New phone ordered and empty box delivered hell.

Question

I have perused the forums and it seems I am not the only one with a similar horror story.
I ordered a new phone upgrade beginning of February. Package was delivered February 14th with nothing but a few pieces of paper in it. I immediately called Verizon and informed them of this. They told me they opened a ticket and to check back in several days. I called back several days later and was told it was still pending, but they would re-send the ticket, I was also told I would receive a text message with the ticket #. I never received that text. I called back a third time and was told, "my ticket had been approved and I should receive an email with tracking information for the new phone within a day." Well low and behold I never received that email.
I called back a 4th time and the representative seemed to struggle to locate anything regarding my prior calls. She then told me she would call me back in 3 days with an update. I never received that call back. I called a 5th time and was told by the representative that my ticket had been closed and that Verizon found no reason to send me a new phone, as the package had been delivered. At this point I asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor basically said the same thing, however after a long conversation he said he would open a new ticket to investigate the transit of the shipment, as the previous ticket that had been opened was only for a lost or stolen phone. The supervisor told me Verizon investigated with Fedex and found nothing wrong. When I asked for proof of this, the supervisor sent me the instructions on how to log onto the Fedex website to see the order. Well all he gave me was the same information that you see on every tracking website. It was not a detailed breakdown of the weight in shipment. The supervisor told me to give him 3 days and he would call me back.
Well low and behold it is now past the third day and nothing from him. I have reached out to Fedex, both the 800# and the local transit facility in an attempt to retrieve the history of the weight in shipping. They have both confirmed that Verizon must be the one to file the claim to open the investigation into the package weight during shipment.
I really am at a loss as to where to go from here. I have a $230 upgrade bill due at the end of the month, yet I have no phone. I understand Verizon can't simply send out new iPhone 5s like hotcakes, but I also cannot pay for something I have not received. At this point I would even settle for a replacement 4s. I have been a loyal paying customer of Verizon for 10 plus years, always paid my bill on time and now this is how they are going to treat me?

Answer 1

Sorry to hear of your luck, the following actions need to be taken as quickly as possible.
First, contact Verizon support, do not speak with an agent, immediately request a supervisor. Explain to them the situation (again), be sure to include the hurdles of the tickets being open and you not being contacted by the supervisor you spoke to last time as promised. Next, inform them because you did not receive the phone you will not be paying for the phone, and that you will be disputing the charges, and demand to have your contract extension date reversed as you did not receive the phone you requested as a term of extending your contract. Be sure to tell him or her that you are planning on filing in small claims court.
He probably will not like being told all of that. If he does what you asked (reversing the contract extension, and refunding the money, or agreeing to send out a new phone of the same model) then you are good, just be sure you receive shipping confirmation.
Odds are, you will not get what you are asking for, and the demands will fall on deaf ears. That's OK though.
When you get the bill, immediately send via certified mail with receipt that you are disputing the charges for the phone ($199.99, $30 upgrade fee, and any applicable sales taxes and shipping  costs). This now being in dispute cannot be put on a credit report (yet).
Finally, do not delay, file a  case for small claims court, for the full amount you paid for the phone, plus taxes and shipping fees (if applicable) plus filing fees. Make sure you keep all your documents (shipping information, etc..) organized, be sure to bring the empty box and such as well as that may be needed.
At this point it will be up to Verizon to get any stolen material back from FedEx as you never received the goods, therefore you are not responsible.
Good luck!