Did Verizon Charge Canton Woman $233 For ‘Free’ Phone?

In The Bottom Line column appearing in Tuesday’s Courant, a Canton woman tries to work her way out of paying Verizon Wireless $233 for a phone she says was supposed to be free. TBL is monitoring:

When is a free phone not a free phone? Probably whenever you don’t get the free-phone promise in writing first.

Jill Goldman of Canton says Verizon Wireless pledged a new Droid Razor for her son in March after her son’s phone — already a “certified” replacement for new Droid X that malfunctioned less than a year after she bought it in late 2010 — started turning off randomly.

“I was surprised that they would honor my request [for a new phone] but grateful nonetheless,” she says.
All it cost her, she assumed, was extending her contact two years. Verizon shipped out the phone, which worked flawlessly, and everyone was happy — until Goldman checked her bill online in early April and noticed a $233 equipment charge. Now, with Goldman’s mood somewhat south of “happy,” she called Verizon and was told the new phone was marked on her account. The “free” element was not.

More . . .