Texas Woman Trades In iphone 13 For iPhone 16 At Verizon. Then She Notices A Suspicious Charge On Her Phone B

A Texas woman is going viral on TikTok after detailing her attempt to trade in her iPhone 13 Pro Max for an iPhone 16 Pro Max—an experience she says quickly spiraled into something far more complicated than she expected.

Olivia Pruitt (@oliviadpruitt) says she decided to share her story in hopes of sparing others the same frustration.

“If I don’t say something, they’re going to keep doing this to people,” she says in her video, which had more than 12,200 views as of this writing.

Pruitt says she went into the trade-in expecting a routine upgrade. Verizon was offering $1,000 toward her next phone, she says, and her old device was in pristine condition.

“They were offering $1,000 toward the next phone, and everything looked good,” she says, describing her iPhone 13 Pro Max as “immaculate.”

At first, she believed everything had gone smoothly. But shortly after leaving the store, Pruitt says she realized her new phone didn’t have service. She drove back to Verizon to get it fixed, only for the problem to resurface the very next day, sending her back to the store yet again. What seemed like a simple glitch, she says, was just the start.

What Happened to the Verizon iPhone User Next?

The bigger issues surfaced when Pruitt went to pay her bill the following month. After logging into her Verizon account, she says she noticed her old phone was still attached to her plan—and her bill was about $100 higher than expected.

Pruitt says she called Verizon to explain that she had completed the trade-in weeks earlier, only to be told there was no record of it.

“They literally said, ‘Ma’am, what do you mean trade-in?’” she recalls. “‘I don’t see a trade-in on your account.’”

Eventually, Pruitt says Verizon located her old iPhone 13 and attempted to apply the credit, but for reasons she still doesn’t understand, it wouldn’t go through. As a result, she now has to call Verizon every month so a representative can manually apply the credit before she pays her bill—a process she says has dragged on for months.

“Not only that, but I have been paying an [expletive] ton of money each month to get one bar,” she says.

She explains that before changing phones, she had asked to downgrade her service due to poor coverage. The change was made in-store without issue. But later, she says, she was told the downgrade conflicted with her trade-in promotion, causing her bill to be higher.

“I am so frustrated at this point,” she says. “There is always something.”

After six years as a Verizon customer, Pruitt says she’s reached the point where she wants out of her phone plan altogether.

Verizon Trade-In Problems

Trade-ins can get messy fast, and oftentimes those same carrier promos that excite customers come with strings attached.

With Verizon carrier offers, the line tied to the traded phone must remain active for the full promotional credit to apply. That often means keeping the same number on a qualifying unlimited plan. If you downgrade the plan or change how the line is set up, those monthly credits may not appear in your account unless, like Pruitt, you call Verizon constantly to have them applied.

There are other things you should know before turning in your phone for a new one, too. For instance, the phone you’re trading in must be fully paid off unless the promotion explicitly allows devices with a remaining balance. Some people get tripped up here, as trading in a phone that’s still being financed can leave the account in limbo.

Of course, customers can also choose to go through Apple and Apple Trade. But even here, customers are responsible for ensuring everything is taken care of on the carrier’s side (e.g., Verizon or AT&T).

In the end, many trade-in deals require you to keep service tied to the original line. That said, the exact rules depend on whether you’re going through a carrier like Verizon or trading directly with Apple.

Commenters Say They’ve Abandoned Verizon

While Verizon is often viewed as one of the country’s top wireless carriers, many viewers said Pruitt’s experience sounded all too familiar—and for some, it was the final straw.

“I was with Verizon for 20 years, and I dropped them last year,” one man commented under her video. “Saving a ton of money.”

“Verizon has definitely dropped the ball over the last few years, and it seems like T-Mobile is taking first place, even the service at T-Mobile is better,” another wrote.

“ATT is the superior service provider,” a third added.

Some commenters said they had gone through nearly identical issues with trade-ins and billing confusion.

“This happened to me too,” a fourth shared, echoing Pruitt’s frustration.

Several viewers encouraged Pruitt to escalate the situation rather than continue calling customer service each month.

“File a complaint with the BBB and someone from the Executive Department will reach out within a week!” one person suggested.

“Report to FCC and BBB and leave bad social media everywhere,” another urged.

Others said problems like Pruitt’s aren’t unique to Verizon, but part of a broader issue with carrier-based trade-in promotions.

“I never go through the carrier,” one woman said. “Only direct via Apple or Samsung.”

“Why is cell phone service in this country so difficult? I’ve heard so many nightmare stories about trade-ins and promotions,” another added.

Patch has reached out to Pruitt via a direct message on TikTok and to Verizon through email.

@oliviadpruitt