A Verizon customer bought what she thought was a new iPhone 16 Plus only to find out it had been used.
According to a Verizon client, the biggest cellular provider in the country attempted to deceive her by passing off a used iPhone as brand-new. The user, who goes by the handle “TheCrazyLunchLady” on TikTok, immediately mentions that she had to submit an insurance claim for the iPhone 16 Plus barely 12 hours after purchasing it from the carrier.
She claims that the screen of the iPhone 16 Plus she bought had a crack before it was sold to her. She says that she intended to buy a screen protector for her iPhone 16 Plus before taking it out of the box, so she kept the phone in the box after buying it and went to work. “I left the store at 7 p.m.,” she claims. By three o’clock the following day, I had returned. It sat inside the box, and it came in while I was at work.
The Verizon representative accused the woman of using her keys to inadvertently break the screen of her iPhone.
She went back to Verizon to complain about the screen, and a Verizon employee blamed “TheCrazyLunchLady” for the damage, claiming that her keys were to fault. “So, now that I filed an insurance claim, they’re not gonna replace the screen,” the Verizon consumer stated in her TikTok video. due to the fact that they lack substitutes. She questioned whether Verizon initially attempted to sell her an old iPhone as a new device, but in the end, she received a brand-new phone in a brand-new box.
She came to this conclusion after receiving the new box and realizing that opening it required removing the tabs on the rear. She claims at this point in the video that those tabs were not on the box she opened at the Verizon shop, which held the scratched iPhone. At the store, the box had already been opened. Additionally, the original, damaged iPhone already had the white sticker that covers the entire display to safeguard it during transit.
Her second phone’s screen was perfect after she removed the white sticker.”This phone is brand-new. “My other one has a crack and this smudge,” she remarked. It appears that other Verizon customers have experienced what “The Crazy Lunch Lady” has. According to another TikTok user, she previously paid $1,500 for a new phone from Verizon and received a box with the tabs already taken off.
This is what you should always do when purchasing a new phone from a physical store.
Several additional commentators shared their experiences, with one claiming that the phone he purchased as new was actually a refurbished device. Another TikTok member posted a comment suggesting that you should buy a new iPhone straight from Apple rather than through a carrier. According to the TikToker, “This is why I only buy at the Apple Store.”
Another TikTok user came up with a brilliant concept that could perhaps save some customers who follow the guidance. “Even if you aren’t immediately setting it up, ALWAYS open the box in the store,” he wrote. For this reason, the majority of phone stores ask their staff to check.
Ultimately, “The Crazy Lunch Lady” disclosed that when she claimed that Verizon attempted to sell her a used device, she was referring to the fact that prospective customers had opened and used it as a sample in the store. Whatever she meant, no customer should be forced to pay full price for a phone they mistakenly believe to be brand new.
When you bought a “new” phone, did you ever discover that it had been used before? Please leave a comment in the space provided below to let us know what transpired.