I think I got duped.

[elliew]

GM2015 - if you are on the MoreEverything plan you are also receiving a $15-$25 monthly discount that offsets that monthly payment. The Early Edge program does require that you send in your old phone or pay a non-returned-device fee of $299. The supervisor and giftcard took care of that for you as well.    

So far all you have done is point out the terms and features of the Early Edge program. You have not been wronged - if you didn't want to upgrade early, why did you?

[GM2015]

Weth--if not eligible, why did the sales rep direct me to send the device in that manner? Elliew--I'll have to look into the More Everything discount you pointed out--it does sound familiar--but for the purpose of answering your question, let's assume I am already receiving a $25 discount. Now, let's pretend you are me, you're satisfied with the iPhone you have, and today I told you that for basically the same monthly charge you are already paying, I'll give you $200 and the upgraded version of your iPhone--would that be a difficult decision for you?

[sprmankalel]

Let's see if I can make this make sense for you since others are correct but not providing ALL the information.

I have LOTS of experience with this stuff.

You were not eligible to get an upgrade until June-July of 2015 (I don't remember which one you stated in your previous post) because you were on a contract. You were offered to upgrade early utilizing the Early Edge program. This means that you will take the new phone and pay full cost split up over 24 months. I know that you are aware of this information. The caveat here is that you must return the device that you are currently using for a $0 trade in. This is because you had not finished your current contract but VZW was letting you out of it by agreeing to Edge and returning the phone.

At the time the iPhone 6 was released there was ALSO a promotion that was giving customers $200 for their qualifying iPhone 4, 4S, 5 or 5C. This was for those customers that were out of contract and fully owned their devices. You did not qualify for this $200 trade in because you did not complete your contract. The rep  who placed your order processed it incorrectly.

Now to the fees. Because you were supposed to turn your iPhone 4S in and receive nothing except the ability to upgrade via Edge and get out of the contract you were in, you were billed the $299 because one department was awaiting the device but another received it. You, by no fault of your own, received the $200 that you weren't supposed to. The supervisor who credited you the $99 really did you a favor by making the $200 charge on your bill match the $200 that you weren't supposed to receive. This makes it an even exchange. Since you technically weren't supposed to receive the $200 it evens itself out.

Remember that you have lost nothing at this point. I think this is VZW doing the right thing because they really could have made you pay the whole $299 but that wouldn't have been fair because it was the original rep who ordered the phone who made the mistake. It was just that, a mistake and you are not on the hook for owing any more money than you would have if the whole deal had been explained and processed properly.

I hope this clears up any confusion.

[GM2015]

Somewhere in the conversation the original intent of my post was lost.

The first rep I spoke to in September never mentioned the $299 return fee--she never called it an Early Edge, just an enrollment into the Edge program. I don't know if that is at all relevant but it is a point of fact--and she affirmed the deal was specific to the email I received--which she indicated was exclusive to me--which allowed for a $200 gift card for my returned phone and an upgrade--no strings attached.

Granted--today it is clear to me that I was actually enrolled into a program that required a returned phone to avoid a $299 fee. The rep made an ordering mistake? Fair enough...mistakes happen.

However, Sprmankalel--your assertion that I have lost nothing at this point shows you are not taking client experience into account.  For starters, just try to consider the impact the phrase "the supervisor...did you a favor" might have on a loyal client who has taken time to discuss a situation such as this--

I routinely pay $300-$500 for the mobile phone lines in my household between Verizon wireless and AT&T wireless...it is almost an afterthought because the charges are on Autopay. The email I received from this company put a task on my daily To Do list because it pointed out an unexpected charge to my bill that I was completely unaware of and when calling in--on my TIME--I was given the runaround. (Again, I'll point out the fact that I called in December--when I received the first email regarding returning the device and even then a rep told me to disregard the email because I had already received the gift card.)

To be clear, my original intent was to find out whether my experience was shared by others--because it just didn't feel right. I now think it is reasonable to assume so...

[sprmankalel]

Fell however you wish. It is unfortunate but you were given 2 completely different programs. Maybe you would have refused the offer to get a new phone had it bee explained that you would have to return the original phone with no trade in credit. I don't know. Some people take the offer and some don't. I took the offer. Unfortunately, the rep (who may have been new) didn't explain the program to you and allow you to make the most educated decision. That, again, is not your fault. It is truly unfortunate. The fact remains that you weren't supposed to the $200 trade in and Verizon, like any other business wants its money back.

I am sorry but the fact that you pay so much money entitles you to nothing but the services that you are paying for. My bill is $400 a month. It is more than my car payment. What is the threshold? Does the senior citizen with a basic phone who pays $25 a month deserve less than you or me because we pay so much more? Does the person who joined yesterday deserve to be treated differently than the person who has been a subscriber for 12 years? Every customer deserves equal treatment regardless of tenure or how much they pay. The way I see it that argument has no validity. If you feel that you were truly wronged by this situation you do have the freedom of choice and switching carriers is always an option. However you feel, VZW did nothing wrong by asking for the money back that you shouldn't have received.