Authorized retailer selling refurbished phones as new
tlkaui
Newbie

Bought a new iPhone 7 from Mobile Guru DBA Mobile Guru NYC Fulton St. They are located at 102 Fulton Street, #104, New York 10038-2707. After 3 weeks, phone battery indicator is jumping up and down and phone is dying at random times. Called Verizon cusotmer service and they said it's new, so call tech support and they'll troubleshoot and replace if necessary.

Took it to a real Verizon Store at 581 Broadway in New York instead of calling tech support and was informed that we would have to pay for a new battery. The salesperson suggested we take it to Apple so it would be covered under the manufacturer's warranty.

When we went to Apple, we were informed that the phone was not new and wouldn’t be covered under the warranty. It was a refurbished 2016 model. In addition, when Apple went to replace the battery, they removed the screen and found that the screen was not the original, it was a third-party replacement screen.

I'm writing to Verizon Correspondence Team to file a complaint against the sale by Mobile Guru and dispute the monthly billing for a phone that was sold fraudulently. 

Any advice or input is appreciated. Thanks!

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Re: Authorized retailer selling refurbished phones as new
rql
Enthusiast - Level 1

Similar story, same store.

If there hadn't been the Verizon logo everywhere and we hadn't been in a total rush to get a phone, we might not have gone for this swindle. I didn't even know that these little stores are franchises. Verizon should still take responsibility for this, franchise or not.

in March this year, we urgently needed a new phone, saw a “Verizon” store, and went in, trusting that a Verizon business won't be a total scam. The salesperson, John (turns out he’s the manager), at 104 Fulton St, NYC 10038, lied to us on at least five counts:

1. What he called a “new” phone—“returned by a customer within 14 days”—was not “new.” He kept calling it “new.”
2. The “original” box turned out to be a box belonging to a very different phone (but same color), we saw later. And there were no ear phones.
3. The promised 32 GB on the phone was actually 16GB.
4. The one-year warranty, when at home we checked the serial number with Apple, was completely expired, not a day left.
5. At that point, we checked the battery health: 72%.
6. The supposed SIM card in the phone was missing.

BTW, we walked in wanting a phone. He said he had one and said it was not refurbished. Great. Then he asks about our Verizon Wireless contract and offers a better one, we take it, and after 20 mins. of switching accounts, he bring that phone. Stupidly and absolutely in need of a phone, we buy it (also very overpriced, even if the phone were what he claimed it was).

Then there's no paperwork: "broken printer." Only a cash register receipt.

And final sale no returns (on a supposedly new phone?).

If we hadn’t thought we were buying at a genuine Verizon store, we wouldn’t have gone in, and wouldn’t have allowed ourselves to be duped quite as badly. All I know is that the store represents Verizon. As a customer trusting the brand (to a degree), I shouldn’t be required to do research about a shop when I think I am in a genuine Verizon store. But they did not respond to our complaints. 

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Re: Authorized retailer selling refurbished phones as new
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Thank you for reaching out to us, rql. We strive to provide top-notch service in all our stores, so I'm sorry that we fell short of our expectations with regard to your phone. It's vital to have a properly working phone and I understand your frustration when you got conflicting information. How is your phone working? Have we performed any troubleshooting? Please check your private messages for more information.

TracyB_VZW

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