Business Profile
Mobile Phone Service
Verizon Authorized Retailer - Cellular SalesHeadquarters
Important information
- Customer Complaint:Cellular Sales is headquartered in Knoxville,TN. The company maintains locations throughout the United States but all complaints are processed by this BBB. Accordingly, this customer experience record includes complaints from all of its locations.
Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Verizon Authorized Retailer - Cellular Sales's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 303 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 87 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:09/10/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
July 31, 2024 I went to Cellular Sale store for help to copy my phone contacts to a flash drive for backup. The representative couldn't help me with that (didn't know how to do it either). While he was in my account he said "Since you have been a loyal Verizon customer for 10+ years, you're eligible for a free phone" I told him I didn't want a free phone to which he responded, it's a nice phone & it's free. I asked him "no strings attached? Will my monthly payment stay the same?" to which he responded "no strings attached and your payment will be the same". So I said "ok, would be silly not to accept it" He said I couldn't keep my old phone, took it then drew up the paperwork & I signed it. About 2 weeks ago I switched carriers to Spectrum. The next day I received a bill from Verizon stating I owe them $737.04. I immediately called them saying there must be some mistake. I have always paid my monthly bill in full with no issues. They told me to go to Cellular Sales to find out what the issue was. Cellular Sales rep told me I broke a contract of not keeping Verizon service for 36 months when I got the "free" phone. It was NEVER even mentioned that I had to keep service for 36 months! Then they said they'll file a dispute with corporate office to get it resolved. This never happened so I called them back to find out what that status was and was given a phone number to corporate. After explaining the complaint to several of their representatives was told they will not credit my account the $737.04 because I signed the contract. I explained the contract was never mentioned at the time of service and they need to do the right thing and credit my account. They said no. THIS IS MISREPRESENTATION OF SERVICE/FRAUD to lie to customer to their face! How are they allowed to do this? NOBODY READS THE TERMS paperwork WHEN THE REPRESENTATIVE LOOKS YOU IN THE EYE AND TELLS YOU "NO STRINGS ATTACHED". I was TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BY A LYING REPRESENTATIVE
Business Response
Date: 09/11/2024
Cellular Sales has reviewed this concern. Due to signed documentation agreeing to the terms and conditions and because we can not speak to what was discussed at the point of sale. Cellular Sales is unable to assist. Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Business Response
Date: 09/12/2024
Cellular Sales has reviewed this concern. Due to signed documentation agreeing to the terms and conditions and because we can not speak to what was discussed at the point of sale. Cellular Sales is unable to assist. Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Customer Answer
Date: 09/12/2024
Complaint: 22267410
I am rejecting this response because I TRUSTED THE REPRESENTATIVE TO BE TELLING ME TRUTHFUL INFORMATION THAT NO STRINGS ATTACHED TO GETTING THIS PHONE WITH NO MENTION OF 36 MONTH PLAN.Is it standard practice of Cellular Sales to allow their employees to look customers in the eye and lie to make sales/commissions? THE "TERMS" PAGE WAS ONLY SIGNED BECAUSE I TRUSTED REPRESENTATIVE TO BE TRUTHFUL WITH THE INFORMATION HE PROVIDED ME. This is nothing short of a scam operation.
I have almost 4700 friends on Facebook and will be telling my experience with this company as to whether they think this is fair business practices as well as to warn them when dealing with this shady company that stands behind unscrupulous employees who lie to customer face & take advantage of them in order to get commission.
I am also contacting The Arbitration Association to look into this case. If no resolution is reached, it will be taken to small claims court.
Sincerely,
******* *****Initial Complaint
Date:09/09/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I went to the Verizon store because my son had borken his phone. We had insurance on the phone so I was interested in filing a claim. I was told both my phone and his were eligible for free upgrades. My daughter was with me and they told her she could have a free ipad. I would only have to pay $10 per month for the line. I was told my monthly bill would go up by only $10 per month. My bill now shows I owe over $2000 for the 3 devices and my bill will go up $60 per month to pay for these devices. This was fraud as I was told these were all free items.Business Response
Date: 09/09/2024
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 09/16/2024
Cellular Sales is happy to assist with the customer's concern, however we do need to verify the account and further discuss the specifics of the concern. The customer can contact us during business hours at 877-851-0649, our hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and we are closed on Sunday.Initial Complaint
Date:09/09/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
We have played the game for 4 months. Been in and out of the store. Called support every month, sometimes twice a month. Being told things were resolved or getting attacked for our complaint. Bill is double what they told us. Told things were not submitted correctly. Told it would be righted to our faces or on the phone and still months in with no resolution. How many more months should we call and go to the store and be LIED to to our faces. No need to upload documents because it is all recorded in call each month or on camera at the store that we have visited with NO resolution. We have also filed with the FCC.Business Response
Date: 09/09/2024
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Customer Answer
Date: 09/10/2024
This has been resolved through an FCC complaint.Initial Complaint
Date:09/09/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Date of transaction:June 28, 2024 One phone was free with trade in and the other was to be $5 month for 36 months. I have been charged $1680 for both phones.Business Response
Date: 09/09/2024
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 09/09/2024
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Customer Answer
Date: 09/09/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 22256971, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
***** *******Initial Complaint
Date:09/03/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I added another cell phone to my account in January for a friend that is in an abusive marriage. She lives in North Carolina. She got the phone on January 12th at a store in North Carolina. ***** ********* help her add the phone to my plane. She decided to return the phone in the 30 day window and disconnect the phone. ***** ********* didn't disconnect the service. I noticed that my bill was still being charged for that phone service. I went to the Verizon store at 6800 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, TN 9/2/2024. ******* was helping me with trying to get the phone disconnected and to get a credit for the charges for the phone that was returned in January. ******* called the loyalty department to help me with the refund. I spoke with **** and she told me that she couldn't help me that it was my fault that the phone was not disconnected and that I can't get a refund. I told her that I paid my bill on time and that the phone service should have been disconnected when the phone was returned to the store. She blamed me for the phone still be connected. I want a refund for the 7 months that I paid for a phone service that should have been disconnected in January when the phone was returned. I paid $65 a month for the service and $19 a month for the protection plan. I should receive a refund of $588 for the phone service that they didn't disconnect in January when the phone was returned.Business Response
Date: 09/03/2024
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 09/06/2024
Cellular Sales is happy to assist with the customer's concern, however we do need to verify the account and further discuss the specifics of the concern. The customer can contact us during business hours at 877-851-0649, our hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and we are closed on Sunday.Initial Complaint
Date:08/09/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Beware of the promotions that are offered by Cellular Sales Auburndale/Cellular Sales. I signed up for the Home Internet Promotion back in December. At that time the Associate instructed me to come back in during the summer to redeem the Xbox and gift card that were the perks of the promotion. I went to the store and followed up regarding the promotion and was told to contact Cellular Sales Customer service. I did that and they stated I need further documentation. At this point I followed back up with the Cellular Sales Store Mgr(******). He submitted a claim with Cellular Sales and requested that I call them on the following Monday regarding the promotional perks. He instructed me to give them his number if they had any questions and that they would ask a few questions and all I needed to do was provide them my home address and they would ship out the items. I spoke with Cellular Sales Customer Service, they wouldn’t even hear me out and stated there was no need to call ******. That being said, now everyone has amnesia regarding the promotion when it comes time to collect the perks of the promotion. Hopefully someone can get this resolved. Bad business promotions.Business Response
Date: 08/09/2024
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 08/19/2024
Cellular Sales was able to reach out to the customer and provide a final resolution. Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Customer Answer
Date: 08/24/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 22119281, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
*** ******Initial Complaint
Date:08/09/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Visited this Verizon retailer on 8/8/24 to move accounts and purchase two new phones. The sales associate we worked with initiated the set up and transfers of both new devices. We were not told this is an optional service, nor were we told there would be an additional fee for said service. We saw no pricing information until after the service was rendered.Business Response
Date: 08/10/2024
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 08/10/2024
Cellular Sales was able to reach out to the customer and provide a viable resolution. Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Customer Answer
Date: 08/12/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 22119200. I am not happy with the business' response, but I do not wish to take this complaint further.
Sincerely,
***** ******Initial Complaint
Date:08/09/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I went into the store to look at home internet plan options, and the employee told me that I also qualify for a special deal for an upgrade to my wireless plan. He said that my original phone (iPhone 13 Pro 128GB, gold) is worth $1000 trade-in value, and if I chose the iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB, black titanium) that I would only have to pay the $200 difference in installements over 36 months. The next day, there is a problem with my phone receiving SMS texts, so I return to the store to get help. They were unable to help me, so I chatted with an online representative through Verizon to get help. While I am checking my account details online to troubleshoot the SMS issue, I come across my new monthly bills being higher than what the store employee quoted me for. The online representative told me that I can return my new phone for a full refund, and get back my original phone. However, the paperwork from the store says that I cannot get back a traded-in device. I read the paper agreement from this store and not only did they not provide a valid tracking number that does not register under Fedex, UPS nor USPS, I do not have written notice of my trade-in value. I did not record this interaction with the employee, but they have cameras inside the store. (40080724000741) I am here to 1) Ask for my original phone back (the online rep said I can get my old devide back once it reaches the Verizon warehouse), 2) Get a full refund for what I paid the day I upgraded my phone ($36 upgrade fee, and the taxes on the new phone), 3) Return the new phone without financial penalty, and 4) Be free to change carriers from Verizon without financial penalty The store employee lied to me. A $1000 trade-in value is very different than $414, and I verbally confirmed multiple times before agreeing to upgrade my device. I have attached texts with the online rep for proof.Business Response
Date: 08/10/2024
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 08/10/2024
Cellular Sales was able to reach out to the customer and provide a viable resolution. Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Initial Complaint
Date:07/29/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I went to Verizon about 2 weeks ago to switch service from AT&T and get a new phone. I was told my monthly phone plan would be $45 after all applicable discounts were applied. Fast forward to my first bill which showed a monthly plan cost of $75. I went to the same store location to ask about the bill and was told the salesman was new and didn’t know what he was doing. There was no way they could honor the price I agreed to and there was nothing they could do. Do not only did they lie to me but they failed to do anything to fix it.Business Response
Date: 07/30/2024
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Customer Answer
Date: 08/11/2024
Complaint: 22062389
I am rejecting this response because: they refused to reimburse the difference in cost to fix their errors. I have also not heard of any actions they are taking against the specific store or salesperson to rectify all the issues they have caused.
Sincerely,
****** *******Business Response
Date: 08/12/2024
Cellular Sales has reached out to the customer to discuss the concern further. Due to signed documentation agreeing to the terms and conditions, Cellular Sales has declined assistance. Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Initial Complaint
Date:07/23/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I purchased two cell phones for their full value. However, as I've spoken to Verizon (Corporate) this was not the case. I had only signed a contract for a "payment plan" for each of the devices. I have two charges to my credit card totaling over $1000.00 for "CELLULAR SALES CT-MI HOUSTON TEXAS." I also turned in two Iphones as "trade-ins" for this transaction. After speaking to Verizon (Corporate), Cellular Sales had not given credit for any payment made to them or the phones turned in for the trade-ins. Verizon (Corporate) told me that buying the phones like this was not even possible and that such a deal was never offered with any promotions. When I called Cellular Sales (Beechnut location) I was told that I was a liar and that I had never made any payment to them. I had simply signed a plan for two phones subject to a payment plan. My bill was supposed to be raised for the month of December (first month of the new plan) but would thereafter drop to a monthly charge for both lines/phones (**for services, taxes and fees ONLY). The only reason to have missed this monthly overpayment was due to it being paid by a family member that does not follow their accounts. I found this while looking into adding an alternate line and seeing what the monthly bill would total. I have followed up with corporate with my bank charges and if this is not resolved will be filing criminal charges. Corporate is showing that nothing was provided by Cellular Sales on their end. Nothing. I fully expect for the balance of the phones to be paid-off and the past monthly overpayments to be reconciled.Business Response
Date: 07/23/2024
Cellular Sales is actively working the concern to navigate a resolution.Business Response
Date: 08/12/2024
Cellular Sales has attempted to contact this customer regarding this issue; however, we were unable to reach the customer. The customer may contact us to continue the process at 877-851-0649.Customer Answer
Date: 08/12/2024
This has been settled. Cellular Sales was diligent in their research behind the matter and after doing such, paid for all of the accounts that were in dispute.
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