Verizon Wireless is trying to SCAM ME out of $86 & the Manager of the Preston Road, Dallas Store is an Unethical Piece of S#!t | by Sam Henry Cliff | Jun, 2026 | MediumSitemapOpen in appSign up<br>Sign in

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Verizon Wireless is trying to SCAM ME out of $86 & the Manager of the Preston Road, Dallas Store is an Unethical Piece of S#!t

Sam Henry Cliff

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Introduction<br>This article is regarding my current situation with Verizon Wireless. Though in certain places I express my legally protected opinion, I distinctly separate that emotional perspective from the factual claims I make. Because this is unresolved at the time of publication, I’m under no obligation to take this down, even under threat of a lawsuit, because I know the rules about libel.<br>For the purpose of this article and clarity, I define “Scam” as an attempt to obtain money under false pretext and/or dishonesty. If the shoe fits…<br>This is a detailed description, not a TikTok Yap. I take my case-work and documentation seriously. A Gonzo Journalism piece by definition, I’m under no obligation to “give this poor widdle billion dollar company” the benefit of the doubt, which they clearly don’t deserve. I see both sides to this story, and theirs is without merit in my view. I believe you will agree.<br>This article is being posted online on June 1, 2026 and circulated to aggregators and media outlets with no intent of receiving compensation. I do this because my character compels me to go on record and report facts, my opinions, and the Truth when the need arises. “Buy the ticket, take the ride” indeed y’all.<br>Context and Self-Accountability: Debts to Settle<br>The time frame is the first week of April of 2026.<br>After realizing the mobile phone gifted to me by my Dad was rigged with monitoring software intended for use with children , I did the math on my expenses and was able to budget for my own wireless service plan. That meant returning the phone to him, letting the carrier have the number back, and acquiring one through a different carrier.<br>When reviewing my credit report, I noticed a debt owed to Verizon Wireless, dated Winter 2023 , which checks out. My personal life collapse due to mental illness, alcoholism, and substance abuse afflictions were in full swing during that Winter. It’s what landed me in jail for a year.<br>My first order of business was to get the funds and settle the debt with Verizon Wireless. I went to the Preston Road Verizon store in Dallas, Texas to ask a human being about the matter. The employee, who shall be called “John” for the purposes of this article, investigated my account and we determined I would need to call Verizon Financial directly.<br>This situation made sense, as Verizon was listed on the credit report as still holding the debt, not a collections firm. Strangely enough, the number listed on the Verizon contact pages (official) led to an automated system that actually hung up on me when I was trying to pay!<br>In frustration, I searched “Verizon Financial bill pay phone number” via Google and, interestingly, the AI result listed a different number first, then the one I’d already called, second.

Lo and behold, the AI provided number put me in touch with an actual human being. The woman knew exactly what to do. She quoted the same amount from the credit report, I paid it, and thanked her for her help. Though we discussed getting a digital receipt emailed to me, I didn’t receive one, but I do have a record on my financial account of the money being withdrawn by Verizon, so no issue there.<br>A Clean Slate with Verizon Wireless, So I Tried Again<br>I gave the payment and computer systems a couple days to process the transaction. Fortunately I had a schedule for the Bugged Boomer device. During that time I made a list of the contacts I’d need to update with a new phone number, under 10 actually. Nice.<br>Back at the Preston Road Verizon store, John wasn’t working that day so I went through the transaction with a different employee. He claimed to not know John because he was the Manager of a different store and filling in at the location. We used the touch-screen pad and I checked the 5G coverage for my residence location. Solid 5G according to their system.<br>Against my better judgment, I took the bait on signing up for an “Offer Bundle with Discount!” to get YouTube Music and an enhanced Apple plan for an additional $15 per month (discounted from $25 per month). The service price was $80 (before fees/taxes, activation charge, and device agreement) and with the Bundle and iPhone, the monthly total listed was $115 or so. I was approved. Yay I guess. I got a paper receipt.<br>Press enter or click to view image in full size

That transaction, including payment of taxes for the device, was performed on April 24, 2026. Keep this in mind. It’s really important for what comes next.

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