Is the Verizon Wireless Recycle Program a Total Scam?

My new iPhone 6 that I may never get to use if Verizon has its way.
My beautiful new iPhone 6 that I may never get to use if Verizon has its way.

I’m not happy. Not one bit. And it’s all thanks to Verizon Wireless.

I’ve complained about Verizon Wireless before. That was in regards to ridiculous, unnecessary fees. I still stand by that post. But this time, it’s a totally different issue and I feel like I’ve been part of one big phone scam.

Let me walk you through what happened…

The iPhone 6 went on pre-order and I didn’t bat an eye. Yeah it sounded great but my iPhone 4S still worked fine. I wasn’t about to drop a few hundred on a new phone just because.

Then in mid-September I got a promotional email from Verizon basically saying that I could trade in my iPhone 4S for an iPhone 6. Interesting, I thought.

Verizon Promo

I looked into it and if I traded my iPhone 4S in (it’s in great shape), I’d get a $200 credit from Verizon. They were running a special where I could buy an iPhone 6 for $200, so discounting the ridiculous fees, it’s basically like trading a 4S for a 6. Okay, that I was willing to do.

So on September 19, I filled out the trade-in information for the Verizon Wireless Recycle Program on their website. It told me I would get $200 credit when I sent in my iPhone 4S. Then as I finished the last step, it gave me a popup asking if I was going to buy an iPhone 6 or not. I said yes, and proceeded to order it.

I received an email confirmation for my phone order but nothing about a trade-in. My initial thought was, they’d send that info in the future.

Fast forward a few weeks and still no confirmation about the trade-in. I did get another generic promotional email from Verizon saying time was running out to trade in your old phones for up to $200 in credit. I wasn’t sure if this was directed at me or not, so once again I filled out all the information for a trade in. Once again I never received anything.

Two days ago I finally received something… my iPhone 6 in the mail. But there was nothing about a trade-in at all. So I held off on activating it because I’m not keeping it if I can’t trade my old one in for $200.

Verizon Wireless logo

Yesterday I chatted online with a Verizon Wireless customer service rep. He was quite friendly and completely understood my problem and frustration. Apparently he had the same exact issue himself even. He gave me these exact instructions:

“Okay, this is a some what common issue, to correct this and to insure that you are getting the promised amount you will have to call Customer Care at 800-922-0204 as they can remark the account as well as ship the packaging etc out to you.”

So I called, played the game of talking to an automated operator and never getting to the right department. I eventually gave up because I had to get back to work.

Today, however, I worked from home. I had my phone on speaker as I waited in a long queue to speak to someone at that number. It was 15 minutes before someone answered. She was far from friendly. After I explained the situation, she responded with, “Can I have your Submission ID?”

“I don’t have a Submission ID. That’s the problem here. I never got any confirmation at all from Verizon.”

“I can’t look up your info without a Submission ID.”

“Exactly. Because I never got one.”

“I’m going to have to pass you on to the Escalation Department since there is no Submission ID. Please hold.”

And I did. Literally for 20 more minutes!

Then a woman answered and once again I explained the entire story to her. She asked the same questions and basically continued to reiterate that, “I can’t look you up in our system without a Submission ID. There’s nothing in the system.”

She told me that she’s going to have to pass me on to the Escalation Department. At which point I told her that I thought she WAS the Escalation Department.

“No, I’m the supervisor. But we don’t have a Submission ID so we can’t do anything at all.”

I then learned that the Escalation Department will get back to me via email in… oh, roughly 7 to 10 BUSINESS DAYS!

Really? I have a new iPhone 6 here I’m dying to play with but I can’t/won’t activate it until I’m positive I’m getting $200 for my old one. And now I may not even know for another two weeks?!?

I blew up at her explaining that I’ve talked online, on Twitter and on the phone for way too many hours already and now I learn that I have to wait another two weeks to even get an answer.

“Two more weeks? Can I even return my new phone then or should I just return it now?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, sir, you’ll have to speak to Customer Care about that. That’s a new phone issue. We only handle trade-ins here.”

For reals. She said that.

So now I’m trying to contact someone at Verizon Wireless to find out the return policy on my iPhone 6. And their website is a mess of cataclysmic proportions. If you want to chat in a forum, you’re fine. But try finding an easy customer service email or instant chat link.

I even tried talking to them on Twitter and didn’t get anywhere. It was less than useful actually. While I explained my problem, they responded very slowly, asking me if I filled out the forms and then… did I check my email. My email. Gee, wish I had thought of that. Or even my spam folder.

I can’t make this stuff up.

I’m hoping to catch the attention of someone competent over at Verizon Wireless who understands the value of Customer Service. Particularly to a real loyal customer of nearly 15 years. So do me a favor, if you made it this far, please leave a comment below and share this post on Twitter and Facebook to get Verizon’s attention. Thankya!

Selfie of me pretending to use my new iPhone 6
Selfie of me pretending to use my new iPhone 6

Have you had problems with Verizon’s Trade-In Program?

Update 12/5/14: I did contact the Better Business Bureau about this entire affair. They passed my complaint on to Verizon and I just now received this message from the BBB with Verizon’s response: “Upon receipt of this complaint, a thorough review was completed. Verizon Wireless has advised Mr. Kardon unfortunately in order to receive the $200.00 incentive; our recycling center would have needed to receive his previous equipment before the promotion expired.”


126 thoughts on “Is the Verizon Wireless Recycle Program a Total Scam?”

  1. Well, I was just scammed by Verizon Wireless Trade In after being a loyal customer for over 7 years. I upgraded to the IPhone 7 and traded in my IPhone 6 s by mailing it in. 2 weeks after I mailed it in, I received an email stating that Verizon has not received my device and I will be billed for the remaining amount.. A week and a half later I receive another email stating that they received my device, but it is the defective and being sent back to me. In addition, I have to pay the balance. WHAT??? Now grant it, the phone looked and worked like it was brand new. The only thing wrong with it was that it had a thin and small crack almost at the middle of the screen. Really Verizon?? All you going to do is refurbish and sell it back!!! Well, when I got the device back in the mail… IT”S NOT MY PHONE!!! They sent back to me a dirty phone that had a big gash on the bottom left hand side of the screen. WHERE IS THE PHONE THAT I HAVE TO PAY FOR? I called customer service and they attempted to verify if it was the wrong phone, but the idiots took the sim card out. (Do you sense internal fraud???) I was told that there is no protocol since the warehouse made the error and they can only offer me $25. Seriously!!!! Just like the former Verizon guy… I will be saying BYE BYE!!! And Better Business Bureau here I come. Verizon is not worth the cost. Sprint. here I come!!!

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  2. My screen cracked on my iPhone and I called Verizon to see if I could get it fixed. Instead of Apple Care which would have replaced it, Verizon has their own program, but it has a $200 deductible. This is more than it costs to repair the screen. I also am canceling this as soon as it ends. I have been paying for over a year, and still have several hundred dollars owned to them. I will not get the next iPhone because of this. My current iPhone costs much more than it would of buying it outright at Apple.

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  3. And to no avail, I believe Verizon is still doing this type of thing. I guess it explains why the guy dropped Verizon and went to Sprint, pretty funny commercial. Thanks for the rant, I’ll be keeping away from Verizon, as always!

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  4. In February I went to Verizon store and traded 2 iPhone 6 64gb and 1 Galaxy 6 With 5 months warranty still in perfect new conditions. The sales said that I will recieve $650 for each phone. They only paid $215 for my iPhone’s and $115 for the Galaxy and automatic was discounted for pay tax for the new 3 iPhone 6s that I bouth w then and they said that the difference will be send to me by 3 credit card. BUT they didint send Nothing until today, So now I still have to pay the phone that I trade and I was think they will pay me so I can pay sprint. Now I have sprint and Verizon bills.. This is ridculos IM VERY UPSED with VERIZON!! I WANT MY PHONES BACK or The MONEY THAT WAS PROMESSED TO ME SO I CAN PAY MY BILLS. What do I should do? Is any possibility to stop this scammm to STOP this company take money from they new costumes?? iPhone 6 64 gb New only works $215??

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    • I am in the same boat… did any of this resolve for you. I traded in a Iphone 6s Plus and an Iphone 5s. My understanding was they bought the phones from me for $500 for both. I used this to buy 2 new cases and screens plus pay the first months bill. Now after I sent in the ATT bill they stay they are only going to send me a card for $212. I owe ATT $750… They state that when I traded in my phones and got a Verizon gift card that was part of the reimbursement I was suppose to be paid for ATT.

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    • The Verizon iPhone trade-in scam of 2016 – After being a loyal Verizon customer for a few years, I got pulled into the same scam that many other Verizon customers have gotten into – the ‘trade-in scam’. You trade your old iphone 6 for a $650 credit that goes towards paying for your new iphone 7.

      The catch is that the older phone MUST ONLY BE mailed in a prepaid UNINSURED package provided by Verizon. My barely-used, scratchless, in original packaging old iphone 6 was in excellent condition when it departed my hands. Verizon sent me a picture of a damaged phone which they received and refused to give me the promised $650 credit. The same picture was sent to other friends and colleagues of mine that went in for a Verizon phone trade-in.
      However, my friends that chose the Tmobile or AT&T trade in did not have such complaints.
      Verizon should release statistics of how many trade-in phones were offered the full credit.

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      • Fighting the same thing except they tell me my phone won’t stay powers on! I received a generous offer of $45 – what a crock!!!!! I will leave Verizon asap when this is done – they just lost an 18 year Alltel to Verizon customer and 4 cell phone lines plus all my Verizon business services my husband and I use!

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  5. I’m experiencing the same issues as everyone else, I switched from Sprint to Verizon on 1/18/2016 and it’s been 3 months and still no reimbursement checks for my 2 phones. They quoted me the process would only take 15 days after the submission of my latest Sprint Bill, along with a copy of the latest pay off. I’ve been pretty consistent about checking in with them every couple of weeks and they keep telling me “Checks in the Mail!”. Well today, they informed me they had no record of my submission and I would need to resubmit. I informed them, this would be the 3rd time submitting my paperwork, how can you tell me 2 weeks ago “Checks in the Mail” and then tell me there’s no submission? Folks, this is a scam that needs to be reported to the BBB and your states Attorney General. Verizon is taking us for “A LOT OF MONEY!”

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  6. Good to see 2 years later and nothing has changed. I am going through a similar issue with my and my wife’s phone. We were supposed to receive 200 dollars on our trade in for new phones. It has been 4 months now and we have not received our rebate or even any indication that they got our old phones. I called the trade-in center today and they said it will apply in March but if I do not get the rebate the rep said to call them back. I’ll update if this actually happens. She also said she would text me a confirmation which I have yet to receive. Also, we got conned into getting a Verizon Jet Pack which we were assured came with the new plan for free and had no extra charges. In reality it’s a new line and 10 dollars extra a month. Now we are stuck with it for 2 years. I take some responsibility for this one, I should have known better. It’s Verizon Wireless. Nothing is free.

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    • I too upgraded my iPhone 6 from Verizon in November 2015. I sent back my iPhone 5 as per the instructions and it seems they cannot find the phone. So, that means I am not getting the $300 credit I was supposed to get as per the promotion.
      Now I look online and see these complaints. I asked them, is this a scam? They get my iPhone 5 in great condition since it was in an Otterbox and probably a trade in value for it and I don’t get anything. I could have possibly sold it on my own.
      I think I am going to go further and complain in Twitter, the BBB and wherever else I can. This is not right.

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      • Yep! Exactly what I went through. Phone call after phone call after phone call, and they miraculously found it via the IMEI#. Even had a rep tell me this happens a lot (“misplaced” phones). Seriously?!? I’d keep after them if I were you!

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    • 2021 I too went to Verizon and was told I would get up to $750 trade in value for my phone. I sent them my pixel 3xl which was only 9 months old and may I add I left it in the otter box case when I sent it to Verizon. They tell me that it was damaged and offered me $32. All lies there was nothing wrong with my phone. What can I do? I am so upset.

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  7. Wow. Interesting post. My daughter entered the same sort of nightmare in many of her dealing with Verizon. She finally left them and swears she will never use them again. Sounds horrible.

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  8. I am so sorry! My family had Verizon back in 2005 and we quit them as soon as we could, forget what happened but it was something huge and we were put on hold for hours then finally went in to the store and they were NO help at all and my Mom almost blew up at them. There are much better companies out there.

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  9. I dont have a cellpone- hnest to God I dont. I hate paying crazy fees. My idea is if they want to seel you minutes the equipment ought to be free, and they ought to be competing getting the nicest stuff out to keep cutomers.

    I have friends who paay 300-400 a month in cellphone bills. Its nuts.

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  10. YES, it is. I turned in TWO good smartphones on their so-called device recycling program back in JUNE, supposed to be credited $150 EACH. TO DATE, I have heard Nothing from VZ/VZW. Followed instructions to the ‘t’, used their packaging, labels, etc. I now see that they’ve had many problems with this “program”. DON’T USE THE RECYCLE/TRADE-IN PROGRAM. Get your money/credit elsewhere. STILL trying to resolve this with NOTHING from Verizon. I will NOT continue with you in the future. Signed, “Use to be” long-time satisfied customer.

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    • oh holy crap! I JUST got off the phone AGAIN about a similar issue. SIX MONTHS AND TEN PEOPLE later, I FINALLY get a “credit” to my bill. BUT THAT WASN’T THE ORIGINAL ‘OFFER”. It was to be $150 pre-paid Visa card. Not a credit, not a Verizon gift card, but honest-to-god CASH. The last person, who put the credit through, said my return was done incorrectly, and should have been done online. Hmph. Nowhere was that EVER explained. I’m pretty tech savvy, and unless it was in fine print somewhere, I’m pretty sure I would have seen it. It took me FOUR calls just to get the mailer and address label to return the “trade-in” phone. Verizon — get your $H!T together!

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    • ***NOTE TO ALL: I have Finally gotten mine resolved, good for two $150 credits on my account, THANKS to Chelsea at the Verizon Trade-In Dept at 1-800-416-8894. One device was returned in June 2015, & the 2nd in September 2015, because I hadn’t received the first return box/label, etc. Gave Chelsea the info I had on both. One was over 6 months, so no record, but she found the other & credited me for both w/what she saw in the records, my account, etc. Now I have a $300 credit on our account. 7 months later, but she resolved it for me. I suggest asking for her, or note here if you get it resolved with another rep. FINALLY

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  11. Just got $300 for my iPhone 5s when I bought the 6S+. The bill credit was just applied in the amount of $300 when the phone was realistically only worth $200.
    Great program!

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    • I know this is an old post, but I’d share my thoughts, since I’m doing this right now for three phones @ $300 each. $900 is some serious cash.

      This isn’t a scam, but Verizon really isn’t doing anyone any favors by not being clear of the process. You need to turn on your phone and activate your account before they will send your promo code. Think of it this way. Until you are actually using the phone, they don’t know how to tie you, your phone, your phone number, and Verizon account together. Once you activate your phone you’ll get get a ton of text messages, to active your accounts, voicemail, website, etc. Tucked in one of these messages is a message about the trade in program.

      The reason I know this is I had almost the same experience. Moved 3 phone numbers over from AT&T and a couple weeks later hadn’t received any info about the trade in program and called Verizon. It seems they are more apt to the process now, however as I said, they could save themselves and their customers a lot of hassle by just explaining this process upfront.

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      • Jose, I just wrote an entire response to you explaining it is still going on in December 2016 and I gave lots of details which if this isn’t a scam, I don’t know what you would call it, Unfortunately, my note got deleted and I don’t have the heart to spend even more time rewriting but suffice it to say they owed me $550 and change and all they claim they will give now iis $65 for excellent working phone and so I bought my new phone under false pretense of expecting a $550 credit. If It sounds large, it is because I purchased during Black Friday weekend, but apparently doesn’t matter because they are clearly scamming all their customers. I bet over the next couple weeks to months when people realize they are not getting back what they were told they were getting, this will blow up in terms of more current comments.. By the way, the complaints to Better Business Bureau and executives have done nothing so far. Why is there not a class action suit??!!

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  12. Not surprisingly, everything with every phone company is always too good to be true. But I did do the trade in – however I did it in store. I was still charged the 200 dollars for the phone but when I have them my (great condition) iphone5, they gave me a 200 dollar store credit to use on whatever I choose. And I used it to help on my phone bill.

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  13. I had similar issues, and never got my $200 refund. I spent hours on numerous calls between Verizon and the refund center customer service trying to get my refund. They had issued me a credit via email but when I attempted to use the credit they told me it expired. I called they said they would issue me a new one in 5-10 business days. I never received it. The next set of phone calls resulted in them stating they would do everything they could to help saw all of my records and then amongst the shuffling of customer representatives there was suddenly no record of any of my calls and emails. I got shuffled finally to the recycle program customer service rep that tried to tell me I didn’t ship it in the official packaging. I said that is flatly untrue I did and they did receive it and they had sent me the credit told the whole story again and conveniently got disconnected. That was the last time I tried as I don’t have hours to waste waiting for answers. Sadly, I’m sure that is what they are hoping for.

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  14. it’s not just Verizon, customer service seems to be becoming a thing of the past., the big companies have so many customers that pissing on a few hundred means nothing to them anymore.

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  15. I would be ticked off too. I have heard several negative things about Verizon…. definitely doesn’t seem like a company I would want to do business with

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  16. That is unfortunate. I’m sorry you had to go through all that trouble. I would upset about it and frustrated.

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  17. Verizon Wireless stole $215 from me. I switched the whole family, 2 phones from AT&T to Verizon Wireless. I was told by Go Wireless (Verizon franchise) that Verizon cannot use the phones set up on AT&T and I would receive credit. One of the phones (iPhone 5C) was only 4 weeks old. I followed all instructions, waited 4 weeks to receive pre-printed packaging material and sent the phones in along with an old Blackberry worth $20. All 3 phones sent at the same time.

    4 months later (after no less than 8 phone calls) I received credit for the Blackberry but nothing on the iPhones worth $215.

    Go Wireless deferred to Verizon customer service who deferred to the only 800# available, the one I have called no less than 12 times.and received the same reply, “I will notify the managers”. You can’t talk to or correspond with anyone other than the person who answers the phone. This is a scam.

    Verizon Wireless stole from me which I never expected. My next call is to the Texas better business bureau on Hydra (Verizon’s subcontractor).and Verizon wireless.

    DO NOT USE Verizon’s recycling program. They will steal your phones.

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  18. After waiting many months, I finally received the gift card via email and to my surprise IT WORKED!!!! The only way I was able to get it was having them send via email not regular mail. My only problem now is that I recycled 2 phones and when I call on the other gift card, there’s “no record” on file for the Submission ID or cell number used for transaction. They really screwed this one up. I guess they’ll figure most will get tired of waiting and let it go. But they sure sold many iPhones so business is good!!!!

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  19. As of March 2015, the name of the company Verizon Wireless has contracted for their recycling program is Hyla located in Dallas. I was given the same BS from Verizon sales people about rebates and I switched 3 phones from ATT to Verizon. 10 weeks later Hyla cannot even confirm they received my phones even though I sent them in the envelopes they provided. I thought dropping $500 worth of phones in the mail was OK realizing that Verizon is a Fortune 50 company. Never did I think that Verizon would screw me out of this. I’m giving them 2 more weeks before I escalate this further. I don’t have the time to mess with this nor should I have to. Shame on Verizon.

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  20. I have a similar problem. I have a submission id but it’s been 5 months and still no refund. I call and they say I’ll get the email with the gift card “any day”. Today I called and she said that my iPhone 4 was broken when they received it and would not power on. I told her that the instructions for the recycling specifically said to remove the battery which is why the phone would not power on. She told me I was confused and that you’re not supposed to do that with iphones. I wish I’d kept a copy of the instructions. She’s sending my case to the Escalation Dept and I’m supposed to tell them “I was confused’ if I want my $200. My husband warned me that this was a scam. I think think he was right.

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  21. March 2015
    The same thing happened to me. I traded in a perfectly good iphone4s and they sent me an email stating that I had a gift card coming soon. This was back in September 2014. I continue to call and they reissue the request and tell me it will take 7-10 days. I have been on the phone for countless hours trying to resolve this issue and they never let me speak to someone who can actually make a decision. Verizon has the worst costumer service. Their recycling program stole a perfectly good phone from me.

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  22. Same issue here – all the way around… multiple calls w/Verizon, no submission ID ANYWHERE except for in the mythical world of verizon. I have the USPS receipt showing it arrived in Ft Worth, TX, but still no submission ID. I’ve used my iPhone 6 since I received it in October, but I can’t seem to get anyone to assist with the payment. I traded in TWO iphone 5’s for two iPhone 6 +’s, so the only savings on this for you would be that you only got screwed on ONE device! 🙂 Good Luck, and I’ll post if I get anywhere! (latest was to contact the Device Recycling Center). I will say that I will never trade-in a device online – ever again!

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    • A quick update to my issue that is worth sharing here… I found elsewhere while searching for answers to this issue, that someone had contacted the regional vice president of Verizon in their area. After some web searching for this, I came across – (http://www.verizonwireless.com/aboutus/leadership/area.html), and there is the ability to contact YOUR state representative from Verizon. I emailed them (via the online messaging ability), and was followed up with an email the next day, and a phone call 2 days later. The assistant to the regional VP contacted me, and I explained my saga – no submission ID and all. I did however have receipt of the tracking number which i shipped my devices back to Verizon with, and that proved to be as good as the submission ID. The rep. said she would investigate and get back to me. 5 minutes later my phone rang, and they verified it went to their warehouse in Ft. Worth. She said their staff had accepted it, and that they will go ahead and credit my account! That evening I was notified that I have my $400 credit!

      Reply
      • I’m having problems too. I sent in my Samsung Galaxy 3 and was told I would be getting a $180 credit that has never came. That was 5 months ago. I haven’t been able to get a solid answer from anyone, or even an answer at all for that matter. I even have a submission ID. I just emailed my representative so hopefully that helps….. Thanks for posting that link, I never would have thought of that!

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  23. Stumbled upon this article and the one thing I can include from it: Apple has a recycle program. You trade in your phone IN STORE, and it immediately takes off the price of the new phone you’re buying. No waiting, no rebates.

    Much easier.

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  24. Thanks for the heads up on customer service at Verizon. I’ve only had small issues to call about. Will warn my son about upgrading from his 4S to the iphone 6 in the future and send him your story.

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  25. This exact same thing happened to me. I order my new iPhone6 on September 28, was told I’d get the $200 credit. Never got a Submission ID, despite calling every 2 weeks to have my proper trade-in box mailed to me. I literally ordered a trade-in box SEVEN times, each time being told I’d receive it in 5 business days. I finally got it on December 21, 2014. Unlike you, I did activate my iPhone 6 because I needed to use it. I never got my $200 because I “missed the promotion deadline” because the only record of a submission ID they have was once that was created for me when I blew up on the phone for the 12th call (I logged all calls in late November). Furious.

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  26. There’s nothing we can do seems to be the standard response from Verizon. They sold me on a discount that didn’t exist, even had it in writing from the sales rep. When I questioned not getting the discount on my bill they said they don’t offer said discount and there is nothing they can do about it. Two months later and about 4 hours of phone calls I got refunded $1,200 after they realized that was cheaper then letting me out of my contract and taking all the equipment back at a loss.

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  27. I was wondering if I was the only person having this issue. I ordered my iPhone 6 (mid October… it was on back order) and a couple of weeks later I received my brown envelope/green bag to return it in. I got the 6 and the next day sent my 5 off in the mail. I hadn’t heard anything so I called to check. The trade-in company claims I should have an email address on file and a submission ID so I must not have done the trade-in process correctly. I proceed to ask how I received my return packaging if I didn’t do the process correctly and she said “they probably just sent it to you for ordering the phone.” Also, I asked where my phone is and was told “it was probably just recycled.” It makes no sense and I’m very upset that I was treated like I was in the wrong when I know I did all I was supposed to!

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  28. This post is awesome. I love the pic. I can appreciate your frustration as I am currently going through something very similar. They actually received my phone and I got an email saying that I would get a gift card. That was 2 months ago and the two companies just keep bouncing me back and forth. What a fabulous experience. I would love to know the name of the company Verizon is using to handle the rebates and such.

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  29. Wow, I had no idea this was going on with Verizon. We are currently getting the fraud cleaned up on our Verizon account that in no way has to do with trading in phones. (it’s a totally separate issue). I hope everyone’s trade in issues get resolved!

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  30. I also received the $36 rebate, fully expecting $200 for my in-perfect-condition iPhone4s. I contacted the Better Business Bureau, and 2 days later, the problem is resolved! Yay! Verizon will credit the full amount to my account immediately. The Better Business Bureau is the way to go to resolve this issue.

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  31. Wow, it sounds like the trade-in company has a process of knocking the value down for all phones & if we accept their explanation no one complains they saved the company the full appraised value! I’m thinking their have some incentives or get bonuses for not issuing the full trade in value as calculated online. I am in the process of changing from AT&T to Verizon. I have 2 i4s & 1 i4. On their appraisal site you can choose the specific phone by carrier . The value I “will receive” is suppose to be $100 for the i4s 16gb & $32 for the i4 8gb. If your fones were trade in valued at $200 & only got $36, I can imagine getting 1/2 or $18 & zilch on my i4. Is it better to go into a Verizon store to do the trade in?

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    • yep, common practice. they must get bonuses on any savings. just like that insurance movie with matt damon “deny deny deny”

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  32. I am in the same boat as of today! My husband and I both upgraded to the iphone 6+ and were given codes to get $200 per iphone 4 8gb. Filled out everything, got our envelopes, mailed them in and I recieved an email this morning on ONLY 1 that the lcd was broken and we were given $36. These phones were perfectly fine. I will be calling tomorrow and if nothing is resolved I will be filing with th BBB. This is ridiculous!!

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  33. I just got off the phone with the recycling program customer support (877) 835-2024. I had an iPhone 4 that was appraised for $200 and I received a gift card for exactly $36. The operator was pleasant and sympathetic and emailed courtesy credit for the remaining $164. After reading all the nightmare stories, I was ready to raise hell, but it sounds like they have risen to the occasion with appropriate customer support.

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  34. I have a submission ID#; got the recycling materials sent to me but…the dog ate it, no kidding. Our postman left it at the door with a box that my dog also chewed up. Since September have been trying to get the recycling envelope resent because you can’t just send it in any envelope or they won’t give you the full amount. Anyway, I have e-mailed and called and each of the six people I’ve talked to have said they would send new recycling envelope. By now you’d think I would have at least six envelopes. What have I received? Nothing, zilch, nada!!!

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  35. I got this reply from verizon..
    Mr. Goldstein,
    As of today I have applied a $200 credit to your account to cover the amount of the Trade-In offer. Again I apologize for any inconvenience this matter has caused.
    Thanks!
    I got to keep the old phone too.

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  36. That really sucks. So what happened?! Did you just send the phone back? Did they credit you? Are you still just waiting?! Or was “there’s nothing we do” the final answer? Ugh.

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  37. I was in the same boat, 36$ instead of the original appraised 200$. They must be getting a boatload of complaints because I called up to complain and the rep very promptly credited me the remainder.

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  38. This is the same thing I am dealing with right now. I went ahead and fired up my iphone 6. When I last talked with them last week somebody was supposed to get back with me, but still nothing. I just finished with the second time and they assured me I would have a package in a few days. I said how can you be so assured when it has been over a month. She didn’t have an answer. I said what do I do if again I receive nothing. She said to call Verizon. I told her they said to call them. She was silent. I asked about the submission ID and she said I should have had it after I ordered the phones. I read her all my emails and she said I should call Verizon again. Just crazy. I will try to contact an executive person if I get no resolution.

    Reply
  39. I’ve been waiting for packing materials since my order on 10/15. I even have a response from Verizon via email confirming that they will resend the packing materials. I just submitted a complaint to the BBB. I’m not willing to ship them my old phone without written confirmation of the $200 trade-in value.

    Reply
    • Packing materials never came. I went to the store and traded in the phone there. Had the $200 credit applied directly to my bill.

      Reply
  40. Thanks for starting this blog. Count me in the random $36 club too. I mailed in a great iPhone 4s after following all the instructions and was disappointed to see an esteemed company like Verizon doing a “bait and switch” operation. I have emailed the VZW recycling company asking for the “promised” $200 for a new iPhone 6. I would be happy with getting my old phone back too. I have also contacted BBB. Let’s see what happens.

    Reply
    • I’m one more Verizon customer who believes the iphone4 trade in promotion is a scam. I received an email today after I inquired about the status of my trade in. The email stated the value of my device is $0.00 — yes, zero! The iphone4 I traded in had no damage and worked. The email stated the side/back is cracked or broken and device does not power on. That is absolutely not true. I would have happily kept my iphone4 if I knew this was a scam. I’ll file with BBB and contact a Verizon VP. Verizon needs to do something about this before we all contract with a competitor who knows the value of customer service.

      Reply
    • A quick follow up. Thanks to BBB things got taken care of. I got a call from a Verizon representative and was sent a gift card for the remaining amount $164. I really wish I didn’t have to go through all this but I’m happy that things are resolved now.

      Reply
  41. Thank you for this commentary and posts. After purchasing 4 new phones for various family members, I mailed in our used phones using the Verizon padded envelope and shipping label provided by the recycling program (with my submission ID). All 4 phones were mailed at the same time from our local post office and only after having the local Verizon store confirm their condition. Six weeks later: two phones never been received and a third phone was issued a $36 credit, allegedly because the LCD screen was broken. Given the poor quality of the padded mailing envelope provided by Verizon and the literally hundreds of thousands of people sending in old phones, I am not surprised that our phone arrived damaged. But where are the missing phones? I phoned my local Verizon store this AM and shared my concern that this is a SCAM. My local store confirmed that an outside vendor is running the recycling program cards- not Verizon. However, Verizon has to be held accountable for this fiasco. I, for one, am thrilled to hear that filing with BBB has yielded positive results. Planning to file just as soon as I hit “SEND”.

    Reply
  42. Yet another me too but I haven’t received the damn envelope for the promotion, and yes they have the right address. I sent this stuff to a verzion exec and the bbb. We’ll see, if not I know a lawyer that does pro bono work here in NM.

    Reply
  43. You are telling my story verbatim! I am beyond frustrated trying to get someone to understand that THEY dropped the ball in not giving me a code (that I didn’t know I needed to ask for) and that I shouldn’t be penalized for their lack of Customer Service. I just submitted a complaint to the BBB after reading that others have done the same thing. Fingers crossed!

    Reply
  44. I am so sorry to see that so many people have had similar problems as my own. TONS more have even worse problems where they did get a Submission ID, sent their phones in and only received $36 back instead of the $200. I’m sure that’s what would’ve happened to me too!

    I’ve since contacted the Verizon Executives and just finally heard back with a completely useless “Sorry, without any reference of your order, there is nothing we can do” response.

    I just filed a complain with the Better Business Bureau so we’ll see if that gets me anywhere. I’m really really disgusted at how Verizon’s handling all of this.

    Reply
    • My situation is similar but I received the email today indicating I would get nothing for my near perfect iPhone 4S due to damage and my Activation Lock was turned on. NO on both. I even took pictures before mailing the phone for this very reason. I have submitted an email to Charlie Falco, Vice President, South Area Customer Service. I will be highly surprised if I get a response, let alone a resolution.

      Reply
    • I contacted the company that is responsible for the trade-in and was told that someone would contact me in 24 to 48 hours. Then I decided to file BBB complaint after reading everyone’s complaints. Verizon contacted me within 24 hours and wanted a bit more info and then in 30 minutes or less she left me a voicemail to say that my email credit card should be in my email. She wanted to me to confirm it. She stated that my phone never arrived or was lost. (?!) I put that phone directly in the post office blue mail box, I received my credit card voucher so I am happy now. So I suggest others follow suit and file some complaints withe BBB, your local attorney general, the FTC etc and see what happens.

      Reply
  45. Just got my gift card last week … For only $36! Was supposed to be $200. Have spent hours on the phone this week trying to get someone to send me the rest of my money. The phone was active on my account and working perfectly fine until I received the iPhone 6 in the mail. I was initially told I would receive the rest of my refund but later told I was denied. Was told the device wouldn’t power on. It took a month for them to send me the envelope to return the phone so the battery was probably dead. They insisted this was not the case… That they check that. I finally called the trade in center yesterday and told them just to send my phone back and they told me to wait because they never checked any of the phones that didn’t power on to see if they worked when plugged in and they were going to go back and recheck them. Seriously? If the phones didn’t turn on the didn’t plug them in? That was the question I had been asking them all week… If they had tried plugging it in. I still don’t believe I’m going to get my money. I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and disputed the charge with my credit card company. I am so pissed at Verizon I am probably going to see if I can get another carrier to buy out my contract and just leave them. I don’t have time for this shit.

    Reply
  46. Having the exact same issue here. I also ordered online September 19th for two iPhones after going through the online trade-in rigamarole. Never got an email or trade-in instructions. Got the new phones and called to find out how to return the old ones. Was bounced back and forth between the “Trade in department” and Verizon customer care, who basically accused my of lying about filling out the trade-in submission screens when I placed the order. End result, they offered $50 credit, which I told them to keep. Today I filed a BBB complaint and sent a copy off to the Verizon Regional VP of customer care. We’ll see if they reply. Checked online and this appears to be a common pattern with Verizon dating back to past promotions. Heck, be glad you aren’t one of the thousands who sent in a working iPhone and got $36 for their trade-in instead of $200.

    Reply
    • Follow-up: Many thanks to the first commenter, Kristine, for suggesting filing a complaint with the BBB. After I filed a complaint with the BBB and emailed a polite letter to the regional customer service manager, I received a call from Verizon Wireless corporate. She had the trade-in company on the line with her, and offered to intervene with Verizon Customer Care to get the trade-in processed. I was firm that I wanted a better solution. She offered and I accepted a $200 credit on my account with no requirement to send in the phones for trade-in. The credit was applied to my account instantly – the representative waited on the line so I could verify it was applied. I’ll be able to recoup the other $200 selling the phones myself without the hassle of waiting for the sketchy trade-in company to process my phones.

      I asked about the $36 issue that some people had and she said they were working with the trade-in company to ensure that people would receive an additional check if their phones qualified. So if you were one of those unfortunate people, filing a similar BBB complaint and letters to Verizon corporate may help.

      Reply
  47. Had a nightmare of an experience. appraised for $200, given $36. People at “customer service” were so rude and un helpful. I filed a complaint with the BBB on 11/11, and just got a call that they had sent over another e-gift card for the remaining balance. Don’t waste your time on the phone with anyone at Verizon or the trade-in company, just file with BBB, it’s the only way they will listen.

    Reply
    • I literally had the exact same problem & got the same amount of money on my “gift” card. They claimed my phone wouldn’t turn on. Hmm that’s odd. I never had that problem and suddenly it won’t turn on when they receive it?! Real fishy, Verizon.

      Reply
  48. Same thing happened here. Contact your regional executive, explain the situation calmly and respectfully. I did this after 6+ calls back and forth between Verizon and the Trade In company. The issue is that you’re speaking to two completely separate entities. Verizon contracts out the trade in program, and by the sound of it, they aren’t doing a great job. After weeks of frustration, I sent two emails (one to my regional manager and one to their general counsel). They called me within 24 hours and credited my account the full trade in value. Good luck!! Find your regional manager here: http://www.verizonwireless.com/aboutus/leadership/executive.html

    Reply
    • Thanks for the info, Cass! And you’re 100% right. They are 2 totally separate companies and Verizon picked a horrible one if you ask me. I just emailed 3 execs over there so we’ll see if anyone gets back to me. Thanks again!

      Reply
  49. We had the same problem! I spent hours on the phone, chat, facebook. File with the BBB. It’s easy and Verizon will call you immediately, offering the full credit. In the end, we didn’t even have to send in our IPhone 4s and have a $400 credit.

    Reply
  50. Your story is definitely what’s wrong with customer service these days. I actually think it should be renamed customer frustration. My sister and her husband did a deal like this with their cellphone company – smaller company in our state. It actually worked for them – so sorry you didn’t get the same response. Good luck!

    Reply
  51. It is 100% a scam.. Just this weekend I got my gift card for $36…. Mint iphone 5 functioning perfectly that magically “wouldn’t power on”.. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..

    I’ve started a website to hopefully get them some bad press.. If you have had this issue please post your story on it!

    Share, retweet, Facebook, etc! Get them via social media!!

    http://verizontradeinscam.com/

    Reply
  52. EXACT same thing happened to me only I activated my 6’s as soon as I got them. Did you ever get this resolved? I was told Escalation would contact me in 7-10 days so still waiting. No submission ID was sent, nothing in my Spam…just order confirmations for my new phones.

    Reply
  53. How frustrating! I dislike how these phone companies mislead their customers. They must have some poor management. I hope someone can sort out this mess for you soon.

    Reply
  54. I have yet to find a trade in or recycle program that’s worth a darn.. Gamestop did give me a $260 credit for a basically brand new Galaxy 3s once, but that was an atypical situation. We just keep the old phones and use them like mini tablets for the kids.

    Reply
  55. Here’s my latest linkedin post: Before switching to VERIZON, talk to me…so you think you can hand in your iPhone 5 and get that Super Discount on your new phone? You think you can take that $200 credit, and use it towards your Mega-Inflated 1st bill from VERIZON? Not so fast, youngster…First, you’re informed that your $200 will come in as a store credit AFTER your old phone is sent in, inspected, and processed. So you figure that’s not sooo bad. So you go ahead and pay top dollar for your new phone. Next, wait for your pre-paid envelopes to arrive. After that….nope…still no credit. But that 1st bill sure is due. So, you’re told 4-6 weeks processing on that credit for your old phones. Go ahead and pay your bill. And now, here comes the best part, they then pay you whatever they deem fair. So, today, for a like new, totally, protected iPhone 5, I was given a $36 credit. You think I could’ve gotten that on ebay??

    Reply
  56. I managed to get a Submission ID – starting with this page: https://www.trade-in.vzw.com/ but still suspect it’s a scam – that was 19 days ago and still no recycling materials. When calling to check on its status, I still get routed to a recorded message stating “we are receiving an usually high number of calls on this issue…” (gee why woukd that be?) “allow up 14 days… But stlill due 7 days after recriving your new phone and by Dec 1 at latest” and the online status check page just loops back to the form to enter the Submission ID. My local Verizon store appears to have been useless (the customer service person disappeared somewhere in the back to call their number to access a human being who reassured them that it would be noted to my account but rest assured my recycling materials were on the way… That wasa week ago.) I have now had my iPhone 6 over a week, the deadline to submit the recycled phone, 19 days after submitting the requestfor recycling materials, and still nothing.

    So I feel your pain.

    Reply
  57. Another reason why I will never use Verizon. So far, ATT has not treated me this badly. I feel sorry for the Millenincom customers who are not Verizon customers.

    Reply
  58. Look at switching over to Sprint. They have an excellent deal going right now. Will pay your cancelation fee with Verizon and the monthly fees are MUCH lower than Verizon. We just made the switch and are totally satisfied.

    Reply
  59. Happy to tweet it for you. I dont have Verizon, but they should have made this right. Anymore nost comppanies treat loyl customers worse than brand new ones. I dont understnd it but they do. I have the same problem with my cable company that I have been with for almost 20 years.

    Reply
  60. That really stinks! I am so thankful I am not a Verizon customer and after reading this I may never be one. Hope you get your problem solved soon!

    Reply
  61. Big companies think that they have us hooked due to their contracts and that we can’t go anywhere else. For years I’d heard that Verizon was one of the best services to use and a lot of people were switching to them. That went to their heads and they started to feel they could now get lax and it’s showing.

    Years ago I was using Sprint and had numerous problems with them and their customer service and supervisors were totally useless. Customer service would lie to me and the supervisors got to name calling. I finally had enough and told them that one more error on their part and I was canceling the service without paying any penalties because they basically voided my contract with the first mess up and lies. Of course within 2 weeks I had more problems so I switched carriers and they had the nerve to send me a bill for $400+ because we had 2 phones. I refused to pay and contacted the State’s Attorney General’s office and within 30 days I received a letter from Sprint that even though they felt I owed them the money my account was clean and I had a balance of $0.00.

    Reply
  62. The trade in is not a scam. I know many people that have done it. I know someone that works for Verizon wireless and he said that Verizon is working on a process to correct trade in issue that happened.

    Reply
    • Yes, it is a scam. They tell you they’re going to give you $200 trade in and then they pull a bait and switch. Without explanation, I received $36 for a perfectly good iphone 5. Then when you try to get information they give you the runaround. If that’s not a scam, I don’t know what is.

      Reply
      • The same thing happened to me!!!! My phone was “appraised” at $200, and over a month after sending in my phone I just got my email with my gift card info and was given $36!!!!! I called the phone number in my original trade in email, waited on hold forever only to be told that customer care handled these issues, transferred over to them, waited on hold some more for them to tell me I have to speak to someone in the device recycling department! 26 minutes wasted. I called back today, spoke to the rudest, most condescending “supervisor” and just went back and forth with him telling me there was nothing he could do!! And when I asked to speak to someone else, he told me there was no one else, that he didn’t have a supervisor! Ooohhhhh I’m so on fire mad! They take your phone, give you a joke of a trade in price on it, and there’s nothing you can do! What a bunch of crooks!!!!

        Reply
      • It is a total scam- same thing happened to me, told me $200 promotional value and I got $76. Would have never given them the phone if I knew they would rip me off, I could have sold on ebay for at least $150!

        Reply
  63. Ugh Andrew, I totally hate it when companies give you the run around. It sucks being on the other end too, I’ve worked in customer service and had to tell people “that’s not this department”. That’s the worst thing a customer wants to hear! I hope somebody pays attention and gets your credit processed. It’s no fun having a new shiny and not being able to play with it!

    Reply
  64. I live in a fairly small town and when I have issues with Verizon, I just head directly down to their main store and hang out until the issue is resolved. When I lived in a very small town in another state, I was unable to go to a Verizon store so had to deal with customer service on the phone and the experience was nothing to write home about. You always have the options of contacting the FCC and filing a complaint if you don’t getting any resolve from Verizon. I feel for you and will share this in hopes that Verizon does the “right” thing and take care of you.

    Reply
  65. Ugh I’m seething after reading your post. I’ve had similar issues (with the runaround trying to talk to someone in Customer Service *cough* Comcast).

    They should have a record of your submission, without an ID. Did you enter your name when you filled out the form (twice)? If so, they should be able to pull it up that way. Sounds like a TOTAL scam to me!

    Reply
  66. Ha! I haven’t tried to recycle an old phone, but it seems like everything I have ever tried to do as a Verizon Customer has just ended up with me being pissed off and still having to pay them, in one case for a MiFi service that didn’t work for 6 months while I was working at the Grand Canyon. It wasn’t due to no signal–there was an excellent signal for Verizon there. Verizon’s own tech support person told me he could not ping the unit and that it was probably defective, at any rate it never worked again, anywhere. But their Customer No Service department didn’t care that I couldn’t use their service–I had to
    Pay for it anyway. Where I live now verizon is the only option for hi speed internet or I wouldn’t be using them at all.

    Reply
  67. How frustrating! I’m even frustrated for you. I hope you can this resolved soon with out being on the phone forever. I shared post on twitter.

    Reply
  68. I absolutely hate Verizon Wireless. I am just waiting until the contract runs out and then I am canceling. They attach hidden fees, have horrible customer service, and honestly they just don’t care. They should care because there are better phone companies nipping at their heels. They suck and I wouldn’t recommend them to a flea.

    Reply

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