On August 24th I reached out to Verizon's chat service to receive information regarding my eligibility to upgrade my phones and change to the new Verizon plan. I chatted with Justin on Chat ID#. Feel free to search my account for all documented notes/remarks and search for the saved chat. He said that I was eligible to upgrade my phones AND get $150 each for trading in our working and good condition phones.
At first I was extremely skeptical because I thought this was too good to be true. I kept asking the same question over and over to verify I had all the information correct and what he was telling me correct and accurate. I also requested him to disclose any other fees, obligations and/or contracts that might be involved with this transaction. He assured me that there was no downside to this transaction. This was simply a thank you for being a valued Verizon client who has been a long time client and never missed a payment.
I finally decided to accept the offer and was excited to go to the store and trade in my phones for the iPhone 6 and change our plan. I went to the Verizon store on Frank Lloyd Wright and Thompson Peak to be told that they are not a corporate store and could not help me in any way. I asked Jesse, the manager, to direct me to the closest corporate store. He directed me to the store at Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright.
My husband and I arrived and checked in with the manager. I forgot his name. I explained the whole situation and he said that Hassam (I think) would be the gentleman helping us. I indicated to Hassam what we were attempting to do. Right off the bat he said that what I was trying to do was not something Verizon does. Armed with my chat conversation, I went on to show him the exact conversation I had just had with Justin a few hours previously. He said he would take it to his manager and see what he could do. He came back and said that regardless of what Justin had said, they were not going to honor the promotion. Apparently, this was a double promotion and they refused to honor it. I told them this was not acceptable and I was advised to call customer service back and ask them to complete the transaction. I said what is customer service going to do since they referred me to the store. He said sometimes they can do stuff that they cannot do in the store. He then went on to say that since I had documented written proof of this offer/promotion Verizon should honor this.
I called customer service and spoke to a nice gal named Brittany. Brittany engaged her manager, Erica, in hopes that she could resolve my request. I explained the situation, I spoke of my experience at the corporate store and she reviewed the chat I had with Justin. She validated my feelings and assured me that this was something the store should have been able to take care of. Brittany actually called the Verizon store and informed them of this promotion and the store/manager still refused to honor the promotion and help me. Brittany came back shocked and embarrassed that her own company would treat a client this way.