It all started on June 5, the launch day for the Nintendo Switch 2. That morning, I was casually scrolling through Slickdeals when I spotted something that felt too good to be true—Verizon had the Switch 2 in stock. The catch? It was only available to Verizon customers. Out of curiosity, I clicked the link, and to my surprise, I was able to place an order. Moments later, a confirmation email hit my inbox. It felt almost… too easy.
To be honest, I wasn’t dying to get my hands on a Switch 2. Like many people I know, I wasn’t planning to obsessively track restocks or refresh retailer websites like Best Buy the second new stock arrived. But since the opportunity practically landed in my lap, I went for it. I even opted for expedited shipping, throwing in an extra $13 on top of the nearly $500 total.
June 6 came and went. No Switch. Same story the next day. And the next. A week later, still nothing. I kept refreshing Verizon’s order tracking page, which stubbornly claimed that my console was still “scheduled to arrive June 6.” It was like staring at a broken clock that was forever stuck at the exact moment things were supposed to go right.
Eventually, I turned to Reddit, where I stumbled upon a painfully relatable thread titled “So I ordered my Switch 2 from Verizon… and it’s still not here.” Several users were in the same boat—no console, no shipping updates, and a wall of silence from Verizon. One commenter even mentioned that Verizon had outsourced its Switch 2 orders to a third-party vendor, making the cancellation process a tangled mess.
Now, I wasn’t mad—not really. My credit card had been charged, which was mildly annoying, but I wasn’t desperate for the console. If anything, I felt a twinge of regret. Maybe I should’ve waited and bought the Mario Kart World bundle instead. For $50 more, at least you get a game—and considering Nintendo’s notoriously pricey first-party titles, it would’ve been the better value. Costco was offering a decent deal too: the bundle with a 12-month Nintendo Online subscription and Expansion Pack for $525. Only problem? You had to be a Costco member, and even then, stock was spotty.
Despite my growing doubts, I didn’t cancel the order. Verizon did refund the expedited shipping, though, which was something. Then, a few days ago, I spoke with a customer service rep—an Aussie, cheerful and helpful—who explained that canceling the order would require submitting a “ticket” and waiting three to five business days for processing. I thanked her but decided to hold off, still hoping something might magically change.
At this point, I realized maybe it was time to use my voice—not as a frustrated customer, but as a tech journalist. After all, I write for CNET. So, I reached out to Verizon’s media team, explaining the situation: I wasn’t furious, just baffled by the lack of communication. And based on what I saw on Reddit, I wasn’t alone. I asked if they had any comment.
They almost responded. Then… silence.
But then came the twist: someone tipped me off that the Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle had quietly come back in stock on Verizon’s site. No announcement, no fanfare. I fired up my laptop, double-checked, and sure enough—it was there. Like a glutton for punishment, I placed a second order.
This time, I skipped the expedited shipping and chose free two-day delivery. I immediately called Verizon customer service to cancel my original order. As others on Reddit had warned, the process was anything but smooth. I spent nearly 30 minutes on hold, waiting as the rep navigated a maze of internal systems. Finally, I got a cancellation confirmation number and was told the refund would process in—yep—three to five days.
The next morning, I checked the new order’s status. Still stuck on “received.” Déjà vu. I sighed, convinced I was trapped in the same purgatory again.
But then—miracle of miracles—later that day, I got an email saying my order had shipped. I rushed home to find a plain brown box at my doorstep with an expedited shipping label slapped on it. Inside was my shiny new Switch 2, complete with a download code for Mario Kart World.
Was it all worth it? Depends who you ask. For me, there was a weird sense of satisfaction. Maybe it was just relief. Or maybe it was the fact that, despite the chaos and uncertainty, the story had a somewhat happy ending.
And yes—the Switch 2 is better than the original. Or maybe I just need to believe that, to justify the $544 I ended up spending.
At least now, I can finally test those Belkin accessories I was supposed to write about two weeks ago.