My AT&T Rant Another good reason to stay away from contracts. - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Well I will shorten the story as to get to the point. When we were moving to a new house we wanted to transfer out AT&T service to the new address. During the conversation they tried to get us to add wireless. I was not that interested but the lady came up with about 625.00 worth of discounts including a 400.00 visa card. So we took the plunge and got a couple of Galaxy notes.
Then AT&T failed to show up for two appointments for the installation and caused me to miss 3 days of work. I decided to go with the local cable company instead and they were there the next day. So due to this our deal for the 625..00 discounts were no longer valid. So I knew we were going to have to return the phones (AT&T 30 days). So I ported my number back and only had 9 days of use, my wife canceled hers the day we returned them she had 16 days of use.
So I talked to AT&T and they said wait for the updated bill. Well the next bill came and it was not corrected and they still were charging us, plus one 325 ETF. So I contacted them and went to the store and made notes for them to correct my bill so I could pay it. I keep getting bills and messages stating past due and they are terminating service. More calls and they said they were assigning this to an investigation department and it should be cleared up in 7 days. Not so and I received a new bill today for almost 900..00. I was clearly furious and set my recorder to record the call.
On the phone and transferred one time I get to an agent. I made her aware of taping the conversation and that it would be used in court if necessary. I also warned that if my account was turned over to a collection agency they would be sued by my lawyer. After explanation I stated again I wanted my final bill so I could pay it and this was going to be my last time to call and ask.
She then had to talk to an ICU group and within 30 min I was told my account was settled with a 0.00 balance. I said you mean I don't owe anything? she said yes your balance is zero. She said sorry for all the trouble.
Bottom line while I'm happy of the outcome it just shows that these contracts are a nightmare to get out of at least mine was.
I hope others can relate to my experience.

Glad you got it figured out. I think it shows that they don't always intend to be as evil as it seems, it more than likely is a result of the left hand not talking to the right (or in the case of such a large company, none of the fingers talking to each other). It doesn't excuse their crazy conduct, but it helps make sense of it all.

Sent From My Sprint Galaxy Nexus via XDA Premium

Related

[Q] Deactivate the S3, Activate a Basic phone, Change Plans.

I have the S3 on the $89.99 Plan.
I want change the plan to the lowest priced plan available.
I see the only option I have with the S3 is the $79.99 plan, which is not much of a price difference.
Can I:
- Activate a Basic device I have (Motorola or Sanyo Katana,) which would then deactivate the S3.
- Change my plan from the $89.99 plan to the $29.99 Plan?
- Use the Basic device on the lower priced plan until I decide what Carrier to Port to.
Until I figure out what to do regarding changing Carriers, I want to give sprint as little money as possible, until I port.
I'll probably have to pay the $350 ETF, unless the BBB and/or the FCC decides otherwise.
Thanks.
What a Shister!
I'd bet against you but good luck.
daryllh said:
What a Shister!
I'd bet against you but good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Without going into too much detail, I've not been able to complete 90% of my calls for the past 2 months without them Fading, and where the other party cannot hear me clearly.
I'm on my 3rd S3 and the issues remain.
I've contacted Sprint multiple times, and have multiple tickets on record.
Sprint has been giving me the run around for 2 months since the issue began when I renewed my contract, continuing my almost 14 year affiliation with Sprint.
I cannot continue service any longer due to not being able to complete calls without issues.
Sprint has been unable to resolve these issues, and refuses to waive the ETF.
So I've written to the BBB and FCC, and hopefully they can intervene.
This is the reason for my inquiry in this thread.
Perhaps you may get a better understanding for why I'm asking, and maybe go throw your names around to someone else,
Sorry man. I effed up. I read it as you trying to get S3 to work with $30 plan. My apoliogies.
That being said, you should be able to do that if you didn't go through wirefly where they can charge you for cancelling smartphone data.
Biker1 said:
Without going into too much detail, I've not been able to complete 90% of my calls for the past 2 months without them Fading, and where the other party cannot hear me clearly.
I'm on my 3rd S3 and the issues remain.
I've contacted Sprint multiple times, and have multiple tickets on record.
Sprint has been giving me the run around for 2 months since the issue began when I renewed my contract, continuing my almost 14 year affiliation with Sprint.
I cannot continue service any longer due to not being able to complete calls without issues.
Sprint has been unable to resolve these issues, and refuses to waive the ETF.
So I've written to the BBB and FCC, and hopefully they can intervene.
This is the reason for my inquiry in this thread.
Perhaps you may get a better understanding for why I'm asking, and maybe go throw your names around to someone else,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
daryllh said:
Sorry man. I effed up. I read it as you trying to get S3 to work with $30 plan. My apoliogies.
That being said, you should be able to do that if you didn't go through wirefly where they can charge you for cancelling smartphone data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No sweat
I edited the op for clarification.
I hope you realize that the BBB can't do anything at all. They're a non-profit business rating firm, not an enforcer.
Can't hurt.
Going to send one off to the FTC, in addition to the PUC. Enough is enough already.
What ever it takes, that's what it will be.
Tired of paying my hard earned money and not receiving services.
I'm not even talking about Data, I'm talking about making a call.
Almost 14 years as a Sprint customer, and now I need to call 3-4 times on average to complete a conversation that should only take 1 phone call.
Over 2 months and counting.
Whatever it takes.
If Sprint had to face their customers face to face they wouldn't be pulling this crap like they do over the phone.
My calls have faded calling Sprint attempting to resolve these issues.
All I get is the Sprint Endless Circle of Non Resolution.
Sorry to hear about your issues.
We'll send out an engineer to check the Towers.
We'll call you within 48 hours.
The Towers are fine.
Must be your device.
Go to the store to have it checked out.
Your device is fine.
Oh, your device is fine.
We'll open up another trouble ticket.
We'll send out the engineers........
And on and on and on.......
Hours and Hours and Hours of Wasted Time.....
One moron in account services asked if I live near a body of water.
She said that can cause the issues I'm having, although Sprint doesn't know why the body of water causes these issues, but they do.
Are you crapping me??
You can't make this crap up boys & girls........
You can do this and once you switch to the other phone, your plan should automatically change. I have done this not to long ago. I had a sg3, bought a basic flip phone and had sprint activate the basic flip phone through the online chat. Took about 5 minutes. Once I had the phone activated, my extra $10 for premium data went away. It is possible and easy to do.
P.s. good luck with your case with sprint, I hope you can get out without paying that insane etf !!! Keep us updated if you can
Thanks.
Appreciate the support.
I'll definitely keep you updated.
I was posting in another thread started by someone else, about customers who are fed up with Sprint, but I started this thread great to avoid clutter.
I actually posted more updates in that thread about Sprint account services, and their attempt to run circles around me, which is what prompted me to contact the BBB and FCC.
I'll also submit to FTC, PUC.
Maybe even have an attorney write a letter on my behalf.
The sad part is that Sprint pays its employees to dish out the crap, so they get paid to bs us.
Guys like me, and girls, have to spend many hours and days trying to resolve these issues, Without being compensated for the much time it takes to attempt to do so.
That is why paying the ETF is usually the cheaper way to go.
Less wasted time and less aggravation.
It's just that you hate to let Sprint get away with getting paid for services that you aren't receiving.
It's Horrendous.
Not being able to complete a call without issue is extremely frustrating, especially here in NYC, one of the Largest, if not the largest market in the country.
Customers thinking of renewing or porting over to sprint should Not be Fooled by the Unlimited Data Ploy. Not only will you have extremely slow data in many cases, you may have Calling issues which is of more importance to most customers.
Even though you have 14 days to try the service and terminated the contract if you decide to, it's really 13 days, and usually if you're having issues, it'll be a few days until you realize the issues aren't an anomaly, but the norm.
You'll end up notifying Sprint, and then the BS will begin to ensure they keep you past the 14 days.
They will tell you that it's the Towers, and that they'll check it out for you quickly, and call you back.
Then a couple of more days will pass.
Then they'll tell you that you can get a replacement device, as that is likely the issue.
You'll go to the store, and order a replacement.
More days will pass.
You'll get your replacement device, and maybe for a day or so you'll think the issues have resolved, only to realize they have Not, and that you're past you're 14 day trial period, and that You're Crap Outta Luck.
If you leave, you'll have to pay $350 to do so.
Buyer Beware never rang so true.
Customer Service has reverted back to the bad old days of yesteryear.
I know all too well being with Sprint for so many years almost 14.
Too long........
I had a Better Idea...............
I just Ported over to VERIZON!
Had Best Buy Mobile handle the Port.
Saved $50 on my Blue S3 32GB
Seamless.
Sprint got some racket go'in on, and I'm Happy Not to be part of it Anymore......
....After 14 years...........
What a pleasure it is to be able to Complete a Call After over 2 Months!!
Btw, LTE, Yes, LTE is 11 Mbps DL, 17 Mbps UL
That's only 1 SpeedTest, and that's good enough for me.
No more 250 Kbps crap.
But the Important thing is that I can Complete a Call, and that's worth Dumping sprint...................GOLD!!
Biker1 said:
I had a Better Idea...............
I just Ported over to VERIZON!
Had Best Buy Mobile handle the Port.
Saved $50 on my Blue S3 32GB
Seamless.
Sprint got some racket go'in on, and I'm Happy Not to be part of it Anymore......
....After 14 years...........
What a pleasure it is to be able to Complete a Call After over 2 Months!!
Btw, LTE, Yes, LTE is 11 Mbps DL, 17 Mbps UL
That's only 1 SpeedTest, and that's good enough for me.
No more 250 Kbps crap.
But the Important thing is that I can Complete a Call, and that's worth Dumping sprint...................GOLD!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So u got out of contract? Im on my 2nd gs3 cannot send SMS half the time or call I want out asap!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Frustratez said:
So u got out of contract? Im on my 2nd gs3 cannot send SMS half the time or call I want out asap!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
I didn't get a final bill yet, but I'll be paying the ETF once I get the bill.
Account No Services wouldn't waive the ETF or reduce it.
I'll await a response from the BBB, FCC, etc.
I couldn't take 1 more day of non services from Sprint.
Not being able to complete a call without issue for over 2 months was Horrendous.
Sprint is Atrocious.
I hope many others decide to pay their ETF's and/or fight them, rather than stay with non services from sprint.
Sprint just Lost out on $2200 from me is how I see it.
I don't know why the FCC, FTC, Congress hasn't gone after Hesse and his Merry Thieves....
Can I sell my S3 now, or do I have to wait until I receive my final bill?
I already Ported.
Pretty sure you can sell it now..just call sprint and check the esn if you're concerned.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
cheaper plan.....
Biker1 said:
I have the S3 on the $89.99 Plan.
I want change the plan to the lowest priced plan available.
I see the only option I have with the S3 is the $79.99 plan, which is not much of a price difference.
Can I:
- Activate a Basic device I have (Motorola or Sanyo Katana,) which would then deactivate the S3.
- Change my plan from the $89.99 plan to the $29.99 Plan?
- Use the Basic device on the lower priced plan until I decide what Carrier to Port to.
Until I figure out what to do regarding changing Carriers, I want to give sprint as little money as possible, until I port.
I'll probably have to pay the $350 ETF, unless the BBB and/or the FCC decides otherwise.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like its time for a flash update...instead of flashing for the baddest Rom, flash for another carrier and enjoy ur freedom witout contracts..................
cslough said:
Sounds like its time for a flash update...instead of flashing for the baddest Rom, flash for another carrier and enjoy ur freedom witout contracts..................
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still within the 14 day of my new contract with Verizon.
Which Carrier would you suggest to Flash to, with Everything working?
And I don't want anything affiliated with Sprint.
T-Mobile affiliates appear to be hit and miss, with a lot of miss.
At this point in time, Verizon appears to have the best coverage.
If you aren't getting phone service, you MUST send them a letter, and request a written response.
Stop using the phone to try and get this fixed.
Make SURE you always put "I am not receiving the service I am paying for" in every correspondence.
After you have a few letters from Sprint saying they do see your calls dropping, demand to be let go without ETF. If they don't, port out, and don't pay the ETF.
When they send you to collections, tell them you are sending your letters to the 3 collection agencies showing that they admitted to not providing service.
It's a tiny bill, and most credit agencies don't even look at small cellphone bills as a negative due to such poor service from all carriers.
I hear you about the emails.. I haven't written any correspondence since the issues began.. I have a few trouble tickets.. Usually I do email companies so I have written confirmation of issues, but in this case, I didn't, which is an oversight.
I was already told by account services they won't waive the etf, which is why I Ported a few days ago..
I will write an email also, as it's never too late to do so.
I have the issues logged into the Notes on my account. Sprint also said that even though my calls are Fading out, of which the reps experiences while I was speaking with them on multiple occasions, the calls don't show as dropping..
As for not paying the etf, I will exhaust all avenues of complaints to sprint, etc. Before I pay them.
Thanks for your advice.

[Q] Charged for Malfunctioning Airave?

Has anyone been charged by Sprint for their Airave when it malfunctions? We got a free Airave a year ago due to our poor in house signal. It worked fine until about 3 weeks ago, and lights started flashing. We following tech support's instructions and they finally said it was malfunctioning and that they would send us a new one. When we got the new one (it only took about 3 days) we were to package the old one back up in the same box and send it via UPS back to them. Well, everything was fine until our last bill which showed we were being charged $125 for an Airave "Damaged Beyond Repair." Several calls have not resolved this issue as of now, but they are saying it the warehouse classified it this way, due to corrosion.
rando991 said:
Has anyone been charged by Sprint for their Airave when it malfunctions? We got a free Airave a year ago due to our poor in house signal. It worked fine until about 3 weeks ago, and lights started flashing. We following tech support's instructions and they finally said it was malfunctioning and that they would send us a new one. When we got the new one (it only took about 3 days) we were to package the old one back up in the same box and send it via UPS back to them. Well, everything was fine until our last bill which showed we were being charged $125 for an Airave "Damaged Beyond Repair." Several calls have not resolved this issue as of now, but they are saying it the warehouse classified it this way, due to "damage beyond rpair," but couldn't tell me exactly why. One supervisor said it was probably corrosion or liquid damage, but the waiver request came back denied without an explaination, only that it was DBR and she wouldn't or couldn't say what of the 5 items my device was classified for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UPDATE: A call back from a different tech we talked to upchanneled the issue to his manager and that person made a decision that the charge was "unjustifiable" and gave us a $125 credit. The whole thing was weird, but now I won't going to Verizon over it after all.
rando991 said:
UPDATE: A call back from a different tech we talked to upchanneled the issue to his manager and that person made a decision that the charge was "unjustifiable" and gave us a $125 credit. The whole thing was weird, but now I won't going to Verizon over it after all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the update, put "SOLVED" in the thread title. Sucks that you had issues, Sprint reps have usually been very nice when I call, but then theres always the one a** that has to mess it up.
I would've replied to this, but I dont even have an Airave haha
Sent from my PG06100
Beyond Charged
rando991 said:
Has anyone been charged by Sprint for their Airave when it malfunctions? We got a free Airave a year ago due to our poor in house signal. It worked fine until about 3 weeks ago, and lights started flashing. We following tech support's instructions and they finally said it was malfunctioning and that they would send us a new one. When we got the new one (it only took about 3 days) we were to package the old one back up in the same box and send it via UPS back to them. Well, everything was fine until our last bill which showed we were being charged $125 for an Airave "Damaged Beyond Repair." Several calls have not resolved this issue as of now, but they are saying it the warehouse classified it this way, due to corrosion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if you're a new user to the Airave or not but I figured I had better share this.
Oct. 2011 my wife and I switched carriers from a local carrier to Sprint, against my better judgement. I was a long time loyal Sprint customer from 1991-2002 until the digital switch. When we signed up this time we both got the Nexus S 4g. Thank God, because the only thing that saved us was the ability to use Google Talk over Wi-Fi throughout the next period of time.
I was working out of town 5 days a week and home on weekends at the time and from October to December Sprint nearly ruined my marriage and effectually ruined my good name and the state of my account standing because they simply could not get the two devices to communicate properly. We were experiencing things like missed calls, missed texts, no notifications of either, if missed call left a voicemail we would not be notified, texts would arrive 12+ hours after they were sent and Sprint decided we needed to implement an Airave in BOTH locations to improve reception. Unfortunately getting my roommate while working to cooperate with Sprint was virtually impossible, in hindsight, I'm glad he didn't.
Sprint never disclosed that every call going through the Airave was actually changed to an Airave usage minute that came off our then small plan because we were enjoying the unlimited mobile to any mobile minutes. It didn't matter if you were calling a mobile or a Sprint mobile even... every minute through an Airave ate away at your plan minutes. Our $169.00 bill became over $1000.00 in far less than a month. The use of it did decrease our connection issues but throughout the course of troubleshooting with support, executive services and engineers we determined the reason it helped is because the Airave had a single, hardwired MSID that all calls through it used that matched the cellular number that it was assigned. Because it isn't a mobile device it's MSID didn't have to differ from it's mobile number.
Sprint reluctantly refunded the majority of the excess charges, added the unlimited calling feature to the Airave and credited us for it's addition throughout the remainder of our contract and promised not to charge us an early term fee should we decide to take our service elsewhere. From October through April 2012 each my wife and I received 2 replacement NS4G's in spite of the fact that we asked to try something different back on October 10th and was REFUSED believe it or not because of HOW our order was placed. It was a web order that required an instore reservation and for some reason the store cancelled the web order and placed an entirely new order now requiring a deposit where my web order did not. In less than a week of receiving our 3rd NSG4 each, in March of 2012 we both knew the devices still weren't working and with the help of a couple engineers within Sprint, not only did we find the problem we also determined that Sprint was unwilling to admit it and certainly unwilling to address it or repair it.
In our area, our devices have their cellular number and an MSID that differs from it. When I would place a call to my wife, my MSID would receive it's necessary approval from the DSLAM but then the DSLAM proceeded to record a second, different MSID that it randomly assigned to me, her or our communication as you would have it depending on who was initiating the call. Then when the equipment handed off the approved network communication to the receiving end, the second fictitious MSID was handed off and not the originating MSID and because it had no actual communication associated with it, it would simply not notify the receiving party of any call, text or voicemail whatsoever. Not only that, but when the receiving DSLAM received the communication, it recorded a third, altogether different MSID through some dynamic assignment I would assume.
Starting in Feb or Mar Sprint then decided we needed to try new numbers with new devices which was this 3rd NS4G, assuring us both that neither of us would lose our original number since we ported them in, never receiving the benefit of the $125.00 port in credit they claimed we received back in December. All I remembered was a $400.00 bill in December 2011. We tried it and they found even with the new numbers the same MSID issue was going on which prompted the next decision they made which included different devices.
Sprint finally decided to try different devices sending us both used Galaxy S II E4GT's that we were told would be new. By this time, I was no longer working out of town and because we were no longer away from each other and I wasn't using my phone near as much the trouble wasn't seen as often so when we got the new devices it was almost like the issue was non existent. However, the several times I did travel the issue resurfaced immediately. I video taped the opening of the "NEW" devices because they both showed up in a FedEx bubble pack flexible envelope in tiny little boxes with batteries free floating in the envelop in their own plastic bags. No chargers, no headsets, no documentation, no disk with drivers, and no retail box. Both phones had cosmetic damages that appeared to be scuffs. Nicks in the plastic cases on the edge near the glass display and when we registered them on Samsung dotcom, I was sure to use the live representative to do so to make sure it was all documented. We were assured by Samsung that we wouldn't have any trouble receiving warranty service for a year.
Still experiencing the issue with different devices, new numbers and actively engaged engineers calling us to test services we thought for sure they would finally get the issue resolved. Then the time came to put our numbers back where they belong as promised and somehow miraculously Sprint not only lost my number but they continued to hold it hostage until December 2012 when the VP of Consumer Credit was finally forced to send me a "loaner" phone with my original number on it. She agreed to create us a new account with only our two original numbers on it sour current account wouldn't make us look like credit derelicts to any representatives we talked to for any service or support but instead of honoring her agreement, less than a week later, just following Christmas, we receive a letter from Sprint Legal Department telling us we had 30 days to find another carrier since they were deciding to exercise their right to terminate our contract.
Executive services left us hanging, none of our service ever worked as expected, our bill was never repaired virtually none of their representatives were completely honest or knowledgeable and on top of all that, their executives were equally dishonest and frankly I feel damaged irreparably because that period of time I will never get back, I felt like a project manager for them every step of the way because expected call backs would almost never occur and I was constantly prodding someone to do their job in a timely fashion. Over the course of 16 months I spent over 400 hours on the phone with someone from Sprint and we shall see if the Legal department makes good on, not only repairing the account's final status or if they will decide rather to leave the account until it can be written off rather than crediting the account as it should be...
I am monitoring the reporting at the different bureaus very closely right now because if I see any notice of any delinquency I am prepared to take this even further because I am almost certain I will have no problem finding a lawyer in a defamation of character law suit.
I hope your charges don't get nearly as bad as mine did.
Good Luck.
OH, and P.S. This is for Sprint, when I finally complete the project I've been working on I am certain you, like all the other carriers and ISP's, will be interested in utilizing it's functionality because it, if as effective as I think it will be, will reduce network congestion by over 90% by changing the way transferred data is perceived by routing and switching equipment along the path. Don't think you will receive any consideration whatsoever.
I just had the same issue. Took 4 calls to get a new unit, and once I did I thought I was OK. Well my bill showing 300 plus owed said another. Called sprint, guy said it was because I had an innactive unit that I was being charged for it. As last long ad I sent it back I would not be charged, per the rep. It has been a week since I sent it back and still looking for the charge to be removed.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
WOW! I was going to put [SOLVED] in this post header, but maybe I won't now after some of the other comments that had unresolved issues. Very similar. No call backs...I had to call back each day they told me a call was scheduled (and none came). But for the work of one young service rep named James, who IS a concerned and valuable agent, I would have been stuck with that charge and as of today probably would have been a Verizon customer. Note, he missed a call back due to a family emergency. My wife wrote Mr Hesse a 2 page letter (no idea if he will get it) describing this poor situation, but praising the work of young James and his manager in keeping us.
On the subject of the minutes being used by Airave, I haven't noticed that because we have land lines and don't run up cell minutes at home, but I'll be watching that now because I was unaware of that.

[Q] What is wrong with Best Buy?

I am just extremely frustrated with Best Buy for this Note 4 preorder business. I placed my preoder on 10/9. They said when it is here and ready to pick up, we will send you an email. I have not received an email yet, but it has almost been a full week since preorders have been out. (This is specifically in regards to NYC). It baffles me they are not receiving any Sprint Note 4's (regardless if you ordered the black or white version), but they have all the other carriers (with the exception of Verizon). I've been calling Best Buy on the daily to get an understanding as to why the phone has not arrived yet. Everyday is a different answer. I've had one rep tell me it's Samsung's fault because they haven't shipped them out to us. Another rep told me that they do have some coming in but their delivery days into the store are Wed and Fri. Another rep told me we will get them when we get them and just look out for our email.
What is the point of preordering a phone when it doesn't come in and it is already released to the rest of the market? And how do you not give a customer a valid reason as to why the phone is not yet in your store but rather say oh this is a city wide issue? Shouldn't you try to find out as to what is going with the shipment seeing how this is a FLAGSHIP PHONE for Samsung and why is it only the SPRINT version with no delivery? The sad thing is that I used to work for Best Buy about a decade ago, and the service that we gave was better.
Anyone else running into this issue with Best Buy?
Yep. Same issue here with my wife's white sprint phone. I even preordered both the same day as you, the 9th, but I got my black one release day, hers, I get the same exact run around you are getting. It really sucks.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
I preordered mine the day preorders opened up and got an email may Thursday night that my phone had arrived and I could pick it up
I placed my pre-order on 09/26/2014 with the ship to home option to avoid the short shipped supplies to the stores. It finally came on Wednesday and I activated it after work. When I went into the store for my price match (I was billed at $349.99 but they dropped it to $299.99), the store manager told me he can't do anything for me because it was an online order. When I asked for my $200 pre-order/rebate via Samsung, he told me that the promotion was changed and it had to be the phone that was on the line that got the upgrade. I told him that when I placed my pre-order, that was not the case and I expect the promotion listed at the time of my pre-order honored. He again told me that he couldn't do anything for me. After several attempts at calling 888-best-buy and remaining on hold for 15+ minutes each time, I just sent an email off to customer service. It's ridiculous how they really screwed the pooch on this whole pre-order process and now are trying to cheat me out of $250! Definitely the last time I pre-order anything from WORSTbuy, maybe last purchase period....
Pre-ordered mine on 10/15, called BestBuy about 30-35 times (from 17 to 22) and as result they change my "expedite" shipping to "express" shipping. Enough for me to receive phone on evening of 22nd.
Every time I called them I heard same crap "tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow" and on 21st I was told that my delivery will be on 20th??? Yes, day before which already passed. WOW, what a service, they deliver into "past time". I exploded and got mine on 22nd as mentioned earlier.
I believe this might be my last pre-order with best buy ever...
i preordered mine the week preorders came available. when i checked on my preorder i found out i don't really have a preorder and have to wait to see if any extra's show up. I have given up calling as that is useless. Im just gonna sit back and wait to see if i can get one if not i guess i just won't upgrade to a new phone. Lesson learned i will never preorder from best buy again i don't care if they give me a million dollars off my upgrade it just isn't worth it.
I'm so fed up with this crap. I suggest contacting your favorite android news sites and imploring them to give this issue more coverage. Maybe then the higher-ups at these multibillion dollar corporations will finally have something to say about why those who preordered still don't have their devices, or even a rough ETA.
I'm in the same boat, as the rest of you.
I've called the store, and the customer service line, every day. It is definitely Best Buys fault. They try to put the blame on Sprint, but I know several people on AT&T, with the same problem. In the AT&T forums, Best Buy, told them them it was AT&Ts fault.
So, as I said a couple of days ago, either AT&T and Sprint, are working together, to sell less phones, and get less people locked into two year contracts, or Best Buy is responsible for this mess.
LMMT said:
So, as I said a couple of days ago, either AT&T and Sprint, are working together, to sell less phones, and get less people locked into two year contracts, or Best Buy is responsible for this mess.
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Why would Sprint not want me to renew my contract? Even if they do away with unlimited data they can still affect that change regardless of my contract renewal, so I'm confused why you're saying that.
ffolkes said:
Why would Sprint not want me to renew my contract? Even if they do away with unlimited data they can still affect that change regardless of my contract renewal, so I'm confused why you're saying that.
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I'm agreeing with you. I'm just giving two possible scenarios. One ridiculous possibility, where Sprint and AT&T, are working together, in a conspiracy to sell less phones, and less two year contracts. The other (real) scenario is, it's ALL BBs fault. (BB blames Sprint, when talking to Sprint customers, and AT&T, when talking to AT&T customers). They refuse to acknowledge their incompetence.
I'm in the same boat. And this will DEFINITELY be the last thing. I ever purchase from best buy.
I think they don't want to honor the 200 credit on ****ty phones. The credit is suppose to end Next saturday.
Lets see what happens then. If they extend it or just let it expire then. If the shortage is so bad. Why do other stores
have plenty of stock? It Bestbuy is just screwing us.
Had no problem here with a black Note 4 preorder. They even held it 2 extra days for me while I was at the BABBQ. Not only that but they let me trade in 2 old phones and gave me $200 each, which paid for the 2 years insurance too!!!
Bestbuy screwed up on this one definitely. I ordered my Note 4 on 10-16 and it started off rough. Found out the associate did not update my email address and told me my phone would be available the 17th. I had to gain access to the account called the store and the customer service line friday sat and sun to run around, i dont knows and our next shipments. Finally i got fed up and sent a letter to a corporate member of Bestbuy with my experience and telling them I more than likely would not be buying another phone from them. Its one thing to tell customers hey your phone won't be available until next week up front. Cool i know how it works and backordering can suck. But to tell people paying their money that you just have to wait, we dont know and be patient is unacceptable. Explained the customers are there first priority and are the reason they are successful and deserve communication regardless. Basically, the end story is i'll be getting a gift card in the mail. I also got a call promptly the next morning that my phone was available. Smh.
See i thought this was just me, same issue of pre-ordering on 10/9 except the employee was new and didnt even do the preorder it correctly for me, just charged me for a $50 gift card, found out when i went 10/17 to get phone, have called every day since and nothing now i was reading the $200 trade in is only valid till 11/1?
wineguy said:
I placed my pre-order on 09/26/2014 with the ship to home option to avoid the short shipped supplies to the stores. It finally came on Wednesday and I activated it after work. When I went into the store for my price match (I was billed at $349.99 but they dropped it to $299.99), the store manager told me he can't do anything for me because it was an online order. When I asked for my $200 pre-order/rebate via Samsung, he told me that the promotion was changed and it had to be the phone that was on the line that got the upgrade. Definitely the last time I pre-order anything from WORSTbuy, maybe last purchase period....
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Samsung promotion had nothing to do with Bestbuy preorder.
Update - So I got an email yesterday morning that my phone was ready to pick-up. You basically have a 24 hour WINDOW to pick up your phone after they email you. How does one set a capped window period to pick up a new phone when the preorders are LATE to begin with? I mean we are waiting and waiting but we could not even be in town when this email comes. I think there is something wrong with that whole system. Anyways, I was lucky that I had a Best Buy Mobile Manager taking care of me. They did honor the $200 credit (after I had to remind him). Purchase Price = $126 (after $200 trade-in) plus some change. The phone itself is a beast (everything from the screen to the materials is awesome). In terms of accessories, I would suggest you guys buy all your **** before and have it ready because Best Buy does not really have many accessories in store. Also, there were issues with activation while in store. The manager called Sprint and they had said that their provisioning services were down nationwide so I had no service for about 4-6 hours. All in all, don't preorder from Best Buy unless you want the hassle. LESSON LEARNED
A while back, just after the Samsung promotion was announced, I fired off an email to Samsung asking them to do something better with an offer at Best Buy. An instant trade in credit on any working smart phone and $50 upgrade bonus on top of that should satisfy most US buyers and leave a lot of others not so fortunate, envious. Had the phones been broadly and readily available and Best Buy chains fully aware of the policies, this would have been a hit that many would have been happy with and look to replicate with repeated patronage. My local BB got it right with some pre-launch dialogue and not so good broad communication on the terms of any working smart phone looked up as $0/recycle. The word was put out to other mobile assistants while I was there, the third person in line. They seemed to have stock and were even trying to get customers the color they preferred. Mileage varies; sorry not everyone got the same or better experience. But to me this was a win and would pre-order there again. I don't think it was all Best Buy's fault. Ample and broad stock may have made this much better of an experience for most. Add it's good to hear that Best Buy is honoring the terms for those in-store pre-orders that were late. Some stores also made exception before hand on terms to satisfy those made online to home delivery because the pre-orders were longer being taken. Cheers and congrats to all who got the terms right. Regards to those that didn't or weren't eligible.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Pretty sure this whole thing is due to best buy overselling the 200 trade in credit. It runs until 11/1. Guaranteed on 11/2, note 4 's will be available for people walking in. Every sprint store in the area has them readily available. This is not just sprint either, best buy has no stock for any carrier and still has not full filled their preorders. At least within 100 mile radius of costa mesa ca. Bummer it was a good deal. Also if your pre order comes in after 11/1 supposedly the 200 trade in deal is out the window, said my local store.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using XDA Free mobile app
That's my thought. That's why I picked it up at the sprint store.
urbanlink said:
Also if your pre order comes in after 11/1 supposedly the 200 trade in deal is out the window, said my local store.
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Best Buy's semi-official stance is that they will be honoring trade in's for all preorders, as mentioned here.
While I don't hesitate to think poorly of Best Buy, this was a multi-million dollar ad campaign - my local stores were slathered in banners, signs, stands, displays, etc touting the $200 trade in FOR PREORDERS ONLY, not to mention the press spreading word (blogs, etc). I can't see how Best Buy could just renege on the the core and only aspect of their advertising, especially after money has already changed hands. Now on the other hand, I think anyone wanting to buy within the extended offer period (non-preorder) will be out of luck, as incoming stock is going to preorders instead and by the time that equalizes the promotion will be over.

I Finally Beat Verizon! My M9/M8/M7 Debacle

The below is long but I wanted to provide all the details of my last Verizon Customer Support issue and how I resolved them
VZW messed me up last year. My son had an M7 that was purchased new in 2012 under the subsidy for a 2 year contract extension. When he was eligible for an upgrade I took it to the nearest VZW store and I got the M8 using his upgrade. They asked me if I wanted Edge on the new M8 and since I change phones often, I went on Edge.
Unknown to me at that time they had done the upgrade wrong. They should have simply upgraded the M7 to the M8 on my son's number then switched the phone to my number. Easily done as I have done it many time before. Instead, they put both my son's M7 and my M8 on Edge. The only saving grace was they were not charging anything monthly for the M7
After getting my M9 I realized no return label was sent with the M9. After several days of phone calls I was told to go to my local VZW store to return it. That is 25 miles away but I drove over anyway as I wanted to ensure the M8 went back.I I waited for 20 minutes for someone to help me (even though 4-5 employees were milling about BS'ing) and was told "We can't take it back in store if you ordered online". I was LIVID. Another 2 calls to VZW and I was able to get a return label.
Then I went to get my son's phone on Edge. The CSR told me to go to the local store. I told her they were jerks and would give me a hard time as it said my son was not eligible to Edge up until 2016! They called the store and cleared it all up, supposedly.
By this time I was so angry, I sent a nice email from my company email (I'm an exec in a large insurance company) to the president of my VZW in my region. I explained my entire saga and provided my account number and contact number. I then headed off the VZW store. Again, they took my name when I walked in and there were 2 people being helped and 4 employees milling around. No biggie, my son needed time to pick out his new phone. 20 minutes later he decided on the S6 Edge. It took another 10 minutes for someone to approach us. I explained the issue and gave him the M7 to return. This is where the fun starts....
He looks at the phone and says "Does this even charge?" My son said "Yes, it charges fine". There were a few minor cosmetic scratches on the bottom but the back, and glass were PERFECT. It had been in an Otterbox with a MIME protector on it. It was also only about 6 weeks old as the original stopped charging and it was replaced under Assurion protection with a refurb phone. Most likely, the minor scratches on the bottom were there as my son is VERY careful with is phone. The VZW salesman, let's just called him "jerk", says "I doubt we can take this". I explained the situation and even provided the receipt when I paid 199 for the phone back in 2012 and technically, I should not even have to return it.
He disappeared for about 15 minutes and then I got a call from Verizon Executive Support concerning my email to the NE regional president. My son looked all scared as the jerk came out and told him "There is no way your getting a new phone today!". My 17 year old looked and me and I said "Don't worry Mike, we are walking out of here with a new phone!". The jerk looked me straight in the eye and said "No, you won't". I had the phone on speaker so the VZW executive support could hear. She then asked me which store I was at and I asked the jerk for the store number. "Why do you want that?" I said "Because I'm on the phone with VZW Corporate Executive Support" he said "Sure you are, our store number is xxxxxx". She overheard this whole exchange.
The Executive support put me on hold and said she was going to call the store manager. Within 10 minutes the manager was RUNNING out of the back shaking my hand and telling me how sorry he was. I told him that the jerk needed some serious coaching on this customer service skills and that he needs to dress more appropriately (High top expensive basketball shoes wide open, shirt 1/2 tucked in and 1/2 out), While he is kissing my a*s, Verizon Executive supports calls to say, I needed to return the M7, I would get an S6 Edge and she would not only credit me for the 199 but give me another M8 as I DID NOT have to return the M8 which is why I never got a return label!
I then said I was not really even happy with the M9 as the Camera was still weak and there were no major differences between the M8 and M9. So she told me to upgrade to whatever phone I wanted and just give the manager the M9 as it was only 10 days ago when I bought it. She even waived the 35 restocking fee. I thanked her and she sent me a text with her name and direct number.
I told the jerk to simply activate the phones and not do anything else. "I can transfer all your stuff". I said "Nope, already taken care of, just please activate both phones and let me get out of here". He didn't say another word until he handed me the bag with the phones and with a disgusted looks said "Have a nice day" I responded "You too and as I walked away I turned back at him and said "I told you!"
So now my son as an S6 Edge, I have a Note Edge, I gave my wife the new M8 to replace her old M7 and the M7 is going up on eBay now.
The point to this story is when you are treated poorly, you don't have to throw up your hands. Do some research, find someone in the C-Suite of a company and send a very nice email. All you need to is fine the naming convention and the domain. Since all public company's must list their executives, getting their email is usually pretty easy if you are at all Internet savvy. Don't ever pay money for these addresses. You can find them for free. C-Suite executives almost always have high level CSR's that can do almost anything for you. I have used this so many times and the only time it didn't work was with Comcast. No matter who I sent an email to they never had anyone follow up. Guess what, Comcast is gone and will never be in any of my homes again, EVER.
Glad to hear everything was taken care of. The Verizon store I go to has taken pretty good care of me.
Mike,
Excellent to hear that you have your phone issue resolved. Sorry to hear that you had to move from the M9... but now that you have used both: how do they compare?
I had the messaging error 65535 class 3 and had to reset my phone (M9). The Tier 2 support agent monitored my phone hit 115 degrees and had me power it off. We then reset it again and it did it again... he said to go to a corporate store and exchange it. The exchange went smooth; they started off saying, "I don't know if we can exchange it, no gold," etc... . With much less headache, I am on my second M9. (I have the Silver...)
Daniel
Mike02z said:
The below is long but I wanted to provide all the details of my last Verizon Customer Support issue and how I resolved them
VZW messed me up last year. My son had an M7 that was purchased new in 2012 under the subsidy for a 2 year contract extension. When he was eligible for an upgrade I took it to the nearest VZW store and I got the M8 using his upgrade. They asked me if I wanted Edge on the new M8 and since I change phones often, I went on Edge.
Unknown to me at that time they had done the upgrade wrong. They should have simply upgraded the M7 to the M8 on my son's number then switched the phone to my number. Easily done as I have done it many time before. Instead, they put both my son's M7 and my M8 on Edge. The only saving grace was they were not charging anything monthly for the M7
After getting my M9 I realized no return label was sent with the M9. After several days of phone calls I was told to go to my local VZW store to return it. That is 25 miles away but I drove over anyway as I wanted to ensure the M8 went back.I I waited for 20 minutes for someone to help me (even though 4-5 employees were milling about BS'ing) and was told "We can't take it back in store if you ordered online". I was LIVID. Another 2 calls to VZW and I was able to get a return label.
Then I went to get my son's phone on Edge. The CSR told me to go to the local store. I told her they were jerks and would give me a hard time as it said my son was not eligible to Edge up until 2016! They called the store and cleared it all up, supposedly.
By this time I was so angry, I sent a nice email from my company email (I'm an exec in a large insurance company) to the president of my VZW in my region. I explained my entire saga and provided my account number and contact number. I then headed off the VZW store. Again, they took my name when I walked in and there were 2 people being helped and 4 employees milling around. No biggie, my son needed time to pick out his new phone. 20 minutes later he decided on the S6 Edge. It took another 10 minutes for someone to approach us. I explained the issue and gave him the M7 to return. This is where the fun starts....
He looks at the phone and says "Does this even charge?" My son said "Yes, it charges fine". There were a few minor cosmetic scratches on the bottom but the back, and glass were PERFECT. It had been in an Otterbox with a MIME protector on it. It was also only about 6 weeks old as the original stopped charging and it was replaced under Assurion protection with a refurb phone. Most likely, the minor scratches on the bottom were there as my son is VERY careful with is phone. The VZW salesman, let's just called him "jerk", says "I doubt we can take this". I explained the situation and even provided the receipt when I paid 199 for the phone back in 2012 and technically, I should not even have to return it.
He disappeared for about 15 minutes and then I got a call from Verizon Executive Support concerning my email to the NE regional president. My son looked all scared as the jerk came out and told him "There is no way your getting a new phone today!". My 17 year old looked and me and I said "Don't worry Mike, we are walking out of here with a new phone!". The jerk looked me straight in the eye and said "No, you won't". I had the phone on speaker so the VZW executive support could hear. She then asked me which store I was at and I asked the jerk for the store number. "Why do you want that?" I said "Because I'm on the phone with VZW Corporate Executive Support" he said "Sure you are, our store number is xxxxxx". She overheard this whole exchange.
The Executive support put me on hold and said she was going to call the store manager. Within 10 minutes the manager was RUNNING out of the back shaking my hand and telling me how sorry he was. I told him that the jerk needed some serious coaching on this customer service skills and that he needs to dress more appropriately (High top expensive basketball shoes wide open, shirt 1/2 tucked in and 1/2 out), While he is kissing my a*s, Verizon Executive supports calls to say, I needed to return the M7, I would get an S6 Edge and she would not only credit me for the 199 but give me another M8 as I DID NOT have to return the M8 which is why I never got a return label!
I then said I was not really even happy with the M9 as the Camera was still weak and there were no major differences between the M8 and M9. So she told me to upgrade to whatever phone I wanted and just give the manager the M9 as it was only 10 days ago when I bought it. She even waived the 35 restocking fee. I thanked her and she sent me a text with her name and direct number.
I told the jerk to simply activate the phones and not do anything else. "I can transfer all your stuff". I said "Nope, already taken care of, just please activate both phones and let me get out of here". He didn't say another word until he handed me the bag with the phones and with a disgusted looks said "Have a nice day" I responded "You too and as I walked away I turned back at him and said "I told you!"
So now my son as an S6 Edge, I have a Note Edge, I gave my wife the new M8 to replace her old M7 and the M7 is going up on eBay now.
The point to this story is when you are treated poorly, you don't have to throw up your hands. Do some research, find someone in the C-Suite of a company and send a very nice email. All you need to is fine the naming convention and the domain. Since all public company's must list their executives, getting their email is usually pretty easy if you are at all Internet savvy. Don't ever pay money for these addresses. You can find them for free. C-Suite executives almost always have high level CSR's that can do almost anything for you. I have used this so many times and the only time it didn't work was with Comcast. No matter who I sent an email to they never had anyone follow up. Guess what, Comcast is gone and will never be in any of my homes again, EVER.
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Click to collapse
.This is close to what happened to me. I got on VZW chat and asked them a crap load of questions...like what port in required meant. and if i qualified, and etc etc. I told them what I wanted and they said I could do it. They said I could get $100 credit for recycling ANY smart phone...So I asked if a phone that WORKED and all buttons worked, but had a cracked screen would still qualify and he said as long as the phone is usable. So I took it into a VZW store to get the M9 and they told me I was wrong about EVERYTHING. I spent a total of 6 hours on chat (I assumed the wait times for all the replies were so they could get the right answer). I was so furious. They told me that I had to give them my M8 (which I got off contract from my sister) because I was upgrading early on edge. I told them that I could easily go to ATT and they will pay my 130 dollar cancellation fee and get the M9 from them. Then a Supervisor said that I can't get the 200 credit (100 for new edge activation, and 100 for recycling any smartphone), but she WOULD let me keep the M8 and upgrade early. I said lemme think about it. After thinking about it I was like nahhhhhh. SO I called. I immediately asked for a manager....the first level lady said well let me know what happened and what you're looking to happen and let me see if I can help. SO long story short she let me keep my M8, told me to get a cheap craigslist phone and she will give me a 100 credit for that. I said that isn't enough. I spent a total of 9 hours now, and I want you to get as close to that 200 credit as possible. SO she gave me 40 dollar account credit. So I got 140-used phone on craigslist. I have thought about going to the Note 4 but I probably wont because I don't think its worth a 100 dollars more.
Rezound qualifies for $100
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Icyman said:
Rezound qualifies for $100
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
EVERY VZW Smartphone in "Good working condition" qualifies for $100. The M7 was $150, and M8 was $200. However, I didn't want to give them my HTC M8 for 200, when I could prob sell it for $250. I might still give VZW my M8 if it doesn't sell on Swappa in time. (I'm moving overseas).
danblade said:
Mike,
Excellent to hear that you have your phone issue resolved. Sorry to hear that you had to move from the M9... but now that you have used both: how do they compare?
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Click to collapse
Thanks Dan!
Now that I have had the Note Edge for 3 days, I like it a lot. The camera is FAR superior to the the M9. Perfromance is pretty close. The M9 has an Octo core processer with 4 running at 1.5 and 4 running at 2.0. The Note Edge has a Quad core proc but runs at 2.7 Ghz.
I like that I can swap batteries in the Note Edge and I like the Gear S watch which I also purchased. I like the bigger screen of the Edge as well as the edge functionality.
All that being said, there was really NOTHING wrong with my M9. It was fast but it's not really fair to compare directly to Note as they are really different animals. The only real comparison is with the Camera. The Edge Camera BLOWS AWAY the M9 camera but a firmware patch may address the M9 camera issues.
I do suspect it will be much more difficult to get root for the Note Edge but I've come to realize that I'm just a crack flasher and spend a TON of time just flashing ROM's and very rarely gain anything.
One other negative for the Note Edge is it is still running 4.4.4 where the M9 runs Lollipop. I hear 5.0.1 is rolling out now for the Note Edge but knowing VZW, it will probably take 3 more months.
While I don't the M9 at the corporate store in Queens Center Mall,Queens NY. I had similar issues like you that is why because of those reps at that store I might never upgrade with verizon, and if I do I will never do it at any corp/3rd party store.
Originally posted by MikeO2z
"I do suspect it will be much more difficult to get root for the Note Edge but I've come to realize that I'm just a crack flasher and spend a TON of time just flashing ROM's and very rarely gain anything."
HAHA! I am feeling that too, Thanks for saying it!
Mike02z said:
Thanks Dan!
Now that I have had the Note Edge for 3 days, I like it a lot. The camera is FAR superior to the the M9. Perfromance is pretty close. The M9 has an Octo core processer with 4 running at 1.5 and 4 running at 2.0. The Note Edge has a Quad core proc but runs at 2.7 Ghz.
I like that I can swap batteries in the Note Edge and I like the Gear S watch which I also purchased. I like the bigger screen of the Edge as well as the edge functionality.
All that being said, there was really NOTHING wrong with my M9. It was fast but it's not really fair to compare directly to Note as they are really different animals. The only real comparison is with the Camera. The Edge Camera BLOWS AWAY the M9 camera but a firmware patch may address the M9 camera issues.
I do suspect it will be much more difficult to get root for the Note Edge but I've come to realize that I'm just a crack flasher and spend a TON of time just flashing ROM's and very rarely gain anything.
One other negative for the Note Edge is it is still running 4.4.4 where the M9 runs Lollipop. I hear 5.0.1 is rolling out now for the Note Edge but knowing VZW, it will probably take 3 more months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tbh, the Note 4 Camera is somewhat better then my M9, but I do think the M9 will get fixed eventually. But I think that it still wont perform as good as the cameras that have optical image stab. The G3 even took better pics. I was blown away when i saw my friends G3 when holding my M9 next to it. Saying that though, unless I get the G3, I won't have a better device. My opinion is that the Note Edge, S6, S6 Edge are far from better devices (overall) then the M9.
I don't see any problem stated in the first post... None, at all. You did not have edge on both, if you were not getting charged. It would have been cheaper short term and long to do edge if you had at the time 10 gigs, or now, 6 gigs of data. I also see no point in using your son's upgrade in the first place unless you simply always get the new phone and he gets the hand me downs, which edge makes irrelevant. In which case your line was still eligible for both 2 year or edge. Did you skip a whole paragraph of actual problem? Lots of confusion as to the reason you went to the store for an online order and why that was an issue in the first place.
If You skipped a paragraph about edging up and turning in the phone on your sons line instead of yours for whatever reason, then it all makes sense. Ask for a printed return label, send in. If a store took the edge-up turn in, then your account would have been charged a non-return fee since there is no link in the systems between self serve and in store. But in that case, then it seems you got mad for no reason at all and no blame with your carrier... Which would make no sense to blab on the internet about.
Mike02z said:
The below is long but I wanted to provide all the details of my last Verizon Customer Support issue and how I resolved them
VZW messed me up last year. My son had an M7 that was purchased new in 2012 under the subsidy for a 2 year contract extension. When he was eligible for an upgrade I took it to the nearest VZW store and I got the M8 using his upgrade. They asked me if I wanted Edge on the new M8 and since I change phones often, I went on Edge.
Unknown to me at that time they had done the upgrade wrong. They should have simply upgraded the M7 to the M8 on my son's number then switched the phone to my number. Easily done as I have done it many time before. Instead, they put both my son's M7 and my M8 on Edge. The only saving grace was they were not charging anything monthly for the M7
After getting my M9 I realized no return label was sent with the M9. After several days of phone calls I was told to go to my local VZW store to return it. That is 25 miles away but I drove over anyway as I wanted to ensure the M8 went back.I I waited for 20 minutes for someone to help me (even though 4-5 employees were milling about BS'ing) and was told "We can't take it back in store if you ordered online". I was LIVID. Another 2 calls to VZW and I was able to get a return label.
Then I went to get my son's phone on Edge. The CSR told me to go to the local store. I told her they were jerks and would give me a hard time as it said my son was not eligible to Edge up until 2016! They called the store and cleared it all up, supposedly.
By this time I was so angry, I sent a nice email from my company email (I'm an exec in a large insurance company) to the president of my VZW in my region. I explained my entire saga and provided my account number and contact number. I then headed off the VZW store. Again, they took my name when I walked in and there were 2 people being helped and 4 employees milling around. No biggie, my son needed time to pick out his new phone. 20 minutes later he decided on the S6 Edge. It took another 10 minutes for someone to approach us. I explained the issue and gave him the M7 to return. This is where the fun starts....
He looks at the phone and says "Does this even charge?" My son said "Yes, it charges fine". There were a few minor cosmetic scratches on the bottom but the back, and glass were PERFECT. It had been in an Otterbox with a MIME protector on it. It was also only about 6 weeks old as the original stopped charging and it was replaced under Assurion protection with a refurb phone. Most likely, the minor scratches on the bottom were there as my son is VERY careful with is phone. The VZW salesman, let's just called him "jerk", says "I doubt we can take this". I explained the situation and even provided the receipt when I paid 199 for the phone back in 2012 and technically, I should not even have to return it.
He disappeared for about 15 minutes and then I got a call from Verizon Executive Support concerning my email to the NE regional president. My son looked all scared as the jerk came out and told him "There is no way your getting a new phone today!". My 17 year old looked and me and I said "Don't worry Mike, we are walking out of here with a new phone!". The jerk looked me straight in the eye and said "No, you won't". I had the phone on speaker so the VZW executive support could hear. She then asked me which store I was at and I asked the jerk for the store number. "Why do you want that?" I said "Because I'm on the phone with VZW Corporate Executive Support" he said "Sure you are, our store number is xxxxxx". She overheard this whole exchange.
The Executive support put me on hold and said she was going to call the store manager. Within 10 minutes the manager was RUNNING out of the back shaking my hand and telling me how sorry he was. I told him that the jerk needed some serious coaching on this customer service skills and that he needs to dress more appropriately (High top expensive basketball shoes wide open, shirt 1/2 tucked in and 1/2 out), While he is kissing my a*s, Verizon Executive supports calls to say, I needed to return the M7, I would get an S6 Edge and she would not only credit me for the 199 but give me another M8 as I DID NOT have to return the M8 which is why I never got a return label!
I then said I was not really even happy with the M9 as the Camera was still weak and there were no major differences between the M8 and M9. So she told me to upgrade to whatever phone I wanted and just give the manager the M9 as it was only 10 days ago when I bought it. She even waived the 35 restocking fee. I thanked her and she sent me a text with her name and direct number.
I told the jerk to simply activate the phones and not do anything else. "I can transfer all your stuff". I said "Nope, already taken care of, just please activate both phones and let me get out of here". He didn't say another word until he handed me the bag with the phones and with a disgusted looks said "Have a nice day" I responded "You too and as I walked away I turned back at him and said "I told you!"
So now my son as an S6 Edge, I have a Note Edge, I gave my wife the new M8 to replace her old M7 and the M7 is going up on eBay now.
The point to this story is when you are treated poorly, you don't have to throw up your hands. Do some research, find someone in the C-Suite of a company and send a very nice email. All you need to is fine the naming convention and the domain. Since all public company's must list their executives, getting their email is usually pretty easy if you are at all Internet savvy. Don't ever pay money for these addresses. You can find them for free. C-Suite executives almost always have high level CSR's that can do almost anything for you. I have used this so many times and the only time it didn't work was with Comcast. No matter who I sent an email to they never had anyone follow up. Guess what, Comcast is gone and will never be in any of my homes again, EVER.
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Was this a corporate store? I'm a manager at Verizon and I would have fired that idiot right there.
seshaz said:
Was this a corporate store? I'm a manage at Verizon and I would have fired that idiot right there.
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Yes. It was a VZW Corporate store. I typically use the VZW Corporate srore near my second home. They are MUCH better but they did mess up my original M8.
Mike02z said:
Yes. It was a VZW Corporate store. I typically use the VZW Corporate srore near my second home. They are MUCH better but they did mess up my original M8.
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That's wild, not even sure how they were able to f it up that bad in the system lol. You must have got a super special rep
coolbluedab said:
I don't see any problem stated in the first post... None, at all. You did not have edge on both, if you were not getting charged. It would have been cheaper short term and long to do edge if you had at the time 10 gigs, or now, 6 gigs of data. I also see no point in using your son's upgrade in the first place unless you simply always get the new phone and he gets the hand me downs, which edge makes irrelevant. In which case your line was still eligible for both 2 year or edge. Did you skip a whole paragraph of actual problem? Lots of confusion as to the reason you went to the store for an online order and why that was an issue in the first place.
If You skipped a paragraph about edging up and turning in the phone on your sons line instead of yours for whatever reason, then it all makes sense. Ask for a printed return label, send in. If a store took the edge-up turn in, then your account would have been charged a non-return fee since there is no link in the systems between self serve and in store. But in that case, then it seems you got mad for no reason at all and no blame with your carrier... Which would make no sense to blab on the internet about.
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First, When I used my son's upgrade back in March of 2014 his phone SHOULD NOT have been put on Edge. It was a subsidized phone that was eligible for upgrade. I used his upgrade to get my M8 as he was happy with the M7. So he would not be eligible for an upgarde until 3/2016 BUT it said he was on Edge. After I used his upgrade, I went on Edge but that had nothing to do with his plan. I should have returned the M8 when I preordered the M9 but they did not send me a return shipping label. I was told to go into ANY Verizon corporate store and they would take it. I drove ~15 miles one way for no reason as the store said they could not take the phone back after being told that was the ONLY way to get the phone back.
Then I spent hours on the phone trying to send my M8 back BEFORE I got charged for it. The reason I never got a return label was they didn't want the M8 back. Even though on Edge. No idea why. I finally got a shipping label and retrned the M8 but was then told by Executive Customer Support there was no need to retrun it. They also said the original store made a mitake and while my son's phone had a new upgrade date of 3/2016, It should never have been out on Edge.
My beef was that I could not get a stratight answer from the CSR's at VZW. It was then that I sent an email to the regional preseident that covers my state. Why I got to upgrade my son's phone early was that they knew I had been told that I could upgrade that. They had the converstaions between me and the CSR's. While technically not eligible for an upgrade, they took the M7 back and let him go on Edge and returned my M8 and gave me a 199 bill credit for getting it wrong in the first place.
Yes, Edge is great for people like me who change phones every year but there was no Edge when we purchased the M7's and I had 5 in my family. No one likes to upgrade except me so I used to take all their upgrades as I'm the one who pays the bill but now Edge makes that a moot point.
When I went on the VZW web site it clearly stated that BOTH my son's line and mine WERE ON Edge even though I was not paying anything for the M7.
OK, so you have a beef with your closest Verizon store reps, and basically traded almost all your HTC One phones in and moved to Samsungs. (You have no M9 to speak of...) Why is this in the HTC One M9 Forum Section?
WorldOfJohnboy said:
OK, so you have a beef with your closest Verizon store reps, and basically traded almost all your HTC One phones in and moved to Samsungs. (You have no M9 to speak of...) Why is this in the HTC One M9 Forum Section?
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because he is trying to encourage us to switch our m9s for samsungs

Verizon Corp Stores VS Verizon District Manager VS Samsung

I want to clarify as a manager one time in a retail store I understand the stock issue and this brought me to why I went through the process I did and having documented and signed off from the correct people and dotted "I's" and crossed "T's". I knew exactly what I was getting into or so what should have happened. The other reason i'm making this a separate thread is to address how these issue the VERY poor communication that occurs between people and even with the correct chain of commands refusals and issues still arise and how this arises outside this recall. So without further ado ..
We are now without Cell Phones .. After going through the last couple days double and triple checking through chains and people and corporate offices. Verizon Screwed us over really bad yesterday which was the final nail being their customer.
We drove OVER a "HOUR" with "documented record and permission" from a district manager at Verizon corporate office to exchange our recalled our Samsung Note 7's. We were going to one of his stores, we get there they take our nail and we wait 45 minutes, after the wait they tell us they will NOT be able to exchange out Recalled phones cause they were not bought in that store. However according to the stores district manager (with documented proof) they were to suppose to allow it however the corporate store would not and refused to follow orders. I was pissed for driving OVER after calling BACK to corporate office and no way to get a hold of the district manager as he was in conferences, they had no way to enforce the letter I had but they would contact someone to further deal with it and it could take a few days. I at that point had, had enough with the issues we've had with Verizon and then to get screwed like this it was time to end my time with them. I told her, i'm closing all 6 lines and you can play games with other people. I then hung up.
We drove over a hour back and to our local store whom my friend is the store manager and he made calls as did the Samsung reps and I talked to some big big wigs, they wanted us to go back to that other store and meet with the district manager (would have been today), to exchange the note 7's and discuss what took place and how they can handle the situation, as things were badly mishandled. I explained I have a life and things and cant just jump and drive here and there at will especially when OTHERS screw up. I told them thank you for making a late attempt but if someone like myself who knows the system had this much of a issue I can only imagine how others who don't and that kinda service doesn't need rewarded. I made it clear the attitude between the employees and companies and HORRIBLE lack of communication was beyond unacceptable for me and my family to remain customers.
They were very apologetic but to me you need to be proactive about issues and not reactive and this situation was a very simple one and could have no only kept customers but also could have given them a atleast a great review on how they handed it. Instead they are losing 6 lines and how badly their communication/orders are.
few questions answered.
1. my area out in nowhere land isn't slated to get replacements note 7's till 9/29
2. the district manager of our store has notified locals we have permission (with documentation to go one of HIS another stores for replacements)
3. I also noticed they were selling Note 7s yesterday to anyone while there were a TON of people there for replacements and they had limited stock. Samsung Reps said (as t-mobile and at&t are doing they are suppose to be for exchanges first)
4. Ive been researching on who we will move to, ive been with at&t before and where we live has limited coverage with carriers, so thats the BIG factor. I am aware basically all carriers have issues with things and someone with at&t will go to verizon and someone with tmo will go to at&t so... its all a moving game. its what suites us best.
Matttrix said:
I want to clarify as a manager one time in a retail store I understand the stock issue and this brought me to why I went through the process I did and having documented and signed off from the correct people and dotted "I's" and crossed "T's". I knew exactly what I was getting into or so what should have happened. The other reason i'm making this a separate thread is to address how these issue the VERY poor communication that occurs between people and even with the correct chain of commands refusals and issues still arise and how this arises outside this recall. So without further ado ..
We are now without Cell Phones .. After going through the last couple days double and triple checking through chains and people and corporate offices. Verizon Screwed us over really bad yesterday which was the final nail being their customer.
We drove OVER a "HOUR" with "documented record and permission" from a district manager at Verizon corporate office to exchange our recalled our Samsung Note 7's. We were going to one of his stores, we get there they take our nail and we wait 45 minutes, after the wait they tell us they will NOT be able to exchange out Recalled phones cause they were not bought in that store. However according to the stores district manager (with documented proof) they were to suppose to allow it however the corporate store would not and refused to follow orders. I was pissed for driving OVER after calling BACK to corporate office and no way to get a hold of the district manager as he was in conferences, they had no way to enforce the letter I had but they would contact someone to further deal with it and it could take a few days. I at that point had, had enough with the issues we've had with Verizon and then to get screwed like this it was time to end my time with them. I told her, i'm closing all 6 lines and you can play games with other people. I then hung up.
We drove over a hour back and to our local store whom my friend is the store manager and he made calls as did the Samsung reps and I talked to some big big wigs, they wanted us to go back to that other store and meet with the district manager (would have been today), to exchange the note 7's and discuss what took place and how they can handle the situation, as things were badly mishandled. I explained I have a life and things and cant just jump and drive here and there at will especially when OTHERS screw up. I told them thank you for making a late attempt but if someone like myself who knows the system had this much of a issue I can only imagine how others who don't and that kinda service doesn't need rewarded. I made it clear the attitude between the employees and companies and HORRIBLE lack of communication was beyond unacceptable for me and my family to remain customers.
They were very apologetic but to me you need to be proactive about issues and not reactive and this situation was a very simple one and could have no only kept customers but also could have given them a atleast a great review on how they handed it. Instead they are losing 6 lines and how badly their communication/orders are.
few questions answered.
1. my area out in nowhere land isn't slated to get replacements note 7's till 9/29
2. the district manager of our store has notified locals we have permission (with documentation to go one of HIS another stores for replacements)
3. I also noticed they were selling Note 7s yesterday to anyone while there were a TON of people there for replacements and they had limited stock. Samsung Reps said (as t-mobile and at&t are doing they are suppose to be for exchanges first)
4. Ive been researching on who we will move to, ive been with at&t before and where we live has limited coverage with carriers, so thats the BIG factor. I am aware basically all carriers have issues with things and someone with at&t will go to verizon and someone with tmo will go to at&t so... its all a moving game. its what suites us best.
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Click to collapse
I exchanged my defective Note 7 for a new one at a DIFFERENT store from where I originally purchased the defective one with no questions asked. I would be furious if I were you, and totally agree with your actions.
mysmartone said:
I exchanged my defective Note 7 for a new one at a DIFFERENT store from where I originally purchased the defective one with no questions asked. I would be furious if I were you, and totally agree with your actions.
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depends if you originally bought it at a corporate verizon store vs authorized/premium retailer store. I ran into this issue and learned they are on completely different systems and its just best to stick with Verizon Corporate stores if possible. So i returned my S7 at the premium retailer and went to the corporate store for the Note 7.
Also to the OP, verizon can set up a return box that you can ship and then they can ship you the Note 7. The only issue is you will be phoneless unless you have a backup phone you can use while waiting. That is also one option i learned they can do for you.
chillsen said:
depends if you originally bought it at a corporate verizon store vs authorized/premium retailer store. I ran into this issue and learned they are on completely different systems and its just best to stick with Verizon Corporate stores if possible. So i returned my S7 at the premium retailer and went to the corporate store for the Note 7.
Also to the OP, verizon can set up a return box that you can ship and then they can ship you the Note 7. The only issue is you will be phoneless unless you have a backup phone you can use while waiting. That is also one option i learned they can do for you.
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Unfortunately, UPS and FedEx are refusing to handle the recalled phones, so the only option is to return them to corporate stores. Samsung reps are actually picking them up at the stores to return them to a location where they can be processed.
Dodge DeBoulet said:
Unfortunately, UPS and FedEx are refusing to handle the recalled phones, so the only option is to return them to corporate stores. Samsung reps are actually picking them up at the stores to return them to a location where they can be processed.
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Click to collapse
UPS has posted this statement.. (effectively ground shipping only and likely will need specific shipping materials to go)
https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/about/news/service_updates/20160915_samsung.html
dottat said:
UPS has posted this statement.. (effectively ground shipping only and likely will need specific shipping materials to go)
https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/about/news/service_updates/20160915_samsung.html
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Thanks for posting that. It will certainly be useful for those who purchased their phones directly from Samsung. I don't believe Verizon customers will benefit from UPS's flexibility, though.
My comments were based on multiple news reports of FedEx and UPS outright refusing to handle the return shipping of recalled phone. Guess that wasn't quite the truth ...
chillsen said:
depends if you originally bought it at a corporate verizon store vs authorized/premium retailer store. I ran into this issue and learned they are on completely different systems and its just best to stick with Verizon Corporate stores if possible. So i returned my S7 at the premium retailer and went to the corporate store for the Note 7.
Also to the OP, verizon can set up a return box that you can ship and then they can ship you the Note 7. The only issue is you will be phoneless unless you have a backup phone you can use while waiting. That is also one option i learned they can do for you.
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Click to collapse
Completely true, reps in the store simply cant do an exchange in the system. Its as if you bought something from walmart and tried to return it at target. Imo authorized retailers are the worst! They can set their own prices and promotions and when I worked in the store I could literally tell that one close to me was selling returned phones because the esn had been active on many accounts. Essentially the district manager would be agreeing to giving you a new phone cause in no way shape or form could it be an exchange in the system.
mickeyleah said:
Completely true, reps in the store simply cant do an exchange in the system. Its as if you bought something from walmart and tried to return it at target. Imo authorized retailers are the worst! They can set their own prices and promotions and when I worked in the store I could literally tell that one close to me was selling returned phones because the esn had been active on many accounts. Essentially the district manager would be agreeing to giving you a new phone cause in no way shape or form could it be an exchange in the system.
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Click to collapse
I think the truth is just more likely an evolving story here. Hopefully this all gets sorted soon for everyone's benefit.
dottat said:
I think the truth is just more likely an evolving story here. Hopefully this all gets sorted soon for everyone's benefit.
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I got a update...
The district manager came to personally meet with me and we had a hour meeting and we joined by the general manager of the corporate store. The store manager apologized for his and his employees mistake, the district manager explained there was poor communication on their part, this should have been handled much better. However due to supply issue they are unable to give me new phones till October 5th. They have paid my current bill and 25% of each phones costs when I get them. As I agreed to remain a customer and sign a new phone agreement. I also got everything in writing again. If anything under the current deal is unable to be met i can withdraw without penalty etc and their payment on my bill will not be charged back to me.
After what I went through im going cover extra extra everything. I don't trust anything. Ill keep you all informed about it.
I can't believe the amount of time spent by so many people on so many levels for a couple phones.... I get the principle aspect of it.... but these are cell phones. Unnecessary. A luxury. I simply don't understand going to such great lengths over such a minor thing. Life is so large, what in the world will you do when something actually important doesn't go as planned?
Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk
neyenlives said:
I can't believe the amount of time spent by so many people on so many levels for a couple phones.... I get the principle aspect of it.... but these are cell phones. Unnecessary. A luxury. I simply don't understand going to such great lengths over such a minor thing. Life is so large, what in the world will you do when something actually important doesn't go as planned?
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Carrington Event
Updated
I got called this morning and got told the Blue Coral are behind on stock and I could get another color tomorrow. I am disappointed but at this point another few days I'll live.
What this whole subject has been about to me is the communication issues, promises, documented orders by region people, stores not following orders, the list goes on and on. I did put myself in hell but at the same time. I made them deal with their failures and address their issues. Sitting there hearing them admit they ****ed up and offering to pay my bill and discount my new phones was a "start".. But I still think about the countless others who go through such bull**** while these companies walk on us. Hopefully my situation will get others to step up to make companies do what they say and offer.

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