Best Buy not really selling the Verizon V20?

[rushmore]

Seems odd, since bought phones from the for past six years and first time I recall such a gap. Seems Verizon does not want to allocate them any. BB is at a loss to explain the issue.

 

[Ry]

Seems odd, since bought phones from the for past six years and first time I recall such a gap. Seems Verizon does not want to allocate them any. BB is at a loss to explain the issue.

I've found stock at third-party retailers to be different.

 

[scottbeamer]

Why not just get it at a Verizon store?

 

[Mike Dee]

Why not just get it at a Verizon store?

I think BB was offering a 200 gift card.

 

[scottbeamer]

I think BB was offering a 200 gift card.

Oh, OK

 

[tribbleorlfl]

As I said in the prior BB thread, I suspect Verizon is playing inventory games to discourage people from buying from BB (because of the $200 giftcard offer). The promo is scheduled to run through 11/20, so don't be surprised if they have scads in stock on the 21st.

 

[SupraLB]

I'm sure its because BB is undercutting their price with the giftcard at the Verizon store. Nonetheless, Verizon was generous in offering the phone for $672, well below the other carriers. The BB price was much higher on retail. I forget, wasn't it $799?

The difference would only be about $75 or so.

 

[mpower13]

Verizon is offering $300 off the V20 when trading in your old smartphone. Best Buy is only $200 when trading in.

 

[SupraLB]

Verizon is offering $300 off the V20 when trading in your old smartphone. Best Buy is only $200 when trading in.

I think the keyword missing though is "up to" $300 by Verizon, depending on the phone traded. And the $300 is given over 24 monthly credits to your bill.

 

[CptSmith]

I think the keyword missing though is "up to" $300 by Verizon, depending on the phone traded. And the $300 is given over 24 monthly credits to your bill.

Indeed. Verizon requires a specific phone to get the "$300" which is really a small bill credit over the course of 2 years. Best Buy's promo allows for a much larger variety of phones that are eligible. The terms also state:

Trade in any eligible smartphone in working condition and receive a minimum $200 Best Buy gift card toward the purchase and activation of a LG V20.

This implies that you will get $200 off your purchase immediately vs monthly.

Also, the phone is now available for order online only with a "Temporarily out of stock" notification. I would just order one at full retail and do a return rebuy to get the promo if you get it before the stores do.

 

[mdrav65]

Here is a question I have regarding BB and Verizon V20. As other posters have indicated, there is no BB store in NY/NJ that has the Verizon variant in stock. So went to local BB to preorder and to confirm I will be able to get the $200 gift card promo when the phone finally comes in, even if it is after the promotion ends. Note the web site says:

Guaranteed $200 Best Buy Gift Card
with purchase and activation of LG V20 smartphone and trade-in of any eligible smartphone.
Terms and conditions apply. Trade-in offer in store only.

I want to purchase the phone outright (I have BB gift cards to cover the cost of the phone) and retain my grandfathered unlimited data plan. But the store employee said I am not going to get the $200 unless I activate a 2 year payment plan. I wasn't going to waste my time arguing because I still have to wait for them to actually GET the phone. So wanted to know if anyone who got the $200 gift card was able to do so by paying full price for the phone and retaining their unlimited plan.

I have seen other promotions where they have clearly indicated that a payment plan had to be activated but that is not what this promo says.

 

[tribbleorlfl]

This implies that you will get $200 off your purchase immediately vs monthly.

I've been going back and forth w/ BB in store management and corporate customer service on this. While the terms clearly state the gift card is to be used towards the purchase of the phone, they changed their POS system 2 weeks ago where the promotional gift card can only be issued after the phone has been purchased and activated. Apparently the carriers were unhappy that BB was undercutting them.

 

[tribbleorlfl]

Here is a question I have regarding BB and Verizon V20. As other posters have indicated, there is no BB store in NY/NJ that has the Verizon variant in stock. So went to local BB to preorder and to confirm I will be able to get the $200 gift card promo when the phone finally comes in, even if it is after the promotion ends. Note the web site says:

Guaranteed $200 Best Buy Gift Card
with purchase and activation of LG V20 smartphone and trade-in of any eligible smartphone.
Terms and conditions apply. Trade-in offer in store only.

I want to purchase the phone outright (I have BB gift cards to cover the cost of the phone) and retain my grandfathered unlimited data plan. But the store employee said I am not going to get the $200 unless I activate a 2 year payment plan. I wasn't going to waste my time arguing because I still have to wait for them to actually GET the phone. So wanted to know if anyone who got the $200 gift card was able to do so by paying full price for the phone and retaining their unlimited plan.

I have seen other promotions where they have clearly indicated that a payment plan had to be activated but that is not what this promo says.

"Requires credit approval, wireless service plan, qualifying device and an installment billing agreement for the carrier's required term."

 

[Ry]

I've been going back and forth w/ BB in store management and corporate customer service on this. While the terms clearly state the gift card is to be used towards the purchase of the phone, they changed their POS system 2 weeks ago where the promotional gift card can only be issued after the phone has been purchased and activated. Apparently the carriers were unhappy that BB was undercutting them.

That sounds like the right policy though. I see it all the time at places like Target

 

[rushmore]

Here is a question I have regarding BB and Verizon V20. As other posters have indicated, there is no BB store in NY/NJ that has the Verizon variant in stock. So went to local BB to preorder and to confirm I will be able to get the $200 gift card promo when the phone finally comes in, even if it is after the promotion ends. Note the web site says:

Guaranteed $200 Best Buy Gift Card
with purchase and activation of LG V20 smartphone and trade-in of any eligible smartphone.
Terms and conditions apply. Trade-in offer in store only.

I want to purchase the phone outright (I have BB gift cards to cover the cost of the phone) and retain my grandfathered unlimited data plan. But the store employee said I am not going to get the $200 unless I activate a 2 year payment plan. I wasn't going to waste my time arguing because I still have to wait for them to actually GET the phone. So wanted to know if anyone who got the $200 gift card was able to do so by paying full price for the phone and retaining their unlimited plan.

I have seen other promotions where they have clearly indicated that a payment plan had to be activated but that is not what this promo says.

At this point I will be surprised if BB gets any. I agree that Verizon is playing games due to trade offer from BB. My G1 will get the $200 at BB, but would be zero with Verizon.

LG is apparently making point adjustments for the other products that BB buys from LG. Verizon does not have other LG products that are a lot more volume and revenue than phones.

 

[CptSmith]

Here is a question I have regarding BB and Verizon V20. As other posters have indicated, there is no BB store in NY/NJ that has the Verizon variant in stock. So went to local BB to preorder and to confirm I will be able to get the $200 gift card promo when the phone finally comes in, even if it is after the promotion ends. Note the web site says:

Guaranteed $200 Best Buy Gift Card
with purchase and activation of LG V20 smartphone and trade-in of any eligible smartphone.
Terms and conditions apply. Trade-in offer in store only.

I want to purchase the phone outright (I have BB gift cards to cover the cost of the phone) and retain my grandfathered unlimited data plan. But the store employee said I am not going to get the $200 unless I activate a 2 year payment plan. I wasn't going to waste my time arguing because I still have to wait for them to actually GET the phone. So wanted to know if anyone who got the $200 gift card was able to do so by paying full price for the phone and retaining their unlimited plan.

I have seen other promotions where they have clearly indicated that a payment plan had to be activated but that is not what this promo says.

I also am on the unlimited plan. Since the price increase for the plan, we're now able to go on these device payment plans without losing the unlimited data. Also, according to Verizon's FAQ about the device payments:

You can choose to pay the installments over the full period of the term or in a lump sum to pay off the total price at any time.

So you can essentially pay full retail. If you already have an account, the device payment plan shouldn't have any effect on your data plan, but I would confirm that at Best Buy.

I've been going back and forth w/ BB in store management and corporate customer service on this. While the terms clearly state the gift card is to be used towards the purchase of the phone, they changed their POS system 2 weeks ago where the promotional gift card can only be issued after the phone has been purchased and activated. Apparently the carriers were unhappy that BB was undercutting them.

I sure hope that they end up honoring the deal. The terms clearly state that the gift card is intended to be used towards the purchase of the phone. If they're going to change the promotion, they should update the terms. They've been advertising this deal for over a week with no notice about a change in the promotion.

 

[tribbleorlfl]

I sure hope that they end up honoring the deal. The terms clearly state that the gift card is intended to be used towards the purchase of the phone. If they're going to change the promotion, they should update the terms. They've been advertising this deal for over a week with no notice about a change in the promotion.

Unfortunately, after multiple calls to Customer Service they are sticking to the "Terms are Subject to change" provision. What I have yet to receive is an explanation for is if the Terms have changed, why haven't they updated those terms in the advertised promotion. The existing language is very clear yet is 100% contradictory to how it's now being administered. When I told them I work with contracts and that relying on "Subject to Change" language while making no effort to modify the outdated and conflicting language is lazy and deficient at best, fraudulant and deceptive at worst, it was crickets.

 

[Mike Dee]

I've been going back and forth w/ BB in store management and corporate customer service on this. While the terms clearly state the gift card is to be used towards the purchase of the phone, they changed their POS system 2 weeks ago where the promotional gift card can only be issued after the phone has been purchased and activated. Apparently the carriers were unhappy that BB was undercutting them.

That's the way the always do it

 

[SupraLB]

Just fyi, but Verizon wireless website now shows both colors backordered for 1 week until November 14th. You can still search in store, but only 3 of the 12 stores near me show in stock (for titan color). Nearly every store showed instock a week ago.
I also noticed they moved the LG V20 to the 2nd page of smartphones.

Looks like demand is too high to keep up with orders, which is also happening at Tmobile.

 

[Delirious D]

Oh, OK

sprint was offerint the promo too but i rather spend 200 in a bb store then a sprint store