It was probably a carrier trade-in value. AT&T was offering $1000 on a Pixel 7 Pro, when Samsung offered $450. Of course the carrier deal is 3 years of monthly bill credits on a locked phone.
He pre-ordered a device through his carrier. Carrier supposedly offered $1000 trade-in value for his S4. Now carrier won't honor it - don't know how Samsung is at fault here. Some carriers are notorious for offering high trade-in values then lowering the value once the device is "inspected".
You ordered a Verizon carrier-locked phone through Samsung. The carriers were the ones offering $1000 for old phones, not Samsung. It is on Verizon to honor the trade values. What did VZW ultimately say your trade was worth?
Your story makes no sense. Was your trade-in offer $1000 or $0?
The highest trade-in offers from Samsung were for phones like the S23 Ultra or the top-level iPhones, and those weren't $1000. Carriers were offering more, but for monthly bill credits spread out over three years. AT&T offered $1000 for a Pixel 7 Pro, but I didn't trust that they would honor the trade-in value and I didn't want to be locked in to a three year contract.
You should go to T-Mobile. You wouldn't be happy with AT&T either.
Had asimilar problem. I was offered an $850 trade-in for my two year old S22 Ultra on the new S24 Ultra through my carrier, Verizon. I shipped it as instructed. I met all the pre- conditions as stated in the trade agreement. The phone has always been in an Otterbox case, never dropped, not a nick or scratch on it. The phone was in like new condition. Then I got an email from Verizon saying they received my trade-in phone and that they have adjusted the value from $850 to $227. They claimed the phone didn't meet two of the trade conditions. Which ones they never said. **bleep**! I called Verizon and complained. I explained that I really didn't expect $850, but downgrading the value to only $227 is a fu##ingr rip off! I could have sold the phone on Facebook marketplace for around $500 to $600. I expressed my great disappointment with Verizon and said I'd never trade in another phone again, and when my new phone is paid off, I might consider leaving Verizon. Natural, they tried to sound puzzled and sympathetic. The rep I spoke with said to wait at least two bill cycles to see if the FINAL evaluation will be credited towards my new phone. Why two bill cycles? I don't know. Anyway, these trade-ins are a scam and a rip-off. You will most likely be better off selling your older phone privately.
Unfortunately, FedEx uses 3rd party contractors for delivery/pickup of items. Next time you see a FedEx truck, look at the name on the driver/passenger door. These folks should be bonded and insured. If they knew what was it the package, then it could have been prone to theft. You would have to see where the weight went down, as the hub scan should have showed "x" weight and the arrival weight would have been different. You could use that in your case that the phone, in fact was stolen. Hope this helps.
