Why does Verizion care more about $30 than keeping customers?
Annoyed_at_Verizon

My wireless contract is up on July 28, 2013.  I went to the store to upgrade our phones and renew our contract.  I received an email congratulating me on being such a great customer and I have worked hard to earn a free phone upgrade.  I go to the store, pick out our phones, the agent takes an hour to program the new phones and then tells me that we owe $150.00.  I ask why - he says it's the upgrade fee. The email I received didn't mention an upgrade fee, the sales person at the store never mentioned or advised us of a $30 fee for our free upgrade until after we picked out and he programmed our new phones.  When I called customer service and asked the supervisor "Is it more important to Verizon to collect the $150 upgrade fee than to keep me as a customer and earn monthly revenue from my wireless and Fios contracts?"  He gave a lame long winded response that started with "everyone else is doing it" and ended with yes.  So I asked him again "Is it more important to Verizon to collect the $150 upgrade fee than to  keep me as a customer and earn monthly revenue from my wireless and  Fios contracts?" - He said " yes.  It is more important to collect the fee than keep you as our customer."  I think this says it all...Verizon cares more about cares charging it's customer's extra fees than keeping us as customers.  And... Verizon...is "Everyone else charges" really a good reason for you to charge?  Remember when you were young asking your mom to do something and saying "Please everyone else is doing it" or getting into trouble and saying "Everyone Else is doing it"...what was the response?  The response was always.."What if everyone else were jumping off a bridge?"  Maybe if your customer service and sales people were less rude and you gave your customers more value for their dollar instead of more crap your long time customers would be looking elsewhere.  You want loyalty from your customers...you should try giving your customers a little bit of loyalty.  I will be moving our business elsewhere.

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Re: Why does Verizion care more about $30 than keeping customers?
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

The upgrade fee is $30 per phone line.  How many lines were you upgrading? 

I would check the email you got again.  In the fine print of the ones I get it has "Activation/upgrade fee/line up to $35."  The activation for a new line is $35 and the upgrade fee is $30 for purchase of a subsidized two year contract price.

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: Why does Verizion care more about $30 than keeping customers?
Annoyed_at_Verizon

We have 5 phones on our plan...I read my email - several times...it doesn't say it on the email I received. The fee is charged per phone/not per account and I am not the only complaining that either nothing was said to them and they were blindsided at check out or that they were not told and the fees appeared on their bills. 

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Re: Why does Verizion care more about $30 than keeping customers?
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

The fine print from my email.

IMG_20130627_221037.JPG

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

Re: Why does Verizion care more about $30 than keeping customers?
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

The upgrade fee has always been per line.

If an upgrade fee ended up on someone's bill then the customer upgraded at a third party retailer and not a corporate store.

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: Why does Verizion care more about $30 than keeping customers?
JWDragair
Enthusiast - Level 3

Firstly, the upgrade fee has been around since April of last year. Sorry you didn't know about it, but frankly it's old news by now.

Secondly, Verizon is actually charging you LESS than any other carrier would for an upgrade. AT&T's upgrade fee is $36, and Sprint's is all kinds of messed up and involves some sort of extra activation fee. So I wouldn't get all upset over the upgrade fee if I were you since leaving the company will cost you much more over time than just sticking with 'em.

Thirdly, there's no real excuse for how that CSR acted towards you, imho no CSR should ever tell you that their company values money more than their customers. That in particular I would file a formal complaint against that rep specifically because that behavior is inexcusable

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Re: Why does Verizion care more about $30 than keeping customers?
budone
Legend

I highly question whether the CSR actually said that, the way it is written

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Re: Why does Verizion care more about $30 than keeping customers?
leavingVerizonWireles
Enthusiast - Level 1

Annoyed_at_Verizon I know EXACTLY how you feel.  It's almost feels like a betrayal of sorts.  I've been with Verizon Wireless since it merged with Bell Atlantic - too long to remember.  I've never had a problem and always prided myself on being able to say "my cell phone service is with Verizon not Customer No Service Sprint".  I've experienced a problem with Verizon for the past year, and still have yet to receive any resolution.  After years of paying for insurance, and 6 years of not using free upgrades for 2 of my 3 cell phones, I was forced to purchase a full priced data package because Asurion no longer offered basic cell phones as replacements.  Surprisingly enough, Verizon was willing to sell me a recycled one for $100.00!  I am still livid.  To top it off, I was not eligible for unlimited data at $30, although a family member who has been with Verizon for less than 5 years (on my referral) was.  After being hung up on, treated without any respect, and finally told if I had to leave they were sorry to see me go, I gave in and decided to use a $100 Upgrade Credit that had been on my account since 2009.  Would you believe when I logged on to use the credit last week it was gone.  Verizon's response, we removed it because we no longer off it!  Can you believe that?  I understand no longer offering the credit, but to remove a credit already given to a customer is so underhanded.  The worst part, not one representative offered to give it back.  The most I was offered was a $10 discount on the 30 2GB charge, but when the rep tried to give me that, she was told by a superior that she couldn't do so, as it was only available to customers on the Family Share Plan.   I went in to the local store to confirm what I was told and the local representative gave me the website www.verizonwirelesssurvey.com , and assured me before porting my numbers to a new phone carrier, I should leave my complaint on that website and someone would definitely call me.  Well it's been 2 weeks and not one phone call or email.  Surprisingly, not once has the call been escalated to a manager or to a customer retention.  I guess loyalty means nothing to Verizon Wireless anymore.  It's time to change carriers.