It’s a calendar
Image source – Reddit
When the person behind the Reddit account “No_Investigator_1602” got a text from Verizon thanking them for 25 years of loyalty – that’s a quarter of a century, respect! – they were genuinely impressed. Those positive feelings quickly went away after clicking the prize link in the message. The user was redirected to another page which said they’re winning… a free Shutterfly calendar (minus the shipping cost).
A Shutterfly calendar is a customizable calendar that features your own photos for each month, turning it into a personal keepsake or a thoughtful gift. It offers a range of layouts, designs, and sizes, and you can tailor it with captions, marked dates, and decorative stickers.
Though a charming little thing, this personalized calendar didn’t impress the loyal Verizon customer, who obviously expected something far more substantial than that and characterized the gift as a “slap in the face”.
Fellow users agree
Several people said they received the same loyalty message and had the same reaction. A few of them wondered why Verizon would even send something like this, given how underwhelming it felt.
Others said the message made them feel worse than if Verizon had said nothing at all. One longtime customer added up how much they had spent over the years (about $90,000) and felt the small gift did not match the level of commitment they had shown. Some also mentioned hearing about real discounts given to other customers in the past, so they briefly thought this might be something similar before realizing it was not.
This doesn’t help
So, contrary to what one might think, I think it’s not surprising that this is the reward. I know it sounds absurd, but long-term customers often get fewer perks because the company assumes they are not going anywhere. To them, the calendar offer simply made that point even clearer.Meanwhile, Verizon is losing customers, and longtime loyal users are left with little more than a calendar as thanks. New CEO Daniel Schulman promises a customer-focused turnaround, but slashing 15,000 jobs won’t fix sky-high prices. Loyalty means nothing if the company can’t give people a reason to stay.
