LG Optimus Exceed 2 - Keyboard disappears

Question

I've only had this phone a couple of months.  The first problem started with the keyboard issue.  I'd be typing and after a few keystrokes the keyboard would just disappear.  I could tap the message box, or toolbar, whatever I was typing in and MAYBE the keyboard would reappear, but only long enough to MAYBE type one, or two more letters before disappearing again.  If I was lucky, I MIGHT get a full web address typed in after 5 or 10 attempts, but most of the time before that happens, now it completely shuts down and goes back to the phone's main screen and I have to start all over again...clicking the browser icon and hoping the keyboard will show up so I can try to type in a website address.
This isn't just happening when I'm online.  It happens when I try to send a text message, when I'm trying to play Scrabble, or Family Feud, or any game that requires typing, and even when trying to type in contact information for my phone.
NOW the 2nd issue is that my phone will not stay online.  I use my home wi-fi most of the time, since I stay home due to being disabled, and it saves using my plan data, but it also happens if I enable mobile data when I'm away.  I click on my browser, it opens the internet to the last web site I was on, and before I can do anything, it's gone back to my phone's main screen! 
What was happening sporadically escalated to CONSTANTLY over this past weekend and now I can't use the internet at all.  I tried calling Verizon twice today for support.  The first time, they disconnected me.  The 2nd time I was instructed to dial *228 on my phone and select option #1 and that would "definitely fix the problem".  (this after being on hold for about 30 minutes).  I hung up, followed those instructions, the recording assured me my phone had been 'reactivated' and I hung up.  I clicked on the browser icon, the web page blinked for a mili-second and I was back on my phone's main screen!  I actually think it happened even faster than it was happening before!  WOW!
I have searched the web relentlessly all weekend to try to find a solution.  The LG support site suggested doing a 'soft reset', which I did over the weekend and the only result I got was losing everything I had downloaded (all ringtones, games, etc.) but no fix to the problem.
Can anyone help?  Does anyone from Verizon actually read these questions?
Thanks,
Annette
P. S.  When I got this new 'smartphone', I had just paid my bill on my previous 'basic phone' the day before.  I was informed that to activate my new phone, I would have to switch plans (which I did) but that my $45 payment that I had paid the previous day could NOT be applied to the new $45 smartphone plan because it's a 'different plan' (however, Verizon couldn't grasp the fact that the $45 payment would STILL be $45 no matter which plan they applied it to!!).  So, after getting it IN WRITING from two separate Verizon reps that once I paid another $45, that my previous $45 would be refunded to me (less one day's usage), I made another payment.  Two months later, I am STILL waiting on that refund.  Any suggestions on how I can get that to happen?

Answer 1

Thank you tbo27 for replying to my thread.  At least that shows me that someone DOES occasionally attempt to answer questions here. 
But I'm guessing that you missed the part where I said that I had already done a reset on my phone prior to calling Verizon and the only things that were accomplished was deleting all my downloaded programs, my photos, contacts, etc., and making the problem WORSE?
But, like I said, thanks for trying