Had to have a replacement phone shipped to us from Verizon due to faulty equipment. No problem there, but we are supposed to ship the defective phone back using the return label that was supposed to be included in the box. First problem: no return label in the box. So off we go to the Verizon center near us, wait our turn, get the label and then have to take the box to the FedEx place to ship it. Problem number two: FedEx tells me, "This isn't packed properly so if it gets lost, Verizon will charge you for the phone because I have to check that it wasn't packed properly when it was shipped". I'm like, you have to be kidding me...it's packed exactly as the new phone was shipped to me. She's like...they don't care...if the phone gets lost in sending it to you, they just send you another one but if it gets lost when you send it back, you're out a couple hundred bucks. However, she 'kindly' offered to pack it properly for me...for 3 bucks and some change (for a couple of sheets of plain brown paper). Had I not been in a hurry, I would have taken the box back home and packed it myself.
Makes me wonder if Verizon and FedEx don't have a little agreement going on where they ship phones packed inadequately and when the customer shows up at FedEx to ship it back, they get pressured into paying to have it 'packed properly' under threat of getting a big charge from Verizon if the phone gets lost and wasn't packed properly. Is somebody getting a kickback?