A man tried to trade-in his old device for an iPhone 16 at the Verizon store. He then received a bill that was more than a $100 over his usual monthly charges.
In a video that has drawn over 80,000 views, TikTok user Eason (@eastend96) says he did his homework on what the trade-in for an iPhone 16 would do to his family’s mobile service plan. He alleges that the Verizon app showed the family bill would only increase by $4 per month after the trade-in.
He first tried to order the new phone through his Verizon app. This order was cancelled after he did not pick it up because he had erroneously been informed that it was backordered. So he went to the store in person to try and order it for a second time.
An unexpected bill increase
Eason notes that before he went to the Verizon store, he called to make sure that they had the iPhone 16 in stock so he could trade in his old phone on the spot. Despite confirming its availability, the phone was not at the store. The associate told Eason he would need to wait a few days for it to come in.
The Verizon customer also claims that the associate insisted that he needed to upgrade his phone plan. Eason says the Verizon employee told him his monthly payments would increase from $79 to $80.
A few days later, Eason opened his Verizon app. He was shocked to see that his monthly payment had increased by $110.
Back at the store, he says he was met with defensiveness and anger from the employee, who insisted he put the order in correctly.
“He’s just upset and telling me, ‘That’s just an estimate,’” Eason says about his new monthly bill.
He alleges the Verizon employee told him that the bill would go back to down to its original amount of $153 after he traded in his old phone.
The TikToker adds, “This man was so upset. And I’m like bro, ‘I’m not trying to accuse you of anything. I’m just telling you what I see on my end. And also, to begin with, you told me you had the phone and then you didn’t. So, like, calm down.’”
It’s unclear whether the billing issue was resolved after the trade-in. The Daily Dot reached out to Eason via TikTok direct message for further updates, and to Verizon via email.
How does the Verizon trade-in upgrade work?
While Eason’s experience may have been more frustrating than he expected, it appears to be in-line with Verizon’s trade-in policy. Per their terms and conditions, trade-in credits are applied when the retailer receives the traded device.
The policy also states that slight delays may occur, as it can take one to two billing cycles to apply trade-in credits. This means customers can expect to pay at least one bill without their trade-in credits. most likely at a higher price than their usual monthly bill.
Viewers weigh in
Eason isn’t the first person to call out the trade-in program at Verizon. The Daily Dot recently reported on another dissatisfied customer who warns that the mobile carrier’s trade-in deals aren’t as good as they sound. Several of Eason’s viewers also shared that they had issues trying to trade-in their phones at Verizon.
“I’m due for an upgrade and I’ve had problems before with Verizon,” one commenter wrote. “This time I’m going to just pay cash for a trade in deal directly from the Apple Store. Over 3 years it’s cheaper that way than than [having] to pay for the increased cost of upgrading my plan.”
@eastend96 #verizon #verizoncustomerservice #iphone #iphone16pro #apple @Verizon @Verizon Customer Service ♬ original sound – Eason
“I wanted to trade in my iPhone X but they wouldn’t send me a box or shipping,” another commenter wrote. “I think they were going to give me like 200 for it. After spending hours on the phone I got a new phone without ever getting my old phone traded in because even though they kept telling they would get the label sent to me, it never did.”
“Verizon did this when I traded in my old iPhone, Once they added the credit it was fixed but the first month the bill was $80 more due to the ‘activation charge,’” claimed a third.
“This was a bait and switch. Good luck,” said someone else.
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