Verizon Class Action Claims iPhone Promo Scam

An Arkansas couple claim they fell victim to Verizon’s “bait and switch” scheme in a two for one iPhone deal.

According to plaintiffs George Wise and Barbara Gilbert-Wise, this deal was “purposefully deceptive, false, unconscionable, fraudulent, and also allowed Verizon to be unjustly enriched.”

The plaintiffs claim that, in May 2019, Mr. Wise went into their local Verizon store seeking to take advantage of Mother’s Day promotions.

Specifically, he aimed to take advantage of the deal which reportedly allowed consumers to “Buy iPhone XR, iPhone XS MAX, iPhone XS, or iPhone X and get a free iPhone XR (or take $750 off a second iPhone X model)” when “adding a new line on Verizon Unlimited.”

While at the store, a Verizon employee allegedly told Mr. Wise that he would be able to participate in the promotion. Mr. Wise says he was told he would receive a second iPhone free of charge if he added an additional line to his account and purchased another iPhone, promises which were “all consistent with Verizon’s Mother’s Day Promotion.”

Based on these representations, Mr. Wise reportedly chose to participate in the bargain by adding a phone to his account and purchasing a new iPhone as a gift for his wife Mrs. Gilbert-Wise. He expected he would receive an additional iPhone free of charge, which could be used by his son on his recently added phone line.

However, Mr. Wise says he was deceived into authorizing installment payments for the supposedly “free” iPhone. He was reportedly charged for the phone in June 2018 on their first bill following the transaction.

“Mr. Wise purchased the new iPhone for his wife and added a new line to his Verizon account based upon the false, misleading, deceptive, and unconscionable advertising, and further, has had to pay for the additional iPhone that was falsely promoted as ‘free,’” the Verizon class action lawsuit claims.

“As a result of the false, misleading, deceptive, and unconscionable advertising identified in this pleading above, Plaintiffs and the Class have commonly suffered actual financial losses from the addition of the cellular phone lines and resulting charges, and the payments and continuing payments for the two new iPhones — one of which was falsely promised to be free.”

According to the Verizon class action, Mr. Wise attempted multiple times to resolve the issue. However, Verizon has allegedly refused to issue a credit for the “free” iPhone, “thus, its false, misleading, unconscionable, unjust, and fraudulent charges for the ‘free’ iPhone and additional line remain.”

The plaintiffs seek to represent a Class of Arkansas consumers who purchased an iPhone XR, iPhone XS MAX, iPhone XS, or iPhone X from Verizon and added an additional line to their Verizon account between May 1, 2019 and May 31, 2019 based on promises that they would receive a free iPhone XR added to the new line.

Were you promised a Verizon deal but were later denied the supposed benefits? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

Plaintiffs and the proposed Class are represented by Scott Poynter and Daniel Holland of Poynter Law Group and Clarke Tucker.

The Verizon Bait and Switch Class Action Lawsuit is Wise, et al. v. Verizon Wireless Services LLC, et al., Case No. 60-cv-20-1970, in the Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Arkansas.

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