Verizon Keeps Sending Me Replacement Phones I Didn't Order

If you’ve ordered a replacement phone from Verizon recently and it arrived late or not at all, there may be a perfectly confusing explanation. Michael has it. When he ordered a replacement, the transaction went smoothly. Then another phone showed up in his mailbox. And another. He didn’t sell them on eBay, though: he went to some trouble to go to the post office and send them back. He’d appreciate a small token of Verizon’s gratitude for his honesty and his trouble in the form of a small credit on his bill, but they’re not all that grateful.

I ordered a replacement device under warranty from Verizon Wireless and they promptly sent me the replacement…actually, three of them. The three phones came in on different days..

When I called Verizon to let them know of the error, the operator was stunned that I would actually report the extra phones and that did not keep the phones or try to sell them. Nonetheless, I was a little tired of making multiple inconvenient trips to the post office to return these phones.I live in a city where its not very easy to jump in your car and get to the nearest post office.

So, I did what any reasonable person would do – I asked for a credit for my inconvenience. All I wanted was a nominal credit for having to take these multiple trips to the store. Nope. Verizon refused to credit my account and the tone entirely changed.

I went out of my way to return these devices that kept showing up in my mailbox – like a persistent lost dog. I wasn’t seeking a reward for the return, but maybe a little gas money would have been nice.

Simple explanation: they don’t know how to cope with the situation when the recipient doesn’t just keep the phones. Michael had no obligation to send them back: he’s just that nice.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.