CINCINNATI — The new year brings new deals on smartphones.
And some providers offer rebates well in the hundreds of dollars.
But before you sign up, you need to know about how these deals sometimes end in frustration, and what you can do to avoid it.
$800 rebate with Galaxy trade-in
Bill Siegler recently moved into a new home, and wanted a new phone to go with it.
So he jumped at a Verizon Samsung promotion, for $800 off a new Galaxy phone.
"They were doing a deal if you wanted to upgrade to one of their latest phones," he said.
Siegler says they promised an $800 rebate with qualifying trade in.
But when he got his new Galaxy, something felt wrong.
"A week later the phone showed up," he says, "but it didn't come with a trade in box though."
He had no way to send the old phone back, and worse, he claims, a Verizon phone rep found no record of his rebate.
"They said they had no record of the (earlier) conversation, no trade-in, no history whatever," he said. "I was feeling defeated, like you've got to be kidding."
Other customers complain of no rebate
A check of theBetter Business Bureau turns up dozens of similar complaints about Verizon, from people who say they didn't receive their rebate.
But Verizon is not alone: other wireless carriers also have BBB complaints of rebates never arriving.
So how can you protect yourself when trading in an old phone?
As they used to say in the old days, get it all in writing.
These days, that means taking a picture of your old phone and box before you ship it in, and getting a screen capture of everything you agreed to.
The Better Business Bureau says when buying a new phone:
- Save all records of the promotion.
- Screenshot the deal, if it was online.
- Calling for the deal? Get a transaction or case number.
Siegler says it was all so frustrating.
"They had no record of the conversation. Nothing," he said.
We contacted Verizon, where a spokesperson apologized for Siegler's frustration, and promised to make things right.
Within 48 hours, he received his rebate.
Trade-in deals can be a great way of saving money on a new phone.
But document everything so you don't waste your money.
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