Verizon — Local services in New York

TERRIBLE. I made an appointment to have a new unlocked phone activated, and was interested in having my contacts and apps transferred over to the new phone. An associate set up a data transfer over wifi and said it would take about 30 minutes and that we could come back then. We returned about 25 minutes later to check back in. I approached the woman and said "hi" when we returned, she simply walked away without saying anything. When she came back I noticed the data transfer was only 3% complete at this point, and that this process would take forever. I asked why it was taking so long and she told me that I could easily finish this process at home, which was fine by me as my bigger concern was activating the phone.

She then called a Verizon number to try to activate the phone. For whatever reason this did not work. Instead of trying a different solution she gave us a phone number to call and said we were "all set" to go. Confused, we ourselves called the Verizon number WHILE IN THE STORE at an empty table to try to activate the phone. After being on hold for about 10 minutes we were able to speak with someone who was actually quite helpful. Not knowing much about this process (in the past I have always taken my phone to the store to have activated and set up without issue), the man on the phone had to walk us through each step of finding and removing Sim cards, checking for compatability, etc. He also seemed confused why no one in the actual store was helping us during my appointment. We had to eventually go back to the woman to ask for a new Sim card (glad we didn't go home to do this as she suggested without it!). She still did not offer further assistance. Finally we were able to set up the phone on our own while the three store employees were chatting amongst themselves or on their own phones. There were no other customers in the store, just us speaking on the phone with a Verizon employee while the 3 employees in the store with us did nothing.

I hope to never come...

Appalling service today by Natasha. I was “greeted” with a “can I sign you in today?” which was confusing to me as I had never had that done before at any Verizon store (I’ve been a customer for several years now) but Natasha just looked at me with a sigh and an eye roll and a “well do you have a question for a Verizon associate” which I did. I had many! I was signed in and honestly the general feel of the entire store was of dismissiveness and exasperation. When it finally came to my turn, I got more eye rolls and sighs from Natasha and cringed that I would have had to deal with her again. My crime was that I am on a business account and my name wasn’t on it. Natasha, maybe you can take the time to be a little kinder to your guests instead of greeting them with an attitude. It’s the first rule of customer service, maybe you didn’t know that. The greeting is fundamental. The person who is actually on the account was about to take off on a plane so I conveyed that urgency to her and yet again the “well I need to write the email” more sighs and eye rolls. I stormed out totally frustrated by what could have been solved by someone simply there to answer questions (which I have had at other Verizon wireless stores) and not given an exceptionally unfriendly attitude. Verizon Wireless UWS educate your guests about your process and maybe have someone to answer questions to those who are made to wait forever for the likes of Natasha. Maybe even educate Natasha about etiquette in the service industry. She probably just doesn’t know how to treat people. But Thanks Natasha! Thanks...

This is my first "review" ever. I am writing it because I had a great experience at the Steinway Street Verizon Wireless Store in Astoria, NY. Firstly, my old Droid "Razr" suddenly stopped charging on a Friday night. I am from Long Island and had plans with friends in Astoria the following day (Saturday), so my girlfriend and I stopped by the Steinway Street store and in less than five minutes, I was being helped by a gentleman named Jesus.

I explained my situation to Jesus and he tested my phone and confirmed that the charger port was broken; damage that would most likely not be covered under a manufacturer's warranty. He also informed me that my sister had used up all the available upgrades on our "family" account. As a result, I would have to pay the retail price in order to purchase a new phone. After spending some time looking at the phones, I realized I liked the Samsung Galaxy S4, which while older, was ±$400 and significantly cheaper than the newer smartphones.

I told Jesus I would like to purchase the Galaxy S4. Jesus went into the back of the store and upon returning, disclosed that he had spoken to his manager, Mr. Javid Patel, who said that he would allow me an additional upgrade so that I could get a newer phone and not have to pay the full retail price. Jesus directed my attention to the newer Galaxy S6, which I ended up purchasing with the Verizon Edge package for a total of ±$225.

In addition to saving at least $175, I can't say enough how impressed I was with the staff who were friendly and professional. Overall, I highly...