I want to complain about my experience migrating phone number from post-paid to pre-paid account.
MicheleYL
Newbie

I have no idea how to complain or provide feedback to Verizon about my experience.  I even called today to clarify my billing, and the person had no idea who/ where I was supposed to place a complaint about service.

My experience of migrating my Verizon post-paid account phone number to a new pre-paid phone was so harrowing, that I almost just said "F___-it! I'm just gonna open an account with another carrier".  I communicated with employees prior to purchasing/ starting the pre-paid account to make sure that I was doing everything "right" for transferring my post-paid phone number to a pre-paid account.  However, when it came to doing the actual migration of the phone number, EVERYONE I spoke with seemed uninformed and perplexed.  Of course, I'm okay with this to some extent, as long as the person is able to research or ask someone else what to do.  Only one sales person seemed to do this. Unfortunately, I then needed to be transferred to the pre-pay department.  I was told that they (the sales dept) would talk with the pre-paid person to update them about what was going on.  Instead, when I was transferred, the pre-paid person seemed uninformed.  Then, to make it worse, I could not understand him due to the quality of his English. It was not a matter of his accent.  He was actually having trouble speaking/ forming sentences.  I had to politely tell him that I was having a hard time understanding him, and could he transfer me to another person?  I get transferred back to sales. Re-explain, get transferred back to pre-pay...again, I can't understand what he (new pre-pay person) is trying to explain to me...something about needing to charge me another $45?? I exasperatedly say, "I don't understand".  Without telling me he is transferring me, I am transferred back to sales again.  Re-explain, get transferred back to pre-pay...this guy is also very difficult to understand.  His English seems a bit more fluent than the others, but now there is terrible sound/ static/ bad headset??  I explain everything to him again (even though the sales guy said that he told him what was going on)...now this guy says that I can't use my phone number (the one I want to transfer from the post-pay account) for a month!  It will not function at all for a month!  Now I'm pissed. I use profanity for the first time in this 3hour long process!  He puts me on hold for a long time.  Comes back, and tells me that his manager has fixed it...I just need to reboot the phone.  FINALLY it works.

I cannot believe that there is not a clear protocol written somewhere for EVERYONE to reference re. "How to migrate a post-paid phone number to a pre-paid phone".  Some of the conversation I had implied that part of the problem is what I was told prior to buying the phone (to buy a pre-paid phone with a pre-paid number as a new customer).  Other issues just seemed to be some serious issues with the disconnect between the post-paid department and the pre-paid department.  And finally, the entire pre-pay department seems to be men from Africa who I cannot understand.  I don't have a problem with an accent, but if I feel that I need to reiterate what they said because I am so nervous that we are misunderstanding each other...there is a serious problem.  I really felt that they were having a hard time forming sentences.  If you want to keep customers, maybe you should make it easier for them by educating your employees on this. And choose customer service reps from a country where English is spoken more fluently

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Re: I want to complain about my experience migrating phone number from post-paid to pre-paid account.
sprmankalel
Champion - Level 3

Really, what happens when you want to transfer from post-pay to pre-pay you go to a store and they do it for you. There is never a need to buy a pre-pay phone and set it up with a new telephone number.

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Re: I want to complain about my experience migrating phone number from post-paid to pre-paid account.
MicheleYL
Newbie

To clarify, I bought the phone and the plan online via Verizon website with the assistance of Verizon reps.

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Re: I want to complain about my experience migrating phone number from post-paid to pre-paid account.
sprmankalel
Champion - Level 3

There is never a need to get a new telephone number. This process is seamless. The telephone rep should have been able to transfer your account to pre-pay without the need to purchase a new phone.

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Re: I want to complain about my experience migrating phone number from post-paid to pre-paid account.
MicheleYL
Newbie

I needed a new device due to specific apps that I needed not being compatible with my old android.

Regardless, it seems you agree, that I was not given correct instructions for the best way to do what I needed to do.  Beyond that, I was told that it was commonplace for places like Best Buy to sign the person up for a new telephone number when it may not be necessary.  If so, there should be a protocol in place for figuring out a situation like this.  Unfortunately, this situation was not created by an employee at Best Buy, but by Verizon reps (more than one of them) who told me that I needed to do this.  One of whom walked me through the purchase step-by-step.

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Re: I want to complain about my experience migrating phone number from post-paid to pre-paid account.
sprmankalel
Champion - Level 3

Yes. The reason is churn (disconnects). When you go from post to pre-pay that have to cancel your account. It looks like a disconnect. When you purchase a new pre-pay device and set it up with a new number it looks like a new activation. It is not as easy to port an already existing number over top of the new pre-pay number but it can be done and it doesn't look like churn.

What should have happened is the following:

1.) Your number should have been transferred to pre-pay using your existing device.

2.) You should have been able to go to BestBuy, Target, Walmart, etc. (not a VZW store) to buy the phone that you wanted. (Could be reversed with step 1)

3.) The new phone should have been activated on your number.

This really should have taken about an hour.

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