Whatever happened to Customer Service (Subtitled: Verizon Wireless sucks)

For a little over a year now I've had the Blackberry Storm through Verizon Wireless. I've been a customer of Verizon Wireless for 10 years now. Until this month I have been able to expense a portion of my cell phone bill through my company but now they've decided that they're moving all of the employee phones over to AT&T Mobility. That means that I've received a new Blackberry Curve for work and am still carrying my Blackberry Storm for personal use. That's all well and good except that in comparison to the Blackberry Curve the Blackberry Storm sucks rotten eggs. And therefore I hate that I have it.

Luckily (or so I thought) Verizon Wireless is running a promo now that if you buy one Blackberry Curve for $49.99 you get one free. Sweet. I'll pay $50 to change from the Storm to the Curve.

Not so fast.

Because I'm already a customer - and a VIP one at that according to the little silver card in my wallet - they'll only charge me $119 to buy the Curve.

WHAT?

I don't think so.

I just got into a long argument with the idiot at Verizon Wireless that it doesn't make any sense whatsoever that they would disrespect a long-standing VIP customer by charging them more than a potential new customer. And since my company will pay my termination fees if I want to move entirely over to AT&T Mobility it makes absolutely no sense for me to buy a phone for $70 more than necessary OR stay with the company and continue to pay them almost $200 a month.

Unfortunately the idiot that first took my call couldn't follow that logic if I had faxed her a flow chart but then she passed me on to a supervisor. He was a little better. He's the one that offered me the $119 deal instead of the original $450 price tag Idiot #1 was offering me because I'm not currently eligible for an upgrade.

Whatever happened to wanting to KEEP the loyal customers you already have? Whatever happened to good customer service?

Verizon Wireless sucks.