VZW Customer Service is a Joke (3332 Error Still A Huge Issue)

Question

I've been using an old (original) Razr flip phone, and recently had the opportunity to purchase a (never used) Razr2 that missed the 3/2011 update. Before forking over a single penny, I googled the 3332 error. It brought me to these very pages where a very helpful Verizon employee (helpful Verizon employee being an oxymoron these days) named MikeS_VZW posted on several different threads about how to fix the 3332 error.
He posted a direct filepath for store employees to follow, and he also posted a list of phones that the flash would work for. (By the way, all those threads are now locked for some reason.) It was based on this information - a Verizon Wireless Employee posting on the Verizon Wireless Website, that I decided to fork over the money and buy this new phone.
So a few days ago I head to the Encino, CA store and am told that they don't have any computers at all that a phone can be hooked up to and that he didn't think any stores are able to flash phones. But he did go in back and call around. Turns out that the Flagship stores are still able to flash phones and that the nearest Flagship store was in Porter Ranch.
Today I went to the Porter Ranch, CA Verizon Wireless Flagship store. Upon entering I explain that I was sent there from Encino to have my phone flashed. I show him a printout of MikeS_VZW's filepath & instructions. The greeter tells me that he doesn't know why they keep sending people to his store but that he will have someone help me out.
Jean Carlo comes over and I explain the whole thing to him again. First thing that he tells me is that Encino could have done it saving me a extra 30 miles (15 miles each way). Well I say that they told me only Flagship stores could Flash my phone. He tells me Panorama City is also a Flagship store (and only about 4 miles away from me). But whatever, I'm already in the Porter Ranch Store...
I show him the printout and without looking at it he responds that he knows how to flash a phone. He then goes on to tell me that he can flash my phone but if it burns out, which has happened, then they aren't responsible and I would have to pay the insurance deductible to get a new phone.
Again, I WOULD HAVE TO PAY MONEY OUT OF MY POCKET, IF THE VERIZON WIRELESS FLAGSHIP STORE EMPLOYEE RUINED MY VERIZON PHONE WHILE TRYING TO GET IT TO PROPERLY WORK ON THE VERIZON WIRELESS NETWORK. Gotcha.
I told him to go ahead, because if it burned out then I would revert to my super old original Razr and then just wait it out til the end of my contract.
Ten or so minutes later and brings my phone back as it's still restarting and asks if there's anything else. I say no and he walks away. As soon as it restarts I try to download Backup Assistant and I of course get the 3332 Errror.
I go to find Jean Carlo, but he's with a customer...20-30 minutes later, I show him the printout of the filepath that he previously refused to look at and ask if that's the filepath he followed because I'm still getting the error message. He tells me to hold on, takes the printout and goes to talk to someone. 5-10 minutes later Benjamin the manager approaches me and says that they can't follow specific filepaths, they can only flash phones with whatever software they have on their computers which are sent to them by Verizon.
I explain that this is a fix posted to the Verizon Website, by a Verizon Employee and am told that there is nothing they can do and that I should call tech support.
As soon as I got in my car I called 611 customer service to complain about the runaround that I had gotten which resulted in nothing being done to fix the problem that Verizon themselves created. The cs rep (whose name I didn't get) told me that it sounded like an issue for tech support. So my call to complain about getting the runaround results in getting more runaround.
I was transferred to Buddy. I explained everything to him, told him about this forum and asked him to pull it up. He was unable to because their computers are very slow and the page kept timing out before it could load (VERY TELLING). He did mention though that anyone could post on the forums that MikeS_VZW might not be a Verizon employee. Buddy's solution was that he offered to replace my new phone (old, out of stock model, but still new and never before used) with a "like new" refurb. This option would 1) not cost me anything, and 2) not require a contract extension. The only 3 phone choices he gave me are all garbage. I wouldn't take any of those phones if I was offered free service to use them. And even if I were willing to try one out to see if it was acceptable, I'd have to send them my Razr2, so I'd be stuck with the garbage once it proved to be garbage. And since he was unable to pull up this forum to see that there is a fix, I asked to speak to a supervisor.
I was then transferred to Brandon. While his computer was super slow as well, he was able to open the forum and see the filepath that MikeS_VZW had posted. I asked him to verify that we are in agreement that MikeS_VZW is (or at least was) a Verizon employee. He conceded that it appeared that he was. A lot of back and forth later, he promised to call stores in my area to see if he could find one that could and would be able to fix my phone. But before he did that, I asked him if he was able to open the filepath that MikeS_VZW had listed. He tried and said that it had been moved to a different location. He looked to for in that new location and still no luck. Therefore, if he wasn't able to find it, what was the point of asking a store to follow a path to a destination that didn't exist.
That 611 call lasted 02h 01m 31s. Plus the 45m-1h I spent in the Porter Ranch. All for nothing. All because Verizon has obsolete information posted in it's help forums.
There was a reply to a (now locked) post dated as recently as February 13, 2013, a mere month ago, saying that they went into a store in Columbus Ohio, and that store was able to fix the problem. Why does one hand not know what the other one is doing.
Is there anyone else that has had this issue resolved recently?
I have been a Verizon Wireless customer for over 10 years, since before it was called Verizon Wireless (I started with Airtouch). Slowly but surely, year by year, month by month, and day by day, their service, as in customer service (not wireless service) has steadily gone downhill. They do not care about their customers. They only care about their customers money.
I have 3 phones in service with Verizon, and as soon as the contract expires on the last one in July, I'm dropping them as fast as they drop calls in the canyons.
Q: Why create that update in 3/2011 that removed functionality from all the basic/non-smartphones?
A: Cashmoney*
By removing functionality you force your customers to upgrade their phones. (Cashmoney)
By forcing your customers to upgrade their phones you force your customers to sign new 2-year contracts. (Cashmoney)
By forcing your customers to sign new 2-year contracts when you basically offer nothing but smartphones, you effectively force your customers to switch to a smartphone. (Cashmoney)
By forcing your customers to switch to a smartphone you force your customers to add data plans. (Cashmoney)
Q: Why start charging a $30 upgrade fee when it used to be free to upgrade?
A: Cashmoney
Dear Verizon, may I please please pretty please pay you $30 for the privilege to continue paying you every month? (Cashmoney)
Q: Why eliminate the unlimited data plan and move to an obtusely structured tier system?
A: Cashmoney
Hey Verizon, do you think there's any way it's possible for me to pay you more, but get way less? Why don't you guys look into that and see what you can come up with. (Cashmoney)
*Cashmoney - Corporate translation: Added revenue stream
Note: all the tags relating to this post (i.e. no_help_from_customer_service, money_hungry_company, cancel_contract, cancel_service) were already created by other users prior to me.
>Subject line edited to remove profanity<
Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

Answer 1

1. Jim, the only reason my phone is "obsolete" is because Verizon decided to make it "obsolete". Otherwise, it makes and receives calls and texts without issue.
2. We are not all customers here, Verizon employees are constantly posting on these boards.
3. There was a post on a previous thread by a customer who had the issue resolved. That post was dated February 13, 2013. https://community.verizonwireless.com/thread/493678?start=122&tstart=0
4. You, personally, might not need to know what every single person said in every single discussion, but I wanted the Verizon employees that troll these boards to see what >Comment Deleted<they put their customers through.
5. >Comment deleted<
Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator