Verizon Wireless...what a farce

[mgman]

I called Verizon Wireless on 8/30 to get a simple flip phone to replace a broken one. We needed something to last until 2/13 so we could upgrade to smartphones. Two were suggested and when the rep tried to get one for me it was sold out. After some minutes of waiting, she returned and said she had received approval from her supervisor to allow us to upgrade immediately because we were long time customers and good customers. I asked what phones were available for this and was told that any on the smartphone web page would be available but we would have to pay the shown cost plus $30 per line for each upgrade. I chose not to upgrade at that time so I could research the phones. After four days of research, both online and at Walmart, Best Buy and Verizon stores we settled on the Galaxy S 3. Called Verizon back and was told No. In fact, I was told I was 'crazy' to think I could upgrade early to this phone. CRAZY! Talked to the supervisor and he said I could get any but that one or the iPhone. I wrote an email to Verizon telling them of the entire incident. That night we agreed that we would accept another model of phone.
AND THEN IT GETS BETTER.... Verizon's internet customer service rep calls to tell me how concerned they are about what happened and then says that now none of the phones are available and they will not agree to an early upgrade at all. After they made the suggestion and the offers, one rep cancels it all and says 'sorry, the offers should never have been made'. No counter offers, nothing, just 'sorry'. And we wonder why companies have trouble keeping our business:cus:

[asianthree]

is this one of the phones involved in the apple law suit

[mgman]

The Galaxy was in the lawsuit but had nothing to do with this. The point is they took away ALL of their offers even after I agreed to their limits. Make the offer and then take it away once I agreed.

[kb8tpw]

I hate to say it, but that is characteristic of all of the wireless folks, not just Verizon. You just about have to have a law degree from Harvard to be able to deal with, understand and keep an eye on them. Perhaps I should expand that to say telecommunications in general, not just wireless. I am ready to go back to when we had 4 digit phone numbers and party lines in rural Indiana. Helena, the local operator knew everyone's business, but that you could handle.

[Bonnevie]

one reason I won't consider changing to Verizon Fios....Verizon customer service is horrible.

[skip0358]

one reason I won't consider changing to Verizon Fios....Verizon customer service is horrible.

And it's only going to get worse. More outsourcing coming and the new cable deal that got approved. You're not going to know what company to call for what. As for regulation that's a joke to.

[Steve Nagy]

New cable deal ???

[wendyquat]

On the other hand, we've had Verizon for over a year and have been very pleased with the service. What I don't like is the extra charges added on turning a $70 a month bill to over $100 per month. Sigh! Same problem with Directv bill!

[cquick]

I've seen complaints about all the cell phone companies.....it seems that they are all in the same "no customer service" mode.....

[dkrhardy]

We've had Verizon for 10+ yrs and love the coverage they have vs other companies. Go ANYWHERE and make a call.

Having said that, why are you so angry? You signed a contract. They offered you what seems to have been a one time deal and you said no, you wanted to think about it. So, they are just sticking to the deal you had made, what .. 2 yrs ago? Relax, it will be over in a few months and then you can upgrade as you had originally planned to do. Sure don't think the rep should have asked you if you are crazy. If you want to try it again, go for it. I would. Keep trying until they give in, or you get the more friendly rep on the phone again. I presume you were polite and firm, so as long as you do it that way, I betcha you'll win eventually.

Don

[MelZ]

In contract law both parties have to agree, they made an offer you did not accept the offer. Therefore there is NO Contract. You have the right to shop and they have the right to rescind the offer.

[mgman]

You misunderstand. I said yes and wanted time to figure out what phones would be best. They have that in their notes. I said yes right away! They said call us back after the weekend with a decision.

We've had Verizon for 10+ yrs and love the coverage they have vs other companies. Go ANYWHERE and make a call.

Having said that, why are you so angry? You signed a contract. They offered you what seems to have been a one time deal and you said no, you wanted to think about it. So, they are just sticking to the deal you had made, what .. 2 yrs ago? Relax, it will be over in a few months and then you can upgrade as you had originally planned to do. Sure don't think the rep should have asked you if you are crazy. If you want to try it again, go for it. I would. Keep trying until they give in, or you get the more friendly rep on the phone again. I presume you were polite and firm, so as long as you do it that way, I betcha you'll win eventually.

Don

[Dirigo]

I've seen complaints about all the cell phone companies.....it seems that they are all in the same "no customer service" mode.....

We had US Cellular for 9 yrs and they were great! Never a problem and always friendly, honest service. Too bad they don't serve this area.

[dkrhardy]

mgman - these are your exact words, as posted by you.

"I chose not to upgrade at that time so I could research the phones. After four days of research, both online and at Walmart, Best Buy and Verizon stores we settled on the Galaxy S 3."

[getdul981]

Chuck - I don't know if you want to still stay with Verizon or not, but if you do, call their Customer Retention Department. I have had those folks help me before when no one else could or would. It seems they have strings that can be pulled that others can't reach.

[dkrhardy]

Chuck - I don't know if you want to still stay with Verizon or not, but if you do, call their Customer Retention Department. I have had those folks help me before when no one else could or would. It seems they have strings that can be pulled that others can't reach.

Yep, give them a chance ... if you want to. And be persistent.
Don

[Serenoa]

We've been Verizon customers for several years & have NEVER had anything but the BEST customer service. Have been to several different Verizon stores for service & upgrades & the sales/service reps have always been attentive, polite & professional.

I don't think one bad experience/misunderstanding warrants a "what a farce" comment.

[rubicon]

I have been with Verizon for a number of years now and as a company they are satisfactory. However with the advent of the smartphone competition has heated up and the government doesn't help by restricting broadband, etc.

I am one of those consumers who owns a dumb phone and that's all I want until one of the cable/telecoms bundle cable, internet and phones, cell and landlines into one package. I do not want to pay an additional monthly fee for a SMARTPHONE. Beside with the Apple debacle I am going to sit it out until the courts settle the dispute

[justjim]

Unfortunately, "The Customer is always right" policy almost never exists today with any of the large corporations such as Comcast, Verizion, AT&T, Walmart, GE, GM, Whirlpool or Best Buy to name just a few. For the most part, the customer Reps. just don't give a darn. Why, because they feel the Company doesn't really care about them and will/could downsize them any day. Currently we have a surplus of labor in this country and if corporate policy to reach the bottom line profit is not followed you will be replaced. Personally, if I wanted to continue the battle, I would go back to the local store and start all over again. You will get more satisfaction at the local level (as a general rule) than you will at the Corporate level. I know its very frustrating because we just completed a "round" with Comcast a few weeks ago. There are some "battles" that just aren't worth the time and effort and best to just move on because in a couple of weeks you pretty much forget about it anyway. FORE!

[Cantwaittoarrive]

We have Sprint and have been with them for so long I'm not sure when we became customers sometime early 90's I guess. My wife and I just upgraded to smartphones in June of this year. My wife had hers for 2 weeks and dropped it one night and broke the screen, we did not buy the insurance. The next morning we went to the Sprint store and the girl that sold us the phones 2 weeks earlier got the screen fixed for us free of charge and personally delivered the phone to us while we were shopping in another store two hours later. Over the years we have always received outstanding service from Sprint but this was totally unexpected

[Schaumburger]

We have Sprint and have been with them for so long I'm not sure when we became customers sometime early 90's I guess. My wife and I just upgraded to smartphones in June of this year. My wife had hers for 2 weeks and dropped it one night and broke the screen, we did not buy the insurance. The next morning we went to the Sprint store and the girl that sold us the phones 2 weeks earlier got the screen fixed for us free of charge and personally delivered the phone to us while we were shopping in another store two hours later. Over the years we have always received outstanding service from Sprint but this was totally unexpected

That is good to know that someone is happy with Sprint. I just switched to Sprint in April of this year because of their unlimited data plan -- just got my first smart phone in April also. I had been an AT&T (and it's predecessor companies) customer since 1992, and I had heard some not so great things about Sprint, but so far I have been pretty happy with their coverage. Fortunately I have not dropped my smart phone (yet), but I purchased the insurance just in case. When I stopped by the Sprint store a couple of months ago to ask some questions about my phone, the store clerk was very helpful.

[F16 1UB]

Yeah - That's my feelings with them. Walked into the store near Rolling Acres & 441/27 to obtain service 2 years ago. After 6 months of THEM not standing up to THEIR agreement I told THEM to stuff THEIR phones & contract. I gladly paid the three hundred something dollar penalty for getting out of THEIR contract. Because I'm retired military, I was told by THEM that I'd receive a monthly discount. I never inquired about it nor had any idea that it was available. It never showed up on ANY bills and after questioning THEM about it and providing documentation EACH time.....Honey it'll show up on the next bill....Honey I'm sorry about your inconvenience..... Honey BS.....I went with a "no contract carrier" & purchased a smart phone.....BTW did Verizon offer me this? Gee...it was available.... Sometimes bigger isn't always better. Verizon's excellent reception isn't the question here. Tell em to take a hike.

[jannd228]

I am not sure if you know this but there is a lawsuit against Verizon for over charging seniors for data services never used. One consumer got $13K. I dropped them after I got a HUGE bill and never texted from my phone.

[Hancle704]

After reading all these posts all I can say is that I'm so happy we switched to Consumer Cellular. Their customer reps are great and all are located in the USA. They may not have as many choices as some of the bigger providers, but if you just want dependable economical wireless service with text messaging and some decent phones with no contracts you might consider checking them out.

I'm glad we did.

[mgman]

As soon as my contract is up, I will definitely check out Consumer Cellular

[dkrhardy]

That is the way to do it. Don't pass up a chance to change early and then blame the provider. Contract end time is the time to do it.

[Villages Kahuna]

I will be switching from AT&T to Verizon in a couple weeks when I buy a new iPhone. I knew that their service has to be better than AT&T, and both companies have substantially increased their rate plans for smart phone users. So when I visited the Verizon store on 441 yesterday, it was with some trepidation. I was expecting to have to wait, and then talk to some junior, uninformed salesperson who would send me home largely uninformed.

What a pleasant surprise. I was met at the door by sales person Jessie. I've never dealt with a wireless salesperson so knowledgeable, well informed and able to clearly and crisply answer each of my questions. I don't know whether Jessie is representative of a new level of training, or whether VZ Wireless will stand behind her. But my experience coming back to Verizon from AT&T, at least initially, was very positive.

[looneycat]

Chuck - I don't know if you want to still stay with Verizon or not, but if you do, call their Customer Retention Department. I have had those folks help me before when no one else could or would. It seems they have strings that can be pulled that others can't reach.

this appears to be the only true customer service given, the retention department. In a similar situation with century link I told them that a $40 jump in my bill, when my 'discounts' ran out, was unacceptable so they immediately ported me over to retention dept where they gave me new 'discounts' and now I pay less than I had before the price bump for even better service.

[looneycat]

That is good to know that someone is happy with Sprint. I just switched to Sprint in April of this year because of their unlimited data plan -- just got my first smart phone in April also. I had been an AT&T (and it's predecessor companies) customer since 1992, and I had heard some not so great things about Sprint, but so far I have been pretty happy with their coverage. Fortunately I have not dropped my smart phone (yet), but I purchased the insurance just in case. When I stopped by the Sprint store a couple of months ago to ask some questions about my phone, the store clerk was very helpful.

yirgin mobile uses the sprint network....$55 unlimited everything! just saying..... make sure, as with AT&T, that there is reception in your part of the villages

[NJblue]

I will be switching from AT&T to Verizon in a couple weeks when I buy a new iPhone. I knew that their service has to be better than AT&T, and both companies have substantially increased their rate plans for smart phone users. So when I visited the Verizon store on 441 yesterday, it was with some trepidation. I was expecting to have to wait, and then talk to some junior, uninformed salesperson who would send me home largely uninformed.

What a pleasant surprise. I was met at the door by sales person Jessie. I've never dealt with a wireless salesperson so knowledgeable, well informed and able to clearly and crisply answer each of my questions. I don't know whether Jessie is representative of a new level of training, or whether VZ Wireless will stand behind her. But my experience coming back to Verizon from AT&T, at least initially, was very positive.

This is close to my recent experience at the Verizon store off Rolling Acres as well. I was very pleased with the professionalism of the staff during the sales process as well as the patience of them when I returned several times with what turned out to be "cockpit error" issues. As a former AT&T employee, I must admit that I am very happy with Verizon and only wish that they had the franchise down here for fiber optic to the house for TV, phone and Internet.

[rhredd1654]

I just re-upped with Verizon for two more years. However, I purchased my smart phone from Wirefly because it was $150 cheaper. I also use Verizon's Home Connect for my "landline". Very satisfied!

[mgman]

Please look at "Kudos to Verizon" on 'Villages general discussion' for a happy ending to this story.

[drdodge]

trackfone....5 dollars a month

drd