I have never posted a review - ever. As a business professor, I am pro-business, pro-profit, and very forgiving of service failures. But I have zero tolerance for businesses that take advantage of senior citizens. To do it in the midst of a global pandemic when seniors are scared, anyway, is totally unforgivable.
My 81-year-old mother went to this store to buy a new phone after her old one got water damaged. It is abundantly clear that she knows nothing about smart phones, and she handed the sales guy her old iPhone and asked for a new one like it. With no explanation, no questions, and no options presented, he brought her a Samsung. He put her on a payment plan she didn't understand, extended her contract, and sent her on her way - with no paperwork and no receipt. I found out about it when I called her and she answered completely out of sorts and in tears saying that she didn't know how to use the phone. She said, "I told him I wanted a phone like my old one. He seemed like a nice young man and I trusted him."
My husband and I went with her to return the phone. The sales guy, who at best ignored her needs or at worst took advantage of her, wasn't there. After explaining the situation to another sales guy (in the store by himself with a line of customers and no manager on site or reachable), my little 81-year-old retired school teacher mom was charged a $35 return fee - for a phone that she never should have been sold in the first place. I was told it was "company policy" and when I offered that the fee shouldn't apply because the sales guy didn't give her the phone she asked for, the reply was, "Well she signed the contract."
After we finally were able to decipher the contract, we also realized that Victra charged her a $19.99 "set up and go" fee that was also not refunded.. So consider this before giving this company your business: After a little elderly grandmother trusted this company to sell her a phone that she was accustomed to, they took advantage of her lack of knowledge and as a result, she was forced to pay them $55 and walk away with nothing but stress and anxiety.. Despicable...
This company (https://victra.com/about-us.aspx) operates over 1000 stores and boasts that it's "the leading exclusive premium retailer for Verizon." Its mission statement is, "Connecting technology to life in the most trustworthy, fun, and profitable way." Apparently profit trumps trustworthy. The company touts its community involvement and its first stated core value is, "Integrity: We believe accountability and clarity are key." Apparently those are just words on a website.
The career advice I give my college seniors is to always do the right thing when they think no one is looking, because at some point, someone WILL be looking. Well this time, I was the protective daughter who WAS looking. I also caution my students to beware of companies with misaligned policies and incentive structures that actually encourage bad behavior from employees - and this serves as an exemplar that I will use in future classes. read more
