Upgrade frustration

[Jack in NC]

Hey y'all,

I have a Verizon upgrade problem I could use some advice on.

We joined Verizon in June 2010 after a decade with Sprint. My wife and I got Android phones (Droid Incredibles) and my parents got a couple LG feature phones. A month later (29 days, to be exact), my wife and I exchanged our Incredibles for Droid X's.

In mid/late 2011, my dad's feature phone went wonky and he went back to the Verizon store. To address the problem, they gave my dad a new LG feature phone as an "upgrade," which he happily accepted. However, what he didn't know was that the upgrade was on *my* number. I have no idea how they calculated that my number could've been eligible for an upgrade, because we'd only been with Verizon for about 1 year.

Fast forward to spring 2012, and dad's ready for his first smartphone. He walks into the Verizon store and the clerk looks up dad's number and tells him that he is eligible for an upgrade. Good for dad, he walks out with a new Samsung.

Zip ahead a few months, and I am drooling over the new crop of phones coming out around the end of the year. Do I get a Razr Maxx HD? A Note 2? A DNA? So many awesome possibilities. Then, while logged into Verizon's website, I notice my upgrade status. May 2013?!?!?! But, I'm carrying a Droid X that I bought on release day in 2010! How could my upgrade be in May 2013?

I called, and that's when I learned all the steps that had transpired up to that time.

Frankly, I'm pissed. I don't think there was really an upgrade to be had on my number in 2011, and they had no business giving him one that wasn't for his number. If they were going to do some sort of nice gesture, they should've associated it with his number.

So, what's the best way to approach this at the Verizon store? Should I throw a massive fit? Is there some sort of Verizon policy I can take advantage of? How do I get an upgrade before the end of the year? I am still happy with my Dx, but I'll be damned if I'm carrying it another 6 months.

Thanks
Jack

 

[anon(3653)]

Jack,

If you got a phone in 2010 Verizon was still allowing the primary line to be eligible for an upgrade after one year on Family Plans. They have since stopped that. So if you bought all of the phones you did in June 2010 your primary line would have been eligible in June 2011, but not advertised as such.

Also you must have made your father a manager on your account. That is the only way he could get those phones without you having to do anything.

There is not much you can do, but if I were you I would call customer service. Politely explain your situation and tell them you have a 3g phone and would like to upgrade to a 4G phone. Ask for a supervisor if you do not get the assistance you need. Be very polite. If that doesn't work... Call again another day and try it again.

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

 

[diesteldorf]

Verizon's calling plans used to be structured to designate 1 number as the Primary Line and all others as Secondary Lines. Based on the price of the calling plan, they would allow Primary Lines to Upgrade after1 year. I am guessing that your line was the Primary Line in 2010 and was eligible for a discount in 2011, which your dad took in September, 2011, extending your contract for another 2 years and your upgrade date 20 months to May, 2013.

If your dad was authorized on your account he can basically use any eligible upgrade on the account. I don't think he realized what the salesman was doing, but it looks like that's what happened.

Does your dad's line have an eligible upgrade that you could use?
You could try to see if they would move your upgrade from May, 2013 to now, but 6 months can be a challenge.
It's unfortunate that you didn't catch this until now, because your options may be limited. Good luck.

 

[Jack in NC]

Thanks for the responses! (Couldn't bring myself to click "Like," though)

Well, what you've said would completely explain my experience. "Not advertised as such" would completely explain why I had no idea that it was even possible. And, my number is the primary number on the account, so that would explain why mine was used. And, as the final nail in the coffin, my full legal name is "the third." So, for all intent and purposes, my father and I have the same name and consequently a store staffer could easily verify his identity and confirm him as a the account manager.

Boy, oh boy, does this ever suck.

But, I'm happy to have a little more insight into what happened. Now, I just gotta figure out what to do next. Certainly I'll ask, I just need to decide what to do if I can't convince them.

Thanks again for the great info, I appreciate your help!

 

[Nakrohtap]

What about your mom or wife's line? You didn't mention if either one of them upgraded since 2010. Your dad looks like he's making out, while the rest of you are still using outdated phones.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jack in NC]

What about your mom or wife's line? You didn't mention if either one of them upgraded since 2010. Your dad looks like he's making out, while the rest of you are still using outdated phones.

Yeah, it's true. My wife is carrying an S3, which we got on release day because her Dx had some run-of-the-mill, but highly annoying, hardware failures. And mom is still on her feature phone, but is finally showing an interest in smartphones, which I don't want to squelch. Mom is probably willing to wait until May, but I am ready for her to get into Android.

Maybe I just buy a Note 2 a full retail, then sell it next summer to get a few hundred bucks to use my upgrade.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone for the info, I appreciate it.

 

[diesteldorf]

Another option, which I don't normally recommend, unless you have a need for another line is to open a 5th line if you haven;t already got 5 lines. If you are on one of the old family share plans (and not the New Share Everything) plans you can add a 5th line for $9.99 per month. However, after taxes and fees it'll probably be closer to $12-13 per month, so over the course of 24 months you aren't really save much over paying full retail. However, if you have a son or daughter that has been begging for a phone, you could open a new line for $9.99. Use the upgrade to get yourself the Note 2 at the discounted price, give your mom your old phone to use until May or until she wants to upgrade, and give your dear son or daughter your mom's old phone. It also has the benefit of allowing you and your mom to keep unlimited data on your lines if that is important.

 

[cgardnervt]

Wow that is the suck man! I hope you can figure out what to do. When I was looking at new carriers last year I got pre approved for big red and everything. But then I remembered I had them 7 years ago and I didn't care for the CS and how they did their billing. Its the small things like this that kept me away from them still. For me all of the small things add up!

However this isn't to say that this is all of their fault. As I'm sure you know and others have pointed out that this i partly your own doing. If I was in your shoes I would just talk to a manager to see what they could do. It might not be anything but it might be worth your time!

 

[anon(1458)]

Best of luck buddy.