makes me wonder if I picked the right phone company
Anna_Spruill
Newbie

I have been a dedicated Verizon Wireless customer for about 3 years now. Couple months ago I renewed my contract for another 2 years. I was really excited about getting a new device which would give me more options of doing things online and being able to enjoy the convenience of the 4G speed. Screen protection, double cover for the phone, hands-free - I got it all! Everything was great until a few days ago my phone simply shut down on me. Of course the first thing I decided to do was to call customer care. A representative was trying to help me fix the problem but nothing would work. So I went to a Verizon store and asked them to trouble shoot the device. It turned out that my almost brand new phone was not in a condition to ever work again. So I was told by a customer representative at the store that they were going to order a replacement device for me and I was supposed to get it over night. We are all very busy people and those of us who are lucky enough to have devices that help us bank online from our phones, check emails and set up tasks and meetings on everyday basis would understand the frustration of not being able to perform everyday tasks because the phone you relied on is broken. Since there`s no such thing as a loaner phone any more, I was sent on my way without being able to communicate. I travel a lot between two states - working in one, living in the other. The thought of being on the road and simply not being able to even make a phone call in case of an emergency is pretty terrifying (don`t you think?). I placed quite a few phone calls to customer service to see when my phone was going to be delivered to the house. Unfortunately the lady on the other end of the line told me she couldn`t locate my tracking number and probably it has not been processed yet. She asked me to call back first thing next morning. My simple question was: From what phone do you want me to call you back? Pretty reasonable question actually! It felt like we were just running in circles. That night I managed to find one of my old devices which happened to work, so in the morning I could activate it and be able to place phone calls and check my emails. As I made it back to the Verizon store the next morning and asked a gentleman who was helping me about the tracking number and delivery time, I was shocked to hear that my phone was not going to make it to place of my residency that day. Matter of fact he told me it was going to take 3-5 business days and the phone has not even been shipped yet! I was speechless. One person tells me overnight, another one tells me 3 to 5 business days.. I understand there`s certain policies and procedures but they could have at least stuck to the same story! I asked to change the delivery address so it would have been easier for me to get the package (like I said I run between two states all the time). The answer I received was No, we cannot do that. I asked them to just activate my old phone and headed out for an appointment. I was not thrilled with the way it all has been handled but I decided to let it go. Little did I know, that was not the end of that problem. I called the Verizon customer care once again with the same questions: what is my tracking number and when is the device going to be delivered. Still could not get an answer for any of those questions. The lady on the phone told me that I would get a call back when they finally get the information I`m acquiring. Well let`s put it this way, I would have still been waiting for that phone call, if I did not call them back two days later. Finally I got that "magic" box with my replaced Motorola Razor. Feeling relief and excitement I went back to the store to get my phone set up again. Sales clerk asked me if I had a Sims card for it. I told him that there`s one in my old phone. He explained to me that it was not going to be working. Can you imagine the expression on my face as he was telling me all that?! All I could think about was how they could not have ordered another Sims card if they knew the old one was not good any longer. The sales clerk offered to order one for me with an overnight shipment. I said: just like my phone being shipped over night and it took like 4 days??!! So he said that they had cards in the store that I could buy. And I did simply because I needed my phone back ASAP. I never knew that the warranty covers only the phone, but not its parts! It`s like buying a brand new vehicle off the lot with no gas in it!! Ridiculous was the word of that moment. So now I`m wondering if I made the right choice when I picked Verizon as my cell phone company. After all I can take my $100/month bill somewhere else. If that`s how clients are appreciated by the company, I don`t feel like I need to keep my service with Verizon or for that matter refer any of my friends, family members and customers to Verizon.

Labels (1)
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Re: makes me wonder if I picked the right phone company
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

What happened to your old SIM card?  You should have been able to move that card to the new replacement device.

As for the rest, the wall of text was little hard to get through.

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: makes me wonder if I picked the right phone company
cmauze2
Enthusiast - Level 3

Ann154 wrote:

What happened to your old SIM card?  You should have been able to move that card to the new replacement device.

[quoted]:

"Sales clerk asked me if I had a Sims card for it. I told him that there`s one in my old phone. He explained to me that it was not going to be working..."

Or were you referring to the one in the old temporary replacement device? Would that even be compatible with the newer phones?

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Re: makes me wonder if I picked the right phone company
TheDiabolicaL1
Contributor - Level 1

Similar to my recent story where I was supposed to be getting a new SIM card to fix a problem with my device shipped overnight.  When I called two days later for a tracking number I'm told that it shipped 5-7 days.  If I wanted one shipped overnight, there was a $12.99 fee for it.

I cannot believe they CHARGED you for a SIM card.  That is outrageous!

OP, I'm sorry that happened to you.  Make sure all "negotiations" with Verizon get noted to the account.  When they say they're going to do something for you- go ahead and ask for it in "writing" otherwise they won't stand up to their word.

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Re: makes me wonder if I picked the right phone company
shannonhinds
Newbie

Another thing is that if your "new" phone is defective (the one you just paid full price for new) when you take it in and they order you a new one, I know the 3-5 days as I had to deal with that issue before. The phone they ship you is not a brand new on. It is refurbished. You may want to check into that. I have four lines actually and we cannot seem to get our phones to last for the two year contract and usually something happens when they are still under warranty, but they always ship us a refurbished phone. I would think if you bought a new phone and something was wrong with it, they would ship or give you a new phone at the store not a used one shipped. Am I incorrect in thinking that?

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Re: makes me wonder if I picked the right phone company
TheDiabolicaL1
Contributor - Level 1

No, they won't give you a new phone.  They give you a refurb.  Even if you purchase a new phone that's defective, it's replaced with another defective device, which, this could even be the same day-  the "official policy" is to provide you, at that point with a refurb.

Lame, isn't it.

I am experiencing this exact thing right now.  S3's are junk.

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Re: makes me wonder if I picked the right phone company
rall_g4
Contributor - Level 3

Ann154 wrote:

What happened to your old SIM card?  You should have been able to move that card to the new replacement device.

As for the rest, the wall of text was little hard to get through.

I  was able to get through "the wall of text" just fine.

Re: makes me wonder if I picked the right phone company
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

TheDiabolicaL1 wrote:

Couldn't be bothered to chug through it anyways? 

So helpful..

Why do you even bother if you all you intend to add is criticism? I read through that original message twice last night trying to make sense of it. Paragraphs help break up the story in readable topic points.

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: makes me wonder if I picked the right phone company
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

cmauze2 wrote:

Ann154 wrote:

What happened to your old SIM card?  You should have been able to move that card to the new replacement device.

[quoted]:

"Sales clerk asked me if I had a Sims card for it. I told him that there`s one in my old phone. He explained to me that it was not going to be working..."

Or were you referring to the one in the old temporary replacement device? Would that even be compatible with the newer phones?

The one that wasn't working had a 4G LTE SIM card in it. It should have usable in the replacement Razr. It was only until I read the OP a third time this morning that there might be a third device involved. It would be nice if people would give more specifics on what devices are active at what time. Then the readers of this community can follow the progression of the events better.

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: makes me wonder if I picked the right phone company
TheDiabolicaL1
Contributor - Level 1

You should know that VZW gave me a SIM card, in the store, free of charge today.  My 4th one.  I haven't paid for a single SIM card.

Just saying...

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