Please no more Certified Like New phone.

Question

I've been a customer of Verizon for about 4 years.
Recently I purchased iPhone 5S at a near by Verizon store and it was having connectivity issues where cell phone reception goes in and out. 
Made a trip to the store and the clerk took a look and said that it is antenna issue. He just told me that he'll order "new phone" for me. Next day the package arrived and I found out it was a refurbished phone. I was not happy about that but I just wanted to get a phone that's working and I had faith in Verizon I believed if it tells me "certified like new" it's going to be ok.
Nope.
This replacement phone #1 had a battery charging issue. Display says it's charging but the % number just keeps going down. I took a trip #3 to the store. The clerk said he is going send yet another "certified like new" phone.
This replacement phone #2 has connectivity issue again. Another trip #4 to the store. The guy says antenna issue, he is going to order ANOTHER replacement phone. I told the clerk I'm getting skeptical about the Certified Like New phones and I want a brand new phone (which I paid for in a first place). He said there is nothing else he can do except sending me refurbished phone over and over again. He told me to go to Apple Store Genius Bar.
The replacement phone #3 arrived and this phone has Sleep Button malfunction. It's not assembled right and the button sinks when held in. I have to push really hard to make it work. Before I made the trip #5 to the store, I went to the Apple Store as the Verizon store clerk told me to do.
At the Apple guy told me the phone I have in my hand was purchased Oct 2014 and is out of warranty. There is nothing they can do unless I pay for the fix.
I emailed the Verizon store guy saying that this is getting ridiculous and I want a brand new phone. He told me to call the Customer Service center.
I called the customer service center. It gets even worse. Before discussing about either I get brand new phone or not, she told me that I can't get ANY replacement phone at current state because they haven't got any of the phones that I've returned. She told me to call back with the tracking number of those parcels. 
I called again later that day and this lady #2 now didn't talk about the tracking number at all but told me that somebody from Verizon has to verify about the button malfunction so I have to go to a store. She also told me that once a clerk verifies that, I can get a brand new phone. She says "I'll put that not in the system".
Now next day, this is trip #5 to the store. The clerk verified the problem but he says he doesn't see any of the note about me getting brand new phone as the lady #2 told me there would be.  I asked him to call the customer service center together. The lady #3 on the phone told me same thing as lady #1, she opened the "investigation case" about my missing returned phones. The instruction of returning defected phone says I have to return it within 5 days which I did in each phone. But it's not clear that when that "5 day" period starts nor if it's 5 business days or not. And she goes saying, I will be charged $500 if it doesn't turn up. Now I have a tracking numbers and receipt from USPS stating that I did mail those phones within 5 days. But she says as long as it's not arrived, I will be charged the amount.
A long story short, I paid $195 to get stuck with an old phone with mechanical malfunction with no manufacturer warranty ,and possibly $500 charge. This is way far from fair.

Answer 1

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