If you have a manufacturer's defect and need to have your phone exchanged within the 1 year warranty, only a VZW Direct store will do it. Little known fact... VZW calls it a manufacturer's warranty but the manufacturer has nothing to do with it. VZW is giving the warranty. That's why you can only get a warranty replacement in a VZW direct store after a VZW tech has inspected the phone.

Actually you can send the phone off to the manufacturer within the 1 year and they will swap it out too, so actually it is a 1 year manufacturer warrant, VZW sends the phones back to the company for exchange too, thats where they get the FRU's from.

In fact if you don't purchase the phone at a direct verizon store, they won't do the replacement in store. So if you buy it at Best Buy, Radio Shack, many other names dealers, you have to send it to the manufacturer for warranty issues. Thats the way its supposed to be anyway, I think if you get huffy enough they might still do it in store. Now you know...and knowing is half the battle...

Hey, thanks guys--I always thought there was a big difference in buying direct instead of indirect...now I have freedome of buying my phone wherever I want and not worrying about it.😎

With the exception of insurance if you want it. VZW offers insurance on new phones purchased through direct channels. Indirect dealers generally can't offer the insurance option, although a few like Best Buy and Car Toys have their own insurance plans you can purchase. Also, even in a VZW store, you can only add insurance within 15 days of purchase. After that, the insurance companies won't accept it.

BULL.

We can offer it. We can only offer insurance, NOT THE EXTENDED WRTY for $1.99. We can still choose to offer Lockline/Asurion for $4.99.

Many dealers, like us choose to offer our own protection plan. We usually charge upfront like $50 or $70. And included the loss & theft protection in it as well. We also offer 2 types of plans, one guarantees a brand new phone (same phone) or equivalent, if you make a claim.

That's better than the Asurion insurance then. For a lost/stolen phone it's a refurbished unit that you get back. A friend of mine got one that had the programming flashed on it, it was really a hassle. The phone didn't say Verizon on the front but when you turned it on it did on the screen. Verizon couldn't activate it though because the esn wasn't in the range provided for VZW from Kyocera.

I gather if you don't have insurance, VZW has their own replacement program for a new phone, like an early upgrade but not quite as good a price.

urnamehere said:
In fact if you don't purchase the phone at a direct verizon store, they won't do the replacement in store.

That is not correct, If a new phone is purchased from an indirect, the corporate store will honor the 1 year exchange warranty.

wfine81 said:
That is not correct, If a new phone is purchased from an indirect, the corporate store will honor the 1 year exchange warranty.

Do you know, if I purchase a phone online from VZW and then need/want to exchange it, am I able to do that in person in a VZW store (or do I have to mail it back in to the online store)?

[Sorry for the repeat question, but I've been getting conflicting answers. Nothing definitive yet.]

I do not know about that, the only reason I am so sure about the previous question I replied to is becasue I own 2 indirect stores and I am certian about the warranty exchange.

If you purchase the phone online only, you do not have to take into the retail store (unless you have one close enough). We here do not have one for 120 miles (not a short trip). We call in to Cust Care and get the FRU sent to the customer. We check the phone and call in. We process about 4-5 every day.

We offer our own insurance. Covers everything except it being blown up in war. $50 deductible. If you did a 2 year contract then you get 1 claim per year and its same model or one very similar (refurbed), exactly the same as Asurion/Lockline. Has to be added within 15 days of getting the new phone. Our cost range from $30 to $70 depending on the model of phone.

ONLY if the agent buys their equipment directly from Verizon or now Brightstar who is an Authorized Distributor. They say if we buy the equipment from anywhere else it will not be FRUable.

vzwinagent said:
ONLY if the agent buys their equipment directly from Verizon or now Brightstar who is an Authorized Distributor. They say if we buy the equipment from anywhere else it will not be FRUable.

Correct, will they overlook it a lot of times? Yes, but policy is only from Verizon or Brightstar.

corporate exchanges my customers phones (indirect). if for some reason they won't or the customer hates the corporate store enough (frequently) we'll do a FRU by phone and cs mails them a new one.

I apologize if I (new poster) haven't searched enough and there are in fact others screaming about this issue...I just had to return the plastic belt holder for the RAZR because the fingers fell off the "old" (6 weeks) one, and, after waiting on a line for Tech Support (for a BELT CLIP???) I was given a ticket and told to come back in an HOUR. This is the second time this has happened to me in this store (NYC 81/Bway). I see it as a despicable attempt on the part of VZW to discourage warranty returns. If they need to exchange a PHONE (and charge it and program it) the wait is understandable...for a BELT CLIP??? Shame on you.

If I bought a piece of equipment at a standard store (circuit city?) and needed to exchange it, I would walk in/wa...
(continues)

VZW has "approved" alternate sources. I don't know if I can name them specifically, but phones purchased through those sources are allowed to be FRUed, but only through a live tech...not through tech support. That is according to the M&P I have. I do not know if this is something that varies by region.