Verizon Wireless Trade-In Program is a scam!

I recently traded in my iPhone 4s as part of Verizon's Recycling Program. I activated a temporary phone on the line until I received the gift card via email. Having received it, I attempted to purchase a new phone to replace the temporary one, but apparently I can only do so at full retail cost. I was never told that this would be an issue for me. In fact, I expressly asked if this could affect my contract in any way, and was told that it would not. I was given the assurance that all I had to do was perform a Device Swap, much like I did to activate the temporary phone, which by the way was no problem at all - it was a breeze!
Obviously, there are communication problems between the Recycling Program and the rest of VZW. I spoke with multiple representatives at the Recycling Program, who checked my account and never notified me that I would have to pay full retail cost on a new phone. This is absolutely ridiculous! And of course, I cannot get my iPhone back.

Totally true... I sent in my PERFECTLY working phone (VERY VERY (removed) about keeping my phone working 100%) and I received an email saying the phone would not turn on even though my phone worked 100%!!!!! I have a Verizon Wireless employee that inspected my phone before shipping and he will vouch for me. This is complete **, this program is a scam. I have called NUMEROUS times about reaching a solution but NO ONE has helped me.
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Verizon Gift Card Trade in Program is a SCAM!!!!

My family and I have been a VZ customers since we purchased our first cell phones over 12 years ago. We always buy in to the upgrade program and purchase new phones and all the goodies that come with them like good little consumers. I have converted numerous AT&T friends and family members to Verizon and this is how I get repaid for my loyalty...
We upgraded to the new Droid in August and received these email in September.
Your trade-in information — KEEP FOR REFERENCE
Submission ID: 5268135
Device Model: Dare
Appraised Value: $100
Your trade-in information — KEEP FOR REFERENCE
Submission ID: 5483216
Device Model: Dare
Appraised Value: $100
I received this email then end of September for only “one” of the phones?
..."We have determined that the value of your device matches your appraised value. You will receive your Verizon Wireless Gift Card in the mail within the next three weeks." I received the card in December!
Now this is the scam/run around I am getting in regard to my second phone we returned... (remember this all started in August 2011!)
I never received an email, phone, letter or any other correspondence from Verizon regarding the 2nd phone we sent in so I started calling them.
First call 12/5/11:Verizon… haven’t received phone yet. I gave them the tracking number as I was tracking it online myself. It was delivered in September! Apology for the delay it will be processed and mailed to you tomorrow 12/6/11.           NO CARD, NO EMAIL, NO PHONE CALL.
Second call 1/11/12 Verizon: it went to the wrong department but we will submit the request and have it mailed out to you with in the next 24 to 48 hours.           NO CARD, NO EMAIL, NO PHONE CALL.
Third call 1/17/12 Verizon: (this is now the 5th person I have talked to) I get transferred to “STERLING” a so called “supervisor” in the Trade In Department in Nashville. I am, again, told the phone was sent to our donation department and so we can not send you the $100 Gift Card! THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!
I asked to speak his supervisor, Sterling told me he was the supervisor. I asked to speak to his superior. (which I have done on each and every call only to be told some one will call me back with the next 24 to 48 hours and not once did I get a call back from any one at Verizon!) This self-righteous jerk told me it wouldn’t matter who I talked to I won’t get my $100 Gift Card.
I have had 4 people tell me they are they were sorry for the delay and confusion and one person, named Megan in Nashville, told me that the phone did get sent to the donation department in error but they would honor the $100 gift card anyway. Ironically the last phone call I made to Verizon on 1/11/12 when I spoke to Megan isn’t on record…hummmm, sounds a little fishy to me. I get my hands on that recording and ever other one and we’ll just see how “SUPERIOR” Mr. Sterling really is.
Now, is it just me or did I get totally screwed here? Believe me, it won’t end here.
I WILL GET MY $100 GIFT CARD IF I HAVE TO FLY TO NASHVILLE TO GET IT!!!!!

this is the lates news. In a fit of anger I sent 4 emails one right after the other to the "Contact Us" email on their website:
Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:52:26 -0500
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Other (WFM86708538)
   Good evening Jody ,
My name is Monica, and I am sorry for the delayed response, due to the overwhelming emails we are currently behind our 24-hour response time.(No kidding? As we both well know...we are not alone in this ridiculousness) I apologize for any inconvenience, this may have caused. I attempted to contact you today 1/20/2012 at approximately 8:45 pm MDT at the provided contact number and unfortunately missed speaking to you directly. I hope you receive my voicemail message. I am sorry to learn you did not receive the $100.00 Verizon Wireless gift card. I can definitely assist you with your inquiry regards to the $100.00 Verizon Wireless Gift card.
In tracking the status on the Trade in Website (Submission ID: 5268135 ), the incorrect envelope might have been used when returning the device to our Trade in Department. Which is why the device was received in our Central warehouse and not the Trade in Department. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. I can apply the credit of $100.00 to your wireless account for the second phone that was mailed to the incorrect Department.
Please contact me on my direct line, my name again is Monica. My direct line is 505-999-5300 extension 6998. I am in the office Monday -Friday. My office hours are as follows:
Monday through Friday 2:00 pm -11:00 pm (Mountain Time)
Jody, please contact me so that I may resolve your issue. Thank you for being a loyal customer since 1998! We appreciate your business and thank you for choosing Verizon Wireless. Should you have additional questions or feel your concerns are not resolved, please reply to this e-mail or contact me directly.
Sincerely,
Monica
Verizon Wireless, Customer Service
Internet Response Team
Hello Monica,
I am very sorry I missed your call on Friday. By the time I checked my email you were gone.
I left you a VM at 12:03pm today forgetting about the time change and your hours.
I will be available to take your call until 5:00pm Pacific Time today and will expecting your call.
Just so you understand and I to make myself perfectly clear Monica, I absolutely DO NOT want you to reiterate Verizon’s excuse as to why this entire situation occurred. I have wasted enough of my precious time on this ridiculousness. I just want you to tell me you have credited my account the $100.00 and give me a conformation number.
After seeing the outpour of other Verizon Wireless customers posting the same anger and frustration at the lack of customer service and dissatisfaction with your Trade In Program I just hope that someone in charge of this whole debacle will take responsibility for the abuse your loyal customers have gone through and fix it!!!!
As I said, I will look forward to your call and the resolution.
Sincerely,
Jody Price

Trade-In Program is a SCAM!

I traded in my BRAND NEW 4S to upgrade to a 5S, thus renewing my contract with Verizon, the trade in was appraised at $200.00. I got my envelope, put the old phone in the green bag... the green bag in the envelope... and off it went, via USPS. A month later, I get a notification that they haven't received my device yet. I sent an email requesting more information, which was never responded to. A week later, I called in and was told that my phone was never received, and that my call would be escalated to a supervisor. The guy I talked to couldn't tell me how long it would take to hear from a supervisor "maybe a week?" ... talk about a crappy customer service experience. It's been over a week and I never heard back from a supervisor, however this morning I received an email stating that my trade in was received and I was only getting $36.02 because my device WON'T POWER ON. It was in perfect condition when I mailed it out, and I cleared the history like I was told to via factory reset.
So - lets talk about this for a minute here - and assume that it was damaged in transit for whatever reason. Seeing as it shipped on Verizon's pre-paid account, shouldn't be able to file a shipping claim with USPS? Because it didn't ship on my account, I cannot do that.
Let's also talk about how horrible the response from Verizon customer support is, and how they're now ruined my son's first Christmas. The $200 trade in value for the perfect 4S that I mailed back was put aside for his Christmas presents, which we now cannot purchase because some nobody can't figure out how to turn an iPhone on. Did you try charging it? I'd prefer to have you mail me back my phone, keep your $36, and I want to cancel my verizon contract so that I can go to AT&T. This is NOT the type of service I would expect after 5+ years with Verizon.
I hope you read this, Verizon - THANK YOU FOR RUINING OUR CHRISTMAS with your horrible SCAM. For your viewing pleasure, I've attached a picture of my beautiful baby boy, who's first Christmas you've ruined... I hope that putting a face to the people you screw out of hundred of dollars will help evoke some empathy, but I doubt it.
Sincerely, The Lourinia Family

bri7281 wrote:
Call it what you want. They will give you $20.00 for a phone that they will turn around and sell for $350.00. Sounds like a scam to me. Not for nothing, the credit received is a Verizon gift card. I'm giving them the money right back. I will be looking at Craigslist. I hadn't thought about that right away. I just get upset when these enormous companies have no idea what customer service is and refuse to take care of existing customers.
It's an OPTIONAL program, that Verizon recently put into effect. I still don't understand how you can be upset about this, but I guess people will get upset about anything really. This isn't a "scam" - a scam would have been if you were quoted $150 for your used phone, and they only gave you $20. That's not what happened. I do agree that the amounts they offer for phones is absolutely absurd. I got quoted $8 for my perfect condition EnV3. Seriously? I sold it on Craigslist for $150. Some people have actually used this program to get extra money towards an upgraded phone. I think it's great if you want to trade in an old phone that you'll never use for a little money. I, however, would rather donate most of my old working phones to women's shelters. To each their own.

Trade In Program is a Scam - DO NOT USE

I sent in my iPhone 4s 64G, which was in perfect condition (no scratches, dings, cracks, perfect working order, etc.), and I even hand polished my fingerprints off of it prior to putting it into the envelope to send it to Verizon.
I sent in my phone to Verizon October 4, 2013 and have not received my "gift card" to date, so I decided to check the status today December 7, 2013. The current status shows that my phone appraised at $220 was adjusted to $151.01. The Adjustment Reason field is BLANK. Therefore, Verizon dropped $70 off my appraisal for no reason. I feel like Verizon pulled a fast one on me and I feel like a fool for being tricked by this scam. I could have gotten more than $150 if I'd sold it online and I would have received cash and not a gift card.
Verizon has some serious explaining to do if they intend to keep my business going forward. I currently spend almost $400/month on Verizon Services. What bean counter decided that saving $70 was worth losing $400/month in business???

Well it looks like Verizon heard me and I received a gift card for $220.01 the other day. Now I find out I can't apply it to my bill since I have a Onebill account. So frustrating. I tried calling Verizon to see if there is a work around, but they keep dropping my call. Anyone else had any luck using the gift card to pay their Onebill accounts?

Just canceled iphone 6, beware of Verizon Trade in program. Regret it all.

Today has been the 2 week mark since I first used Verizon's trade in program. I canceled my sprint ( $100 ETF ) and decided to move over to Verizon since they were offering a $200 Gift Card if I traded in my Iphone 5. Sounded like a great deal, and I went ahead and switched over and got a new Iphone 6 from Verizon.
Fast forward 2 weeks later to today, I noticed an email saying my device had not been received. I decided to go online and chat with a woman who informed me that the email was automated, but I should wait at least 6 weeks. 6 weeks is not an acceptable time frame in my opinion, so I told her I would cancel my service if they can not at least locate my phone. They were unable to locate my phone, and claim is still has not been received.
I looked around the forums here, and low and behold a number of users are claiming they sent in perfectly working devices only to be given a $36 Gift Card because of a cracked screen. They are unable to locate the phones for tons of users, and this really worries me. She also let me know that there is no tracking number whatsoever on the package. As a consumer, I find this completely unacceptable.
Hoping they could offer further help, I went to my local Verizon store here in Battle Creek, MI. I informed the manager Cam that I was planning on returning the phone because I feel that my trade in was being mishandled and pointed him to the forums where users were complaining about the program. While talking with Cam I noticed a couple checking out the Iphones, and the Verizon rep in the store, who was a very nice gentelman was explaining the trade in program. I could not help myself from saying out loud not to trust the brown envelope that they give you since there is no tracking and I believe my phone was possibly lost or stolen and that I would not receive any credits.
Cam immediately told me to leave, threatened to call the police and told me that I was soliciting. I explained to Cam that I was here for a return, not to solicit a sale of any kind and that I too was a Verizon customer and was only sharing information on the trade in from my experience with other fellow Verizon customers. He asked me not to say it again or he would call the police, so I childishly said brown bag a few times before quietly waiting to be helped. The return was processed after this, and I argued the $35 activation fee be removed from my account and I also argued the $35 restocking fee because they did not hold up their end of the trade in deal.
I realize that I am being fairly impatient here, with it only being 2 weeks and I did overreact a little after the police were threatened. I do however lack any sympathy for Verizon not being able to process these trades in a timely manner. They knew well ahead of time that the Iphone 6 was going to cause a ton of trade ins and they could have been more readily prepared.
After I returned home, I got online and spoke to Zach from Verizon who I tried a second time to have the activation and restocking fee returned to me. He told me that it was fair charge and would not be removed so I gave in and agreed that it was my fee to pay. I want to share a few excerpts with my chat with Zach because although he is a Verizon employee, he admited to me the faults of the trade in system.
Visitor: At least just the activation should be waived, since I was paying to activate a phone I had for 2 years, not 2 weeks.
Zach: Well those fees are valid charges so they're not something I can waive. The activation fee is for new line activation and that?s waived if returned within 3 days but your paying for a line of service to be activated.... which it was. As far as the restocking fee goes that charge is to recoup some of the costs that we incur because you've returned that device. That phone can no longer be sold as new because it's been opened and used and since you returned that for a full refund of the purchase amount we end up losing money on that return so that $35 fee is assessed. None of these fees were charged in error. I'm sorry that this was the decision that you felt you had to come to especially when this would have ended up with you getting the credit for that trade in within a couple of weeks.
Zach: We could have helped you research that submission and work with the trade in center to find your device but you made the decision to go ahead and cancel service and return the phone so that limits what we could have done in that case since it's already been cancelled/returned.
Visitor: I see you are all about the money, glad to no longer be a customer then.
Visitor: You are lying on that last post Zach.
Visitor: The trade in submission is a completely seperate process than me buying the iphone and returning it.
Visitor: So you are not willing to help me, because you can't find my phone.
Zach: You're right about that process, and though I can't find your phone we can partner with the trade-in team to work out a solution.
Visitor: I am filing a complaint against Verizon with the Better Business Bureau and I will name you as one of the people who went out of their way to not help me.
Visitor: I can not believe I just read that you could have helped me, but won't since I returned the phone.
Visitor: That was flat out wrong, you deserve to be punished for that misinformation.
Zach: I'm not saying I won't help you. I'm saying that our options are now more limited because you returned that device.
Visitor: That is not an accurate statement.
Visitor: The options are exactly the same as they were.
Visitor: You can search by submission ID, phone number, and email, which provides no results.
Visitor: Your other option, calling the trade in department, is also still available.
Visitor: Those were your 2 options before and after I returned the phone, and those are still the same 2 options you have now. The fact that your company goes out of your way to argue ridiculous points makes me 100% happy I returned my device while I had a chance to.
Visitor: Now I want my phone back.
Visitor: The iphone 5 that is.
Zach: Well, not exactly. Your trade-in would have been worth $200 with a iPhone 6 purchase, however since that phone has been returned and service has been cancelled then the trade in value may be less. Have you contacted the trade in center at all about the device you shipped to them?
Visitor: No that should be your job, I'm right here on the website that had me use the cheap brown evnvelope in the first place.
Visitor: if you go check the forums on verizon
Visitor: people are straight up trashing the trade in system
Zach: In my experience it takes about 3-4 weeks. 6 tops
Visitor: $36 for broken devices given out to people that sent in working phones
Visitor: other phones never being received
Visitor: it's all over the verizon forums
Visitor: did this worry me? yes
Visitor: and did it have an affect on me returning the phone? absolutely
Visitor: and the reason is that not ONE verizon rep replied with a solution, 1 guy was credited the $200 and they still claim they never got his phone
Visitor: the rest of the people are out of luck, and they will not help them
Visitor: this should be reported to the FCC too
Zach: Can I offer you a personal suggestion?
Visitor: i'm going to talk to a lot of people tomorrow
Zach: Not necessarily the VZW suggestion but from one person to another?
Visitor: sure
Zach: Call the 877-247-3846 number (the trade in program support center) and ask to speak to a manager and escalate the issue through them. Have them give you a timeline on when to expect an answer. If that timeline is not met, then escalate again. I've had to do this, I don't tell a lot of customers that because it doesn't look good but I think it's important in this conversation that you know that I have been through the exact same situation.
Visitor: Alright thank you Zach
Zach: And I was able to get it resolved after about a month from the time I sent it in but it took me having to follow up. I hate that you may have to do the same thing and I hope you have an easier experience than I did... my situation was almost two years ago so I expect that to be better and I hope it is for you
Visitor: I do appreciate the help you've given. Unfortunately I'm out a $35 activation, a $35 restocking fee and a $100 ETF from sprint. It's too little too late, I guess I can pay my wifes bill with the gift card since I no longer have a cell phone.
Zach: You're very welcome, I did add the 1GB of free data and the 50% off your $40 smartphone charge which will be reflected on your bill moving forward as my way of saying sorry for the mess and I know it doesn't fix everything but I hope it at least helps in letting you know that I do care about your experience.
Visitor: I really screwed myself for work, and talking to my family and everhthing. Lost my phone number that I had for the last 8 years.
Zach: Well, I wouldn't give up on the trade in just yet. and that 50% off saves you $240 over the next year. So it's every little bit that I could do.
Zach: Well.... here's this....
Visitor: It doesn't matter, my cell phone number that I had for almost a decade is out in the wild now. It's quite depressing thinking about everything honestly.
Zach: We can reactivate that line of service that you just cancelled
Zach: was that the number you're worried about?
Zach: the 419 number?
Visitor: yeah
Zach: What if we reactivate that and then get you a phone ordered from our system?
And then it hit me, even Verizon admits the faults with the system trade in system. I wish I would have been more patient and I wish I never returned the phone, and I almost wanted to say yes to Zach activating me a new phone. I overreacted in this situation, but I'm just so stubborn sometimes I wouldn't back down. I felt like threatening Verizon with canceling was going to get me farther with figuring out my trade in credit, and at the end of the day it only cost me more money.
So now I'm out of:
$78 Last month bill to Sprint ( Only used 1 week of this month, but they will not prorate since I was under contract )
$100 Early Termination Fee to Sprint
$35 Activation Fee from Verizon
$35 Restocking Fee from Verizon
Out a Total of $248, have no phone at the moment and my Sprint Iphone 5 that I sent in has still supposedly just vanished into thin air. I'm mad at myself for trying to stand up as a consumer and say no, because at the end of the day I was happy with my device. I guess I'm going to go without a phone for awhile and think about my poor choices in this whole situation, if I could go back in time I would have just waited and kept the phone. Hopefully this helps someone else out because I spent a lot of hard earned money and time on this whole ordeal.

They do not know where your phone is yet because it has not had enough time to go through the process yet. I also started to worry when two weeks had passed and my iPhone 5S was still showing not received on the status website. That's when I joined this forum to see if anyone else was having the same problem. What I found out was that some people had been given reduced value for their trade in, but I also found posts from people like myself that were worried that their phone was lost and then came back and posted a week or two later that they had received their gift card.
I decided to chill and give it some time and about a week later my gift card arrived. If it had been for less than the promised amount I would no doubt still be upset and posting about it like the many posts I still see on here on a regular basis.
This is no doubt a popular program for Verizon. I would imagine there have been thousands of phones traded in. There are going to be at least some screw ups in the process. There is no point in getting ahead of yourself and assuming your case will be one of the screw ups unless it already is. Verizon has been consistently posting that it could take 4-6 weeks for processing. You will at some point likely hear the status on your traded-in phone. Patience would not hurt in this case.

Very hesitant to do Verizon Wireless iPhone 6 Trade-In Program

On September 28, 2014 I ordered an iPhone 6 for my wife and signed up for the iPhone 6 Trade-In Promotion. My wife's iPhone 4 was "appraised" for $200 online and Verizon mailed the extremely flimsy tiny envelope for my wife to mail her iPhone 4 to Verizon for her "$200" Electronic Gift Card. First of all, the tiny little envelope is so flimsy and contains very little bubble wrap. It offers very little protection and I can easily see the screen breaking during the mailing process when it is such a poor envelope. In addition, there is no tracking information whatsoever on the envelope. If the iPhone 4 gets lost or broken, adios $200. My wife's iPhone 4 is in Excellent Pristine condition but I am very hesitant for my wife to take part in this program because of all of the horror stories I have been reading on the Verizon forums (please see links attached below) or on the internet. People who took part in the program are reporting of lost or broken phones but they were in perfect condtion when they were mailed. Furthermore, there are stories of "Find My Phone" not being turned off even when people have photos of the process. People have even taken photos or videos of the condition of their phone upon mailing to Verizon but this doesn't seem to help.
At this point I am probably going to try to sell my wife's iPhone 4 on eBay because we can't take the risk of getting $20 or less instead of the $200. I am surprised more of these stories haven't gotten to the mainstream press. It would be good if some news station like CBS or NBC would cover the mounting complaints. I am thinking of writing an email to some head honcho at Verizon and venting my concern to tell him why us 20+ year Verizon customers probably won't take part in the program.

This is a photo of the very flimsy envelope that Verizon Wireless provides to ship the iPhone which is being traded in to Verizon. There is very little Bubble Wrap inside this VERY FLIMSY TINY envelope. No wonder iPhones are lost or being delivered broken to Verizon.
I might re-consider taking part in this iPhone Trade-In program if a Verizon Customer Representative monitoring this board reaches out to a manager at my local Verizon Wireless Store in Trumbull, CT and allows me to bring in the iPhone for an immediate $200 credit since my wife has already bought the iPhone 6. With the flimsy envelope which has no tracking I am afraid of the consequences it will bring if I use it. I am not about to spend countless hours with Customer Reps on the phone if I use the envelope and I don't get the $200 credit because the phone gets damaged in the mail or lost by Verizon. This is Verizon's chance to reach out to me so they don't lose me as customer. Let them make the effort to allow me to do this rather than me having to get the run around thru phone calls, being put on hold, and unaswered emails.
I have been a loyal customer for over 20 years. For the last several years my family of 4 has been paying close to $250 per month for Verizon Wireless services. I am going to strongly consider switching to AT&T after our contracts expire. AT&T has a Bring Your Own Device montly plan which would cost us only $160 per month vs. $237 per month we are paying Verizon. This potential $77 per month savings and Verizon's iPhone Trade-In joke of a program is what will push us over the edge to switch.

Iphone 6 Trade-in program COMPLETE SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!

The trade in program for the Iphone 6 seems to be one of the biggest scams I have ever seen from Verizon. This is not only coming from personal experience, but from multiple sources of research. I sent in a PERFECT condition iphone 4S (8GB). I had the phone powered on the night before I mailed it in order to delete the "find my iphone" function, everything was in perfect working condition. I got an email just the other day saying they are denying my full $200 refund due to me sending back the wrong phone. The email stated I selected the 4s 8GB online when filling out the return information (which is correct, because I owned an 8GB 4s), but the email stated i actually sent back in a 16GB 4S that did not power on. They refunded me $36 for a phone which clearly was not the phone I sent in. So naturally i call the trade-in hotline, sit on hold for 25+ minutes and speak to a manger named Aaron who told me there is NOTHING he can do. He also mentioned that they take pictures of the phones in the warehouse, and that in the pictures it CLEARLY SHOWS THE PHONE IS POWERED ON. What flippin bullsh*t is Verizonplaying at? Denying my refund saying it doesn't power on, when pictures show IT IS ON. I literally went round and round with this Aaron and wasted an hour of my life getting nowhere. He told me he has no power to issue a refund (which is a LIE, mangers do have this power). My boyfriend had the exact same issue, received a $36 refund saying his screen was broke (when it was actually in perfect condition per the attached pictures on his submission). The manager he spoke with, someone named Joe, argued with him but in the end issued him a refund for $164, the balance after his $36 refund. I got nowhere, was told all they can do is escalate my issue. I have spent the last few days researching this, and I am not alone. There are so many forums online describing how this trade in program is a complete scam. It screams CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. Verizon's warehouse is clearly not tracking phones correctly and denying claims based off of lies. How can you deny my claim for full refund due to the phone not powering on, when the pictures show the phone ON?!?!? I HATE Verizon and I should have left years ago. I honestly would have never upgraded had I known what a terrible program this is. I even showed my old 4s to a manager at a corporate Verizon store who looked over my phone when I placed my order for the new 6, I'm not stupid enough to send in a broken phone. Shame on you Verizon. If I don’t get my refund issued, this is the last straw with Verizon. I don’t care how much the cancellation fee is, I’d gladly pay it in order to rid myself of this horrible company. I spoke with a women Named Sheila on sunday who actually told me that I would get a full refund, she told me my phone was in perfect working condition. She told me it would be issued by today first thing via email. But of course I never received anything, just another customer service LIE from Verizon. I told this to Aaron who just kept telling me he couldn't issue me the refund, lies on lies on lies! Has anyone else experienced this issue and if so, how did you rectify it?

I am also a victim. I went through the online process and registered both our IPhone 4's on September 26th. Somehow Verizon managed to remember to send us the iPhone 6's, yet they forgot that we registered for the rebate. According to the rebate process which when completed, automatically directed me to the page where I ordered our IPhone 6's, we were going to receive $200 in gift certificates each for our iPhone 4's. When we received the iPhone 6's, the enclosed documents stated that shipping materials would be sent to us within 5 business days and not to send in the phones until we received the shipping materials. Amazing that they told us that information in the boxes containing the new phones, but when I call the department at Verizon that is running the rebate program, they can't remember that I went through the rebate process. I copied down the order numbers for the new iPhones, but they said they needed the numbers that they emailed to me. I have checked all our email accounts, including the Verizon email account I never use, as well as all the spam folders and I never received such an email. Now they tell me I can go through the process again, however now it says they will only credit $27 each for the two phones. No way would I agree to receive only $54, when the site previously stated I would receive $400 in rebates. So, I guess I will have to wait for the class action lawsuit. I have been with Verizon for several years, including cable and phone. Why do they risk my business? They charge more then anyone, yet I've paid extra to receive the best quality services. Now I'm thinking I need to take my business elsewhere. It seems that I am not the only one experiencing similar problems. I guess Verizon feels the risk of a successful class action is worth the price they would have been obligated to pay to their good customers. Honestly, if this attitude prevails, they will eventually go down. People are getting sick of paying the exorbitant rates anyway. Once they get ripped off like this, they are not going to take it anymore and they will just sign up with their competitors. I hope everyone floods these websites with complaints. Maybe, it will scare off some potential new customers. At least make them pay, in some way. Make sure you tell all your friends how you were ripped off by Verizon. Honestly, I expect these complaints will be deleted by Verizon soon.

How do I contact corporate about Verizon Wireless store scamming me?

Hi all,
On September 8th, I signed up for a MiFi 2-year contract that came along with a free Jetpack device. I specifically told the salesman to tell me about all of the charges in advance, so I wouldn't be surprised when the bill came. He told me it was $80 per month for the plan, plus $18 for tax on the device. Nothing else was mentioned.
I then sign up on the Verizon website and download my Equipment Receipt and my 1st Bill Estimate. Boy was I shocked! They were charging me $260.66, for what I'm still not sure, because NOTHING ADDED UP. It would seem that Verizon cannot even perform simple addition. I also noticed that the receipt said the following (I'll paraphrase):
1. I had 14 days to get out of this mess.
2. They expect me to pay a restocking fee of $35 just for returning their "free" device.
3. I was only entitled to a credit for the activation fee if I cancelled my service within 3 days of signing up.
This was a red flag to me, having wasted my valuable time previously with other irresponsible credit card companies. So I went into the same Verizon Wireless store where I signed up and told them I wanted to return the device and cancel my plan on September 11th, which would entitle me, according to them, to be credited back for the activation fee; the estimated bill says this amount is $35.
They said they would charge me the $35 restocking fee. I told them I thought that was unfair for the following reasons:
1. The device was free;
2. I never agreed to that when I signed up. They just printed it on the receipt after I signed up. The next thing you know, they'll tell me I owe them my next child. How can they just make stuff up after the fact?
So I refused to pay and told them (the manager was there along with 2 other salespeople) I was returning the device. They refused to give me a return receipt, so I left the device there and walked out, filming the whole thing (just me and the device).
In response, the manager said she was going to charge me for everything as if I never came into the store and returned the device.
Now it's September 13th and I received a call from another salesperson at the same store (on Topanga Blvd. in Woodland Hills, CA) saying I left my equipment there and would I like to come in and pick it up or would I like it mailed to me. I explained the situation to him and he STILL INSISTED ON MAILING BACK THE DEVICE TO ME, unless I agreed to come into the store and let them process the return/cancellation the way they wanted, which would mean (according to this salesperson) that not only would they charge me the $35 restocking fee, BUT THEY WOULD ALSO CHARGE ME ANOTHER $35 AS IF I JUST RETURNED THE DEVICE TODAY.
I asked for his supervisor and was told she's not there today. I then asked for the contact info for someone higher up in the chain of command, and was refused.
This is such a scam! I feel sure that someone higher up would understand that they will lose me (and as many people as I can tell this to) as a potential customer over chump change, which is just silly.
I really don't know if the problem is just this store or all of Verizon, but if I can't get this resolved in the next hour or so through this forum (hello, any Verizon reps out there?) I'll just make sure they can never take any more of my money by never considering using Verizon again, both for personal use and at work (I'm in IT and make those types of decisions at work), and convincing as many people as I can not to use them also.
The ball's in your court, Verizon. What will you do?
(receipts attached for your reference)
>>Attachments removed as they contained personal information<<
Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

Thanks for reaching out to us via the community forum, zeroimpedance. We did have to remove the receipts that you attached since they contained your personal information.
I will reach out to you via Direct Message in order to get more details from you.
I'm pretty sure the 1st bill had the charges that include this month as well as a month in advance as well as the activation fee.
I would recommend going back to the store in order to ensure the service is canceled if that is what you desire. I also recommend you getting a receipt that indicates the service was canceled. Of course, we don't want you to leave so I would prefer to help with the understanding of the bill.
TamaraH_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

I received 2 texts from notice.verizon-wireless and service.verizon-wireless, saying my account had been "BLOCKED!" for my security. Is this a scam or for real? What should I do?

I received 2 texts from notice.verizon-wireless and service.verizon-wireless, saying my account had been "BLOCKED!" for my security. Is this a scam or for real? What should I do?

Try to log in to your account from your computer. If it's locked, call customer service (800-922-0204). If you can log in and all looks normal, forward the texts to SPAM (7726).

The Verizon $200 trade in is a scam

The Verizon $200 trade in is a scam. Don't fall for it. As for the customer service reps replying in the threads. None of them will truly help you with your issues. Don't fall for it and do not send them your phones.

MY experience today at the Verizon has made me feel like this scam is actually true. I 've been with Verizon for years and have never been disappointed till tonight. On Sept. 28th I went to my local Verizon store to purchase 2 iPhone 6s. In the process of doing so I was offered a GoPro camera to purchase. I was informed that my $200 rebates (for each iPhone traded in) can help with the purchase of the GoPro. Sounded like a great deal so I bought into it. The Verizon store ordered the phones for me and was informed that the phones will be arriving by Oct. 17 and when they come in come back to the store for the exchange. The phones came in ( i was overjoyed since it came in a bit earlier than anticipated)and I went to the store today for the exchange I was promised. As soon as I brought the phones in I was informed that they no longer honor the $200 rebate and that my phones were worth $30 each. The offered ended yesterday! Why would you offer a deal knowing it would end before I actually got the phone? I can no longer afford this camera I purchased on Sept. 28th. At the time of the purchase they ensured me that the rebate would happen. I am beyond disappointed.

Trade-in program is giving Verizon a Customer Service a bad Reputation

The trade-in.vzw.com program is giving Verizon a huge negative customer service problem. I was concerned when I submitted my mint condition iphone 4 in the flimsy envelope they provided. And sure enough, it has been a month today and the check status website still has "not received" it according to the link. They have it, post office did their job. And those phone calls to 877-247-3846 - wow - what a colossal waste of time for absolutely no information, that's if you do actually get a person who won't give their name and will hang up on you! THIS IS NOT THE EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE HAD AT VERIZON FOR 12+ YEARS!
Then I come here and read they are shorting their customers in the trade-in amounts - wow again! Really? It's a sales Promotion and they short their customers amounts like $166 of a $200 promotional trade-in value. Unbelievable!
They haven't done that to me - yet. Because after a MONTH they are saying they still have not received my iphone. I don't buy the due to the heavy volume we don't have time to take care of business lame excuse, get some help and get it done! By reading other customer posts they have been using this excuse for some time, well before the Iphone 6 launch. Bad planning and simply not good business on Verizon's part.
So I'll wait. Don't have much choice. And I don't have time to take the battle to the media, but some of you who have been so wrongly treated should.
Damage to Verizon customer service has been done, and continues with each passing day. My question is 'Has anyone had a good customer service experience with the Verizon Trade-in program?'

OptionsTrader,
So sorry to see the trouble you have had with the Trade-In program. We want our customers to have a great customer experience with anyone we partner with. Our Device Recycling Support Team can also be reached at 877-835-2024 or by going to http://bit.ly/GGnDDC and clicking on Contact Us. Our apologies for any difficulties getting assistance.
BrianP_VZW
Follow Us on Twitter @VZWSupport

Trade-in Program Experience

Thought I would share my Verizon Trade-in Experience with others after seeing all the past posts about the pains and struggles they've gone through.
I was one of the first to pre-order an iPhone 6 through the Verizon Wireless website. Beforehand I had heard about the 'Free iPhone 6' offer through trade-in of a previous generation of iPhone. I actually contacted Verizon Wireless Customer Support beforehand and asked for clarification on the offer. While most of the information I got from that conversation was valid, I did get the impression initially that this was only for the iPhone 6 16GB and not an offer against any iPhone. I was also told that the iPhone 6 pre-order went live at 12pm EDT and not 12pm PDT. It was also important to note that the customer service rep was a big proponent of using the mail-in method for the Rebate Program and they would send a pre-paid/pre-addressed package to mail my iPhone back to the Verizon Device Recycling Center. He told me that I could still take my phone to a Verizon Wireless store but why would I when the mail-in process was much more convenient.
Nonetheless, I pre-ordered my iPhone 6 16GB on Friday, September 12th without issues and subsequently filed a Trade-In Submission in which I got my device appraised and the shipping materials were then sent out to me. If I had known at that time that the Trade-in Offer was valid for ANY iPhone 6 purchase then I would have pre-ordered the iPhone 6 64GB. But by the time I tried to change my order, it pushed my ship date into mid October so I kept my original order intact. For background information, I was trading in an iPhone 4s and the appraised value was $200. I received both my iPhone 6 16GB and the shipping materials on the same day, Friday, September 19th. Based on my first impressions of the shipping materials, I should have changed my mind and brought in my phone for Trade-In at the Verizon store. The package was equivalent to one of those shipping envelopes with bubble wrap lined on the inside. I would have initially thought that the shipping materials would be something similar to what my iPhone 6 was shipped in, a shipping box with insulation inside. I actually still had my old iPhone original box that I could have put it in as well before putting it into the box which I couldn't with this smaller shipping envelope. Also I noticed there were no tracking numbers on the envelope, just my submission ID printed on the label as well as the trade-date. I actually took photos of the final package so I could reference it later but there was no way to track it in-transit.
Nevertheless, I shipped it anyways to the Verizon Device Recycling Center in Bloomington, IN that following Monday, September 22nd. Over the subsequent weeks, I would periodically check the status and for the next 3 weeks the status was always 'Device not received'. After so many weeks I thought my Device was lost in the mail. Finally one day I saw a status change and it was received! Although my excitement quickly turned into shock when I saw the final trade-in value was $76! I looked over at the adjustment reason and the claim was that the SIM tray was broken or missing. This seemed like a much different description of my iPhone 4s. The iPhone 4s that I mailed in was in mint condition before I put it in the shipping envelope. To top it off the SIM tray couldn't have been broken prior to shipping since I had to remove the SIM card before shipping and was sure to push the tray back in before packaging. I followed all the instructions that were sent with the Shipping Materials from removing all personal date/password to disabling the Find My iPhone feature.
As many customers have mentioned prior, I experienced all the typical emotions based on what I thought was going to be a straight forward and fair process. I was enraged, disappointed, shocked, and confused. I immediately when to the Contact Us tab of the Verizon Device Recycling Program homepage and submitted my feedback and request. I also scoured the web to see if I was the minority and was surprised to see complaints across Verizon for the Trade-in program even much prior to the iPhone 6 offer. At the time, I kicked myself for not checking this out earlier.
Over the past week I've been researching and searching for the best approach to get this resolved. I tried calling the Verizon Device Recycling Program customer support by phone but could never get through, not even to leave a message. There was no easy way to email customer support and I didn't have time to sit on hold during the long queuing times with Customer Support. I thought about my negotiation and complaint tactics, consideration to leave Verizon Wireless after being a customer for over 10 years, demand for proof that my phone was really in the condition stated, sending photos of my phone just days before I shipped working and SIM tray intact.
Then from out of the blue yesterday I received a couple of emails. The first was an email that a courtesy credit was on its way. It informed me that they were sorry I was not satisfied with the program and a courtesy credit will be processed and sent via email. The subsequent email were two gift cards, one for the amount of the final trade-in value which was $76 and the other for the remaining difference of $124.
In summary, I think there is something fundamentally wrong with the Verizon Trade-in process that needs to be fixed. But thank you Verizon Wireless customer support for listening to my complaint, I thought my message through the website was going to go unanswered and that I would have to talk to someone physically on the phone and inevitably talk to multiple tiers of managers to get anything resolved. I am satisfied with the resolution, a little pain staking but the company did the right thing for the customer. I hope everyone who has had similar issues gets a similar resolution, so that even though processes might be broken, customer service is still alive and well.

You are not alone.
Re: Verizon Trade In Program Failure
I mailed a phone in on 25 Nov and on 5 DEC received an email that they received it and nothing since. All the status checks on line and with their trade in Customer Service say they never received it.
Twice I was told all they could do was elevate my issue and I would receive an email status in 72 hours. Neither time I got a response. The last time, they told me I had to wait 2 – 6 weeks for a response to elevation of my issue.
Verizon Customer service response was to tell me there was nothing they could do and contact the trade in customer service - despite me telling them the trade in customer service has been unresponsive.
Verizon and their trade-in subcontractor keeps you powerless to do anything and continue to hold us hostage with no recourse.

Loyal customer very frustrated with Verizon and Verizon wireless

Moved to Off Topic board

Early Edge works by having you turn in the phone on the line that is early edge upgraded. You then start paying for the full cost of that phone over 24 months, sooner once you get to 75% paid off on that phone, where you can trade it in and start again on another phone, but you will have lost the money already paid up to 75%. When you trade in the phone for Early Edge and then trade in the new phone for edging up, the phones must be in perfect working order with no damage of any kind.
The money "saved" comes from being on Edge where, if the phone is on a plan with 6GB or more data, you save $25 per month on each Edge phone, $15 if on a plan with less than 6GB. However, you turn around and put that $25 back onto the phone payment each month, so you DO save $25/$15 but you basically break about even on a 6GB and greater plan after the phone cost.
BUT, in the end, if you get a better, more reliable signal from ATT, and you have an awful signal with VZW, you might consider a switch, but you'd have a large sum of ETFs at this point to cancel all 5 lines. There are also special stipulations as to who and when one can Edge up or start Early Edge, such as 6 months straight on-time payments.
Verizon Edge FAQs | Verizon Wireless
Early Edge is basically just starting the Edge plan early, so the above page should answer a lot of the questions regarding eligibility. Be warned however, that there are a lot of people with issues who decided to take advantage of this program, namely the trade-in process of sending old phones back and then finding charges on their bill for phones that were "not" received at the warehouse.
It is my opinion that you should not go this route, because if you have less than stellar service now, you are setting yourself up for possible frustration and another 2 years of disappointment.

I have been a Verizon Wireless and FIOS customer for as long as I can remember

I have been a Verizon Wireless and FIOS customer for as long as I can remember. The last 2 months has been the worst customer service experience I have ever had. I own a Samsung Galaxy S4 that I purchased through the Verizon trade-up program. Initially I thought this program was a great idea for folks into technical gadgets to trade-up to the next best phone on the market. Over the last month I have called customer service numerous times regarding dropped calls, no service, and most recently my Samsung S4 will not send or receive texts within 20minutes, it will not operate effectively with the limited apps I have on the phone and I must reset the phone 5-8 times per day to make a call. I called Verizon Wireless customer service multiple times. The last call revealed an error within the software that is not yet fixable for weeks or maybe months according to the technical advisor. Like many other customers my phone is the lifeline to my world outside of work and paying a premium for a service is more than affordable as my lifeline. To date Verizon will not honor a warranty on this phone (which is within warranty) and it took a similar act of congress to get the truth from a willing tech. This is terrible and beyond disappointment. I just ordered new service from the **** pile called AT&T and I hope that in the smallest regard I receive better service from them than I have experienced from Verizon in the last 2 months. I purchased a phone, I expect it to work and if it doesn’t I expect you to honor your promise of service. You failed. Want to make it right? Give me a call!

Search Samsung S4 + KitKat

Verizon Wireless is About to Cost Me a Home!!!!!!!!!

This is EXTREMELY frustrating and I'm about to lose the home I really want to buy.
I applied for a mortgage this month (January 2014) and that's when I realized there's collections activity on all 3 credit bureaus with Verizon that I already paid. These collections are affecting my loan approval and now my mortgage loan is on hold. I have a bid on a house that I'm about to lose because Verizon's recovery department can't get their act together and is giving me the runaround. I PAID THIS ACCOUNT LAST SUMMER.
Last summer, I had a balance outstanding with Verizon on a couple subaccounts. I called recovery and they said I had a balance of $643.19. I paid this full amount about a week after the phone call (all documented).
When I discovered the collections on my credit bureaus. I immediately checked my bank account dating back to last summer and it shows the payment POSTED clearly saying "Verizon Wireless Bill Pay" etc.... I called recovery the next day after being transferred 3 times and wait times totaling 43 minutes while I'm at work. I explain my long story to the rep and she asked me to fax in the bank statement that shows it cleared and she said they'll call me within 48 hours (this was last week. I faxed it immediately and also attached a blank check to show it's my account (accounts numbers match).
Of course I didn't get a call back so I called them on Friday to get an update because the realtor, the mortgage lender, the seller and myself are all waiting on this. There are no updates and the rep asked me to call back Monday. This is after I had to explain to whole entire story again. After explaining the story each time, the rep always tries to fix it even though I adamantly tell them they can't fit it and just to check the notes and give me an update.
Fast forward to Thursday and two more phone calls, two more times of explaining the story to new reps, two more supervisors, I STILL haven't had a resolution yet. Now they're asking for my full credit card number to search the payment. WHY SHOULD I GIVE MY CREDIT CARD NUMBER AGAIN WHEN THIS IS NOT MY MISTAKE AND IS VERIZON'S MISTAKE????? I made the payment, it says it clearly on my bank statement, my bank will back me up on this!! I'm about to lose the home I want to purchase because Verizon lost my payment! I want this escalated to someone that CAN help with a sense of urgency since nobody else seems to care that Verizon's mistake is about to cost me a home. The rep told me to email the "Contact Us" link on the website. Are you kidding???? THat's how I escalate to someone higher up? To email a general email address that thousands of other customers are emailing?? Unacceptable....
I have been given 3 days to get this cleared up or I lose the bid on the home. If that happens, this WILL become news. If they cannot locate my payment after over a week, I don't think they will and I will lose this house. Even if I lose it and apply for another home, these collections WILL still show on my credit bureau and I'm still screwed over by Verizon. Desperate cry for help online...is there ANYONE that can actually help or did I just waste a week and lose a home? If this remains on my credit report and I can't get a mortgage, then this WILL go viral online and make news. It's only fair I get it credited and it gets removed from my credit report. I've sent in a bank statement, a screenshot, a blank check showing matching account numbers and now they want my credit card number. This is completely unacceptable and people need to be aware of this...

http://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/rules/rulemaking-regulatory-reform-proceedings/fair-debt-collection-practices-act-text
First off the non payment to verizon was indeed correct. You admit this in your post.
Secondly, correct information even if paid in full will stay on your credit report for 7-10 years. Any subsequent posting to the trade line will again make it show longer. Read the link it is the law.
Your state of residence may have credit reporting laws similar to the Federal Law.
A mortgage lender can in most cases overlook certain debts that have been paid. It varies from lender to lender. I know a couple that had a electric company bill posted on his credit report, not a big invoice just $90 the electric company never sent the invoice after they moved or the post office did not forward it. In any case the bank only needed a letter from the creditor stating that the invoice has been paid in full.
They received their mortgage and the credit bureaus show it as paid.
However verizon wireless will not be able to assist you with such documents because of just where and who in this large company can produce the document you need? And they will not remove the information from your three credit bureaus. The information that you were late, or went to collections, or charged off is factual so it will remain.
When we bought our home we had the credit union give us an advanced copy to see where we stood. They even said they would use the report from the best one we liked. Needless to say we have no negative dings so getting mortgage and personal lines of credit are no problem. You have to watch your report very carefully and often.
I know that is no comfort to you now. The good part about this is *IF* because of Verizon's not reporting properly or it being in error that could have been fixed, you can get a lawyer and sue for three times the amount of the mortgage you lost due to their error. However if the information is correct be it paid or unpaid the black mark will stand.
Good Luck

Verizon Wireless Trade-In Program is a scam!

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