I haven't had the 'pleasure' of falling victim to wait times and oher inconveniences w/ VZW yet as I've only been here a month now. But when I was with ATT, I used to get all kinds of freebies and credits, off bill and equipment.
Here's what works for me....
Rule #1- No matter what the issue is/was, as the rep is closing the call and asks you if there's anything else they can do for you- ALWAYS ask if there are any adjustments/discounts/free stuff you're eligible for. I always jokingly say 'sure, give me free phone service'... they'd laugh and then check my account out. I've gotten lots of one-off discounts that are a certain $$ amount, or a certain % of the bill. In one month I talked my bill to HALF the normal bill, just by asking a couple of people, and pointing to a couple of inconveniences I had experienced. They have it at the ready.
Rule #2- Use what you got to get what you want-- If you pay a high bill monthly (multiple lines maybe), use that as leverage- they don't want to risk losing you. And if you've been with the carrier a long time (I was with ATT 6 years), throw your tenure around. I would drop my 6 year tenure and $200+/mo bill (multi lines) several times in a heated conversation, dangling my 'customership' (<---
) as a carrot for them.
Rule #3- Retention department can get it done. Everybody's got one nowadays. Talk to them. Of course, this works best when you JUST joined, or after you've been there a while. Word it to say... "I don't WANT to leave but you're leaving me no choice because of ________________", and don't be afraid to tell them what you want. Also research stuff on other carriers so you can throw that out there as well. Make it sound like the next carrier's deal is better than what you're getting, even if you'd never dream of actually changing. Retention can't do EVERYthing, but they can do waayyy more than front-line service.
One quick ATT story, and then I'm done.... When I was leaving ATT to come over to VZW, I had an ETF of I believe $115, but was at upgrade point. I didn't want to pay my ETF out of pocket, so I renewed my contract then broke it. I only did that because I got them to give me a brand new BB Curve 8520 for $25, which I was able to sell on Craigslist for $225. When I renewed, my ETF went from $115 to $175, but the selling the phone paid the ETF, and I netted an extra $25 out the deal. And there were no additional charges afterwards. Took a couple of phone calls afterwards, but it went down. Don't know if that one works universally, but it worked for me.
Just ASK and get creative. These companies are making loot hand over fist. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want- they'll give it to you because they know ppl will jump ship in a second.
^^^^ Wow that turned out to be looong. My bad.