IPhone Trade In Scam

[Serendipite1019]

I wish I knew a forum like this existed prior to being sucked into the scam that is verizons trade in program. I upgraded from a 4s to the 6 because I was offered $200 for my old phone. My white 16gb 4s has never been without a screen protector and never without a case. The body was flawless. The operation of the phone was in perfect working condition. I honestly answered all the questions provided and Verizon offered me $200. Awesome right? Sure, why not upgrade then.

Upone recieving mving my new phone, I followed all the instructions Verizon provided about sending in the phone. It was sent in with a full charge, completely wiped clean of data and "Find my iphone" turned off. I placed in the the poor excuse of the protective envelope they provided and mailed it. Priority, with insurance. Priority mail requires notification of delivery. After 3 weeks, I still did not receive a notification that Verizon recieved my phone. I spent countless hours of the phone with the postal service who was able to see that the phone left their shipping facility but was never scanned on the other end.  I am also not the only person who had this same issue. Its very comforting to know that Verizon doesn't even care enough about your phones to scan them as they come into the processing plant.

3 days ago I called Verizon looking for my phone. The representative had difficulty locating someone from the trade in program and all I was told, was to log into the Trade in website. I've been doing that for over a month but never with success. Even this morning, after receiving my emailed gift card, I still do not have access to that website.

The gift card I was given was for $36. Not the $200 Verizon promised. It was then I realized I had made a huge mistake. I found this forum and now I'm swimming in the muck that Verizon has sucked us all into. I called the phone number provided for the trade in program and spoke to a very exasperated Patrick. This poor young man sounds like he has been whipped repeatedly. No surprise there. He quickly told me he was sending my case to "escalation" and someone will immediately get back to me to help resolve the issue. I won't hold my breath.

I have been a Verizon customer for 12 years and have never felt so disprescted and used. They no longer have my trust and therefore, should no longer have my loyalty.

[belleinpink]

I just got off the phone with the customer service at (877) 247-3846.  I also received an e-mail for a gift card with $36.  She informed me that I had not turned off the find my iPhone capability (which I had), but that Verizon has chosen to honor the $200 on these phones anyway.  She said that I should receive another e-mail within 3-5 business days that contains a supplemental gift card of $164.  Hopefully this is true and resolves the issue for customers.  If not, I will be calling my regional president as outlined in this post: Re: Verizon Trade-In Program Scam

Good luck, everyone!

[kohmanncmh]

I am having the same issue. I put my perfectly intact IPhone4 in the shipping materials provided by Verizon, which consisted of an envelope of bubble wrap and a paper envelope. When I called the store to inquire about the seemingly inadequate packaging to protect the phone I was assured it would be fine and I had to use the provided envelope because it had a code on it they needed. No big surprise, when I received my gift card it was for $76 instead of $ 200. Per the customer service rep, the phone arrived damaged (cracked) on the side and back. It has supposedly been escalated but I'm told I will have to wait seven to ten business days for a response and I am sure this will not be the end of it. I'm extremely frustrated, especially after reading the forums and seeing how many other people are forced to take time out of their busy schedules to deal with this ridiculous issue. Any suggestions how to get this resolved sooner would be appreciated. I, too, was counting on this money after shelling out cash for the new iPhone 6.

[blps53]

I am happy to say that Verizon did make good on an additional refund so with the initial $36 credit, I was issued a second credit of $164 totaling the expected $200.

I was disappointed that many of us had to go through hoops to get it, but keep at it if you are in the same position. I hope Verizon can get this straightened out to avoid further problems.

[cd3188]

Glad to hear it.  I hope at some point they'll credit me the rest of what they owe, though given their unresponsiveness to all of my phone calls and emails to date, I'm not particularly hopeful.  Of course, even if I do get the $200, I'll still recommend to everyone I know not to use Verizon, and will cancel my account at the end of my contract.  If more people stand up for their rights, companies like Verizon will stop engaging in illegal and unethical practices.

[Mnmi987]

Update and good news! We have now received the full $200 after contacting the regional executive for our area. The Verizon rep from that office was very apologetic and really eager to help us resolve this issue. Our account was credited for the extra $164 by the rep and I now consider the matter closed. I have not yet heard back from the Rebate Center after the issue was escalated so if you are in the same boat as we were, you may want to contact your regional executive and explain the problem to them. On a related note, our other trade in phone received the full $200 with no problem. Good luck to all!

[ihateverizonnow]

I just got $36 dollars for my wife's iPhone because it wouldn't power on.  Funny, because it worked fine before I sent it in.  Also, 4 weeks later, they still don't have my iPhone.  Will call today, not expecting much.  Verizon can expect to lose my business.  I was going to get my daughter a phone today for Christmas, guess not...

[anconnell]

Yup. Same here. Bad enough that they tacked on a bunch of fees that they somehow failed to mention in their promotions, but then to get back $36 on a phone that worked perfectly and had a screen protector on throughout it's life is either false advertising or downright fraud. Surprised there's not an attorney (or attorneys) jumping on this.

[rcschnoor]

anconnell wrote:

Surprised there's not an attorney (or attorneys) jumping on this.

Let's see. You got $36 when you were expecting $200, making a difference of $164. If you can only expect an additional $164, that is not a lot of money for an attorney to get excited about. The attorney fees would probably set you back more than the amount you would receive.

You would probably have better luck exploring the methods of resolution that many on this thread have claimed to be successful. You will most likely get your full amount if you do so.

[anconnell]

Understand. But if there are 100,000 people who join, that will be a lot more profitable. The Apple Cord issue was a lot less per person.