Eighteen Indiana Verizon Wireless stores are participating in a national retail pilot project offering online ordering and in-store pickups for consumers who order new devices, upgrade or replace lost tablets or cellphones.
The new retail service, which is growing quickly across the country, means that a new or existing customer can place an order online and pick up an activated device on the same day – or sometimes as quickly as within an hour.
Verizon’s pilot program is currently being offered in 635 stores nationally and 57 stores in Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky. In Indiana, the participating company-owned retail stores are based in Anderson, Bloomington, Columbus, Evansville, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Greenwood, Lafayette, Muncie, Noblesville, Plainfield and Terre Haute.
Ance Phillips, an assistant store manager for Verizon Wireless, said the program is becoming increasingly popular with college students and small business owners who are finding it the fastest way to get an activated device in their hands.
“There’s no wait time. Customers are contacted when their order is ready and an appointment can be scheduled to make it as convenient as possible,” said Phillips, who is based in Lafayette, Indiana, near the Purdue University campus.
Once an order is placed, a customer receives a text message to validate the order. A store representative also calls to confirm and set the pick-up time. After arriving at the store, it takes about five minutes to activate the phone by showing a credit card, transaction number and a valid ID.
For more information on Verizon’s new service to keep life and work connected, visit verizonwireless.com.
