Do NOT upgrade your phone with Verizon

[Ginnybrownp]

I recently upgraded my daughter's phone. The upgrade offer said that she would get a $19 credit every month. I did the entire transaction online like the website said, including trading in her old phone. After I placed the order, I received the following email (some info is deleted for privacy).

Order details Order placed 11/26/2018 Order number 64946.... Location code E247501 Store order number 1239956

Order selections Your plan The new Verizon Plan Large 8 GB Due monthly $70.00

Due today Due monthly** Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB in Midnight Black Order number: 64946...….. Device payment agreement Retail price: $696.00 Down payment $ Monthly device payment $29.00 Note: Your first month's device payment of $29.00 will appear on your first bill, and we'll email you a bill summary once you activate your device. Promo credit applied in 1-2 billing cycles‡ -$19.00 Upgrade Fee $30.00

It was everything exactly as was stated in the offer on their website, so no problem, right?

AFTER I activated the new phone, my daughter's line only got a $4.16 credit. We contacted Verizon via chat, got an additional $14.84 credit, and were told the issue would be resolved.  MONTH TWO, SAME THING.

MONTH THREE! SAME THING....only THIS TIME, when we contacted Verizon via chat, we were told that we were never eligible for the promotion, because we didn't add a line. What?  Verizon asked us to upgrade a phone that was already on a line on the account.  So we asked about the email they sent us, that said we would get a $19 credit every month.  Apparently, IT MEANS NOTHING, BECAUSE VERIZON DOES NOT FEEL THE NEED TO OPERATE IN GOOD FAITH.

So now, my daughter is stuck with a phone she can't afford, because Verizon decided to change their promotion and has no desire to honor an email they sent out to a paying customer.  Which really means I am the one stuck paying for the phone, because I convinced her it was a good offer from a reputable company.  Boy, was I WRONG!

I hope Verizon realizes that I will be posting this review of them EVERYWHERE.

[vzw_customer_support]

Ginnybrownp, it saddens me to hear you feel this way as we want you to love your service with us. Upgrading is supposed to be a fun and exciting time and getting the best deal on the phone is always a good thing. Help is here as you deserve resolution in this matter. As a consumer myself, I know how important it is to have a handle on the monthly bills and I don't want to see your daughter in a position where she cannot afford her phone. Based on the date provided for the upgrade, I see that the promotion in question was the Pre-Holiday 2018: Up to $300.00 off select Android/iPhone smartphones with Trade-in. This promotion states that when activating a new line of service (including a port-in or adding a new line to an existing account) that line will receive $300.00 off. The promotion also was offered to our existing customers who only wanted to upgrade their existing line as you'd receive $100.00. Because your daughter's line was an existing line, she received $100.00 off for the monthly discount of $4.16. This is the correct amount. I'd love the opportunity to review the email in question. I’ve sent you a private message here in the forum. Please check your inbox at https://community.verizonwireless.com/inbox to discuss further details about your concern. 

NatashaR_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!!

[Ginnybrownp]

Well, Natasha, since the email clearly states that we were to get a $19 a

month credit, I don’t see how I am mistaken. And further, if there wasn’t a

$19 per month credit offered to us, I would never have arranged for my

daughter to buy the phone. If you would like to provide me with a Verizon

company email address, I will happily send you the email in its entirety.

On Thu, Feb 7, 2019 at 4:14 PM vzw_customer_support <

[glitchedpixel]

Verizon lists what requirements are for promotion before you order. Under shop, there is a lowercase "i" that shows you if you need to do anything special like add a new line. One promo they've been doing for awhile is offering $100 for trade-in on an upgrade and $300 if you did the same on a new line.

There's nothing to honor if you didn't fulfill promo obligations like a new line of service.

[Ginnybrownp]

Except that THEY SENT US A CONFIRMATION EMAIL, WITH OUR ORDER NUMBER,

STATING THERE WOULD BE A $19 CREDIT EVERY MONTH. ALL BEFORE WE RECEIVED OR

ACTIVATED THE PHONE.

Had they said the credit was only $4 a month, I would have returned the

phone without activating it.

It’s really that simple.

On Thu, Feb 7, 2019 at 8:27 PM glitchedpixel <forums@verizonwireless.com>

[joey2007ua64]

Verizon Wireless Customer Support wrote:

Based on the date provided for the upgrade, I see that the promotion in question was the Pre-Holiday 2018:

The DATE provided in Ginnybrownp's screenshot is 11/26/2018 which was a little event known as CYBER MONDAY during which the S8 and LG G7 ThinQ were offered online only for $10/month with no trade-in and no new line required.  Also the Pixel 2 XL was $15/month and the Moto Z3 was $5/month. 

[Ginnybrownp]

That is super helpful.  Thank you!

[boringusername]

It really pays to READ the terms of any deal.

[Ginnybrownp]

Again! The CONFIRMATION EMAIL WITH MY ORDER NUMBER!!!

[joegrayjo11]

Exact same thing happened to me. Upgraded a phone after being sent a text about $250.00 dollar credit to upgrade. Did the upgrade in August. Every month no credit, every month chat, and every chat a different excuse and story. I am very close to cancelling service with them.