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Did you receive the same Christmas greeting from VERIZON that I did?
“Your device has been suspended. Upgrade your device today.”
I tried to upgrade my device at least five different times before Christmas.
Beginning early in 2022, VERIZON customers received this notice: “Action is required on your account. Our 3G network is shutting down. One or more of your devices will stop working on January 1, 2023. We’re here to help.” My device was a Samsung Gusto flip phone from 2009. It worked great right to the end.
After doing some research, I found a smartphone that I liked. It is the Motorola Moto 5G Stylus 2022 (256GB). It is a really nice phone. I know this because I was able to purchase one from Target.com at a good price. I have an unlocked phone that is compatible with VERIZON service, even compatible with an eSIM card. I activated the phone to access the IMEI code that was needed to order a SIM card.
If you go to VERIZON’s website right now, you will see a banner that says: “Have a phone you love? Get up to $500 when you bring your phone.” Then visit the Mobile Plans page and click on Unlimited, Welcome Unlimited, Just the Basics. 5G Nationwide for $35/line per month plus taxes and fees. This all looked pretty good to me. But wait, the website is very misleading; the Welcome Unlimited service package really costs $70 or $80/ line per month plus taxes and fees, because I have one phone; the better deal is for four phones on one account.
On November 22, I asked a nice man from VERIZON to ship a SIM card to me for my new phone from Target. He set up the order and verified my billing address, but we both forgot to check the shipping address. The next morning, I realized that the SIM card was being shipped to my Bronx address in New York City. A good friend was available to sign for it and send it to me, so it was still an option. But I called VERIZON to see if we could change the shipping address. The nice woman that helped me could not change the shipping address, so we ordered another SIM card and shipped it to my Minnesota address. Two SIM cards were on the way.
Then absolutely nothing happened.
So, I called VERIZON again. The nice man on the phone discovered that the VERIZON software had canceled both SIM card orders because my new phone was not on my account yet. The software recognized that the SIM card was not compatible with my old phone. Smart software, bad service. So, I suggested we take the old phone off the account and add the new Motorola that I had purchased from Target. Then the SIM card I needed would be shipped successfully.
When the nice man talked to his supervisors, they insisted that the SIM card could not be shipped and that we couldn’t use the eSIM option either. The only choice was for me to travel to the VERIZON store in Duluth and get a SIM card there. I said, “Are You Kidding? That Duluth store is over 100 miles away. I shouldn’t have to travel more than 200 miles to get my new phone service.”
So, the nice man suggested we take advantage of one of the free phone offers from VERIZON so that I had service until things could be sorted out. I had looked at those offers and the phone reviews were scathing. Then we discovered that the software wouldn’t allow me to get a free phone; I was going to have to pay for a crappy phone. The nice man said, “Be sure to challenge this phone charge; it is supposed to be free.” This is when I really got stupid, I said, “If I am paying for a phone, I may as well get the phone I want.” We set up an order that included a Motorola 5G Stylus (only 125GB, a lesser version of my Target phone). The VERIZON phone was going to cost $11 a month for 36 months, about $400 total. I had already paid $300 for the better Target phone that I wasn’t allowed to use. I know; I am an idiot.
UPS insisted they delivered the new VERIZON phone on Tuesday, December 13, about 4:30 p.m. The shipping address was the newspaper office and two of us were available at that time to sign for the package. We never saw the package and did not even know about it until I received an email from VERIZON that said, “We received your returned equipment and a refund has been issued.”
I was very frustrated, but then realized that I might be starting out fresh – that I didn’t have to deal with VERIZON ever again. There are other options. But, NO, in haste during the new phone order, I had agreed to a two-year service contract with VERIZON. An expensive service contract that doesn’t guarantee any service at all, which is what I have right now.
One last chance for VERIZON and me. On December 21, I spoke with a nice woman named Ashley. She was great. She patiently listened to my sad tale and explored every possible option, even consulted with the VERIZON Tech team. We reconsidered shipping the SIM card, an eSIM option, and credit for the phone that I already own. But we landed back in the same place. A new phone was ordered, but the Motorola 5G Stylus was on back order now, not available until January 6, 2023.
On Christmas Day, my wonderful old Samsung phone stopped working.
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