So, I want to try and deal with Verizon, and I want to see what I can expect and whether it's better to go to the store, on the phone, etc.
Background:
My mom has had Verizon for forever. She knows they suck, BUT her bill is like $30 a month since she's had them so long.
Anyway, she has had a Samsung phone for fucking forever.
Basically this: (may not be exact model)
She hates it, and I hate her having it. It barely works anymore, she can barely read what's on the screen, has a hard time getting her messages, and is always accidentally turning it off.
With that said, my mom is one of those stereotypical old people when it comes to technology, in that I often get calls about her dvd player not working only to find out she had unplugged it or something like that.
She went to Verizon about a year back asking for an Iphone per my suggestion. She has an iPad and has learned to use it well, so I figured the Iphone would be the best smart phone for her since the interface is the same. I don't know how they got her to take home the phone but they did without helping her get it all set up. She didn't understand how to do it and called Verizon on the phone. They had her open it up and then tried to explain it to her over the phone on how to set it up. She couldn't understand what they were asking her to do, and told her to go back to the store.
She did and the store said they couldn't help her set it up because they weren't an official Verizon store (wtf? I have tmo, and never had this issue, lolverizon). She, rightly so, argued with them in how is she supposed to know that when the big fucking sign says, "Verizon." Now, my husband has explained to me how Verizon has these like 3rd party stores, but seriously, she's right. People aren't supposed to have to know which ones are real Verizon stores and which ones are the 3rd party stores who are also called Verizon.
Equally stupid, is saying they couldn't help her set it up. I mean really? Anyway, she was just so frustrated she asked to return it and they wouldn't take it back until she paid them $100 to take it back because it was opened (since the phone people had her open it).
After this whole incident (approximately 6 months ago), she signed another 2 year contract with them without getting a phone upgrade.
I want to take her into a store and see if I can't get her an Iphone for free or as cheap as possible (doesn't have to be the high lvl Iphones, she doesn't need anything crazy). I mean she paid $100 which she shouldn't have had to pay if they would have just helped her.
I don't know how Verizon does things though since everything she has told me sounds ass backwards.
And before anyone asks why I didn't help her out in the first place: I live in California, she lives in Connecticut. She didn't want me trying to explain it to her over the phone because she had been so frustrated by the Verizon person trying to explain it to her over the phone.
So what can I expect, and what tips can people give involving dealing with Verizon?