Annoyed. My First Vent of the New Year

[Pink Partridge]

I ordered a new phone from Verizon for my daughter for Christmas. $900, but not bad monthly payments. She LOVES it. It came yesterday. Late for Christmas, but she said worth the wait.

The problem is, they sent two phones by mistake. So, I initiated a chat with Verizon yesterday to return the extra phone. They immediately asked me the IME number. I asked where to locate it. Took them 14 minutes to write back. This was the tone of our chat. Very long and drawn out. Wasting my time. I had a million things to do.

Eventually their solution was for me to drive 14.5 miles round trip to a Verizon Store and return the phone they sent to me by mistake. Absolutely not. I am not dedicating anymore time or gas money to your mistake.

I asked if they would please send me a pre-postage box for me to put this phone in so I can easily put it in my mailbox and have it picked up by the postman. Their reply is "No. We don't have any boxes to mail you". A multi billion dollar company that ships phones doesn't have a box to send me? That's nice.

Their next solution is for me to log onto my Verizon account and pretend I am returning the phone we want to keep, since the extra phone isn't listed on the accounted. Again, absolutely not. They said it would not cause any issues with phone we want to keep. Just print a label and check the box that we are returning it. I am now getting uncomfortable with this chat.

I again ask for a pre-postage box to be sent to my home. The answer is no. And now the person I am chatting with says "Please find a way to return this phone, or you will be charged for it".

In the end, they said they would mail me a label (I hope it includes postage) and I need to find my own box. Again, they ship phones and don't have a box? Yet I am supposed to find one? Yes. I am being difficult, but give me a break. I asked if it will look like I am returning the phone I want to keep, and they said "The return will be on the phone sent to you". What does that even mean!?!

Talk about frustrating customer service. I want to return the phone. I am doing the honest thing. Please make it easy on my part to do so. This entire exchange took up 47 minutes of my time.

That's all. I just wanted to complain to you all. Thanks for listening.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

I would tell them to send a rep from the store to pick it up. You will hold it for 30 days. If they do not come during that time frame it is going in the trash.

Crazy!

 

[Pink Partridge]

I would tell them to send a rep from the store to pick it up. You will hold it for 30 days. If they do not come during that time frame it is going in the trash.

Crazy!

That occurred to me after the chat ended. Like, you want ME to drive to your store, stand in line, and waste my time/gas for a mistake you made?

Why not have someone drive to my house in a company car, use your time and resources, and pick this up?

If postage is not included on this label they are shipping me, I may just suggest that.

I am reading on other boards that this error happens with extra phones often. That Verizon makes you responsible for the return and is almost agitated that you are the recipient of their mistake. And even read how someone was still charged for the phone after they returned it. Tracking number said it was returned, but Verizon said nothing was in the box. I am sure an employee in the warehouse just pocketed it and said box was empty.

Ugh. This really shouldn't be my problem.

 

[jo-jo]

That occurred to me after the chat ended. Like, you want ME to drive to your store, stand in line, and waste my time/gas for a mistake you made?

Not to dismiss your issue, (I agree with you by the way) but doesn't disney do that to us aaaallllllll the time.

We buy the tickets, the genie thing, stand in line, ride goes down, but don't worry if we get it fixed you can come back in 3 hours and ride. Sorry , we used the wrong tickets even though you stood in line to make sure it doesn't happen, but don't worry, just go over to that long line and talk to them again. They will be happy to fix it. Have a magical day.

 

[Pink Partridge]

Not to dismiss your issue, (I agree with you by the way) but doesn't disney do that to us aaaallllllll the time.

We buy the tickets, the genie thing, stand in line, ride goes down, but don't worry if we get it fixed you can come back in 3 hours and ride. Sorry , we used the wrong tickets even though you stood in line to make sure it doesn't happen, but don't worry, just go over to that long line and talk to them again. They will be happy to fix it. Have a magical day.

I see your point, but I didn't buy this phone.

It would be like Disney adding Genie+ and Lightening Lane to my ticket without me asking for it. Then telling me I have to figure out how to get it off my ticket or else they are going to charge me.

But your description of Genie+ and Disney World in general is spot on. I could do an entire rant about that, but it would be me carrying bad blood over from last year.

 

[DisneyHardin]

At this point, I would probably drive the 14 miles to the store because I have a feeling your daughter's phone is going to get shut off because they think the phone you are returning is the one she is using.

 

[Karin1984]

You made it your problem by calling them
Keep the phone and use it as a back up. If the other one breaks, switch the sim cards, and continue your life.

I do understand their point with boxes. The callcenter cannot see what is happening in the factory. Probably their entire packaging process is automated. The entire process is probably more annoying/costly for them then the actual amount the phone costs.

 

[wenrob]

You don’t have the box it was shipped in to put the label on? FWIW I would have insisted on them emailing me a label. This is their mistake and they need to fix it. But this

At this point, I would probably drive the 14 miles to the store because I have a feeling your daughter's phone is going to get shut off because they think the phone you are returning is the one she is using.

As much as I’m a stand on principle kind of person in this case they’re going to screw this up and you’re going to have to go in anyway. I’d do it just for the paper trail.

 

[shh]

geez....sorry you're dealing with this. Having wasted my time on incredibly stupid customer service issues, I really do empathize. It's very frustrating when companies show zero concern or value for their customers' time.

 

[Pink Partridge]

You don’t have the box it was shipped in to put the label on?

Of all days, it was recycling. And the truck was coming.

My husband keeps asking, don't you have the box it came in? No. You ran it out to the bin like you were in a race Heaven forbid we have a box laying around.

 

[Pink Partridge]

At this point, I would probably drive the 14 miles to the store because I have a feeling your daughter's phone is going to get shut off because they think the phone you are returning is the one she is using.

I get this. But the whole reason I didn't go to this store to buy the phone is it is in a horrible part of town, the wait is always long, and the employees are rude. I wouldn't even trust them with the return, unless I recorded the entire thing.

But mainly, I don't want to dedicate any time standing in line. Waiting. Driving. This shouldn't be my problem. I guess that's the bottom line.

I admit that I'm being surly and spiteful. Hopefully that wears off soon.

 

[KayMichigan]

You don’t have the box it was shipped in to put the label on? FWIW I would have insisted on them emailing me a label. This is their mistake and they need to fix it. But this ⬇⬇⬇


As much as I’m a stand on principle kind of person in this case they’re going to screw this up and you’re going to have to go in anyway. I’d do it just for the paper trail.

Yeah, I have to agree with this. Yes, it's their mistake, but the best thing to do would be to take it to the store so you know it's taken care of. If you keep it, they'll charge you for it. I don't think there's any way to get out of having to drive it physically to the store.

Are there any big box stores around that carry Verizon phones that'll take it back? Like a Best Buy or something?

 

[Pink Partridge]

You made it your problem by calling them

You aren't kidding! Never again. Track me down and come and get your mistake.

But now they know I have it. I don't want to get charged.

 

[Karin1984]

I would be very surprised if they ever follow up on this. I would be surprised if you ever got a label, to begin with.

I think your overestimate how systems at a call center work. Maybe it will be noted somewhere in a remark where they log the call, but that is usually not part of an automatic system which tracks steps in a process of shipping. This is something out of the ordinary, all manual. Unless the agent is going to keep the case with him and periodically checks if you have called back about it, I think it is unlikely something is going to happen.

 

[sam_gordon]

I understand your frustration. BUT, I'm the type that I would want some kind of tracking that the phone was out of my hands. If they send me a shipping label, I'm dropping it off at FedEx/UPS to get the tracking receipt. There are also multiple Verizon stores that I drive by on a weekly basis. I wouldn't make a special trip to the store, but include it while running errands.

Yes, I shouldn't have to wait in line for their mistake. But I want the proof that that the phone is no longer in my hands.

 

[KayMichigan]

Did you check your credit card account to make sure you were only charged for one phone?

 

[mikehn]

As long as they dont charge you for the phone, I would have waited this out and see what happens. Every phone has a unique IMEI number. The moment you try to activate the phone, it would trigger some charge or some red flag on their end.

 

[marthachick]

Of all days, it was recycling. And the truck was coming.

My husband keeps asking, don't you have the box it came in? No. You ran it out to the bin like you were in a race Heaven forbid we have a box laying around.

OMG he must be related to DH. Sometimes you need to keep the box for a week or two to be sure it works okay. Drives me bananas!

 

[prairie_girl]

As someone who has worked customer service for a long time, I will keep my comments to myself.

 

[GreatLakes]

The IMEI number should be on the box, at least it has been for every phone I've ever bought. Not the shipping box but the actual phone box.

I'd just call or chat back, let them know you got an extra phone and if they want it back they need to get you a label. Only give them the IMEI of the phone you are returning, not both, and save the chat for your records. Many have the ability to email you a transcript but there is also the cut paste method if it doesn't.

The long pause is likely because one rep is handling a lot of chats, not just one, and if they are somewhere with staffing shortages they might be handling many more than normal.