Brandon probably should have known better, but the purchase of a wireless plan upgrade and some smartphones is pretty straightforward. So he thought. He tells Consumerist that when the point-of-sale system said that he should be receiving a paper copy of the contract he was signing, but the salesperson wouldn’t hand it over until he signed. Then the salesperson reached over and “signed” for Brandon. Problem…not exactly solved.

He writes:

I decided to upgrade our family plan by adding a line and getting smartphones. When I visited the Verizon Store the employee was not very knowledgeable and stumbled over himself when discussing options.

Even though I was feeling uneasy I decided to go through with the purchase. Big mistake. After my card was run through, I was asked to sign. On the signature pad, there was a paragraph stating that by this point I should have received a paper copy of what I was signing up for. My signing, I was agreeing that I had read and understood the document.

I asked the employee for the document and he said that I needed to sign first, even though it clearly said the complete opposite. He then changed his story and said the printer was broken. At this point I decided to cancel the transaction as I was not being provided the proper documents.

The employee then reached over the counter, grabbed the stylus, and signed the pin pad completing the transaction. I was shocked! Did this person really just sign for my credit card in front of me? After getting the manager involved, I was told the transaction was cancelled. I asked for a receipt showing that… but was quickly reminded the printer wasn’t working.

A few days later, sure enough, the charges show up in my credit card. The order was never cancelled. I then went back to the store to speak with a manager. He told me that equipment was being shipped to my house and no refund could be issued until they had their equipment back.

Getting hold of a district manager has proven difficult.

Other readers have found Verizon to be particularly responsive to the executive e-mail carpet bomb, or a call to your “region president.”

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