Did Verizon Promise to Pay Off Your Old Phone?
The Law Office of Alex Craig is reviewing reports from consumers who switched mobile carriers after being told Verizon would pay off an existing device balance, but later had trouble receiving the promised benefit.
Does Any of This Sound Familiar?
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The promotion was never submitted
You switched after a Verizon representative discussed paying off your old phone, but Verizon later said the promotion was never attached or submitted.
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Verizon says it never received your bill
You provided or uploaded your prior carrier bill, but Verizon later said it could not find it or asked you to submit it again somewhere else.
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You keep getting a different answer
One representative says payment is processing, another says paperwork is missing, and another gives you a different timeline or explanation.
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Your rebate or gift card never arrived
You were told to expect a gift card, prepaid card, rebate, or credit within a certain period, but weeks or months passed without payment.
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Verizon says your trade-in was not received
You were told a device return or trade-in was missing even though you have tracking, a receipt, or other evidence showing delivery.
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You called about FiOS and were sold mobile service
You originally contacted Verizon about FiOS or home internet and agreed to switch your wireless service after a representative offered to pay off existing devices.
These examples describe situations our office is reviewing. They do not establish that Verizon violated any law, and individual circumstances may differ.
A Pattern We Are Trying to Understand
- Step 1 A consumer is offered a phone-payoff or switcher benefit and agrees to move one or more lines to Verizon.
- Step 2 The consumer provides a former-carrier bill or other payoff information through a Verizon-provided process.
- Step 3 The expected payment does not arrive, and the consumer contacts Verizon.
- Step 4 Verizon provides additional instructions, requests another submission, or says the promotion was not properly processed.
- Step 5 The consumer continues trying to resolve the issue while receiving new timelines, explanations, or denials.
This is only an illustrative example. Not every consumer will have the same timeline. We are trying to determine whether reported problems are isolated or share a common sales, submission, processing, or fulfillment issue.
Information That May Help
If you experienced a problem with a Verizon phone-payoff or switcher offer, keep copies of records related to the promotion and your attempts to resolve it. Useful records may include:
- Verizon order confirmations and promotional emails or screenshots
- Your prior carrier's final bill or device payoff statement
- Any confirmation that you uploaded or submitted the prior carrier bill
- Trade-in receipts and UPS, FedEx, or other delivery tracking
- Rebate, gift-card, or payoff communications from Verizon
- Customer-service chats, emails, ticket numbers, and dates of phone calls
- Bank or credit-card records showing that you paid the former carrier's device balance
Why We Are Gathering These Reports
A phone payoff can be an important part of a consumer's decision to change wireless carriers, particularly when several financed devices are involved. Our office is gathering timelines and documents to determine whether consumers reporting problems with these offers experienced the same underlying issue.
No class action has been filed by our office concerning this investigation at this time. We have not reached a conclusion that Verizon engaged in unlawful conduct. We are collecting information first.
Prefer to Talk Directly?
Contact the Law Office of Alex Craig. Please mention that you are calling about the Verizon phone-payoff investigation.