Verizon is suing a company that allegedly sold iPhones for as little as $20,000 each. The lawsuit alleges the company was running an elaborate scam to sell iPhones at a loss and then resell them on eBay for profit.
Verizon has filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, claiming that the company’s iPhone promo was an attempt to mislead customers.
In a two-for-one iPhone bargain, an Arkansas couple claims they were duped by Verizon’s “bait and switch” strategy.
This agreement was “purposefully misleading, false, unconscionable, fraudulent, and also enabled Verizon to be unfairly benefited,” according to plaintiffs George Wise and Barbara Gilbert-Wise.
Mr. Wise walked into their local Verizon shop in May 2019 to take advantage of Mother’s Day discounts, according to the plaintiffs.
He was hoping to take advantage of an offer that enabled customers to “buy an iPhone XR, iPhone XS MAX, iPhone XS, or iPhone X and receive a free iPhone XR (or save $750 on a second iPhone X model)” when “adding a new line on Verizon Unlimited.”
A Verizon staffer reportedly informed Mr. Wise that he would be able to participate in the offer while he was at the store. Mr. Wise claims he was promised a free second iPhone if he added another line to his account and bought another iPhone, promises that were “all consistent with Verizon’s Mother’s Day Promotion.”
Mr. Wise allegedly decided to engage in the deal by adding a phone to his account and buying a new iPhone as a gift for his wife, Mrs. Gilbert-Wise, based on these representations. He anticipated to get a free second iPhone, which he could give to his son to use on his newly acquired phone line.
Mr. Wise, on the other hand, claims he was duped into approving monthly payments for the ostensibly “free” iPhone. He was allegedly charged for the phone on their first bill after the purchase in June 2018.
“Based on the false, misleading, deceptive, and unethical advertising, Mr. Wise bought the new iPhone for his wife and added a new line to his Verizon account, and has further had to pay for the extra iPhone that was fraudulently advertised as ‘free,’” the Verizon class action complaint alleges.
“As a result of the false, misleading, deceptive, and unconscionable advertising identified in this pleading above, Plaintiffs and the Class have suffered actual financial losses from the addition of cellular phone lines and resulting charges, as well as the payments and continuing payments for the two new iPhones — one of which was falsely promised to be free.”
Mr. Wise tried to address the problem several times, according to the Verizon class action. Verizon, on the other hand, is said to have refused to provide a credit for the “free” iPhone, “therefore, its deceptive, misleading, unconscionable, unfair, and fraudulent charges for the “free” iPhone and extra line remain.”
The plaintiffs are seeking to represent a class of Arkansas customers who bought an iPhone XR, iPhone XS MAX, iPhone XS, or iPhone X from Verizon and added a new line to their account between May 1, 2019 and May 31, 2019 on the promise of receiving a free iPhone XR with the new line.
Have you been offered a Verizon package only to be denied the advertised benefits? Please share your thoughts in the area below.
Plaintiffs and the proposed Class are represented by Poynter Law Group’s Scott Poynter and Daniel Holland, as well as Clarke Tucker.
Wise, et al. v. Verizon Wireless Services LLC, et al., Case No. 60-cv-20-1970, in the Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Arkansas, is the Verizon Bait and Switch Class Action Lawsuit.
Verizon is claiming that the iPhone promo scam was a fraud. The company has been in contact with Apple to try and resolve this issue. Reference: verizon complaints.
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