Verizon is allegedly encouraging store representatives to engage in unsolicited outreach and the situation is infuriating for both employees and customers.
Reddit user lawrencenathan said that a local store employee sent them a message about ongoing promotions. What's strange about the message is that it didn't come from a company number and didn't seem to be automated. Instead, an employee apparently used their personal number, crafted a custom message, and even mentioned their name.
Very surprised to receive an SMS spam from a store employee (see linked image). Yes, this is a local company store, but I have never set foot in it or interacted with any employee there. IT appears to be the personal phone number of "G", the employee who spammed me.
—lawrencenathan, Reddit user, June 2025
Naturally, this ticked lawrencenathan off, who was appalled that an employee from a local store they had never been to was contacting them in a personal capacity.
Verizon employees are texting customers using their personal numbers to promote deals. | Image Credit- lawrencenathan
According to several Verizon employees who responded to the thread, this practice is not only encouraged, but mandated by Verizon. The company asks store representatives to chase leads via calls or messages.
yeah as a corporate rep we get local leads and have to reach out.
—Suitable_Potential_9, Reddit user, June 2025
Employees claim that they hate making these calls or sending these texts as much as customers despise receiving them, but many of them have a quota to meet, so they have no choice.
All of us use several different tools to send promotional text messages to customers. I'm a manager for Verizon and it is a requirement for every sales employee to do these. They're not doing it on purpose. Trust me we hate doing that but it is closely monitored and if we don't do it we are actually held accountable.
—sk8trix, Reddit user, June 2025
Employees have suggested unsubscribing from such communication, but lawrencenathan has already done that. Apparently, opting out of marketing messages doesn't stop local representatives from reaching out to customers, though ideally, that shouldn't be the case.
Some people have argued that this technically isn't spam and that a single benign message is nothing to get worked up about.
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That isn't technically spam since it is not automatically generated, the reps have to manually send the message or make a call.
It's usually to customers who have great upgrade and new line offers.
—LMNoballz, Reddit user, June 2025
Regardless, many customers may still find such messages annoying and their best recourse is to ask representatives contacting them to take them off their internal list.
Some people are of the view that this is a harmless practice and that employees usually only contact people who are eligible for attractive upgrades and line offers. Viewed this way, some customers may actually benefit from these calls and messages. However, some employees have pointed out that in most cases, these calls don't work, so it can be assumed that for most people, they are a nuisance.
Verizon is seemingly not the only company pushing this behavior, which is kind of ironic, given that the company comes across as a fierce advocate against spam on its website. However, with growth cooling off, and Verizon losing customers, it's not hard to see why this strategy is being pursued.
We've reached out to Verizon for a comment and will update the story when we have a response.
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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.
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