I hate T-Mobile!!!!! Well I love them up until now.
Theytold me when I renewed my contract over a week ago that the HTC Desire was in high demand and it would take 10 days to deliver! Ok not a problem they are now telling me though they have no idea when they will be able to get it to me and advised me to phone my local store (as I deal with the contact center). My local store is refusing to answer the phone and I have tried T-Mobile stores all across the county and they all have massive waiting lists and not accepting any more names :-(
They also said they would buy from Carphone Warehouse but none of their stores are answering the phones......
My last attempt one of the suppliers my company deals with on a weekly basis have 5 HTC Desires sitting in the warehouse ready for purchase but T-Mobile are refusing to let me get it from there! I can't afford to buy it myself and I don't see any harm in them buying it from there for me. They gave me the reason that each supplier gets a different price for it so I replied with well I will pay the difference (wouldnt be alot surely) but then they changed their story saying we are not allowed to purchase from companies that are not T-Mobile Accredited!!!!
This is winding me up now. Its my birthday tomorrow and I really want my new phone but I can't afford to buy one myself!!!!!
Sorry just having a rant. Anyone here work for a T-Mobile store and can get me one on my contract?
Man that sucks. I don't think its just t mobiles fault. Htc are having a mere getting hold of the AMOLED screens, as the manufacturers (samsung) are keeping them to themselves for their galaxy s phones. (and are probably enjoying having their main rival in the android handset market over a barrel.)
Could be some time for htc to get the phone altered to use the SLCD screens. Google amoled + htc + samsung for a better explanation than mine!
In the mean time, what is t mobiles "cooling off period" for sending a handset back after it being supplied? You could use this opportunity to try out the competition, and send the thing back before the dead line and try something else!
Make enough of a nuisance of yourself and you may move up the priority list!
Who knows, you may end up liking either a sony x10 or a galaxy s. If I could not have a desire, I'd lean towards the galaxy s.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
That's a bit out of order from Samsung, if they had an agreement they have to fulfill it with HTC...
Well when my Desire stopped vibrating I called up T-Mobile (This was within the first week of release) and the rep told me they had around 900 Desires in that morning and by 16:46 the same day they had 54 left. I got number 52 as two had been sold whilst I was explaining my problem. That was in April.
So either the phone is much more popular than I thought and HTC can't make them quick enough (which is likely due to AMOLED shortages) or they didn't expect such a high demand after the initial early adopter phase (First month).
Sounds like you are not making enough fuss to customer services!
I phoned orange up a couple of months ago as I was getting the same stuff.
First they said they were in stock and I could have a really decent contract with free phone!!!, but... literally phoned about 20 mins later to make an order and it had changed to 300 mins less and £50 for the phone! and the best part was they said stock would be another 2 weeks to a month and I can't go on the waiting list as it's full!
Pissed off, I decided to go to high street stores to get a more expensive contract and alas, no-one had any and if they did I was told that the tariff I was on would mean I would have to pay £75 for the phone!!!
So I got home, got myself in a strop and phoned orange to complain, funny enough they added me to the list (before it was full), they said when the phone was in stock they would text me and as soon as the text came through I needed to call them straight away as it was first come first serve after the text was received.
Patiently waiting (not) I decided to call the next day to find out whether it had come in, they said yes and were sending the texts out to everyone now, with 6000 odd people on the list I didn't fancy my chances!
Somehow while trying to get them to haggle on the contract (cancellations dept) which they did in the end - gave me a great contract, god opened up the heavens and I got my text whilst on the phone, the lady sounded like she didn't believe but I gave her the code and she said congrats and that I could reserve a black one!!
The next day there is my shiny new Desire on my doorstep!!!
The End... lol
they seem to have it in stock on the t-mob website:
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-monthly/htc-desire/mobile-tariffs/
wnp_79 said:
Man that sucks. I don't think its just t mobiles fault. Htc are having a mere getting hold of the AMOLED screens, as the manufacturers (samsung) are keeping them to themselves for their galaxy s phones. (and are probably enjoying having their main rival in the android handset market over a barrel.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Judging by reports, galaxy s is the best sold phone in South Korea ever since it was released, and it surpased Iphone in sale numbers around the world. Samsung is planning to sell 10 million pieces of this phone...
T-Mobile and their stores are getting regular deliveries but because there is such a backlog they go before they even reach the shelf!
I spent the whole day on the phone to T-mobile yesterday they were phoning around all the stores in the county as well as Carephone Warehouse (who none of their stores were answering)
There was stock at one of our local suppliers but T-Mobile refused to purchase from there.
I finally late yesterday managed to get hold of Carphone Warehouse local to me who told me they had sold 10 that day and there was 1 left so I told them to hide that phone and keep it for me and went down there after work and collected so I finally have my Desire
T-Mobile did lie though and said it would be free but I had to pay another £30 to get it :-( - Better than waiting for months though
By the way I don't like the Samsung's
Not a device for me
Good news. You'll love this phone. Give the battery a few charge cycles before expecting to see it's full performance tho. Its worrying at first!
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
You should have switched to another network
Well wr8_utd, There is that option but using the points below you can see why I dont:
> o2 - Had very poor experiences and hate them - My company used them as well when I fist joined and nothing but problems
> Orange - Poor to no signal in my local area
> 3 - Heard lots of problems about them
> Small dealers like Tesco - Can't offer me what I want
> Virgin - My dads on it and he doesn't get a signal anywhere! No point in having a mobile
> Vodafone - Possibly a viable option - Who my company is currently with and apart from two months having a bill around £6,000 for one handset they have been good.
> T-Mobile - I have been a very loyal customer for I think it must be about 6 years now (back when they were 1-to-1?) That gives me negotiation points
> T-Mobile - I have brought many customers to them over the last few years through my account - again adding to my negotiation powers
> T-Mobile - Always offer me exactly what I want (even when they don't have a contract that offers exactly what I want) - For instance When I wanted the HD2 to get it free their cheapest contract was £40 per month. I told them I wanted that phone for free but only pay £30 per month + wanted unlimited internet but I was happy to juggle min and texts with them and they were happy to comply
> T-Mobile - One of the best Customer Support Centres I have ever experienced. apart from one or two prats over there who don't know what they are talking about they are normally very kind / generaly know what they are talking about / normally answer quite quickly (until recently but select that you are leaving them and they answer very quickly )
> For what I am on every other network seems to charge me more
> HTC Desire - Seems out of stock with every network...
Now you can see my logic behind sticking with them.
Hehe yeah I can see why now
Is it out of stock at stores as well now?
Oh and how is the 3 Network?
As I said above I haven't personally used the 3 network but I haven't heard a single good word about it, its all been bad so I am not tempted to go near them.
All the T-mobile stores have massive waiting lists, Online shops all over the place say out of stock. All my suppliers at work apart from one our out of stock (even the mobile specialists suppliers are out of it) So I imagine its the same all round. The trick is to keep trying every day I was lucky, Our local carephone warehouse received stock in the morning I was ringing them all day but they were under staffed and too busy to answer the call. Finally got through to them abour 2pm and they had one left which they hid away and reserved for me
Nothing wrong with 3 UK service is improved from their call centre and shops are fab .. good deals as well plus the bombed all other companies out of the water £349.99 for unlocked unbranded desire when they first came out
Give em a go oh and very few two year contracts most eighteen months
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Oh forgot to add they were poor at beginning when they first started hence poor reports but honest they are probably on of the best now (just get unbranded handset if you do their firmware updates are the only issue )
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
2 other option is
1) Get them to buy a nexus one for you and flash it
2) Get a wildfire
I intend to get one of the 3 Desire deals and unlock it. Will I have any issues after I unlock it?
meteor
i had problems getting my desire too, it was meteor in ireland i vent to 3 shops and they said they don't have them in stock and the third shop guy said they dont have it and he offered legend instead but some miracle happened when i said no he went to check stock second time and he brought phone over, they are acting strange ..
i hate t-mobile i have been with them over 8 years and they still treat me like S**T i only stay with them as its cheapest option but there like virgin terrible Cusomer support but as long as you never have to deal with them its mostly good. i personally went and got a desire off ebay 280 new, and a £10 pay monthly sim which was cheapest option and didnt tie me into a long contract which i hate especially with a company i dont like lol. mind you all phone companies need a slap for using the word unlimited to mean limited how much more proof do you need the benter then a 50p note.
I recently had warranty service on my Note 4 through AT&T. The process turned out to be considerably more difficult - and potentially financially risky - than I expected. There are a lot of things that I know now, that I wish I had known at the beginning of the process. Therefore, I'm writing this summary to help prepare other AT&T customers who need service for their Samsung (and probably other) products.
If you don't care about the back story, just scan for the bolded TAKEAWAY lines below, or skip to the SUMMARY section at the end.
THE ISSUE
I bought a new (not refurbished) Note 4 a few months ago. From the moment I got it home, away from the blazing fluorescent lights and full screen brightness in the AT&T store, I noticed the dreaded pink tinted screen issue. The effect was minor at first, but grew in intensity over the subsequent weeks. It was bad enough within just a couple of days that I couldn't see the right-most digit of my alarm clock app at all when I had the brightness turned way down for nighttime (this would be at the top of the screen, they way it sits horizontally on my stand).
Having had a similar, but more severe, screen issue that rendered my Galaxy S4 unusable, I was particularly sensitive to screen quality and resolved to get this fixed.
MY OPTIONS
I had two primary options for fixing the problem (probably in addition to purchase protection on my business credit card):
1. Samsung warranty: Covers manufacturer defects for one year
2. AT&T insurance policy (well, 3rd party policy that AT&T sells): Covers virtually any kind of defect, damage, or loss, after paying the deductible
I decided to pursue Option 1, for two reasons. Firstly, the problem was clearly (to me, at least) a manufacturing defect. Secondly, the insurance policy had a $200 deductible. So, I stopped by the AT&T store in my local mall to get the phone fixed under warranty. No problem, right? I mean, my parents have had like a half-dozen iPhones fixed or replaced at the Apple store in their mall just by walking in off the street...
AT&T'S PROCESS
I learned my first lesson in the threshold of the door to the AT&T store:
TAKEAWAY 1: AT&T RETAIL STORES DON'T PROVIDE WARRANTY SERVICE FOR THE DEVICES THEY SELL
Huh? Given the aforementioned problem with my S4, I was shrewd enough to ask about the warranty before buying the Note 4. The AT&T person told me that it had a 1-year, manufacturer warranty. This was entirely correct. My mistake was interpreting this to mean that I could go back to the store where I had just bought the phone a few weeks prior and have it fixed under warranty. That's not the case. Instead, the person at the store handed me a business card with the toll-free number for AT&T Wireless support.
I went back home and called the number on the card. The person who helped me was prompt and professional. She logged the details of my issue, and explained the next steps to me as follows:
AT&T sends a new phone body
I swap my battery, SIM card, S Pen, and back cover to the new phone
I repackage my old phone body in the same box and mail it back to AT&T, postage pre-paid
So far, so good. But...
An AT&T person receives and evaluates the old phone
If the problem is deemed to be a manufacturer defect, the process ends for me here, and AT&T ships the broken unit back to Samsung
If the problem is deemed to be caused by physical damage, AT&T ships the old phone back to me, charges me the full retail price of the replacement phone, and I keep both phones!
Say what?! I asked what would happen in the unlikely case that the phone left my hands undamaged, but was damaged during shipping. She confirmed that AT&T would send the broken phone back to me and that I'd be stuck with both the old and new phones - and would have to pay for the new phone.
Dumbfounded, I asked for a way to mitigate the risk of my getting stuck with two phones. She recommended that I go back to my local store and have an AT&T employee inspect the phone, and add notes to my account stating that the phone is not physically damaged. Then, if it arrived damaged at the warranty center, they'd know that it had to have been damaged in shipping. She said that she'd leave my case open in her computer system, and that the next person I spoke with could complete the process after I returned from the store.
That sounded reasonable (enough). So, I went back to the retail store, an AT&T person looked at the phone, concluded that it was not physically damaged, and annotated my account accordingly.
I returned home, called the toll-free number again, and picked up where I left off. The person I spoke with this time reiterated the process to me, and confirmed that if the old phone arrived damaged, AT&T would send it back to me and I'd be stuck with it, stuck with the new phone, and charged for the new phone. "Except in this case", I added, "because the notes in my account said that the phone isn't damaged, right?"
Wrong.
If the old phone arrives damaged, I own both phones. "Why did I just go to the [email protected]#$ing store then?" He said that I shouldn't have, and that the previous customer service rep shouldn't have told me to do so. He said that I might damage the phone after leaving the store, before I ship it back to them, and therefore that the notes in my account meant nothing. He's right, of course.
After a spirited discussion, he made another good point - the warranty is from Samsung, not AT&T. AT&T provides warranty service as a "courtesy" to its customers. For phones with defects, AT&T can send them back to Samsung and get reimbursed. For physical damage, though, Samsung won't accept the phone under warranty. Therefore, AT&T needs some way to guard against getting stuck with a broken phone. Before proceeding, let's pause for another takeaway:
TAKEAWAY 2: AT&T DOES NOT WARRANTY SAMSUNG PHONES, SAMSUNG WARRANTIES SAMSUNG PHONES
This makes perfect sense, and I definitely see the problem from AT&T's point of view. Still, the original unresolved issue persists. So, I asked the guy what I could do to protect myself against the possibility of the old phone getting damaged in shipping. He offered that perhaps the manager at my local AT&T retail store could pack and ship the old phone for me. I agreed to that, and asked what would happen if it arrived broken due to shipping damage. He said I'd get stuck with both phones, same as before.
Flabbergasted, I stated that I was willing to assume the risk of damage during shipping, and changed topics.
Next I asked what would happen if the phone arrived at the AT&T service center intact, but that the person assessing the problem concluded that the pink screen problem was due to damage, rather than a manufacturing defect. He said I'd get stuck with both phones, same as before.
I asked how to determine, definitively, whether the issue was manufacturing-related or damage-related, prior to sending the phone back to the AT&T service center and starting the inexorable process that may lead to me getting stuck with two phones. After all, the person in the retail store who annotated my account said that it was a manufacturing defect? He said that AT&T retail employees are not qualified to distinguish between manufacturer defects and physical damage. Another takeaway:
TAKEAWAY 3: AT&T RETAIL STORE EMPLOYEES ARE NOT QUALIFIED/TRAINED/AUTHORIZED TO ASSESS WARRANTY-RELATED ISSUES
(Makes all you AT&T store employees out there feel valued by your employer, eh?)
Fortunately, the guy on the phone was trained to make these types of assessments. Based on our call so far - and never having seen my phone in person - he says that the pink screen was most likely due to physical damage. With steam coming out of my ears, I told him that I wasn't even going to debate whether the issue with the handset was a defect or damage, but rather would stick to trying to understand the Kafkaesque service process.
Specifically, I said that the previous phone rep who I spoke to said that she thought the issue was due to a defect. So, regardless of who is right and who is wrong, the dilemma is that two different AT&T people made two different assessments about the root cause of my phone's problem. In one case, I could get it fixed for free. In another case, I end up spending over $1,500 for two phones, one of which is broken.
Naturally, I asked what my recourse was if the AT&T warranty center person determined that the issue was due to physical damage, but that I still thought it was a defect. He said I'd get stuck with both phones, same as before. I asked if there was an appeals process. No, there isn't. Next takeaway:
TAKEAWAY 4: IF AT&T SENDS YOU A NEW PHONE UNDER WARRANTY AND YOU SEND THE OLD ONE BACK TO THEM, THE PROCESS WILL RESULT IN ONE OF TWO OUTCOMES, AT AT&T'S SOLE DISCRETION:
A) AT&T DETERMINES THE ISSUE TO BE A DEFECT, AND YOU KEEP THE REPLACEMENT PHONE FOR FREE
B) AT&T DETERMINES THE ISSUE IS DUE TO DAMAGE, THEY SEND YOU YOUR OLD PHONE BACK, CHARGE YOU FOR THE NEW PHONE, AND YOU KEEP BOTH.
Period. End of story. No appeal. No recourse. Just roll the dice and pray that the AT&T warranty person who you've never met and never get to talk to ends up looking at the phone and coming to the same conclusion as you.
Unconvinced that a company as big and mature as AT&T didn't have some reasonable solution, I inquired, yet again, about options. There were two remaining:
1. Send the phone to Samsung for warranty service by mail
2. Take the phone to an AT&T Device Support Center for in-person service
The first option would leave me without a phone for a week or two. But, Samsung wouldn't stick me with an extra phone the way AT&T would.
TAKEAWAY 5: YOU CAN SEND YOUR PHONE DIRECTLY TO SAMSUNG FOR WARRANTY SERVICE, WITHOUT INVOLVING AT&T IN THE PROCESS
I don't know how easy or hard it is do work with Samsung, or what their process is if you think there's a defect and they think there's damage, etc... I'll leave that for someone else to explain.
But, this second option sounds good - an AT&T Device Service Center. As it turns out, this is what I was looking for all along! It's a real building, with real AT&T employees, who are qualified to assess warranty issues, and able to repair/replace defective phones. Perfect! The closest one to me is 225 miles away (which took the phone rep 10 minutes to find, because their system is only set up to offer this option if the Center is within 50 miles), but I GLADLY drove down there to get my phone fixed. The person there looked at my phone, immediately judged the issue to be a defect that was covered by warranty, and in 2 minutes had me set up on another Note 4 with a spectacular screen. So:
TAKEAWAY 6: YOU CAN TAKE YOUR PHONE TO AN AT&T DEVICE SERVICE CENTER FOR IN-PERSON WARRANTY SERVICE
TAKEAWAY 7: THERE ARE VERY FEW AT&T DEVICE SERVICE CENTERS, SO YOU MAY NEED TO TRAVEL A LONG DISTANCE TO GET TO ONE
SUMMARY
To summarize the preceding dissertation, AT&T customers with Samsung (and possibly other) phones who need warranty service should know:
The phone's warranty is from Samsung, not AT&T
AT&T provides in-person warranty service, on behalf of Samsung, through Device Service Centers only, not through retail stores
AT&T Device Service Centers are few and far between, so be prepared to travel
Warranty service by mail through AT&T is not a viable option, because you can get stuck paying for two phones, at AT&T's sole discretion, and have no recourse
Oh, and two more:
The pink screen issue is for real - and really obvious when it happens; folks who are adamant that it's imaginary, that we're looking at our screens crookedly, or that we're otherwise obsessing over something minor are just lucky enough to have units with good screens
A good Note 4 screen is AMAZINGLY good - if you have the pink screen issue, go through the hassle to get it replaced; you won't regret it
Some AT&T stores do provide warranty right on sight, for instance I work at one that doesn't have warranty on site but two hours away there is another AT&T that handles all warranty in store. And a one year manufactures warranty is just that, the manufacturer is responsible for the warranty, so you can go through samsung or you can go through att except for Apple products, anything past the 4s is handled by Apple exclusively. With that being said as long as you don't send a device with signs of phisical or water damage you won't be charged for warranty by either company. The nice thing if you're close to a service center is you can get a new phone same day, regardless of which way you go, att or sammy, if you mail it out expect to wait for a phone. Just remember, manufacturer does not mean att, verizon, sprint and t mobile are responsible for the issue, they will do an exchange by mail as a courtesy, not because they promise the device will work with no hardware faults. The only phones att takes responsibility for are the unbranded att phones we sell l, but again that's not in store, unless it's a service center, otherwise there is too much overhead to hold that much inventory reserved for warranty issues.
Here is a link where you can find device service centers for AT&T, its near lower down on the page and will list places by state http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB91429
It will download a pdf with the locations
thanitos said:
Some AT&T stores do provide warranty right on sight, for instance I work at one that doesn't have warranty on site but two hours away there is another AT&T that handles all warranty in store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
QUESTION: Is this second store considered a "Device Service Center", or is it just a regular, retail AT&T storefront?
According to 1) the guy at my retail store 2) the first customer service phone rep and 3) the second customer service phone rep, only the Device Service Centers are able to do warranty service. Perhaps some are co-located with retail stores, but they were pretty clear to me that retail stores, per se, couldn't service warranty issues.
thanitos said:
Just remember, manufacturer does not mean att, verizon, sprint and t mobile are responsible for the issue, they will do an exchange by mail as a courtesy, not because they promise the device will work with no hardware faults.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Understood. But, when I buy a drill from Home Depot, they don't send me to Hitachi for service when it breaks. They don't make me drive three states away to an authorized Home Depot service center to have it fixed. I go to the store where I bought it, with my receipt, and they fix or replace it. Same with my tablet from Best Buy, auto recall at the car dealer, rotten fruit from the grocery store, everything I buy from Amazon, even stuff from eBay where I haven't reached an amicable settlement with the seller. They all honor the manufacturers' warranties in-house, or provide equivalent service for the products they sell in the infrequent cases that they prove to be defective.
My concern with AT&T is that they don't have my back - especially as a small business owner. I buy a new phone - the most expensive phone that they had in the store, mind you - and as soon as they swipe my card, that store is out of the picture. Subsequently, I have to follow this Rube Goldberg process to fix the problem if something goes wrong 5 minutes later.
I re-read the insurance policy during this whole process, as well, and I have the same concerns there. I haven't been through the insurance claim process, so I can't say first-hand whether it's easy or hard. But, the language definitely doesn't give me the impression that I can just walk into the store where I bought the phone, pay my deductible, and walk out with a new one. Maybe I'm wrong; if you know how the insurance claim process works, I'd be interested in hearing about your first-hand experiences as an AT&T employee.
To conclude, don't take my preceding comments the wrong way. I'm not some hater; on the contrary, I've been an outspoken advocate of AT&T because they've treated me so well. I've had generally excellent experiences with AT&T over the years and, consequently, I've recommended AT&T to many, many friends, family, and colleagues. Based on this experience, though, I'm looking at switching carriers - certainly when my current AT&T NEXT term is up, and possibly before (U.S. Cellular has a deal right now where they'll pay off my existing contract. I had them previously and loved them as a carrier). Having a cool new phone and lots of LTE coverage is great, but what's most important to me is the security of knowing that when something goes wrong, it'll get fixed promptly. That wasn't the case this time, and I don't have confidence that AT&T will be there for me the next time.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to provide some feedback. Have a good day.
If you need to file a claim for insurance, it is done online or over the phone. You do not do in person at an att store.
I've done lots of warranty exchanges by mail with att over the last 13 years and I've never had an issue.
Honestly, I have AT&T and have had my a Note 4 replaced 2 times already. One due to charging just stopping at 35% and the other was a combo of the pink tinted screen and dead pixel in the top left. I went directly through Samsung. Their support is amazing. I went out and picked up a cheap ass Go Phone and activated that while Samsung had my devices. They even offer over night shipping if you want to pay for it. AT&T is just a horrible provider and I've only stuck with them since they were Cingular because they ALWAYS got the top brand phones. Now it seems T-Mobile and Sprint are getting the top brand phones more and more now so after this contract its time to say goodbye.
TL;DL
Always use Samsung warranty over AT&T warranty. More professional and less phonecalls/headaches.
DamageSource said:
I went directly through Samsung. Their support is amazing...Always use Samsung warranty over AT&T warranty. More professional and less phonecalls/headaches.
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Click to collapse
I'm glad to hear that Samsung is this good about supporting their hardware. They're definitely not interested in hearing what customers have to say about their software (I have a thread on that topic somewhere around here). If this new Note 4 needs warranty service, I'll definitely call Samsung, in addition to AT&T, to see who has the better support option at that point in time. Honestly, I didn't even really consider calling Samsung for support this time around, because the phone was so new and I just assumed that AT&T would support the products that they sold in their stores.
From looking at the Samsung support site, they only have seven service centers in the whole U.S. I thought AT&T Device Support Centers were sparse, but I'd have to get on a plane to get to a Samsung one. All else being equal, I'd prefer to have in-person service for my devices. Especially for something like the pink screen issue - which drove me crazy, but that my wife could care less about - I think it's important to be able to demonstrate the problem to the service person face-to-face and explain how/why it impacts me. To that end:
QUESTION: Has anyone bought a phone from somewhere like Best Buy, Radio Shack, Costco, etc. and been able to get in-store warranty service/replacement?
I'm asking about service per the manufacturer warranty, not the type of paid extended warranty that Best Buy typically offers on their electronics (though the latter might be an alternative to the AT&T insurance). I'd actually stopped by the local BB to shop for the Note 4, but they said that they couldn't add it to my AT&T business account (despite my having called BB customer service first and confirming that my local store did service AT&T business accounts. Sigh...). Back to the point, I'd be interested in buying from a real store, with real product in-stock, who is willing to provide warranty service right from the retail location.
Anyway, I'm going to be upgrading another phone on this account soon, and I'm open to recommendations about where to buy the hardware (even if it means switching carriers). It probably won't be another Samsung, given the quality control issues I've had with both of my Galaxy products. But it might be. I'm open to alternatives. Thanks for your feedback.
mcmannion said:
QUESTION: Has anyone bought a phone from somewhere like Best Buy, Radio Shack, Costco, etc. and been able to get in-store warranty service/replacement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My brother only buys from Best Buy and he says that they replace the unit in store right there if it's in stock and if not you can go to an alternative location and pick it up if it's close by for you.
it is done online or over the phone. You do not do in person at an att store.
I can tell you from experience that Costco does replace phones. It is a 3rd party company that runs the phone kiosks in Costco warehouses and Costco themselves paid for a phone exchange for me because when I exchanged my S3 it was not on sale at the price it was on a Black Friday when I purchased it.
I have had AT&T phones for over 10 years & have exchanged defective units by phone/mail through AT&T too & never had a problem. AT&T normally sends a refurb rather than a new unit but as long as it works I'm satisfied.
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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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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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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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?
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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.