TikToker shocked by high Verizon bill over 'free' Apple Watch promo
A TikTok creator claims she was scammed by a Verizon store over the Apple Watch, after being told a promotion involving the wearable devices didn't use cellular service, except they did.
Apple Watch SE
Retailers often provide extra hardware as a promotional item to encourage customers into buying products or services. While in most cases it's all above board, one TikTok user believes that they were tricked into something they didn't agree to.
In a video posted by "@Meganmauk" on TikTok, her family went to a Verizon store to upgrade their old phones for new models. During the exchange, a supervisor jumped in to provide two free Apple Watches as part of a "promo," reports Daily Dot.
After fearing something may be "too good to be true," the family was assured that there was "no cell gear attached to them" and that they weren't "top of the line" models. It turned out the models were the Apple Watch SE.
The mother of the family handed the Apple Watches to Meg, who decided to give one away, but checked with the store to confirm there wasn't any "strings attached." At that time, the mom also spotted a price increase on the bill, which is to be expected with upgrades, but the employee said the price would decrease in 23 months.
Later, the family were stung by an unexpectedly large $600 bill. Confronting the store, it turned out that the Apple Watch units did actually have cellular service after all, despite assurances they didn't.
After an initial video on the affair, seen by Meg's 216,000 followers, a second was posted detailing the "worst experience" of her life, as she went to the store again and dealt with the same employee to try and return the watches.
Another employee waded into the discussion, accusing Meg of "bullying", though the TikToker says she didn't raise her voice or act insultingly. Meg then went to another Verizon outlet, who apparently agreed that the figures "weren't adding up."
While it is unclear if the situation has been resolved, it does highlight the need for consumers to thoroughly check any deals or contracts that they sign up for, especially if there's a "free" element that may end up with ongoing running costs.
Read on AppleInsider
Apple Watch SE
Retailers often provide extra hardware as a promotional item to encourage customers into buying products or services. While in most cases it's all above board, one TikTok user believes that they were tricked into something they didn't agree to.
In a video posted by "@Meganmauk" on TikTok, her family went to a Verizon store to upgrade their old phones for new models. During the exchange, a supervisor jumped in to provide two free Apple Watches as part of a "promo," reports Daily Dot.
After fearing something may be "too good to be true," the family was assured that there was "no cell gear attached to them" and that they weren't "top of the line" models. It turned out the models were the Apple Watch SE.
The mother of the family handed the Apple Watches to Meg, who decided to give one away, but checked with the store to confirm there wasn't any "strings attached." At that time, the mom also spotted a price increase on the bill, which is to be expected with upgrades, but the employee said the price would decrease in 23 months.
Later, the family were stung by an unexpectedly large $600 bill. Confronting the store, it turned out that the Apple Watch units did actually have cellular service after all, despite assurances they didn't.
After an initial video on the affair, seen by Meg's 216,000 followers, a second was posted detailing the "worst experience" of her life, as she went to the store again and dealt with the same employee to try and return the watches.
Another employee waded into the discussion, accusing Meg of "bullying", though the TikToker says she didn't raise her voice or act insultingly. Meg then went to another Verizon outlet, who apparently agreed that the figures "weren't adding up."
While it is unclear if the situation has been resolved, it does highlight the need for consumers to thoroughly check any deals or contracts that they sign up for, especially if there's a "free" element that may end up with ongoing running costs.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
This is simply something that Meganmauk needs to get to the bottom of. I'm assuming this person is an adult and can unwind all of the details by reading the contract and talking to Verizon customer service. Taking the discrepancy to TikTok is probably not the best path to reaching a resolution - in my opinion. I wish people would try to solve personal issues at a personal level rather than making them a public spectacle, but the world has kind of gone mad and stupid with their relationship with social media, using it as the nuclear shaming weapon, which unfortunately is the first option selected in far too many instances.
I recently had a run-in with Spectrum over service plans and billing when I turned in all of my set top boxes and switched 100% to Apple TVs. It should have been as simple as deleting the monthly service charges for the set top boxes from my bill, which I confirmed when I talked to customer service over the phone. Spectrum offered to mail me boxes with prepaid shipping labels to return the hardware, but I decided it would be easier just to drop them off at a nearby Spectrum wireless store.
No problem, so I thought. But when I checked everything upon leaving the store and heading home, I realized the Spectrum representative (salesperson) that removed the set top boxes from my account also changed my base service plan over to an entirely new plan that included phone service and a router. Like WTF? I returned to the store immediately, but they had closed the store an hour earlier than the time posted on the door. So I called customer service and explained the whole thing to them. You know what? They fixed the problem and gave me a substantial reduction in my monthly service cost, probably the rate they give new subscribers to lure them in, and gave me a one-time credit for $50.
The takeaways for me are; 1) communicating with people directly, rather than through online shaming, can actually work in your favor and solve issues, and 2) be very wary of all dealing with salespeople who are working on commissions or getting rewards for pushing certain products, like phone service and wireless service. I should have been wary after the 5-minute spiel about the many benefits of Spectrum Wireless over my current wireless service plan. Okay, I'll throw in a 3rd lesson, which most everyone here already knows, which is - if salespeople are offering you anything for "free" you're a fool if you believe that you're not actually paying for it. Salespeople are obviously not all bad, but always be wary and triple check, have everything in writing, and read and understand what the writing says.
A lot of tiktokkers are not the brightest bunch and like to invent drama for hits. This seems less a shady dealer than a customer that a) accidentally or willfully didn’t understand what they were told, b) made a big deal on social media to pad their views and get a deal they wouldn’t have normally.
As plainly stated in the Service Contract, cancelation of the cellular service early results in you owing the full cost of the device immediately.
The encounter reminded me I don’t get good Verizon cell service at my work office which luckily I only have to visit once a week for now. So, I switched to T-Mobile.
That doesn’t excuse Verizon for any attempts to film-flam their customers, but it should help to set realistic expectations.
Your confusion is entirely understandable. Verizon, and the other carriers, are deliberately obtuse about what their products and services actually cost. They hide reality behind phrases like "introductory" or "qualified purchases" or "bundled services". Lying by omission is common.