Our iphone recently died and we needed a new one. We went to a physical store, Verizon at
(803) 754-1442
and paid hundreds of dollars (as well as a new 2 year contract) for a new phone. Then, surprise of all surprises, our bill comes and there is a $40 "upgrade fee" on there. We were not told about this. In fact, we were told REPEATEDLY our bill would be IDENTICAL. A very long phone call to customer service later, and they reveal to us that unfortunately they cannot control what people say and they are "so sorry" but there is not a thing they can do. I see this as completely lying to us and I also find it terrible customer service for people who have been with Verizon, paying our bills on time, for years.
Interestingly, the telephone customer service representative told me I could put in a complaint against the store online. However, there appears to be no way to actually do that. Please, do tell me, how do I put in the "formal complaint" the representative told me was available for me?
First of all, if the upgrade fee was on your bill instead of paying at the point of purchase, you were at a 3rd party retailer NOT a Verizon corporate store. Verizon cannot control what the employees of another company tell you. They are supposed to inform you of the upgrade fee, and I have never NOT been told when at a 3rd party retailer, but some 3rd party retailers are shadier than others.
Some people also don't listen to everything they are told while focusing on their shiny new phone purchase. Some things simply slip by without realizing it.
Finally, this upgrade fee has been around for 3-4 years at Verizon. It is nothing new. When you upgrade via contract, you will be charged an upgrade fee. To avoid it, you can purchase at full retail or on Edge(device payment plan).
Marileemed-
Your concerns are never taken for granted. I apologize for any inconvenience caused at our store as we want your shopping experience to be a positive one. It is very important for us to know you are being provided with correct information at the time you upgrade your lines. There is a $40.00 upgrade fee that applies if you upgrade at a discounted price with a 2 year contract. This fee is billed to your account, the good news it is only billed once. While this fee is part of your upgrade which is included under the terms and conditions of your contract, you should have also been informed on this to prevent any surprises on your bill. I am sending you a Private Message to access your account and provide feedback to the store so we can prevent this from happening.
Thank you for your time and for choosing Verizon Wireless.
CarmenT_VZW
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Since I posted this, I have found that the Verizon Store at 331 KILLIAN Rd Ste B-6, COLUMBIA, SC 29203, where we went is a "Cellular Sales" company and just sells Verizon Contracts. I still think that Verizon should have some role in the deceit perpetrated at their stores, however, I have put in BBB complaints as well as SC Attorney General complaints regarding Cellular Sales at this time. Verizon, you may want to look into the business ethics of this company, as it does reflect pretty poorly on you.
Just remember you would want to submit as much evidence to the BBB and AG as possible, and as the upgrade fee of $40 is automatically listed on your contract paperwork that you go home with from the store, on your online documents available, and the added fact that you did not realize the name of the store you were in (even though signage and the paperwork indicate this) it also does sound likely that you may have been told about the fee and this could have been another thing that you overlooked or didn't hear at the store.
Actually, here is a picture of the outside of the store and it's sign. I don't see anywhere listed that it's a cellular sales store.
https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x88f8a85e20b2f73b:0xd380e9b7e6a22478!2m5!2m2!1i80!2i80!3...storecolumbiasckillian-Google+Search&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CI8BEKIqMApqFQoTCP-Z8aPvlMcCFcyNDQodkMIP6w
In addition, I pay very close attention to what people say. The paperwork they did was all through some sort of computer pad, impossible to read and very hard to function. They did not, ever, tell me about this fee. Interestingly, there are 57 BBB complaints against this store and virtually all of them are because of some "fee" that shows up on bills after the fact.Marilee
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Interestingly, I have a photo of the outside of the store and it's sign. It says Verizon Wireless. Nothing else. I had to do some research online to realize it was actually a Cellular Sales store. There is nothing on any sign anywhere to indicate it is not a legitimate Verizon store. Pretty sneaky. Also, according to the BBB, there are 57 complaints against this store, all for similar issues of nondisclosure of various "fees". I suppose I am not alone in realizing this store pulls fast ones.
At all retailers, behind the counter is a Verizon Wireless sign that says the name of the company operating that store. Also, it should say Authorized Premium Retailer on the door. In any case, this fee is not new. It has been communicated by Verizon Wireless numerous times. It was in bill inserts for 4 months prior to it being charged. It was also covered by a few national news sources. While the rep should have told you that you would be charged, you need to take the responsibility to know all of your options for purchasing. See, I am sure that you were asking a lot of good questions to the rep about your plan and bill and the device itself. It is possible that that in that conversation the rep simply forgot to mention it to you. After all, that rep is a human being and is entitled to make mistakes or forget things every once in while. Just the same as you. Forget all of the BBB reports about that store. Those just indicate that there are 57 other people who didn't educate themselves before making a purchase too and now they want someone else to shoulder the blame. We all pay the $40 upgrade fee if we choose a 2 year contract. I don't know why anyone would do that anyway as the Device Payment Plan is so much better.
If you go to the Street View of the address one can clearly make out the "Cellular Sales" label under the Verizon Wireless sign on the side of the building. The Verizon Wireless only sign above the entrance is misleading and depending on the policy regarding third party retailers a possible violation of the retailer agreement.
I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.
Believe it or not, Verizon has corporate employees that kind of oversee the retailers. Their supposed to visit the stores to make sure signage is correct and that the employees know the promotions and stuff. Cellular Sales wouldn't pay for the sign to be correct then later pay for a change that makes it violate terms. At least, I don't think that they would.
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