Customer service
dylaneyco
Enthusiast - Level 1

I would like to start out by saying I have 5 phones and have I have been a Verizon wireless customer since Alltel was bought out nearly 20 years ago, and am also a shareholder.  I have always been happy with the service, but I have noticed that customer service has really gone down hill in the last 3-4 years.

It all started when our local store switched over to a TCC Verizon Authorized Retailer who are only interested in selling you new products, and are actually no real help if you need support.  The website and call centers have followed in the same tracks.  There isn't even a e-mail address that I can express my concerns to, so here I am posting this to something that I don't even know if anyone from Verizon will even read.

My son was in need of a new phone, and because he was not yet eligible for an upgrade, he took an I-phone 5 that a friend had given to him into our local TCC Retailer.  They told him they could not activate it because it was an old AT&T phone, which I later found out was a lie. (It can be switched over)  So, not wanting to wait for Verizon to send him a new phone, he went to Wal-Mart and not knowingly, bought a pre-paid phone.  No harm, we just need to use the phone on a pre-paid plan for 30 days then it can be switched over to our regular post paid plan.  So after the 30 days, he called to have it switched over.  The representative told him they have no record of it ever being active on the pre-paid plan and that they could not switch it over.  So I got on the website, and went through all the steps with a very friendly chat representative named Jessica, only to come to a road block saying the phone needed to be on a pre-paid plan for 30 days.  I explained to her that we did have a plan, and that it expired last Wednesday and even gave her the phone number that was issued with the plan.  She apologized and said that there was nothing else she could do, but gave me a phone number to call and said that they could override the error message.  I called the number, again got a very friendly representative, went all through the steps again, only to come to the same roadblock.  After being on hold for some time, she said she needed to patch me in on a conference call with the pre-paid department.  After speaking briefly with the pre-paid representative, we were told that I needed to pay an additional $120 in order to unlock the phone so it could be converted over, which I thought was ridiculous but I was willing to pay it just to get it all over with.  Then in a long drawn out process, she told me that the phone needed to be reactivated to the pre-paid service before I could pay the $120, and since there was a change order already in progress for the sim card in the phone,  I needed to go back to Wal-Mart, purchase a new sim card, reactivate the pre-paid phone with the new sim card, then pay the $120 to unlock the phone in order to convert it over to our existing post-paid plan.

At this point I told her that I know this is not her fault, but this is completely ridiculous, and that I was taking my business elsewhere.  She seemed sincerely upset, and I know that her hands were tied in this matter, but something has to be done.  Policies and the overall system need to be changed in order help these great representatives to provide service to the customers in a timely and orderly manner.  This has  become a serious issue. 

I hate to say it, but I think this last experience is going to be the last straw.  I will probably be taking my business elsewhere.

Labels (1)
Re: Customer service
mflandshark
Contributor - Level 3

to be honest I agree with you. I have spoken with several awesome agents who had "system limitations" that prevented them from helping me to the fullest extent. It sucks about whats going on and in all honesty it shouldn't be such a hassle to activate a phone but what do I know right?

Good luck if you do decide to switch carriers.

Re: Customer service
Weth
Legend

dylaneyco wrote:

He took an I-phone 5 that a friend had given to him into our local TCC Retailer. They told him they could not activate it because it was an old AT&T phone, which I later found out was a lie. (It can be switched over)

Actually you were given correct information on this. An AT&T iPhone 5 does not have CDMA radio and therefore cannot be used on AT&T. It is true a Verizon iPhone 5 can be used on AT&T, but not the other way around.

Why is incorrect information always called a lie? A lie indicates purposeful deceit as opposed to just being wrong. In this case, the Verizon rep was actually telling you the truth!

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Re: Customer service
dylaneyco
Enthusiast - Level 1

I appreciate the response.  I was told by 2 other representatives on the live chat that an iPhone 5 could have been used  with Verizon provided it had the correct sim card.  I stand corrected if what you are saying is true!

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Re: Customer service
Deebaby214
Newbie

I've been a customer too for 20 years and fed up with being misinformation especially about how many gigabytes two teens and one in college would use.  They'relate expensive so for not having unlimited data. With 4 phone lines my bill has risen from $360 to $500 plus a month. Actually 5 lines, the tablet that I never use.  I was told it was one thing, but find out it just a large phone.  We didn't need it.  Felt hustled and misled, again.  Customer service is nothing like it use to be.  I guess these phones are big business.  Forget quality service and tell lies or not tell it at all.  You're paying $600 plus for a phone, but if not working properly they replace it with a refurbished phone.   I can agree based on depreciation, but whoooaa not after 2-3 mos. Paying for brand new, but now I get to pay for broken and repaired phone.  That's the best trick ever.  Frustrated with you.  

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Re: Customer service
sprmankalel
Champion - Level 3

BTW....a prepaid device cannot be transferred to a post pay account until it has been active on a prepay account for a minimum of 180 days. It seems you caused your own frustrations by choosing not to follow the procedures that Verizon has in place for assisting you with replacement of defective devices.

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