After 20 years of loyalty to Verizon, this customer is ready to jump ship. She says Verizon mistakenly charged her after it didn’t receive the iPhone trade-in she sent in.
Verizon is one of the biggest cell phone companies in the United States, owning about 37% of the market. You’d think a company that big would have a solid handle on customer service. But it seems to be lacking, according to this customer.
Verizon owes woman $600
“I’m completely frustrated. I’m about to lose my [expletive],” TikToker Dixen (@abendixen13) says in a trending video with more than 65,000 views.
Dixen says she got a promotional email advertising a $600 credit and an iPhone 15 discount when you trade in your current phone.
Dixen’s husband decided to get in on the deal. They sent in the phone using the specific packaging Verizon provided, Dixen says.
But instead of giving Dixen the $600 credit, she says they billed her $600 (she has her bills on auto-pay). Thinking the situation would rectify itself on their backend, Dixen says she left it alone. But then, she says, she saw the same $600 bill the next month.
Dixen says she proceeded to get on the online chat with an employee. The employee, she says, told her the charge was happening because they never received the traded-in phone.
“Well, Sharon, guess what? You did receive it because here’s my email saying you guys received it. And here’s the tracking number. Here’s all the information. You go do your research, babe,” Dixen says.
Four hours later, she says the Verizon rep confirmed that they did have it, and it was just sitting in the warehouse.
“Rest assured, this will be fixed,” Dixen says.
Well, the video goes on for another five minutes, so it’s safe to say it wasn’t fixed.
For the third month in a row, she says her bill was at $600.
“‘For some reason, the computer keeps taking your credit off of it,’” she says another worker told her. She says the worker assured her she’s going to get it fixed.
She says she sent a ticket to another department. But the issue, she claims, persisted as she talked to at least six more Verizon agents.
At this point, Dixen says she doesn’t even feel like it’s worth it. She says she has bad service within her home. Plus, every time she has to talk to a Verizon rep, it takes up four hours of her day, she notes.
“At this point, I think you guys owe me, like, at least, at least a week’s pay. And that’s being generous,” Dixen says. “Are you going to be sending me a W2 this year or what?”
Dixen says she’s likely to just pay off their phones so they can transfer to UScellular.
“I work at a company that if i did any of these id be in trouble. This is an awful experience,” Dixen added in the caption.
Commenters react
“They’re famous for saying they didn’t receive something,” a top comment read.
“File a FCC complaint asap. You will be contacted by VZ executive escalations within 72 hours after filling,” a person suggested.
“22 years with Verizon and I just dumped them 2 weeks ago. Saving about 40% switching over to Xfinity mobile,” another wrote.
Which phone carrier is best?
Each company claims to have the best deals and coverage. But choosing the right phone company for you will depend on a few factors:
- Coverage area: While you’d assume each phone provider offers similar coverage, it actually changes based on what area you’re in. For an accurate, non-biased view of coverage areas, use this interactive map created by the Federal Communications Commission. Make sure to zoom in on your city or cities you frequently travel to to check what carrier has reliable service there.
- Understand your data needs: Before you can compare plans and prices, you need to understand how much data you’ll need monthly. If you use a lot of data or need to spread it out across multiple lines or devices, you might go the unlimited data route. If you’re a more moderate user, a lower-tier plan might work for you. Compare similar plans across carriers to see which works best for your needs and budget.
- Family plan or solo: Depending on whether you need a solo plan or want to go in on it with a few friends or family members, which carrier you go with could sway.
- Break tradition: Just because Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T are the big three doesn’t mean you can’t use an alternative service, like bargain choice Mint Mobile.
The Daily Dot reached out to Dixen for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Verizon via email.
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