Business Profile
Mobile Phone Service
Verizon Authorized Retailer - Cellular SalesHeadquarters
Important information
- Customer Complaint:Cellular Sales is headquartered in Knoxville,TN. The company maintains locations throughout the United States but all complaints are processed by this BBB. Accordingly, this customer experience record includes complaints from all of its locations.
Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Verizon Authorized Retailer - Cellular Sales's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 302 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 86 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:03/31/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Cellular Sales in Bellevue. Completely dishonest about new phone/watch promotions. Overcharged,lied to about free insurance, & signed me up for expensive extras I didn’t want. Although I was told my bill wouldn’t increase, it doubled.
Business Response
Date: 03/31/2025
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 04/01/2025
Cellular Sales has reached out to the customer to discuss the concern. The details surrounding the customer's experience have been notated and Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Initial Complaint
Date:03/18/2025
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 3/14/25 my 83yo mother who is suffering from new onset dementia entered this Verizon store to ask about finding a free app on her phone. The salesman, ***** **** **** was able to convince her that she needed a new phone and iPad. She had one payment left on her current phone, and had no need for another phone. ** sold her the item and $250 worth of accessories. After the sale the phone was not set up her original apps to work correctly (we spent hours fixing that) and her Apple Watch that we use to track her movements, keep track of her health and use as an emergency fall risk alerts for the family was not paired and remained useless for days following the sale. ** took advantage of a slightly confused senior citizen with this sale and lack of follow-up. We were allowed a 30 day return, but ** followed Verizon policy and discarded ****** old phone following the sale so that even if we retuned the new items we could not get her old phone retuned.Business Response
Date: 03/19/2025
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 03/24/2025
Cellular Sales is happy to assist with the customer's concern, however we do need to verify the account and further discuss the specifics of the concern. The customer can contact us during business hours at 877-851-0649, our hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and we are closed on Sunday.Customer Answer
Date: 03/26/2025
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 23079109, and will work through this complaint with the business. BBB may close this complaint as if I’ve said the response is acceptable.
Sincerely,
**** *********Initial Complaint
Date:03/14/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am submitting a claim for my elderly parents ***** and ******* *******. ***** went in to the Shelton Verizon store on Dec 4th for technical help with her phone. The associate ****** ******** proceeded to tell her phone was bad. He sold her a new phone, added a new phone line and insurance. He also took her phone without a factory reset. It had all her banking info and confidential information. This is elder abuse! Having her unknowingly sign an agreement for services not needed. She is still being charged for the phone she no longer has. We contacted the FCC and the ticket number is 7705726. They had executive relations LIYAH assigned to our case but we are having trouble reaching her to get this resolved. Verizon needs to make this right. They have cause a lot of unneeded stress.Business Response
Date: 03/19/2025
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting account owner per Verizon security policy to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 03/24/2025
Cellular Sales is happy to assist with the customer's concern, however we do need to verify the account and further discuss the specifics of the concern. The customer can contact us during business hours at 877-851-0649, our hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and we are closed on Sunday.Initial Complaint
Date:03/14/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 11/29/2024, the Cellular Sales store at 7600 Kingston Pike, Ste 1048, Knoxville, TN, 37919 was running a Black Friday Deal where if you switched over from current provider (we were with AT&T), you would receive promotional credit for the full retail amount for the phones we selected (no trade-in required). We spoke with a sales agent named ***** who reassured us this was the deal and we would not have to pay for the selected phones - he said the deal was only being run for that day Black Friday, 11/29/2024 and we would not have the chance to get the promotion until we signed up right then and there. So we went ahead and signed up for 6 Verizon lines with 6 new phones on 11/29/2024 with *****. Then, upon receiving on bill there was clearly a mistake and we were only receiving partial credit for 5 of the phones and only 1 of the phones was receiving the full credit. We reached out to Verizon Customer Service via phone and they informed us that that they can see the promotion that should be applied but could not apply it and that the store (Cellular Sales) would have to apply the correct promotion to the phones. Upon reaching out to ***** at the store, a case was submitted (#00987394) and I was reached out to via phone by Cellular Sales - *******. We walked through what the correct total credit difference we aren't receiving is ~ approximately $1590 total or between $1500-1600. And ******* submitted a request for that amount. Recently Cellular Sales reached out to me via phone and let me know that the request has been rejected and there is nothing further that can be done. I've asked why can't they just pull up the promotion that was being ran on that day - they most obviously have data and information on promotions ran - and apply the credit but they refuse to. I am requesting to be credited the correct amount that is owned (approximately $1590) based on the promotion that was communicated to us and signed by us on 11/29/2024.Business Response
Date: 03/14/2025
Cellular Sales Upper Management has reviewed this concern and the customer has been provided with a final resolution. Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Customer Answer
Date: 03/14/2025
Hi,
I am not satisfied with this response. And this is not a professional response. The receipt files I provided show the credits that should be applied to each line, however, now they are refusing to actually apply those credits... how is this even legal?
Thank you for you assistance.
Business Response
Date: 03/17/2025
Cellular Sales Upper Management has reviewed this concern and the credit request was denied because the customer is receiving the promotional amounts they qualify for. This is also because of signed documentation that outlines the costs of the devices that the customer agreed to at the point of sale. This is the final resolution and Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Initial Complaint
Date:03/11/2025
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On december 5th i went into the verizon store to move my husband and I's service from tmobile to verizon. I told ****** what I wanted and around what amount I could pay a month. She assured me my monthly bill with autopay would be around $170. She asked me if I wanted promotional perks and I said no we are on my parents Netflix and such. We traded our two phones in for new phones for a promotional credit. I paid around $400 in taxes for the phones and initial fees before i left the store. In january my bill was set to come out of my account at almost $400. I contacted ****** and she said the trade in credits for my husbands phone weren't applied and she'd submit a form and to check back in a week. This is my last time speaking to ****** as she is actively avoiding me. At this point I contacted customer support. And they told me they never recieved that trade in. And also that there insurance and promotional perks on my account that im paying for thay i did not want. I stop by the store and an employee told me ****** was bragging about ignoring me and likes to put things on people's accounts without them knowing but they cant do or say anything cuz they need this job. I got the general managers number and called to file a complaint and he told me I was bold making accusations and he wouldn't file a complaint. Long story short, this is month 3 of my battling with customer support and the store and everyone at the store says I need to speak to ****** and she is never there when I stop by and never returns my calls to the store and doesn't respond to her direct number. I have more than overpaid them every month. Have screenshot of customer support also telling me incorrect things. Ive signed documents twice saying my bill will be lower with customer support and then it's up again. Customer service said they could lower my bill bygoing down a plan and assured my we would keep trade in credits and the store says now my bill is high because the trade in credits are gone.Business Response
Date: 03/13/2025
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 03/13/2025
Cellular Sales was able to reach out to the customer and provide a viable resolution. Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Customer Answer
Date: 03/13/2025
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 23046082, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
******* *****Initial Complaint
Date:03/10/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Back in December 2024, my elderly father visited a Verizon branch to be added to my phone account as a new line. We were informed that, as a new line addition, he would receive an iPhone 15 Plus for free. Unfortunately, the branch did not have any iPhone 15 Plus phones in stock, so the associate offered my father an iPhone 16 Plus instead, also for free, because he was being added as a new line. However, when we received our January bill, Verizon charged us for the phone. We called Verizon in January, and the representative acknowledged the mistake, advising us to pay the bill and promising a credit for the phone amount on the next month's bill. Despite this, the February bill still included the charge for the phone. Upon calling Verizon again, we were told that the phone was being provided at a discounted price, and we would need to pay the remaining amount over 36 installments. Since it was now beyond the 30-day return window, they claimed there was nothing they could do. My father is on a fixed budget and cannot afford both the phone plan and the additional charge for the iPhone. I wish they had corrected their mistake rather than misleading us and waiting until after the 30-day return policy to inform us of the situation.Business Response
Date: 03/10/2025
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Customer Answer
Date: 03/17/2025
I was contacted by Verizon and the complaint has been escalated to management to see if I can get a credit for the phone.Business Response
Date: 03/25/2025
Cellular Sales was able to reach out to the customer and provide a final resolution. Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Initial Complaint
Date:03/07/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
A cellular service representative assured me that switching to a business account would keep my bill the same as my current setup—split between a Verizon individual plan and an Xfinity plan with four lines. Additionally, I was promised a $1,600 account credit ($400 per new line). As part of the switch, I also traded in all my older equipment. However, I later discovered that the representative signed my name on documents without my knowledge. I have reached out multiple times to the representative, their manager, two district managers, and customer support, yet I continue to get the runaround. Most recently, I was told that unless I signed a release, I would not receive the credits that were initially offered and that I needed to contact Verizon directly. This has now been going on since Dec 20 and needs to be resolved correctly.Business Response
Date: 03/10/2025
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 03/25/2025
Cellular Sales received the complaint and replied on 3/10/25 that we would be contacting the customer to attempt to reach a resolution. Cellular Sales has provided a final resolution to this customer and considers this matter closed.Initial Complaint
Date:03/06/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Deceptive business practice. I upgraded my cell phone to get a "free" phone deal which required that I go to a more expensive cellular unlimited plan. I was not made aware that by "upgrading" my plan and including my wife's existing phone, that her promotional discount would be negated. It seems that her promotional discount only applied on the old lower cost plan and not the newer higher cost plan and I was not made aware of this. So, I was expecting our new bill to be about $155/month and it is coming in at about $170/month. That difference is because Verizon removed the promotional discount from my wife's phone when I elected to upgrade us to a higher cost and better plan (which was a requirement to get the "free" phone). This is clearly a deceptive way of gouging more money from me by not telling me the full consequences of upgrading our plan. I have discussed this with the local Verizon office with no resolution. I would like my monthly bill to be adjusted to what I based my purchasing decision on and that is for the stated promotional discounts to be given for both of the phones on my account.Business Response
Date: 03/07/2025
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 03/10/2025
Cellular Sales was able to reach out to the customer and provide a final resolution. Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Initial Complaint
Date:03/06/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am being charged for a phone I have returned. Please see attached complaint.Business Response
Date: 03/06/2025
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Customer Answer
Date: 03/10/2025
Complaint: 23027286
I am rejecting this response because: The business has not offered a resolution.
Sincerely,
Melissa KindleyBusiness Response
Date: 03/25/2025
Cellular Sales Upper Management has reviewed this concern and is unable to assist with any credits. The customer has been provided the final resolution and Cellular Sales considers this matter closed.Initial Complaint
Date:03/03/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I was offered an upgrade promotion that involved trading in an older device and upgrading a phone plan to receive $800 off. The device was taken from me as part of the transaction and I am now on a more expensive phone plan. After speaking with Verizon they confirmed the trade in device was received. I did not receive the $800 discount and was told by Verizon that the store should not have accepted the device, that there were other requirements. The store requested I give them a 2nd device to submit and told me I cannot get the other device back. Verizon attempted to correct the issue, but relayed they cannot correct because it was Cellular Sales Managment Group that made the error. The store offered no resolution, informed me that there were not managers to speak to and offered no contact information to resolve the issue. The sales associate committed fraud in their description of the offer and took my device resulting in my losing a device and incurring a loss of $800.Business Response
Date: 03/04/2025
Cellular Sales has received the concern and will be contacting the customer to assist with navigating a resolution.Business Response
Date: 03/06/2025
Cellular Sales has reached out to the customer to discuss their concern and the customer has advised they are not interested in discussing the matter with us. The customer may call us if they wish to discuss further at 877-851-0649, and we will attempt to navigate a resolution.Customer Answer
Date: 03/06/2025
Complaint: 23010196
I am rejecting this response because:
Sincerely,
****** ********More deception. The recorded line will show I did not say that I did not want to discuss further. ‘***’ was not available and was to call me back. I denied the request to access my Verizon account from the person answering the phone given how they have mismanaged it already and I no longer trust them with that access.
This will also be relayed to Verizon corporate.
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