Horrible manager! (Scruffy face, grey untucked t-shirt, heavier build) Unkempt, unhelpful, and condescending.
I ordered a new iPhone XMax and was sent an iPhone 7. The packing slip clearly detailed an iPhone XMax with the serial number and all identifying numbers specific to that particular phone I had ordered but an iPhone 7 with different numbers was in the fedex box. The very helpful phone team with Verizon instructed me twice (by two different individuals) to go to a corporate store, return the incorrectly received iPhone 7, and trade it for the correct phone or obtain a return receipt.
I had spoken to josh at this store the day prior as well as the morning of the incident. He was friendly and helpful and offered suggestions as to the best way to obtain the new phone through their store. I entered the store, asked for josh, and began to explain the situation. Before I could finish I was interrupted and told I would have to pay a restocking fee. I said that the phone reps did not inform me of that and asked if it could be waived due to the situation being completely the fault of Verizon, the company they represent. The manager had been listening in and interjected that the fee would not be waived. He was condescending and immediately combative. The majority of the conversation from he to I was through an employee standing between us. He began to talk to me through the employee instead of directly to me. Very rude. Very cowardly. I've been a restaurant manager for 20 years and would NEVER put an employee in that situation. I accepted what they said and requested that they take the phone back, charge the restocking fee, and print a return receipt. I said I would call Verizon and request the fee to be reversed. So I sat down on a bench by the door and called.
The staff stood together, some with arms folded, and glared at me the entire time. The rep put me on hold as he submitted the request. In the meantime, an employee came up to me with my fedex box, the iPhone 7, and a shipping label. He told me they couldn't help me. I'd have to ship it myself. Then stated "have a nice day". I noticed my packing slip was not included so I requested it. He had to go back and get it which suggests to me that they had every intention of keeping my packing slip, the only bit of evidence I possessed that indicated there had been a mistake. I requested it. He returned and said again "have a nice day". At that point, I stood up and stated "Wow! What a difference from my experience here, last year. You'll hear from me on Yelp."
Note: the year prior I upgraded with the assistance of a lovely employee named Breah, which is why I had returned. I asked for her twice and received no response as to whether she was still employed.
I returned to my car, still on hold. The rep returned to the line and asked if I was still in the store. I told him I had been chased out and how uncomfortable I felt. I requested to file a complaint against the store and it's manager. I also requested that they view the security cameras to observe the body language of the staff and their interactions with me. It really felt like they just didn't want me to have a very sought after item and put all the blame of not having it on me. Good news is that the phone rep found a phone for me at the Apple store and I was able to retrieve it within the hour, no thanks to the Verizon corporate stores.
I recommend the palm desert store or riverside store on magnolia. I will never return to the Redlands storefront.
I'd like to reiterate that I DID obtain my iPhone XsMax Gold 256g that day. And I hope it gets under the skin of the staff at the Redlands store that I got exactly what I wanted an hour later.
10/1/18
A standard response that obviously indicates that they did not even read my entire review. Unacceptable! And embarrassing for their management. I've told at least a dozen people in the area to avoid this store. Some of those were managers at nearby stores. And I will continue to do so. read more
