For a long time I have avoided discussing this issue publicly. While I am certainly just one voice, I wanted to give Verizon Wireless the chance to do right by me without my having to tell the world my experiences. They have opted to do the wrong thing and now let me tell you all why I am cancelling my contract in March and never recommending anything from Verizon Wireless (or any other sectors) to anyone. Ever.

It started in early November of 2009. I had been with VZW for about a year and a half and was pretty satisfied. I had great reception, my LG Chocolate worked well and the charges weren’t too high. But, I had hit hard times and called to see if I could adjust my plan to a lower level. I didn’t want anything special, just less minutes. That was around November 5th. I spoke with customer service and was treated atrociously. I was left on hold for over 1/2 an hour with no check back, I was denied a supervisor when I was told I could not downgrade my plan.

After some research, I found a number to VZW’s executive customer service. I called and was informed I would receive a call back within 24 hours. Dale Knight called me back within 3. He apologized for the service and offered to make it right. He went over my plan, cancelled my unused third line (no fee!), and even offered me my New Every 2 upgrade a full three months early if I opted to renew my contract. He was patient and worked with me through which phone would be best. Although I wanted Droid, he directed me to the Storm2.

I received and activated my Storm 2 on November 13th (this date is essential later on). It was, possibly, the biggest piece of crap Blackberry has ever produced. The acceleromater (the device that allows the orientation to switch) was so laggy that it would, at times, take a full minute to adjust the screen. In addition, the “click screen” technology was faulty and I often had to “click” several times. On November 16th, after many failed attempts at tech support, I went to the store to exchange the phone.

Enter John the Store Rep. John tells me this is an issue with the phone in general, not my phone specifically. He says he can get me into a Droid that will better fit my needs. I am assured that there will be little extra cost (just the difference in the price of phones). Great, I do it. This is mistake number one.

See, John the Store Rep wasn’t being honest. He neglected to tell me I would be charged a $35 fee for exchanging the phone. He also neglected to tell me that I would not be receiving my NE2 discount on this Droid and would be billed for the full $199 – $79 I paid for the Storm2 (as opposed to the $99 – $79 I was TOLD I would be paying). He also misnotated my account and stated I signed my new contract on November 16th. Now, here is why that is important.

On November 15th, Verizon Wireless changed their early termination fee policy for smart phones. Where it had previously been $175 it is now $350. I asked two people prior to the exchange if I would retain my original contract. Both said yes. It wasn’t until two weeks later I found out they had misled me.

So, I have my Droid and I have (after several phone calls) addressed the incorrect billing. Things are great, right? Wrong. See, Droid1 cannot seem to make proper phone calls. This phone does everything – except make a phone call. On the best network in the US, all I get is static and the odd sounds of being underwater. Now, I don’t hear this but everyone I call does. Oh, and there is that fun part where every few words is completely cut out. Nope, not gonna cut it.

So, I call tech support who directs me back to the store. So, I exchange it for Droid 2 in late November. Same issues but now (yay!), the phone freezes up if I talk for more than 10 minutes. I then have to remove the case, the battery cover and the battery and restart the phone. Awesome. A few calls to Dale and it is suggested I exchange the phone again. Ok. Now I’m mad. This is the fourth phone in less than a month.

But, I go get Droid3. See, I want a smart phone real bad. And Windows Mobile doesn’t work for me and BB doesn’t work for me so that leave Android and the only Android phones are the Droid and Droid Eris. And maybe this Droid (Droid3) will be better…

It isn’t. It is much worse. This one even went through the “miracle” update that was supposed to fix that pesky call reception issue. It didn’t. So, now it is December 13th and I am at the end of my 30 days to exchange the phone or cancel my new contract and default back to my old contract. I call customer service and get the typical run around (excessive hold, told they can’t do anything blah blah blah). So, I go back to the store. This is getting fun.

John the Store Rep calls his manager over. Manager tells me he won’t exchange it for another Droid (which would be Droid4 for those keeping track). Manager says “this never happens to me [him]” and therefore I shouldn’t be having these problems.* He will, however, exchange my phone for a Droid Eris. Now, at this point, I am skeptical. The Eris is $100 less than the Droid. It is smaller, lighter and made by another company. So I ask Mr. Manager – is it comparable? What am I giving up? Does it have known issues?

Mr. Manager insists that THE ONLY difference is that Eris does not have turn by turn navigation. Fine, I don’t drive. Are there any known issues? Nope. Ok, let’s get it.

Mr. Manager was a liar. See, there is this real pesky issue known to many Eris issues (but it seems it does not affect any VZW workers*). The battery CAN NOT stay charged. I have my settings optimized for battery length. I charge it all night, every night. I unplug it at 7am. By 2pm with NO USE, the phone is dead. I exchanged the battery. Still having the same issue. I removed all apps. Same issue. I regularly “kill” apps that I cannot uninstall. Same issue. And now, dear readers, it gets better! Now the phone freezes EVERY time I try to do anything.

So, now I am using a phone that I cannot use. I am paying for a data package I cannot use. I am calling customer service in want of a solution so often that my notes take forever for these poor fools to read. I am left on hold, hung up on, told I should just cancel and told there is nothing to be done – I am stuck for two years.

Enter John, Executive Man. John tells me he will help me. He will send me a new Droid (Droid4). I tell John I don’t want Droid4 because Droids cannot make phone calls. Oh no, says John, that never happens to me*! Your Droid4 will be fine, don’t fret! You will have it by December 31st, no worries.

Well. It is January 4th. The phone is not here. What’s worse? It was never sent as far as any of the FIVE people I spoke with at VZW can see. So, I call Executive land and get Brian. Brian seems nice, but I don’t trust his ability to do anything. No one else seems to be able to. He says he will send a message to John to see about fixing this. I tell him not to worry. If I don’t hear from John by 12pm tomorrow, the contract is cancelled. Do you know what he says?

“Oh, well ok I guess.”

Seems to be a popular response. I guess VZW doesn’t care about keeping customers. This contract will be paid off and cancelled. I will pay the $175, NOT the $350. They can do what they like with that. It is NOT the contract I agreed to. My contract date is still 11/13/09 which is TWO DAYS before the policy came into affect. Sorry, Charlie – I don’t owe you any more. And I will never, ever, be your customer again.

It’s funny too, I am sure they hear this all the time but this time it is true. I was literally days away from telling Grandpa he should move his contract to VZW (he has 10 lines for the whole family – except me). He won’t be making that switch now.

*This is a common phrase said by call center workers and store reps. It is bullshit. I don’t care if it doesn’t happen to you, because it happens to me. Just because you think you don’t have a problem does not mean I don’t have a problem. And next time you deny an issue with the Eris, you might want to check with their maker, HTC, who claims this is how the phone is supposed to operate – BADLY, I guess.