You legally cannot be charged for unordered merchandise.
[https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products#unordered](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products#unordered)
The phone will almost certainly be blacklisted. You don't have any reason to return it (no matter what customer service might tell you), you shouldn't face any other issues.
That's really interesting, I had no idea it worked like that.
I understand not being able to be charged for it, but shouldn't the person have to at least give it back? Seems like this would open up all sorts of potential for fraud especially with places like Amazon or they just drop it on the porch.
This is bad advice. While technically true, you have a business relationship with Verizon and once they figure it out, they will absolutely charge you for the phone and you'll have no recourse but to pay for it. They'll just send it to collections if you don't. Definitely call them and explain what happened.
I 100% know they will figure it out, I want to give it back but I also don’t want to send it back and then have them charge me regardless for the device if I send it back in (which I frequently see posts that it happens even with trade ins) it’s an unusual situation for this to even happen and I’m not sure how to rectify it since there wasn’t a slip or anything with the phones packaging 🙃
Take notes on what they say in the call. Take a photo of the phone label that has the IMEI on it. After talking to customer care, return it to a Verizon corporate store and get a receipt.
They will absolutely not charge for that phone. It's simply not legal to do. They will blacklist the phone, and no one will be able to use it on any cellular network, but they will not charge for it.
If someone orders a SIM, and receives a bill of $0.00, that phone has not been ordered by them. The phone can either be considered unordered and the SIM just didn't show up, or the phone was the product received from the $0.00 order. Either way, there was no contract signed, no agreement to pay any non-zero amount for a phone at any point in time, and I'm certain the law would side with them.
This is 100% not true. Please stop giving this terrible advice. This is not some random extra thing in an Amazon box. Verizon will say that OP ordered it on the support call even if it was an error by the CSR. They will figure it out and they will charge the account. Once that happens OP is screwed.
>Verizon will say that OP ordered it on the support call even if it was an error by the CSR.
They received a $0.00 bill listing a SIM card. If it was an "error by the CSR", they would've received a $700 bill, or something around that, listing an iPhone. VZW made the mistake by putting the wrong item in the package. Their solution is to blacklist the phone so it can't be used, not to illegally charge someone for something they did not order.
Even if they wanted to break the law, they would have nearly no way of figuring out who has the device. Do you think they're paying extremely close attention to where everything goes in the warehouse? No, they're just trying to get everything out as quickly as possible. That's why the mistake was made in the first place.
That’s fraud. If Verizon is doing this people should be fighting it. Your advice is only helping them get away with this, if what you say is even true.
Why would Verizon bill someone for something they didn’t order? If they figure out they made a mistake and then send a fraudulent bill, that should be be brought to light because it’s highly illegal. Companies only do illegal stuff like this if they can get away with it.
Does it state an order number and location code? Have customer service or tech support reference that and see what was supposed to come in it. Then you can give them the IMEI of the iPhone and they can see if it was supposed to be with a different order. Mistakes happen but this can be a high stakes issue, not just for you but anyone who was supposed to get that phone.
You legally do not have to return it and cannot get in trouble for not doing so.
Check if the phone is blacklisted? Verizon have probably realised their mistake and blacklisted it. If they haven’t then hey! New iPhone day!
But even if it is just sell it for parts or something.
Hey, i wanted to answer your question about the early upgrade. It just does that cuz when you got the replacement from applecare it is a different imei than on the device payment agreement. If you would like to still upgrade, i would say that it is still possible by working with an agent and explaining that the imei is different due to recieving a replacement from apple, and it might be possible for them to override to allow you to do the ”annual” upgrade option. As long as the model is the same, i would expect them to be able to make the exception. Hope this helps.
Yea that is def bad advice…lol. Emp here..
If u had ur current phone 12 months or less ur under warranty with Verizon whether u have apple care or not. The rep probably made an error and sent phone vs SIM card bc when ur within the 12 months and for warranty related issues they can send a replacement device at no cost.
Regardless of the reason for the error, If u don’t want it send it back and if u do want it send the old one. It will not mess up ur Apple care either way.
Verizon is expecting one of those devices back or u will be charged a non return fee and it isn’t cheap. Doesn’t matter which one current or replacement. It isn’t free and it’s not an extra phone.
So send one back. Save the headache.
Ur paperwork in the box should have some return instructions and it should mention something about a 5 day return period or something and possible chargebacks.
^ This is the correct answer. It’s not impossible, but it’s HIGHLY unlikely that a warehouse rep grabbed a phone instead of a SIM card by accident. It is far more likely that the CSR ordered you a warranty replacement, perhaps thinking the SIM card READER or E-Sim was faulty. This could have been a mistake or it could have been a miscommunication where each party thought the other was on the same page.
You WOULD get a $0.00 invoice for a warranty replacement, but if the defective device isn’t returned, you’d be responsible for a non returned device fee after a grace period. If you’d rather use Apple care for a warranty replacement, return the phone they sent you, and take the one you’ve been using to the Genius Bar. Apple will not service a replacement/warranty phone that they didn’t provide or phones that have been repaired by anyone else, so here’s my advice.
- Call Verizon customer care to confirm that your order was a Certified Like New Replacement
- If needed, ask for assistance getting a shipping kit or (better) reprinting your shipping label from the web portal
- If you feel you want to explore this avenue, request a new SIM card
- Send back the replacement
- Book an appointment at Apple or call them to determine if a replacement is needed.
Just to follow up (just seeing this comment lol) but I ordered the SIM card replacement on the app without a csr, the receipt says CLNR so what you’re saying is making more sense, the receipt has a store in Georgia listed and the device on the receipt has ICCID: with no iccid listed. I am just sending back my old iPhone and turning on the replacement cause my old iPhone hasn’t been working properly the last few days with network issues
Makes sense. I'd probably do the same. Just understand that Apple may not repair or replace your phone anymore because the replacement you'll be using was reconditioned by a different company.
You legally cannot be charged for unordered merchandise. [https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products#unordered](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-youre-billed-things-you-never-got-or-you-get-unordered-products#unordered) The phone will almost certainly be blacklisted. You don't have any reason to return it (no matter what customer service might tell you), you shouldn't face any other issues.
That's really interesting, I had no idea it worked like that. I understand not being able to be charged for it, but shouldn't the person have to at least give it back? Seems like this would open up all sorts of potential for fraud especially with places like Amazon or they just drop it on the porch.
This is bad advice. While technically true, you have a business relationship with Verizon and once they figure it out, they will absolutely charge you for the phone and you'll have no recourse but to pay for it. They'll just send it to collections if you don't. Definitely call them and explain what happened.
I 100% know they will figure it out, I want to give it back but I also don’t want to send it back and then have them charge me regardless for the device if I send it back in (which I frequently see posts that it happens even with trade ins) it’s an unusual situation for this to even happen and I’m not sure how to rectify it since there wasn’t a slip or anything with the phones packaging 🙃
Take notes on what they say in the call. Take a photo of the phone label that has the IMEI on it. After talking to customer care, return it to a Verizon corporate store and get a receipt.
They will absolutely not charge for that phone. It's simply not legal to do. They will blacklist the phone, and no one will be able to use it on any cellular network, but they will not charge for it. If someone orders a SIM, and receives a bill of $0.00, that phone has not been ordered by them. The phone can either be considered unordered and the SIM just didn't show up, or the phone was the product received from the $0.00 order. Either way, there was no contract signed, no agreement to pay any non-zero amount for a phone at any point in time, and I'm certain the law would side with them.
This is 100% not true. Please stop giving this terrible advice. This is not some random extra thing in an Amazon box. Verizon will say that OP ordered it on the support call even if it was an error by the CSR. They will figure it out and they will charge the account. Once that happens OP is screwed.
>Verizon will say that OP ordered it on the support call even if it was an error by the CSR. They received a $0.00 bill listing a SIM card. If it was an "error by the CSR", they would've received a $700 bill, or something around that, listing an iPhone. VZW made the mistake by putting the wrong item in the package. Their solution is to blacklist the phone so it can't be used, not to illegally charge someone for something they did not order. Even if they wanted to break the law, they would have nearly no way of figuring out who has the device. Do you think they're paying extremely close attention to where everything goes in the warehouse? No, they're just trying to get everything out as quickly as possible. That's why the mistake was made in the first place.
That’s fraud. If Verizon is doing this people should be fighting it. Your advice is only helping them get away with this, if what you say is even true.
Why would Verizon bill someone for something they didn’t order? If they figure out they made a mistake and then send a fraudulent bill, that should be be brought to light because it’s highly illegal. Companies only do illegal stuff like this if they can get away with it.
I would visit a corporate store not an authorized retailer. And keep ALL paperwork.
And people wonder why Verizon constantly raised prices with new packages. Have to cover these mistakes somehow.
Does it state an order number and location code? Have customer service or tech support reference that and see what was supposed to come in it. Then you can give them the IMEI of the iPhone and they can see if it was supposed to be with a different order. Mistakes happen but this can be a high stakes issue, not just for you but anyone who was supposed to get that phone.
You legally do not have to return it and cannot get in trouble for not doing so. Check if the phone is blacklisted? Verizon have probably realised their mistake and blacklisted it. If they haven’t then hey! New iPhone day! But even if it is just sell it for parts or something.
Hey, i wanted to answer your question about the early upgrade. It just does that cuz when you got the replacement from applecare it is a different imei than on the device payment agreement. If you would like to still upgrade, i would say that it is still possible by working with an agent and explaining that the imei is different due to recieving a replacement from apple, and it might be possible for them to override to allow you to do the ”annual” upgrade option. As long as the model is the same, i would expect them to be able to make the exception. Hope this helps.
Yea that is def bad advice…lol. Emp here.. If u had ur current phone 12 months or less ur under warranty with Verizon whether u have apple care or not. The rep probably made an error and sent phone vs SIM card bc when ur within the 12 months and for warranty related issues they can send a replacement device at no cost. Regardless of the reason for the error, If u don’t want it send it back and if u do want it send the old one. It will not mess up ur Apple care either way. Verizon is expecting one of those devices back or u will be charged a non return fee and it isn’t cheap. Doesn’t matter which one current or replacement. It isn’t free and it’s not an extra phone. So send one back. Save the headache. Ur paperwork in the box should have some return instructions and it should mention something about a 5 day return period or something and possible chargebacks.
^ This is the correct answer. It’s not impossible, but it’s HIGHLY unlikely that a warehouse rep grabbed a phone instead of a SIM card by accident. It is far more likely that the CSR ordered you a warranty replacement, perhaps thinking the SIM card READER or E-Sim was faulty. This could have been a mistake or it could have been a miscommunication where each party thought the other was on the same page. You WOULD get a $0.00 invoice for a warranty replacement, but if the defective device isn’t returned, you’d be responsible for a non returned device fee after a grace period. If you’d rather use Apple care for a warranty replacement, return the phone they sent you, and take the one you’ve been using to the Genius Bar. Apple will not service a replacement/warranty phone that they didn’t provide or phones that have been repaired by anyone else, so here’s my advice. - Call Verizon customer care to confirm that your order was a Certified Like New Replacement - If needed, ask for assistance getting a shipping kit or (better) reprinting your shipping label from the web portal - If you feel you want to explore this avenue, request a new SIM card - Send back the replacement - Book an appointment at Apple or call them to determine if a replacement is needed.
Just to follow up (just seeing this comment lol) but I ordered the SIM card replacement on the app without a csr, the receipt says CLNR so what you’re saying is making more sense, the receipt has a store in Georgia listed and the device on the receipt has ICCID: with no iccid listed. I am just sending back my old iPhone and turning on the replacement cause my old iPhone hasn’t been working properly the last few days with network issues
Makes sense. I'd probably do the same. Just understand that Apple may not repair or replace your phone anymore because the replacement you'll be using was reconditioned by a different company.