Verizon Cell Phones Consumer Reviews - Page 4

ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- Verizon had a slam dunk. I needed to change from my corporate phone and I had learned that AT&T did not work in my apartment complex through experience. I went to the local Verizon store to buy a service plan and a phone. I made a few critical mistakes. I went initially on a Tuesday with a basic need for info. After a few minutes, I left with (a) their catalog; (b) the info that none of their Droid demo phones were working; and (c) the business card of the person who provided this information.

I came back on Saturday needing to complete a transaction. I handed the business card to a different associate and learned that (a) the original associate would be in later, and (b) until then, no one could help me because associates work on commission. After pondering the situation for a while, I determined my intent to go to plan B (Best Buy or other) at which point a sales associate was willing to consider my request. My key need, beside a functioning phone with e-mail access, was transfer of my contact lists from my Blackberry. "No problem", I was assured.

A few hundred dollars later, I possessed a new phone and plan provided with grudging assistance. 45 minutes later I learned that they could not actually transfer my contacts because the new phone was too new and Verizon did not have compatible software. This discovery process was somewhat uncomfortable because I have neuropathy and the Verizon store does not have chairs. Both painful and debilitating as well as non-functional.
There were a number of offers posted around the store that were not honored (2 phones for 1, a bundle including Bluetooth). Naturally, I went to Verizon's website to post a comment/question to their customer service.

Unfortunately, selecting the option to send them an e-mail results in a non-responsive browser. I will be harassing Verizon to get them to honor their promises and solve their technical problems with Motorola. In the meantime, my lessons learned are (a) do not rely on Verizon's sales associates to be professional; (b) do not rely on Verizon and their providers to be compatible, and (c) do not expect Verizon to be accessible. Next time - 3rd party seller and consider other options. Since I am within Verizon's 30-day return window (for $35 fee), this may be my choice.

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CALIFORNIA -- Do not make the mistake of thinking Verizon will give you a new phone if the original phone has a flaw. I bought my phone and used it for a short time. It developed static in the transmission to the extent that people at the other end of the call asked me to call them back, the reception was so bad. Verizon provided me with a "reconditioned, like new" phone. It had the same problem and I sent it back. I was given another "reconditioned, like new" phone. It had the same problem so I took it to the sales manager of the Laguna Niguel, CA store.

After too long, he told me "if you try one more "reconditioned, like new phone" I promise that if it still doesn't work, I will give you a new phone". He said that in the presence of a salesperson. I received my third "reconditioned, like new" phone and it had the same problem. I returned to the Sales Manager who told me that he really didn't mean he would give me a "new" phone - he would give me another "refurbished, like new" phone of a different type. He was replaced in the discussions by his associate, another manager. That person continued the same story - even when we confirmed the offer of a "new" phone with the salesperson.

Thus after 4 failed phones, we still could not get a new phone, only a "reconditioned, like new" phone after being given the double talk that it was NEW TO US! As an aside, when we sent our useless phone back for the third time, the FedEx store clerk said "oh, you must be another Verizon customer. We have many of these returns every day." So, I have the same junk phone. A disgust for Verizon and its staff and a contract I can't get out of - even with the problems I've had. Don't use Verizon! T-Mobile and Metro PCS are better, cheaper alternatives!

My husband and I went to get my phone line switched to a separate account from my mom and dad's shortly after we got married. After several assurances that removing my phone line from my parent's plan wouldn't effect their plan, the people who handled our account reduced the minutes my parents had on their account. Further, we got the minimal number of text messages for each month because we don't text often, but we did want some coverage and were told that the plan would cover 250 text messages shared between our phone.

Three months later, we got a phone call about urgent information regarding our account because 57 text messages had been sent from my phone and my phone had no texting plan. We had been told the texting plan was shared between our phones. Further, our bills have been $40/month higher than we were quoted in the store every month.

The first month we could understand because there are always a lot of extra charges the first month, but it has been $40 over every month. We were told we would be under a one year contract. And when we called to find out why our bills were so high, we asked how long we still had on our contract because we intend to change phone companies as soon as possible because of all of this.

Our contract is set up as a two year contract, even though we were told it was only a one year contract. Further, they haven't been sending us monthly paper bills even though we requested it. We just found out it was because they mixed our addresses and had our P. O. box listed as our physical address. A week into our plan, they messed up the security settings on my phone and I spent four hours talking to people trying to get them to fix my phone so I could make outgoing calls. Overall, we have had a horrible experience with Verizon.

I received a bill from Verizon of $63.58 for 10 days of use (7 calls, less than 100 minutes use). When I returned the phone, I did get a full refund. Although the manager was technically correct in her wording, was demeaning in attitude and behavior, and putting as many obstacles in my way as she could possibly do. Definitely hostile.

I had bought the Motorola Droid cell phone from Verizon on 12/15/09. Was concerned that the coverage will work at my home office location (but there was no 3G at my location, & only 1 to 2 bars signal strength for minimum service). Salesman had showed me on a map that the Verizon coverage was good, saying that since Verizon always uses three cell sites for access, the reception is always very good (not true). He said there would be no charges if returned within 30 days, except for a few dollars for the time the service is actually used.

I found right away that there was no 3G coverage at my location (High speed), but I spent a few days testing it out, and trying to get it to work for me. Due to heavy traffic before Christmas, I waited until 12/26/09 to return the phone.

I called billing on 1/7/10 when I got the bill for $63.58, and found the charges include a $35 activation fee, which salesman had said would be waived (but it turns out the fine print said 3 days: oops, ALWAYS read the contract!) and a partial payment of the $39.99 monthly fee. I had the phone only ten days [$39.99/3=$13.34 + $35 is only $48.34, add some gov fees and it might be $53? but not the $63.58 they billed].

I asked the supervisor to remove the charges, since all this use was only for testing the service. She declined, saying it was legal. I told her: "You can justify your behavior any way you want. But you're a crook. Have a nice day" and hung up. I do not recommend Verizon wireless or the Droid phone, which turned out to be more lengthy or difficult for most things than the iPhone (which has a rolling ONE year backward search limit in calendar!), which I was REALLY hoping to replace with the Droid. So, I'm hoping my $63.58 lesson will not be for nothing if others take heed.

I got a new phone by signing a 2-year contract with Verizon Wireless. The phone broke after 3 weeks due a mechanical defect. I brought it to the store in Milpitas (McCarthy Ranch). A salesgirl looked at it and she even said "this must have been dropped really hard to have such a problem". I told her I did not drop it and she said she had never seen any problem like that before. I told her you had never seen it before does not mean it would never happen.

They should train their people better. They gave me a terrible phone, they did not apologize, yet instead they blamed you for breaking the phone. When I became very displeased, she finally asked someone and agreed to give me a replacement phone.

I was busy and did not send the broken phone back right away. My next bill showed an equipment charge. I went ahead paying for it. Then right after that I sent the bad phone back using the pre-paid stamp they provided me. Two three months have passed and I have never seen a credit appear on my bill. I called and they said they did not receive the phone??? They required me to look for the tracking number so they can track to see where the phone is. They said if the tracking number is not provided to them, they will not give me a credit.

I asked the supervisor (her name is **) if she can track it for me. She said "you can call FedEx and provide them your name and address". They have never tried to help their customers. They want their customers to do all the work. If you don't do it, you will never get your money back. Her voice and attitude are terrible. I told her I would put her name on the internet and she defied me to put her name on the internet. What kind of customer service is that. How can such a person become a customer service supervisor?

The replacement phone I got already has problem with the screen. Often times the screen is lost, which means you cannot see anything on the screen when you open the lid. It is just blank. It happens a lot of times, if I reset the phone by turning it off, when I turn it on, the screen may or may not work. After the two year contract is over, I will never buy their service. They provide poor service for high price plus they won't allow you to carry the minutes over to the next period.

I am not a happy customer. After two years fulfilling my contract, I called to ask when my contract expired. For two years we had only been using a fraction of our allotted minutes and were therefore wasting money monthly. I was determined to uphold my side and paid the monthly charges for two years. I thought I was told my contract expired August 5, 2009. I went on to find a prepaid cell in mid August. When I went to register my new cell it asked if I would like to keep my Verizon number. I agreed.

I called a few days later to cancel Verizon. It said that my contract expired September 5, not August 5 like I thought. In their defense, I may have gotten the months mixed up and thought I heard August instead of September. They said no need to cancel as it was already cancelled once I ported out the same number. Again, I should have read my fine print as I'm sure it said that somewhere in it. They said the cancellation takes effect September 1 for cancellations made within August and that I will be charged a $60 early termination fee.

I asked if I could just keep my service for one more month and pay the usual $43 instead of the $60. Hey, $20 is $20. Their answer was no. I asked if I still need to be charged the $60 cancellation fee even though my contract was up September 5 anyway. Again, the answer was no. So because of my error of not knowing porting out meant cancellation of service, I was charged $60 for accidentally being 4 days shy of my two year contract. Two years of paying for 450 minutes when we averaged around 100 minutes per month. I am really tired of being nickeled and dimed to death by large corporations.

This company over-drafted my account when I SPECIFICALLY told them the amount to charge to the account, and have REFUSED to reimburse me the charges incurred by my bank. It has been a month and MANY phone calls later, passing the buck from one person to another, names listed from me about the people I've spoken to, disputes filed with my bank for the charges, sending them copies of my bank statements, and the list goes on. They want to credit my VERIZON account for the return fees incurred by my bank, but I want them to credit my BANK ACCOUNT for the fees the bank charged. I can pay my Verizon bill, no problem.

To be honest, I have paid Verizon $5.00 a month for the past three years in late fees (FREE MONEY) to them, which translates to $180.00. No problem there, as far as I'm concerned. I'm late. The Bank charges $32.00 in FREE MONEY to THEM for overdraft fees. No problem... it's an overdraft. BUT, I have NEVER over-drafted my account with my bank. And with today's economy, an overdraft is detrimental to one's credit, but not NEAR as detrimental as being late with a phone bill... and the pattern is proven to them when I make my payments, as well.

I feel Verizon should be held responsible for the overdraft fee. They DID credit my VERIZON account for the month's billing and they DID "reimburse" my checking account the $31.95 they originally overcharged me. The ORIGINAL $81.95 I was trying to pay was credited as a customer service courtesy BECAUSE of the ORIGINAL overdraft. BUT, THEY caused the $32.00 to be charged to my CHECKING ACCOUNT... They say they have no way of crediting back that charge.... And a month later, it's still not resolved.

I'm fed up with them and am ready to go to Kricket or Boost, or some other cell phone company that is doing what they can to UNDERMINE Verizon. Customer Service with Verizon SUCKS. I've spent HOURS on the phone with these people. My Bank has sent statements AND disputes, yet Verizon turns an ignorant head.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON -- All I wanted was a receipt for the last three payments that I made to my lovely cell phone provider Verizon, each of which are over $100.00 each. I went to the locale store, downtown Seattle on 6th and Olive, and they said that they could not give me a receipt because I paid over the phone. Since customer service is apparently under a different system than them or some bs excuse like that. Different System? Are you kidding? Fine, I will deal with this and move on to the next level.

I called *611 to get the receipts so that I could turn in my expense report to my company by day's end. The woman on the other side sounded as if she was new and had to go ask if they could send me a receipt. Fine, I do not mind people not knowing even though I would think such a task is within reach of a multibillion dollar company. She returned, some 5 minutes later to explain that they were not able to do that but if I would like a receipt sent to me in the future, we could do that. So, you can send it to me in the future, but not now?

After I argued what I thought was a logical argument, I asked to speak to her supervisor. Aaron came on the phone after 20 MINUTES on hold. Thank God those # calls are free airtime, the phone hung up. This REALLY upset me, but Aaron quickly called back. I thanked him and moved forward with the same quandary. He backed up his employee and said the same line, how they couldn't send a receipt without a real explanation to why. He furthered to try to back up his asinine argument with the fact that when you buy something online you don't get a receipt either.

Now, my experience is not huge when it comes to online purchases but I have made a few and every one of them has sent me a receipt to my email. I explained this to him and he actually said that no, I was wrong, they do not. To which I replied, “Are you actually arguing with me?” He tried to back track but stumbled over his words. I do not know how this stellar example of recovery within customer service was promoted, but nonetheless he was.

Needless to say, after an hour of my time, nothing was solved other than the fact that I am terminating my contract immediately. I do not care how much it costs. It is a shame though that it is such a giant company and my complaint and termination of my contract will do nothing in the long run. It is a sad, sad world when a man can't get a frigin' receipt for something he paid for.

MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT -- I switched to Verizon from Cingular a little less than a year ago because I wanted to get a family plan with my husband (Verizon customer) and we got a company discount, plus my contract was up and his wasn't. Their coverage is terrible! I regret changing service so much. Even in the past wherever my husband wouldn't get service with Verizon, I would get service with Cingular. We figured that since Verizon is 'the most reliable' it must be better when we moved from MA to CT but it wasn't.

I then bought an air card from a store and was told that all the company discounts will apply to the purchase, I paid almost $200 only to find out I could have paid $30 online. I had to go through all the process of cancelling the service and ordering it separately. I got charged the cancellation fee even though I was told that I was not going to have to pay it because I cancelled it within a week. It took me almost 3 months to get that money back.

Now I'm writing this review because I just cancelled my air card, 6 months later, because it will not work with my computer for work (which is the reason why I got the card in the first place). I have been given so many reasons why it would go from connected to dormant in seconds. Finally today they blamed it on my company's IT department... That was IT! I told the rep that I have talked with someone else (I have his name and ext) and he told me a different story and he was able to get it to work for few days.

The rep told me that that call was never recorded in their system so that she cannot help me with that. So since the call was not in front of her in the computer, then I must have been making it up! I tried calling the previous rep but he never answered the phone or called me back. We decided that the money we're saving with the company discount is not worth it and as soon as our contracts are up we're switching to ANY other cell phone company.

My wife and I established service with Verizon Wireless after 6 years with T-Mobile. We did not have any issues with T-Mobile. We just wanted a little better coverage and the ability to call family with Verizon mobile phones for free anytime. Because the store stated that we would get free phones AND FREE ACTIVATION, we moved to Verizon Wireless. (If we renewed our T-Mobile contract for two years, we would get free phones and no activation so this what a major hot button when switching.) Without free activation, we would have stayed with T-Mobile. When I received our first bill, it was very high so I called customer service.

I was told that the fee could not be waived. Two days ago, I asked to speak to a supervisor or manager and was refused twice. I left a message for a call back and did not get a reply. Yesterday, I called customer service again and got the same story. I asked to speak with a manager and was refused. I was transferred to retention. I asked retention about the advertisement I saw on TV and in print about "if you are not satisfied after 30 days, we will pay to switch you to another carrier." The retention rep told me that my plan only qualified for a switch during the first 15 days, not 30 days as shown in the ad. She said the only way out was to pay $175 per line.

I asked to speak to a manager and was again refused. Today, I called Verizon Wireless 4 times and each time I asked to speak with a manager. The fifth time I called, I finally spoke with "€œMike"€ in Las Vegas. He stated that Verizon would not waive the activation fee. I stated that I would begin filing complaints to the BBB and the Federal Trade Commission.

He said "€œGo ahead. They cannot do anything to us."€œ Not a good experience and definitely the way I run my business. I want out of the contract without a fee or my activation fees waived. I do not like dishonest practices. NOTE TO FUTURE VERIZON CUSTOMERS: DON'T BUY YOUR PHONE FROM A RE-SELLER!