When buying a phone from Verizon becomes difficult
A Verizon customer details his futile experience trying to buy a new phone from Verizon.
When it becomes impossible to buy a phone from Verizon. | Image by PhoneArena
You would think that it would be easy to buy a new phone from a carrier. Sometimes, though, it becomes a ridiculous chore that leaves you scratching your head. Just the other day, a Verizon subscriber ordered a new phone, and it was supposed to be delivered to the customer's front door by Verizon's new Pro On The Go service.
Verizon's Pro On The Go service offers same-day device delivery and more
Powered by Asurion, Pro On The Go not only delivers your new phone the same day you ordered it (certain conditions apply), the "Pro" delivering your new handset will not leave after dropping off the new device until the phone is completely functional. Pro On The Go drivers are trained to activate the handset and transfer the pictures and contacts from your old phone to your new one.
While T-Mobile offers a similar service that uses DoorDash Drive, and AT&T in Texas is testing same-day device delivery via Uber, only Verizon's Pro On The Go includes setup. The drivers delivering the new phones for T-Mobile and AT&T are regular ride-share drivers while Verizon's Pro On The Go drivers are trained by Asurion and know Verizon's ecosystem.
The driver picked up the customer's new phone from the store but never delivered it
The Verizon subscriber who ordered the delivery of his new phone detailed his adventure on Reddit using the "Dread-Pirate400" username. The delivery driver drove to the Verizon store that he was instructed to go to, picked up the new phone, but never delivered it.
The guy who ordered the phone had cameras watching the outside of his house, and he was in the living room looking out the window the whole time. Thus, he was able to see for himself that the Pro On The Go driver never delivered his phone.
The customer still needed a new phone, so after arranging for a refund for the wayward device that never arrived, he ordered it online again. This time, he decided to take two-day delivery since he wasn't happy with the level of cooperation he received from both Verizon and Asurion.
Verizon customer service rep labels the customer's follow-up order a "fraud."
The carrier put the new order on hold for identity verification. This would normally not be a problem at all except that Verizon wanted to verify the customer's identity by sending a code to the customer's phone, the one that the Pro On The Go delivery service failed to deliver. This was obviously a dead end.
The customer called Verizon customer service, which was no help at all. To make matters worse, the customer service rep canceled the order and labeled it a fraud without telling the customer.
The beleaguered customer says he is done with Verizon
When the customer attempted to order the phone again through Verizon, the "fraud" label popped up. As a result, Verizon demanded that the customer turn over certain documents before it would allow the order to go through. While the poor Verizon customer doesn't mention the precise document he had to upload, his order was denied. After being shut out after three attempts to buy the phone, this consumer says that he is done with Verizon.
Verizon customers can have their new phone delivered to them the same day it is ordered and avoid a Verizon store. | Image by Verizon
I had a situation that wasn't exactly the same, but was equally frustrating. In 2022, I ordered the Pixel 6 Pro from Verizon noting that there was a North and a South listing for the road that I lived on at the time. I marked the correct one and of course, when it was delivered by Verizon, they dropped the phone off at the incorrect address.
After long and frustrating phone calls with the unit that passes for customer service at Verizon, I finally got my phone delivered weeks late. The thing is, no one really wants to go to the store belonging to their wireless provider since they could end up getting charged for items that they didn't order.
Let's face it, the business of providing wireless service to U.S. consumers has seen better days and while the technology has improved, the service offered by the Big Three (Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T) has not.
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