Strict Verizon policy leaves customers waiting longer in stores

Verizon is quietly enforcing a strict policy that employees claim is causing customers to experience long lines in stores. The requirement comes as the carrier has been rolling out major operational changes in recent months as its new CEO, Dan Schulman, works to reverse years of customer losses.

Shortly after Schulman became Verizon’s CEO in October 2025, he said during an earnings call that he plans to “aggressively transform” the company, further stating that recent price hikes and friction in the customer experience have been pushing customers away.

The company has lost 2.25 million postpaid phone customers over the past three years.

Schulman went on to lay off 13,000 employees in November to “simplify” the company’s operations, create “new value” for customers, and “build a faster, stronger and more proactive Verizon,” according to an internal memo sent to workers.

By May, Verizon conducted another round of layoffs, this time impacting hundreds of employees at its headquarters in New Jersey, according to a Business Insider report.

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Verizon policy sparks tension in stores

Amid this transformation, Verizon employees are taking to social media platform Reddit to claim that the company is doubling down on a strict store policy to boost sales; however, it is allegedly causing friction.

In a recent Reddit post, a Verizon employee claimed that all workers are required to offer every new product to customers they help in stores “with no regard for circumstances or customer needs.”

They state this is why “waits are so long” at store locations, sometimes taking more than two hours for a customer to speak with an employee.

“We are made to slam every item on every quote or get written up,” wrote the Verizon employee in the post. “If a customer came to cancel service in store we would have to offer each of the following: a new line, a tablet or watch, home internet, 4 perks, insurance on everything, all High priority upgrades on the account offered, and home device protection with every customer.”

The employee also said they are “required to check in with managers between quotes for approval to ensure every item is offered.” A manager will get involved if employees aren’t closing most sales items.

Employees are also required to push customers to purchase new products for their businesses or employers.

“We have to ask you 3 different ways if you own a business or if we might be able to convince your employers to move their phone account,” wrote the employee. “And every customer gets submitted for a lead as a call back whether they buy or not. Managers have to upload forms for every employee transaction to ensure they are micromanaging their sales floor.”

In addition, the employee alleged that Verizon has recently raised sales expectations and cut commissions.

“My sales goal for November and December (the busiest time of year) was the same as my goal in February, plus they ruined our commission plan so now we make half the money for twice the work,” wrote the employee.

The employee said that Schulman “has made a good run at ruining the company and killing morale all at the cost of appeasing shareholders.”

Verizon is quietly enforcing an in-store policy that's causing frustration. Shutterstock/Brandon Klein — Verizon is quietly enforcing an in-store policy that’s causing frustration. Shutterstock/Brandon Klein

Verizon employees and customers weigh in on store experiences

In response to the post, some Verizon employees said they are having the same workplace experience at their stores.

“I’m currently an employee and leaving,” wrote one employee in the comment section. “This main comment is 100% accurate representation of what’s going in the stores … They micromanage every little thing to the point that every few days you’re in an office getting questioned.”

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Some Verizon customers even took to the comment section to report experiencing these pushy sales tactics from representatives when visiting stores for service.

“I recently went to a store to upgrade my phone. I got pitched on all that, said no. They came back with a quote that added a new line and 2 phones, an upgrade for me and the same one for the new line I didn’t ask for. It added $136.00 per month,” commented a Verizon customer.

“I’ve had all of those things offered to me when I simply went in to pick up an iPhone,” wrote another customer.

Verizon defends operations amid criticism

Amid allegations that this policy is slowing down wait times for customers in stores, Kevin Zavaglia, Verizon’s chief sales and service officer, said in a LinkedIn post on June 2 that “most customers do not have a wait at all” for service.

“Our overall average wait time of only 7 minutes is down year over year,” wrote Zavaglia in the post.

He also said that Verizon recently launched a “new compensation model, designed to reward premium pay for premium performance.”

“We’ve seen significantly higher payouts than on historical plans, especially for our top performers,” he said.

Verizon struggles to beat rivals in consumer satisfaction

The changes at Verizon come after Schulman said during an internal meeting with employees in December that the company’s customer satisfaction scores “are worse than our competitors,” partly because employees lack the “financial flexibility” to get things done.

A J.D. Power survey in January found that Verizon’s consumer satisfaction scores for postpaid phone plans lag behind those of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), as more consumers prioritize seamless interactions with their carrier over network quality.

“Attracting customers with network quality and pricing is just the first step,” said Carl Lepper, senior director of technology, media and telecom at J.D. Power, in a statement. “True loyalty comes from how easy it is for customers to work with a carrier once they’re in the system, especially when it comes to resolving issues, managing bills and getting answers quickly.”

How Verizon ranks in postpaid phone plan consumer satisfaction:

Postpaid phone customers gave traditional U.S. wireless carriers an average rating of 603 on a 1,000-point scale.
Among the Big 3 national carriers, T-Mobile ranked highest with a 631 score, while Verizon earned a score of 593 and AT&T received 587.
MVNOs performed better overall, averaging 630 points in consumer satisfaction for postpaid phone plans.
Consumer Cellular topped the MVNO category with a score of 721, followed by Google Fi Wireless at 685. Spectrum Mobile rounded out the group at 614.
Source: J.D. Power

Despite falling behind top competitors in consumer satisfaction, Verizon’s recent turnaround efforts appear to be yielding positive results.

In the first quarter of 2026, Verizon welcomed 55,000 new postpaid phone customers, according to its latest earnings report.

Despite this growth, Verizon continues to see increased customer losses. Its wireless retail postpaid phone churn, the amount of smartphone customers who canceled service, reached 0.97% during the quarter, up 2 basis points year over year.

“Wireless customer churn remains elevated, reflecting the tough competitive environment, but Verizon is doing a much better job attracting new customers than a year ago,” wrote Morningstar analyst Michael Hodel in an analyst note in April.

This story was originally published by TheStreet on Jun 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Retail section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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