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Re: Customer Service Complaint
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Aimlesswoman, we truly apologize for this experience. We assure you this is not how we do business and this is not the impression we want you to have. Your business means everything to us. Please provide more details around the credit. You stated you were paying over $88 per month. What was this for? Why were you not entitled to the upgrade? 

 

Dia_VZW
Follow us on TWITTER @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

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Re: Customer Service Complaint
AIMLESSWOMAN
Enthusiast - Level 2

This is aimlesswoman.  I’m an older person and not a phone person.  I had the same iphone4 for I don’t know how many years, most likely since it came out, 2012 or so. I’m a high school teacher on Catalina Island, and so I do not get to phone stores very often.  The last time I thought about upgrading my phone a new iphone had just come out. I did not have to pay for my iphone4, and so I was surprised at the cost.  The clerk at that time told me to wait a little while and the price would come down.  I waited until this summer only to find out that the 2-year contract structure has been changed, and I simply lost the upgrade that would have been available to me under the old structure (I would have used the upgrade before losing it if Verizon had made it clear that I should use it before it vanished forever).

Furthermore, we then discovered in the store that I had been paying 85 dollars a month for a year and a half, when rates had actually fallen to 55 a month (for the same service). Verizon kept charging me at the old rate simply out of greed. I obviously would never have paid 30 dollars extra per month if I knew I didn’t need to. It’s very simple: Verizon understood that I’m not an expert in phone contracts, and successfully took advantage of a 66-year-old woman by getting her to pay thirty dollars extra per month for no reason. Congratulations Verizon. And because Verizon is a multi-million dollar company, and I’m one 66-year-old woman, there’s little I can do in response. All I’m asking for is a tiny discount, which would mean much more to me than it would to Verizon. They overcharged me for approximately 18 months, to the tune of over 500 dollars (18*30), and all I’m asking now is for a fraction of it back.

THEN, when my son and I called to explain this, we went through a brutal hour-and-a-half conversation where the clerk repeated a toneless denial of any fault on the company’s part for this (saying she “understood the frustration” of what is outlined above, but refusing to credit the account for anything more than $15).  This conversation was extremely painful and unhelpful, and it ended in her supervisor [removed] hanging up on me rudely because he didn’t like that my son was talking in the background. I would encourage you to look up my account to see the plan I had, or listen to the phone call. Account # [removed]

All of this makes me sincerely hate Verizon, and has me considering returning everything and changing companies. For what I’ve been paying the last 18 months, I could have paid off most of my new phone by now (if I had any idea what was going on). All I’m asking is that I get back a fraction of the money Verizon charged me because they correctly analyzed I’m not reading my phone contracts, and correctly assumed that I trusted Verizon wouldn’t go ahead and charge me extra every month for no good reason (taking advantage of my trust). I trusted that a large company wouldn’t act terrible simply because they could.

I do not pay by internet, I pay by mailed check.  I do not go to "my verizon."  I had no idea your rate had decreased by a third of what I was paying. The decent thing to do would have been to assume that I wanted to pay less money for the same thing, and changed my rate (or let me use the extra $30 as a credit every month to a new phone). I do not pay attention to offers from my cable company, or my land line.  I routinely delete promotions and ads daily from TV companies, department stores, magazines, political parties. It’s extremely understandable that I wasn’t apprised of what was happening. (And again, this is on top of me losing my previous upgrade without having any idea what was going on. Why would I understand all these changes with phone contracts?)

Your store personnel, though, have been quite gracious and accommodating.  However, I continue to feel this business practice you follow is not a way to do business in good faith. Rather, to allow me to continue to pay thirty dollars higher a month for this long a period of time because I did not take some sort of action is clearly an act of bad faith, and Verizon ripping off an old woman because they could is clearly an act of bad faith.  I intend to call my congressman about this sort of a practice, and also the FCC. If you’re going to change the whole structure of 2-year-contracts, and change the upgrading system, then help accommodate me through these changes.  Change my rate, don’t take advantage of everything and then blame me.  I should not, in my busy life, be taken for over five hundred dollars from a multi-million dollar corporation because I didn’t regularly take my phone contract to a lawyer. It’s clear what happened here, and between overcharging me and how painful customer service has been, it’s such a simple act to grant me a credit for all of this headache, as well as the money you had me pay for no reason.

I continue to think it is only fair for you to credit me the amount you unnecessarily charged me for a year and a half (because you could, and because I’m a 66-year-old woman without a firm grasp of changing phone contracts).

As for your response, PLEASE DO NOT GIVE ME COMPANY SPEAK IN RESPONSE TO THIS. PLEASE DO NOT GIVE ME COMPANY SPEAK WHERE YOU TELL ME THAT I DIDN’T TECHNICALLY CHANGE MY PLAN SO VERIZON’S TECHNICALLY NOT AT FAULT. I’m not interested.

I really, really don’t want to hear this mind-numbing corporate response. Honestly don’t even respond if that’s all you’re going to say.

Please be a human being and acknowledge that I was overcharged all this time, and I’m a 66-year-old woman living in America where large companies can do what they want and don’t care about helping their customers.

Thank you.

Content modified as required by Verizon Wireless Terms of Service

Re: Customer Service Complaint
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

AIMLESSWOMAN, I have sent you a Private Message so we can further discuss the issue at hand. Looking forward to hearing back and further assisting.

 

Chris_VZW
Follow us on TWITTER @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

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Re: Customer Service Complaint
rcschnoor
Legend

AIMLESSWOMAN wrote:

Furthermore, we then discovered in the store that I had been paying 85 dollars a month for a year and a half, when rates had actually fallen to 55 a month (for the same service).

I continue to think it is only fair for you to credit me the amount you unnecessarily charged me for a year and a half (because you could, and because I’m a 66-year-old woman without a firm grasp of changing phone contracts).

As for your response, PLEASE DO NOT GIVE ME COMPANY SPEAK IN RESPONSE TO THIS. PLEASE DO NOT GIVE ME COMPANY SPEAK WHERE YOU TELL ME THAT I DIDN’T TECHNICALLY CHANGE MY PLAN SO VERIZON’S TECHNICALLY NOT AT FAULT. I’m not interested.

I really, really don’t want to hear this mind-numbing corporate response. Honestly don’t even respond if that’s all you’re going to say.

Please be a human being and acknowledge that I was overcharged all this time, and I’m a 66-year-old woman living in America where large companies can do what they want and don’t care about helping their customers.

Thank you.

First of all, Verizon does not change your plan UNLESS you initiate the change. There are Verizon customers who for whatever reason continue to stay on their old plans even though they have been unavailable for many years. The plan you have is YOUR choice, YOU need to change it if you want it changed.

I was on the old Nationwide Family Talk & Text plan for well over a year after the ShareEverything and then the MoreEverything became available and my plan was no longer available. Had Verizon changed my plan without my knowledge, I would have been furious.

I was on the ShareEverything plan for a year or more after the Verizon Plan became available and my plan was no longer available. Had Verizon changed my plan without my knowledge, I would have been furious.

I am currently on the Verizon Plan with BeyondUnlimited data and don't expect Verizon to change my plan UNTIL I make a move to do so.

EVERY time Verizon changes their plans, the details of those plans ARE NOT the same. There are always differences in the details of the plans. You may not want to pay attention to the available plans to you, but that is YOUR responsibility for the service to which you subscribe. Because you are 66 does not mean a lot. Many people who are decades younger than you ALSO don't pay attention and fall into the same category of someone who does not pay attention to changes available to them with their cellular service. There are many more, of all ages, who DO pay attention to changes available to them who either DO change their service when new plans are available or DON'T change their service when new plans are available because they are happy with the plan they currently have. For Verizon to automatically change your service WITHOUT your knowledge is not only a bad decision on their part, but VIOLATES the customer agreement you have with Verizon.

Re: Customer Service Complaint
AIMLESSWOMAN
Enthusiast - Level 2

I do not understand the purpose this email. It’s quite curt, mean, and insulting. I may post your anonymous response on social media. Your derision, like Brandon’s, feels quite personal and belittling.

I will also register a complaint with the FCC, and a complaint about the rude and insulting nature of your supervisor Brandon’s, exchange with me and my son, and will forward your response here as well, as the charging of me for hundreds more than I needed to pay continues to strike me as shady business practice.

Once again, you’re evading the key point of what I’m saying, and hiding behind technicalities and legal jargon because Verizon is too craven and dishonest to admit the truth (that I was being overcharged).

Let me break this down for you: if Verizon charged me $30 less per month for the same thing I was getting, I WOULD NOT have been furious. (it’s kind of common sense)

If Verizon automatically charged me less for the same plan when they changed everything so that I saved $30 every month, I WOULD NOT have been furious. And let’s focus on that for a second, they’re happy to change the contracts and the structure of everything, but then when it comes to charging me lower rates, they’re very concerned about continuity. Hmmmmm.

Let me reiterate - in MY CASE - I found out I was paying $30 extra per month because Verizon was happy to keep that going on me. The fact that you think I would have been “furious" for being automatically charged $30 less per month for the same service after everything changed is really confusing from you. Quite frankly it’s a terrible argument, and can’t actually be a real argument on your part (focus on the details of my case).

But let me say this again so it’s not confusing for you, if Verizon automatically let me keep my money for the same service I was receiving after everything changed, I WOULD NOT have been furious (really just a waste of our time that you were trying to suggest otherwise, and frankly somewhat dishonest from you; it defies common sense that I would be “furious” about saving money and receiving the same service).

Again, I’m talking about my case, not yours, not anyone else’s.

I just want you to realize how absurd this customer service is that you’re trying to tell me that it’s in my interest to pay $30 more per month for the same thing I could’ve been getting for less (or using the extra $30 to pay off my phone, just to review, that’s ~$540 depending on exactly when it started).

Let’s review again, you changed the whole structure of these contracts, and then saw fit to charge me $30 more per month than I needed to be paying under the new structure.

And yes, if you acknowledge reality, then you would acknowledge that older people on average are less familiar with phone contracts and anything involving newer technologies (and that older people in general are easier to trick, it’s actually a cliche, please don’t play dumb about this).

Everything about your response is simply the product of greed, of Verizon teaching its customer service people to pull out any stop to avoid admitting fault, responsibility, or unethical behavior.

This isn’t about you examining the circumstances of my case, and coming to an honest conclusion. It’s simply about protecting Verizon’s liabilities, and going to any length to avoid admitting wrongdoing or grift.

We all understand Verizon is an enormous company and can get away with what it wants, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t help me, or acknowledge that I WOULD NOT have been furious to automatically save $500 extra that I paid for no reason (and $500 that an elderly 66-year-old hardworking, American woman who’s not an expert in phone contracts could use much more than the Verizon corporation, is this what America’s about: who can cheat who in a contract?).

Thank you. Please respond with good customer service.

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Re: Customer Service Complaint
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

Rcschnoor didn't change the contracts or plans at VZW. They are just another customer like yourself. It is in the customer's interest to educate themselves on the plan options and terms. If and when new plans are introduced, it is in the customer's interest to learn about those plans and determine whether or not the new plans are a good fit for their needs and budget.

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

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Re: Customer Service Complaint
lojo13
Enthusiast - Level 1

Well I have a complaint as well and would rather not call another customer service rep again if I could prevent it.  I went on an international trip and changed my plan to reflect their international option, as I have done for previous trips.  When I returned, they charged me for "pay-as-you-go" which was not what I signed up for, and it was not what was reflected on my account.  After an employee spoke to me in a rude manner about what I was describing, I asked to speak with his manager instead because I didn't appreciate his tone, when all I was doing was explaining the situation.  This individual then proceeded to say, "Well I was going to fix your problem but since you want to speak to a manager, now I won't, good luck fixing this on your own" He then proceeds to redirect my call to customer service for Spanish speaking customers.  Luckily for me the representative that answered was bilingual and was able to take care of what was needed, or so I thought.  I did report the previous agent to this agent who said their manager wasn't in either, and I was assured it would be handled, which I doubt it was.  I asked for a manager to return a call to me and have yet to receive a phone call. It's been weeks.  Now here we are at my next bill, and they are trying to charge me twice for 1 months worth of international calling ..... Why must this be so difficult. I've never had such blatantly disrespectful customer service in my life!  Nor this much difficulty with a provider managing my account! 

Re: Customer Service Complaint
s-j-larson
Enthusiast - Level 1

I am right there with you about the customer service. I spoke to a customer service rep for an hour about getting new phones. They finally gave me an offer and told me to go to any store my offer. I was smart enough to print out the transcript of our conversation. So I get there and they tell me that there is not an offer like that av. I showed him in black and white that there is an offer and that was what was given to me. Anything other would be a breach of contract. So he gets on the phone and I left for him to talk to his boss and higher ups about it. It has been over a week (I know sounds short compared to others) I have gotten one email from the guy at the store. I am sure he just wants to keep me out of the store. This is stupid. It is in black and white. There is no contesting what was offered. I have contemplated taking to the media to see what they have to say. Since it is right there. There is no contesting what it says. Very disappointed and frustrated.

Re: Customer Service Complaint
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

Customer Agreement | Verizon Wireless

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

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Re: Customer Service Complaint
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Lojo13, we always want to help make sure that you can get the best assistance and information possible when it comes to using your device while traveling internationally. When it comes to the Pay-As-You-Go rates, this is applied either if an international plan such as TravelPass is added or if the country visited is not covered within the plan. Can you please clarify which country you had travelled to when the plan was supposed to be active? 

JoseL_VZW

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