Verizon — Local services in Bethel

Don’t trust what they say

I have been trying to get a resolution of a broken promise since January and have hit a dead end.

In January, my husband, son and I went to the Newtown Verizon store to upgrade our phones (I am posting this for the Bethel store because a key player now works there). Tory and Bruno made a big deal out of the fact that we could get a 4th line and phone for free because of a promo and the way the pricing on 3 vs 4 lines works. We were not interested in a phone we didn’t need but they talked us into it. We finally agreed because we thought it would be nice to have an extra phone in case one broke. We did not have a 4th phone to trade in because at that point, we only had 3 phones and 3 lines. Bruno said not to worry about that, he had a phone that could be used for the trade-in. Fast forward to our next bill and the 4th phone is not free, we are paying $13/month for it. I stopped into the store several times and was told that it can take several billing cycles for the trade-in to go through. Bruno moved to the Bethel Verizon store so I started calling there too. I also called Verizon corporate multiple times and they can’t do anything because it is an issue with the local store. Bruno now says that he’s got it worked out that rather than taking the money off the monthly bill, Verizon is going to give us a credit for the phone – $180 in June and $180 in July. Sounds great - until the June bill with no credit. I call him again – which always takes days because the Bethel store doesn’t always answer their phone and Bruno is always with a customer – and he says the automatic credit didn’t go through so he will have to do it manually and he has a sticky note to do it on his computer. July comes – no credit. The cycle repeats for August. Recently, I called the Newtown Store (since that was were we originally went) and asked for a manager – Billy who is new so none of this is his fault. Billy calls Verizon corporate and they say that there was no promo for a free phone for the 4th line. He also talked to his boss. They say there is nothing they can do.

Someone is not telling the truth and the local stores need to stand behind what their employees are telling customers even if they lose money on the deal. Don’t trust anything a local store says without verifying with...

I walked in today to get a new iPhone after my old one started falling apart, and I expected, as anyone does, a stressful and groggy experience -- but instead got the opposite, a surprisingly delightful and easy switch! Not only were they able to get everything from my unresponsive ancient phone to my awesome new one, and not only were they able to give knowledgable and genuine advice about cheaper plans and fantastic deals and important choices, but they also made the entire process trouble-free and enjoyable, making sure that I was comfortable while also keeping up conversation about everything from family to philosophy. I was able to walk out of the store with a brand new phone, all of the hardware I'd ever need, and a smile on my face, which, to me, goes above and beyond any expectation for a Verizon store -- or any service store for that matter. And combined with the fact that they're hosting a backpack giveaway event this Sunday the 22nd just to give back to the community, I think I'd say I might have stumbled across Verizon heaven (which is a phrase I never thought I'd be writing till now). Overall, I'm thrilled to have my new phone, but also thrilled to know that the kindness of the Bethel community never ceases to amaze me, even down to your friendly neighborhood...

Not long ago my wife and I went into the Greenwood Avenue, Bethel, store to buy a pair of phones. We did so with some trepidation as years ago we went to that store and found the staff to be rude and lacking in basic courtesy. Back then they barely engaged with us and were curt with us. apparently thinking that we were stupid and that they were doing us a favor.

Fast forward to 2024, and Billy and Joe, the latter of whom is the current manager. I have never experienced a greater reversal in the quality of customer service. Billy took painstaking efforts to explain the spectrum of options available to us, referring to Joe whenever he had any uncertainty as to the details (which was rare). Joe was fantastic as well, so we were double-teamed by two terrific sales personnel.

Someone gave a review (username “creepydeadgirl”) who complained that a person was left to sit in the store for 45 minutes before being told that his phone was ready. In fact that was I, and the problem was that I had so many documents to be transferred from my old phone, Billy got that process going and took care of other customers while it was underway. I appreciate her thoughtfulness but the delay was not in any way a reflection on the excellent customer service...