they went ABOVE and BEYOND to help you.
I've had to pay $99 to replace an Apple iPhone 4 due to abuse. That's the only reason I even have a thing good to say about Apple.