Charge $300 for equipment that was used for a trade in credit!!

[us2keys]

This is a long story that started in October. (8 months ago).  I upgraded my phone using the edge program.  The sales rep took my phone and inspected it.  He said they would take it as a "Trade in credit".  They took my phone and I upgraded to Edge.  I have used my new iPhone 6 since then with no problem.  Then all of a sudden I see a $300 charge on my bill on top of my normal bill.  I call customer support and they tell me that the phone was never sent to them.  I explained the story to them, and they tell me to call the store that sold me the phone and that there is nothing that they can do with it on their end.  I called the store and they said that there was nothing that they could do and I should talk to the sales rep that sold me the phone personally. I said "ok..... Is he working today?"  They said "I don't know."  I don't understand that you are standing in the store and don't know if one of your sales reps is working or not.  The sales associate then gives me the reps personal cell number and tells me to call him and see if he answers.  So...... I called him.  He was home on his day off and was blind sided at the thought that I was given his personal cell number.  He was very helpful and told me that he would take care of the problem when he got back to work the next day.  He told me that this is an ongoing known problem with the edge program and that because my Bill of Sale shows that I did in fact trade my phone in that it should be no problem to fix it.  Guess what..... fell through the cracks again.  Imagine that.  So I have made multiple calls to the local store and to customer service.  The local store keeps telling me that the manager is not working or that he will call me back but that they are very busy and may take a few days.  Customer service says that there is still nothing that they can do.  So nobody wants to do their job.  I have been a Verizon Customer for a very long time.  I have always paid my bill without fail.  This is the thanks I get.  I will be going to the store personally tomorrow.  If I still cant get help I will be contacting the BBB tomorrow afternoon.  If anybody can help I would be very grateful.  Thanks.

[mama23dogs]

IM sorry this happened and I hope a Verizon customer service rep will chime in soon. 

THe process is, the customer is given a shipping package and is required to send the phone in.

it isn't supposed to stay in the store.

[MiiHere]

You're doing all the right things. It sounds like you did the Early Edge contract, which is why you had to send in the original phone you bought on the 2 year contract and in perfect working condition. It sounds like the store didn't send it in which is worry worthy.

You said the Verizon Rep that assisted you in the sale mentioned a "Bill of Sale" so when you go in tomorrow I would ask them to pull that up and print it for you. Did you go to a Verizon Corporate store or a Faux Verizon store? (retailer, one inside a shopping mall, best buy)

[us2keys]

I already have a copy of the bill of sale showing that I have a trade in credit.  They said, that because it wasn't worth much it was better to leave it with them as a trade in credit than to send it back.  I wonder if the sales rep stole the phone instead of sending it in??

[vzw_customer_support]

us2keys,

Seeing a charge like this would definitely cause a few eyebrows to raise in my family! I can imagine that you were quite surprised to see this. I certainly can review this for you to see what is going on. I will need to get some account information from you, so please be on the lookout for my Private Message.

ErinW_VZW Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport If my response answered your question please click the "Correct Answer" button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[MiiHere]

That is fishy.

Were you out of contract when you upgraded to the Edge contract? Or were you in the middle of a 2 year contract?

[us2keys]

I was in the middle of my contract and upgraded.  The rep said that if the phone was not turned in then Verizon would have contacted me within 14 days to get the phone.  8 months later is when I was billed.  Now I am trying to track down stuff from 8 months ago. Ridiculous!!

[us2keys]

I would love for you to follow up with this because nobody else seems to be able to help me.

[MiiHere]

You did Early Edge which does require your phone to be sent in. Did you ever get a trade in credit from your device? On the following November/December/January bills?

[us2keys]

Not sure.  It shows a 50 credit on my Bill of Sale.  With all the fees and crap on the following bill I didnt pay attention to it to see.