The staff are fine and are just operating within their training. The issue is Verizon and specifically Victra's sales tactics. Over the last three years, I have visited Victra about four times for both business and personal phones, and every visit has taken hours. My shortest visit was recently and still took an hour and a half. I had to return because the screen protector they sold me broke, despite being advertised as a lifetime warranty. What they do not tell you is that replacements must be ordered through a QR code on the original box. Can't be done in the store where purchased. Each replacement has a $10 shipping fee. I have three phones, so that is $30 in shipping alone. They did me a "solid" and sold me the screen protector replacements in store but charged $10 for shipping since that's what they would have charged. Mind you I drove all the way to the original store for this. Spent almost 2 hours for a lifetime warranty product and still paid a theoretical shipping fee for each even though I got all three at once??? I work in an office setting. Shouldn't be breaking this fast! I can buy better screen protectors on Amazon for half the price in a pack of three. The issue is not the money. The issue is the quality and planned obsolescence given how all three broke within in a couple of months of using them! This review is just about my shortest visit with Victra. A 1.5 hour screen protector replacement, but it reflects EVERY experience I have had with Victra. Avoid them at all costs. read more

I upgraded my daughter's cell phone for Christmas. Jessica assisted me with the purchase, and went above and beyond. She spent a couple of hours with me, making sure that my daughter's current cell phone line would stay linked to her old phone, then switch over automatically on Christmas. I had a few questions along the way, and Jessica ALWAYS answered my text inquiries. A couple months after my purchase, my bill wasn't representing the plan I agreed to. I felt in over my head, and reached out to Jessica. She figured out the issue and got my plan squared away so i was being charged the correct amount. I was SO relieved to have her support and expertise, and am grateful for ongoing help over the course of months. I will never forget her level of customer service... a rare thing these days. Thank you, Jessica! read more

Returned a Samsung Z-Flip within the 30 day return window. Was told by three separate employees that it would be no problem. I decide to switch out of Verizon when doing the return because I'm a college student currently and can't really afford this service anymore. The employees also told me this would be no problem at all. Returned the phone and then I get the charge... NOW IM HAVING TO FIGHT VERIZON OVER A $1,000 charge FOR A PHONE I RETURNED because it wasn't logged somehow when I did the return. Plus I payed like $150 in fees for the return. Now I have nothing and am still trying to fight this charge with corporate. Was on the phone for 2 hrs still didn't get it back. Previously had satisfactory experiences with Verizon but I will probably never go back to this company now. Save yourself the time and money don't go here. read more

We had a great experience working with Josh who was patient, clear and very informative.

Wow! We came to the Verizon store in Berkeley today to get new family phones: the service was incredible! Josh, the assistant manager/salesperson who helped us, was so effective, patient, polite - I don't think I've ever received better in-store service from anywhere. I'm not writing this lightly - Josh helped us for hours, including, when I finished a meeting and came back to pick up my FREE IPad (because we got 3 phones), setting everything up for me beyond office hours. I wish there were more than 5 stars! And Fernando was amazing also! read more

Great service has returned to the downtown Berkeley Verizon store! I went in today and had the great luck to work with their new manager, Rick. I needed to upgrade my phone and told him upfront that I couldn't afford much more than I'm already paying. I want to mention up front that I'm a senior, not super tech-savvy, but not clueless, either. We went over what I want/need in a phone, then he wrote out three different options with different services/perks included and answered all my questions about the details. Bottom line, I left with a new iPhone 16, a new iPad, AND three streaming service that I now pay individually for--and after the one-time activation fee and taxes, I'll be paying the same monthly fee I'm paying now. Can't beat a deal like that. I hope Rick manages to pass his customer service skills on to his staff, because he was great to work with. read more

After my indirect experience with this indirect seller I had to come and write a review. Two stars, shocking. Girlfriend, who is on my account, was ready for an upgrade. She went to the "Verizon" store near her work. I just want to be clear that it costs you more to use this indirect seller than to go to a Verizon store. 39.99 for Easy Set up, this in addition to the 35.00 change/activation fee by Verizon. The clerk advised that Verizon would wave the new phone set up fee because of our long time use. More annoying was the 10.00 phone balance fee for a seven year old phone that had been paid off for four years. Huh? When I called Verizon about the bill I then figured out what had happened. The indirect seller charged 49.99 for the privilege of selling us an 1130.00 phone. Some of it debatable, some of just wrong through error or deception. Verizon credited us back the 49.99 instead of the 35.00 that would have been charged at the Verizon store because they did not like the sound of what happened. Still leaves us out of pocket 35.00but wiser for the experience. For reference for years I use an indirect seller in Alameda and never paid additional fees beyond what I would have paid at the company store. For many the additional cost may be worth it, just sharing out experience. Your mileage may vary. read more

store had very fast service and the staff were super friendly. i was able to update my sim card to an e sim for free and that was cool

Angie was very helpful, patient, and personable when answering all my questions while I was exchanging my old phone for a new phone! I will definitely come back if I need anything (and to return my old phone). haha read more

I wear hearing aids and recently I found out that Verizon carrie what I need. The service I received was fantastic. I was offered a discount from my hearing aid company that Verizon honored. Thankful for the patience and friendliness of the staff Great store. Go get your new phone or hearing aid here read more

This store not only upsold me, but lied saying that all of the "bonus" items were free: an apple watch, ipad, internet box, and desk phone. The entire time I was in the store I asked repeatedly, are you sure these are free, I don't need or want any of these items, can you guarantee me these are free? They also called the account owner (it's a corporate account) and assured him the same thing. Turns out, not only are they not free (there is an additional monthly charge per device), they will also now be charging me the entire full retail price for the desk phone. It has taken weeks to untangle this mess, and in the process we have missed the 30 day window for returns. The account owner tried calling a real Verizon customer service rep, but they can't do anything because this is a corporate store. I was told to text their store manager, who hasn't responded, and his voicemail is full. I went in for a single phone and now we are spending hours trying just to give back these "free" items. None of this is worth it, don't waste your time at this store. read more

This is NOT a Verizon store. Totally unethical business practices here. They insist that items such as a phone case and screen protector are accounted for with a new phone without giving you the option to not get it. It seemed like it was on the house but man, they sneaky. They just automatically add it to your bill even when you explicitly say that you do not need it. They even include a service fee for putting on the screen protector without notifying you that there's a fee for it. Once again, they just insist. It's terrible that they deceive customers like this. And seeing that others have had similar experiences, I don't understand how this establishment is still open. Other reviews are right, total scam. read more

This downtown Berkeley phone store is NOT run by Verizon. It's an "authorized retailer." I bought a new phone there 6 months ago but it didn't work right with my Verizon account. I had to go to a genuine Verizon store to straighten things out. Meanwhile the protective screen cover that Victra insisted I buy began to erode around the edges. I took it back and they refused to replace it, saying that I hadn't registered the warranty. Do yourself a favor and avoid this store. There are genuine Verizon stores, run by Verizon, in Emeryvill and in El Cerrito. Go to one of them instead. read more

I got a new iPhone 15 and switched to Verizon. I had a lot of trouble with it. First I couldn't get it activated. Verizon doesn't do customer support on the phone AT ALL. I will say I've had a lot of iPhones and never had this kind of trouble. I finally figured out I could go to a Verizon store. I went once to get it activated. But then I couldn't receive calls. So I went again. My second visit took a couple of hours. Both times short and long, they fixed what was wrong. I am very grateful for the level of service at this store. It should not have been that hard, but it got fixed. They did a great job! read more

I booked an appointment through Verizon, arrived five minutes early, and the man said that he would be right with me. Eventually he came back out and said that he had to help another customer first because they had arrived earlier, and that I'd have to wait another hour. This is despite my having booked an appointment and the other customer had not. The whole purpose of booking an appointment is that you don't have to wait an unpredictable amount of time. I left and will have to find another store. read more

CHECK YOUR BILL BEFORE YOU LEAVE THIS SCAMMY STORE. (The bill comes into your email when you order.) I did not do that and am still dealing with the aftermath. They signed me up for phone protection -- $17.00 per month -- when I did not ask for it. They also listed their store number as my account phone number -- their number shows up on myverizon app, on the phone I bought; I am unable to order or change service because I am told that I am not the account owner -- of my own phone. read more

Chris went above and beyond to help us with our SIM card issues. Super helpful and competent

As others have noted, this is not a Verizon corporate store (despite the name/logo out front) and service is not good at all. I bought the phone here and they upsold me despite my telling them what i needed and did not need. Didn't realize i'd been overcharged/oversold until i had left (i wasted too much time dealing with their sales staff to go back and challenge the charge) Today I'm back to get a faulty SIM card replaced. Service is slow (just 1 guy on the floor). And they want to charge me for a SIM card, even though they're free from Verizon. Take your business elsewhere. read more

Do yourself a favor and stay clear of this store. Very dishonest sales practices and they refuse to follow CA laws about contract cancelations. read more

SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM!!! FRAUD FRAUD FRAUDULENT Go anywhere but here! Total rip off dishonest liars! Make you buy 4 useless low end accessories total almost $200 for purchase of phone that they say was In the agreement! NOT! No signature, no disclosure! Waited long time to get this new phone, only to have the bill tripled in order to pay for their SHI--!! Guy said you can return. It after he opened my new iPhone without asking me, whipped on their crap screen protector while I was getting out my drivers license to show them, said if I wanted to return it I would have to the pay 50$ restocking fee and 30$ activation fee! What a freaking Joke! I am going to return this, contact a REAL Verizon's representative as well as the F.T.C., Federal Trade Commission!! This Sham store should be gone soon! read more

The absolute, without fail, worst phone experience I ever had and I should have followed my gut when the Salesperson was rude to me on the initial call. I called in November 2023 for the new IPhone 15 pro after seeing the Christmas Special. I only contacted them b/c they were the only ones with the 1Terra bite in stock, otherwise you had to order it. When I called to see IF it was in stock, the Salesman told me "I don't know, you'll have to come in person to see". The false advertisement Verizon put out was that I could trade ANY Iphone in ANY condition for a new 15pro. Newsflash, AFTER I purhased the iphone, the Salesperson stated he was unable to get a pin number off the Trade In phone. Now true enough, I didn't have the charging cord to the phone, so I couldn't power it up. Nonetheless, Verizon agents are in the phone business and should have or be able to access ANY power cord for phones. So for the price of a charging cord, they lost a lucrative sale? Obviously not graduates of Cal Berkeley's School of Business. Besides I had the old phone for years and had no idea where the cord could be. Nonetheless, it met the criteria advertised and I didn't worry about it. I was later contacted only to be told "IF YOU can't retrieve the pin number from the phone, they would not honor the advertised agreement." I was so pissed at that time that I returned the phone (within the 30 day window), along with the tablet and the watch (Christmas Special) and incured a $150 return fee. I didn't like it, but cut my loses and left vowing never to do business with them again. Ohhhh, wait but it gets better. SOMEhow the Corporate office claims I NEVER returned the items. Now I'm not sure IF someone at this location stole the items, Corporate is just unable to locate them or if this is a case of the Right hand not knowing what the Left hand is doing? All I know is I have close to $3000 (as of 3/1/2024) worth of charges that have been erroneously levied against me and the Manager who I've tried to contact both at this location and in their other location in Pinole, CA REFUSES to return my calls? Nonetheless IF they don't find the items AND take me off the Debt Collector's rolls, they are going to need an attorney. Oh, I'm sure they are already on retainer, but they'll be earning their keep, because I will not be intimidated. Again, there are plenty of options, they are not the only "Game" in town. Spend your hard earned and heavily taxed money wisely; elsewhere. Not only will I not patronize Verizon again and will surely tell anyone I know to do the same, but I will never step foot inside this store again. I'll let the Server do that instead. read more

The two gentlemen working this evening were very nice and greeted me right away. That is the one good thing I can say. But they don't seem to know the products. They did not receive accurate training on the products. Also, I called before I arrived to make sure they had a product. 30 minutes into my visit, they told me they did not have it in the store. Waste of time. While I was there, they lost the keys to the accessories. read more

Literally doesn't want your business. Customer service rep served people out of turn, and became defensive when questioned. The rep literally said there's other Verizon outlets nearby. Point taken, went to the Piedmont store and they were busier, friendlier, and cleaner. read more

I was assaulted at the store by the associate. I should have filed a police report. They also gave me false information and told me to go to another store for service, which was not true- it could have been done online. They just lacked the training and knowledge to do so. read more

My almost 80yo dad was in process of switching from T-mobile to Verizon due to poor signal. He bought the phone at Verizon Emeryville on Oct 2, along with $35 prepay plan, and due to the switch from T-mobile, his activation fees and SIM card charge were waived. On Oct 6, he went to T-Mobile to get his old account # and PIN so that he could port his old phone # to his new Verizon phone. T-Mobile store is only available in Berkeley, so he went, got his info, and went to Victra (the Verizon authorized dealer in Berkeley) down the street, presented his *Verizon Nokia phone with Verizon SIM card in it* (purchased on Oct 2), had his old phone # ported over, and was charged $76 for *a second $40 prepay plan plus activation fee and SIM card fee.* When I tried to get a refund for what was clearly not good business practice, I was told that per Verizon company policy, there are no refunds no matter what. Period. I asked for the store manager to call, but he has not. I have contacted Verizon customer service and while they are escalating the issue to try to get us a partial refund, they probably will only be able to refund us the $35 from the original plan since his phone # has been ported to the new, second prepay plan. I don't know what Verizon customer service will be able to do, but I wanted to call out the cowardly manager at Victra Verizon who does not appear to want to deal with this issue. Also, just a warning to other potential customers that this store preys upon the elderly by selling them double plans and refusing to issue refunds even with they are caught and admit to being in the wrong. I will be sending copies of the paperwork to the Berkeley BBB and Chamber of Commerce and every local news organization I can find an address for, because it's not about the $76; it's about preying upon seniors who are vulnerable to businesses like this. They know that what they are doing is wrong, and yet they continue because they know they can get away with it. They hide behind their "it's company policy to never issue a refund" and refuse to call people back. Absolutely disgusting, and a shame that they should be allowed to remain in business. read more

Want to give a big shot out and thanks a million to DANIEL, "the closer"! He has excellent customer service skills, was multitasking seamlessly with three customers, super professional and patient! He set my new iPhone 13 and iPad mini, including my new cases, quickly and efficiently, I love my upgrades! My iPad case was a little difficult, but he didn't give and fixed it! I had an amazing experience and recommend that he receives an award for his impeccable service! read more

As you all know I am brutally honest with my reviews. When I make my decision to create a review it is comprised of my overall experience and how the situation was handled. I Will start by saying I typically only go to a Acutal Verizon store not an authorized dealer. I have to be honest and say my experience here was pretty iffy at first. I spent over 4 hours here purchasing a new phone with a New employee that needed a lot/little bit more training. My overall experience would have went more smoothly with a different more experienced employee. Not just that, but A mistake was made as well with a $300 credit towards my new phone; it was addressed within the same day and the Manager communicated that efficiently. He himself would make up for it on his company's behalf. With all that being said my overall experience was corrected by the managers actions that day and after. Every question I had was answered with above and beyond service and no attitude which can happen when employees get tired of talking. Customer service is the real reason why they got the 4 stars. I cannot lie and say I did not leave that store that day a little bit frustrated for all the time Spent. But overall the management made me feel as if I had made a good purchase And that if there were any problems I could come back to his store With no worries. read more

Great customer service once you walk in but it's really a scam... thought I would transfer from one service provider to Verizon but this is just an authorized dealer and really bringing down the Verizon brand. I worked with Daniel which seemed great at first, told me there was a service fee but because I'm a new customer, I get phone case, screen protector, and charger free. Went over all these promotions that they're having. Checked my bill and realized that everything that he said was part of the service fee is charged individually! Realizing everything that was added on, I went back to return it and boyyy did Daniel's attitude change. Not only did he no longer want to help... he hesitantly returned everything, broke the one thing I am required to keep... AND when I called Verizon corporate, I was told there were things added to my contract that made my first monthly bill for two phone lines $400!!!! Luckily corporate fixed it after three hours on the phone. I would stay far far away from this place. TOTAL SCAM and should not be in business. read more

Walked in and was immediately helped. Got my product accessories and was on my way. Knowledgeable, kind and efficient- thank you!

Negative billion stars for completely inept service. The guy didn't know anything. I kept having to ask simple questions like "Do I have to pay for this?" which he did not answer the first time a question was asked. He usually did not have the answer and had to ask the only other employee in the store for the answer. read more

Spent an hour and a half waiting with the employees continuously telling me it would just be "10 more minutes." I wanted a new phone. They told me I could trade in my super old phone and a get a new one for free, which definitely sounded too good to be true. Then they wanted to charge me $300 for a phone case, charger, and screen protector. I said I didn't need those things and then they said that they couldn't sell me just the phone because they aren't a corporate store?? Left empty-handed from this wack place and never going back. Should have just ordered a phone online. read more

The storefront looks like a corporate store, but oh it is most certainly not. Totally ripped me off by not giving me all the possibilities to choose from. I ended up getting gouged on buying the device from them , then tried to exchange it due to repeated malfunctions. But nope, could only do a warranty exchange and had to get the blessings of the 1-800 number. Tried multiple times to get through to Tier 2 or better but stayed on hold for 45 minutes waiting for someone who could help me to get on the line. Well- intentioned but undertrained staff in the store made it that much more painful. If you want to wait forever, get restrictive options and get hugely over charged for devices and accessories, then this place is for you. read more

Jelani was the best help in the store. Extremely helpful with all my questions and needs. He helped me and my family with our upgrade. Has the best customer service skills read more

don't listen to the rating cuz the one posted as 3 star is of the old store from the corporate. i was here today and had the best experience from the workers there. check them and you won't be upset at all read more