Pitiful Google Support Experience - Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion

I have had my device since 11/1, and everything had been functioning normally until this incident.
Friday morning, while my alarm was going off, my vibrate motor developed a pretty gross sounding rattle. It sounded as if the vibrate motor had come apart or loose. Later that day, I hit up Google support chat from my phone. I explained the issue, and they kept insisting that it might be a software problem. Had me reboot into Safe Mode and tried to get me to do a factory reset, which I refused to do (spoiler alert: Factory reset to send phone back. Problem persisted). Sunday, I called them again. I explained the issue, and the rep told me to go to their 3rd party repair partner, ubreakifix, and have them verify that it was a hardware defect, and then Google would replace my phone.
Today, I go to ubreakifix, it takes them all of two seconds to figure out that...TADA!! It's a hardware defect. They give me a work order number, and tell me that the information and their diagnosis have been forwarded to Google. So I get home, and call Google. I had an hour-long support call with them. I give them the details yet again, the story so far, and my work order number. The person I'm speaking to puts me on hold 7 times (yeah, I started counting), coordinates with a level 2 support rep, who can authorize escalation to level 3, who approves the device replacement. The level 2 rep basically tells me that vibration motors make sound (because I'm a moron) and that, because the rest of the phone is functioning properly, they don't see a reason to replace the device.
At this point I flip. I've never gotten upset at a low-level CS rep before, but screw this crap, I spent $1000 on my phone and they're basically telling me "tough cookies." I told them if they want to charge Apple money, they had better provide the Apple experience. I could walk into an Apple store today with an iPhone that does the same thing and walk out with a brand new one and a heartfelt apology from some dweeb in an Apple shirt.
Eventually I convince her to get a new rep, who agrees to replace my device. But they won't do an advance RMA, so I have to send my Pixel back, and then they'll send me a new one once they get the phone. Turnaround time of 1-2 weeks.
I have been a Google customer for years. I've owned every single piece of Android hardware they've pimped since the Galaxy Nexus, and I've been a Fi subscriber for about a year. I've had nothing but pleasant support experiences until now. To me, this kind of time-wasting, consumer is wrong attitude does not fall into line with what other companies offer when you spend this kind of money with them. Apple, to use them as an example because Google is charging the exact same amounts for their competing Pixel devices, would absolutely not hesitate to walk in the back room and come out with a brand new device. They would NOT put me through three support calls and a visit to a repair center just so they can verify that I'm not lying to them, only to tell me it's normal and not worth replacing. Apple's customer service is world-class, and it's part of what you pay for when you buy an Apple device. Google needs to step up their game in a big way, especially when this is the kind of garbage you get when you swipe to the support tab and ask for a call.
TL;DR - Google support has gotten terrible since the launch of the Pixel.

I feel badly for you. I would be upset also. But my experience was the opposite. Over the weekend my usb port (using the google charger, of all things!) was fried while charging overnight. My chord was melted to the phone; it was that hot. Very strange. They were VERY interested in my phone. No hassle calling them, and they emailed me to make sure I got my rma and packing slip. My replacement will be here Wednesday.
Transmissum est uti Tapatalk ab Xperia Z-IV meo.

Ya it seems they use a third party as customer support for the actual google store website. Had one girl accidentally say thank you for calling amazon... and they put you on hold for nearly every question. Gotta go ask the google rep each time...

Yeah i have called in twice and each time they have to go ask someone.

sulpher said:
Ya it seems they use a third party as customer support for the actual google store website. Had one girl accidentally say thank you for calling amazon... and they put you on hold for nearly every question. Gotta go ask the google rep each time...
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Funny enough, the rep said "Thank you for contacting Google Nexus support."

Related

HTC said they would fix it but didn't

Because my Nexus one had a dead/stuck pixel, I called H.T.C. and requested a repair. I sent it to them, and a few days later they said that they had examined it and determined that I needed to pay for the repair. I asked them why, and they replied that it was scratched and cracked.
Well, when I sent it to them, I had an invisible shield (a full body one, mind you) on it, and there nary a blemish on the screen. I told them this, and after a few days (and a couple more telephone calls), one of their managers had a technician examine it, found that it was fine, and said that they would fix it for free.
I received it on Monday, but didn't touch it until Wednesday because I was busy at work and waiting for the new invisible shield that I had ordered. When I used it, I noticed that they had removed the invisible shield, which I expected, but they hadn't fixed the stuck pixel! (Besides this, I had returned it to them with the original box, which they didn't send back to me)
So I called them last night and requested another repair. The representative asked me if they had charged my account for the shipping, and I answered truthfully that no, they had not charged me at all. I suppose that I am fortunate that they didn't, considering the other things they did. So now I am sending my Nexus One back two weeks after I returned it to them the first time, hoping that they will fix it properly, and without any argument.
HTC never charges you for return shipping. You only have to pay to ship it to them.
I am sorry you are having these troubles!
I successfully swapped my Nexus One due to a dead pixel within 3 days! I made a call on Day one at 11pm and by Day 3 at 8 am I had my replacement phone.
uansari1 said:
HTC never charges you for return shipping. You only have to pay to ship it to them.
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That's a bit crap, in the UK they email you a pre-paid shipping label.
I live in the U.S.A., and they sent me a prepaid shipping label. I'm just ticked off because I sent it to them, argued with them for four days, and they didn't even fix it, and two weeks later I need to send it right back. Plus it cost me another Invisible Shield.
Swap method is always better, faster, and easier. Plus, you get a new phone. Who doesn't love that?
They said that they couldn't swap it because it was too far (a few weeks) the purchase date. Maybe the person I spoke to didn't know what she was talking about. That's sort of my impression of the support division of the company, though I know I'm probably having an unrepresentative bad experience.
keet said:
They said that they couldn't swap it because it was too far (a few weeks) the purchase date. .
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I think this is BS from HTC. I swapped my N1 after almost two months. They will put a hold on your credit card; if you can live with that the replacement is much faster than the repair.
I'll consider that if they don't fix it properly this time. I didn't want to swap it because of my engraving and the full-body invisible shield that I put on it, but if they don't fix it this time, I probably won't be willing to trust their repair department again.
I had much better customer service from Apple when I had my iPhone ..I'm getting really annoyed with HTC ...especialy with that multitouch issue..
I have a question. Did they release $28 after you got your 'repaired' phone?
bobdude5 said:
I had much better customer service from Apple when I had my iPhone ..I'm getting really annoyed with HTC ...especialy with that multitouch issue..
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I had a dead easy time with apple and my wife's 3G and her 3GS ... you walk in with the broken phone, they demand £150 (ish) for the repair which is always your fault. They then do an estimate and if its expensive (ie > £150) they turn round and say it's BER (beyond economical repair) and offer to sell you a new one. If it's a cheap fix (ie cracked glass) they repair it and pocket the £150.
Now that is customer service!
Other issues such as the 3G problem on the iPhone where it cascades from 3G to Edge to GRPS to No Service and the only way to get it back is to either power off or switch to airplane mode and back. Took it into two phone shops and then the Apple store in London and their solution? Turn off 3G.
Although their best to date is a macbook which I hardly ever use stopped charging. Rang up and they said bring it in to the Genius Bar in 2 weeks. I did, they then said it's warranty expired yesterday (13 days after I reported the fault) and refused to touch it. Demanded to see the manager said they would do me a favour and look at it for free as it was only 1 day outside warranty. They checked the battery and it had been charged 37 times in a year. The guy said this was quite heavy use and was a years worth and I would have to buy a new battery! Queue one massive kick off in the Apple store, resulting in them begrudgingly fitted a new battery!
Or the iMac 24" ATI I bought that crashed all the time, they gave me 3 units before I read on the internet that it was a software issue. I started running XP and voila ... sorted. Apple rolled out a fix quietly without telling anyone a month or so later.
Yes Apple support rocks!
All modern companies support sucks in some cases ... get used to it. Sell a million units and if you get 99% satisfaction you will get 10000 unhappy customers. Give them a platform to shout on and voila!
I bet not everyone gets Apple support like I do, some people probably can't believe how good they are.
Anyway, enough ranting, I wish google would fix the screen calibration issue although I only need to dab the power button and unlock it to fix mine.
keet said:
They said that they couldn't swap it because it was too far (a few weeks) the purchase date. Maybe the person I spoke to didn't know what she was talking about. That's sort of my impression of the support division of the company, though I know I'm probably having an unrepresentative bad experience.
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Having worked in multiple call centers let me be the first to tell you that it's hard to find intelligence or common sense in them. I work in a call center for AT&T right now and I do work for the Vice President and Assistant Vice President because nobody else knows what they're doing. As soon as they realized that I had common sense and knowledge of technology they took me off of the phone, gave me a raise and converted me from Contractor to Employee. I asked my Director "Why do you let the managers hire people who are so ignorant" His reply was "I'm paying them $17/hr, I don't expect them to think. We have the information and tools set in place to think for them. If I wanted them to think then I would hire people with a higher intelligence and I would pay them more. Instead, I have people like you come up with tools and other things to think for them"
So this is why I hate when people say "I called T-Mobile and they said..." because that means nothing. You can get a different answer every time because most of them don't know the answer because your questions are above their level of intelligence. Now, I'm in no way saying that every person who works in a call center is an idiot. I'm saying that a large percentage of them do not understand anything about what they're troubleshooting.
I was reading a survey in P.C. Magazine about customers' ratings of the service and product quality from companies such as Apple, Toshiba, and Hewlett-Packard. They rated things such as the frequency with which hardware was found to be faulty soon after purchase, how easy it was to have it replaced, and other such topics. Apple did rank first overall, and Toshiba ranked second. This doesn't surprise me, since I have a ten year old Toshiba Tecra 8100 that still runs fine, though I've fixed the screen hinges.
H.T.C. was not in their listing, and I had never dealt with their support before. I replaced my X51v's screen myself after having it for three years and getting some water damage (I also replaced the backup battery later), and that's working fine now. I'm kind of nervous now -- I half expect my Nexus One to come back with real scratches on the screen, or more dead pixels, or some other problem that it didn't have before. After they already accused me of damaging it last time, I sort of wonder what they might damage to do with it this time -- something worse than sending it back unfixed.
jin1207 said:
I have a question. Did they release $28 after you got your 'repaired' phone?
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Yes, they did; they didn't charge me any money.
dumbestcrayon said:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Having worked in multiple call centers let me be the first to tell you that it's hard to find intelligence or common sense in them. I work in a call center for AT&T right now and I do work for the Vice President and Assistant Vice President because nobody else knows what they're doing. As soon as they realized that I had common sense and knowledge of technology they took me off of the phone, gave me a raise and converted me from Contractor to Employee. I asked my Director "Why do you let the managers hire people who are so ignorant" His reply was "I'm paying them $17/hr, I don't expect them to think. We have the information and tools set in place to think for them. If I wanted them to think then I would hire people with a higher intelligence and I would pay them more. Instead, I have people like you come up with tools and other things to think for them"
So this is why I hate when people say "I called T-Mobile and they said..." because that means nothing. You can get a different answer every time because most of them don't know the answer because your questions are above their level of intelligence. Now, I'm in no way saying that every person who works in a call center is an idiot. I'm saying that a large percentage of them do not understand anything about what they're troubleshooting.
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dwl, classic!! Are you also saying any one with great talking skills can get the job as customer rep too?
keet said:
Yes, they did; they didn't charge me any money.
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Thanks, buddy. I can let mine go to repairing.
Hope you get what you expect
I sent it back to them last Thursday, of course, and received a message on Monday saying that they had received it. Today, I received another message saying that they had completed their diagnostics, and guess what my option was? Pay for repair, just like last time! I sent a response asking why and called them, but all the morons in their customer service department could do was 'escalate' it, so I just sent a complaint to the Better Business Bureau.
bobdude5 said:
I had much better customer service from Apple when I had my iPhone ..I'm getting really annoyed with HTC ...especialy with that multitouch issue..
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I would be careful saying anything pro apple on this forum, lol.
I have been pretty lucky with both of my htc products so far. My N1 is great and so was my G1.
keet said:
I sent it back to them last Thursday, of course, and received a message on Monday saying that they had received it. Today, I received another message saying that they had completed their diagnostics, and guess what my option was? Pay for repair, just like last time! I sent a response asking why and called them, but all the morons in their customer service department could do was 'escalate' it, so I just sent a complaint to the Better Business Bureau.
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By chance did they answer your question? or at least tell you the results of the diagnostics and how much they charging?

[Report] Great HTC Customer Service.

Ahoy XDA'ers,
I just wanted to document my recent experience with HTC tech support and how refreshing it was.
Now, as a frustrated iPhone jailbreaker I knew instantly that Apple would never have even touched my iPhone had they known I had jailbroken it.
So you can guess I was pretty excited to get my N1 when it was first released. Immediately out of the box I unlocked, rooted, and installed a custom ROM (CM FTW). Bluetooth, WiFi, everything was working great. About a week into using the phone I realized my Bluetooth had stopped working. Thinking it was something I had inadvertently done to the software, I tried reflashing everything back to stock install. Even using my initial nandroid backup. But to no avail and on the recommendation of this forum I contacted HTC with my issue.
When I spoke with HTC I was completely honest about what I had done to the phone. I explained to the tech everything I had tried to to, flash the rom, etc. I told him that I had looked at logcat and that Bluetooth was simply not responding and timing out. I guess I was lucky to get a tech that new a bit about the Android OS. He said that he could see that I had done the work to diagnose the issue and that even though I had rooted/unlocked the phone Google and HTC appreciated people like us.
Now, my one stipulation was that I have a custom engraving on my phone and really didn't want to lose that. I liked having a true first gen engraved phone. He assured me that if they had to replace the entire phone they would call me before doing anything. So I rest assured that my N1 would be safe.
After getting off the phone with the tech I receive an email from HTC and FedEx with an overnight shipping label. I print out the label, throw the phone in a padded box and ship it off to HTC. I still have not payed a dime.
The next morning I receive an email from HTC saying they received my phone. The email contained a work order number and a website to check the status of my repair. This was a great feature I never experienced with Apple or any other company for that matter.
So another day passes (Day 3) and I receive an email from HTC saying the work has been completed and my phone is being shipped overnight shipping back to me.
Surprised that I didn't receive a phone call I was skeptical that the problem had been fixed. I figured due to a lack of communication through the line, the actual repair tech saw the phone was unlocked and sent it back.
The FedEx guy drops off the package the next day (4 days from my initial phone call to HTC) and I rip open the box to find my same phone I had shipped, engraving and all.
I was sure they simply returned the phone still broken, saying tough luck. I placed the battery and cover on and powered up. Interesting enough, the phone had been re-locked as there was no unlock symbol on startup. Skipped the welcome screens, swiped left, and hit the bluetooth activation widget.
"...Updating Bluetooth Settings"
Hazah! It worked, either HTC fixed whatever was wrong with my chip or they replaced the guts of the phone and kept the case on at no charge. They could have easily not fixed it or sent me a new phone and not bothered removing my case.
Thanks HTC for hooking me up and being giving great customer service.
So now I have a fully functioning N1 and couldn't be happier.
-pixlgeek
Real happy for you dude.
Yeah, I myself cannot give up hope that there is (or can be) a company that REALLY appreciates its customers. Not that phony "we love your money! errr we mean we love our customers!". So far every company I dealt with (except subaru warranty, surprisingly) was simply trying to get out of contract by any means necessary.
Hopefully google understands the difference between caring for customers and caring for their money. This will go a long way.
I was under the impression that you had to pay money to ship it back if it was engraved. I guess not, maybe I'll get my name engraved after all.
ChillRays said:
I was under the impression that you had to pay money to ship it back if it was engraved. I guess not, maybe I'll get my name engraved after all.
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I am pretty sure you have to pay only if you want to return it. In this case, it was a repair. BTW awesome story OP
Vandam500 said:
I am pretty sure you have to pay only if you want to return it. In this case, it was a repair. BTW awesome story OP
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Oh as in, if somebody doesn't want it anymore. I guess thats where the 48 dollars comes in. I wish somebody would clarify that. Yeah I agree, good story.
This is how Customer support should be. That HTC support goes lightly on unlocked and flashed phones is just great. Android is after all an open OS.
If only Apple could do that good.. *ugh*
Great customer care and support does get more customers. No doubt.
Consider yourself lucky. I'm on my 4th HTC device and not once the customer service was helpful. Unfortunately there is no manufacturer out there that can make a better hardware than HTC so i'm stuck.
who did you call? google customer service or directly to HTC? thanks!
I had 4 returnss with HTC involvingg the Nexus One (various Defects) and each time cutomer service was excellent and I never got a run around. Very straight foward and nice people answering the phone.
I never get mad at customer service for a phone manufactured thousands of miles away, so I always try to have a polite convo with whoever I speak with, maybe thats why I never got charged for any phone sent back that was rooted or had to explain any small scratches. I rank HTC customer service at the top of my list in front of T-mobile.
P.S. My 4th phone was a brand new unit shipped from google's new shipment in a new box Not a refurbished one.
rensky said:
who did you call? google customer service or directly to HTC? thanks!
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Here's the interesting part I forgot to include...
After a google search of "HTC Nexus One customer support" the first link presented with:
http://www.htc.com/www/support/nexusone/
Clearly HTC site. The first number listed 1-888-48-NEXUS (63987) is what I dialed.
I thought for the first 15 minutes of the call that I was speaking to HTC. Comes to find out, that number transfers to a Google call center. The tech I was speaking with at the very beginning was a Google employee. Once he determined that repairs were needed, he "connected" me with a customer service rep at HTC and I completed the whole process through HTC. So I was sort of handed off from Google to HTC but both communicated with eachother about my issue.
Wierd. So Google does the phone support HTC does the hardware.
*shrug*
-pixlgeek
I have heard that HTC has excellent customer service. I think if anything ever happens to my phone, I am going to go strait to HTC instead of the provider.

nothing here move along

deleted , move along
TLTR !!!!!
I read it. Sorry to hear about your EVO man.
I got my EVO through Craigslist new in box because all the Sprint stores in my area who had them in stock wouldn't sell them to people not adding a new line of service. (Which is another story in and of itself)
When I brought it in to Sprint to activate they let me add insurance and told me that I'd still be covered under warranty for a year. I would be steamed if I was in your shoes too.
Thankfully I have a HW revision 0003 and my EVO hasn't yet to display any of the known issues.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/13/htc-evo-suffering-from-glass-separation-issues/
Just a short while ago I worked as a CSR for AT&T. Your friend got really lucky because 99.9% of the time a broken iPhone, even with a known issue, means you're SOL. In my experience, Sprint is much more flexible.
I mean you guys have any suggestions for me at this point? I know its just a phone and all but damn. i posted this on sprint forums, androidforums.com,xda, ppcgeeks, and of course my phone calls and visits to the repair center at MACOM
You bought the $7 plan for this very reason-- a more-than-likely behaviorally caused ding. (yes I read your post, but look at this from someone else's point of view. You had/used the phone how long before you saw this?)
Pony up the deductable and get a new phone. You realize you're costing yourself way more than $100 in grief and wasted time?
Lastly, just in case this is a defect and a recall is issued, keep your documentation on your calls to CS, claim filed, and out of pocket money. At that point you should be able to recoup your deductible among other things.
illogic6 said:
Just a short while ago I worked as a CSR for AT&T. Your friend got really lucky because 99.9% of the time a broken iPhone, even with a known issue, means you're SOL. In my experience, Sprint is much more flexible.
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Sure, bro. Sure.
00_MACKIE_00 said:
Ok, this is going to be a long post, full of detailed information regarding my purchase of an Evo. I will be posting this on every forum I am a member of and there are alot that I post on.
A buddy of mine contacted me to tell me he had bought an Evo on launch day from Best Buy. He activated it on 6/6/2010 from a Best Buy in Kentucky. He was told " The Evo has push to talk". Well he later found out that it did not in fact have push to talk and he needed that feature for his Sprint business account. He was outside his 30 day "happiness" window so he had to buy a different phone. He decided to put his Evo on Ebay and sell it to try and get some of his money back for his Evo purchase. He let me know he listed it on Ebay and provided me a link to it. I ended up winning the auction on 8/15/2010. I received the phone on 8/21 and received original box, original everything. Even had a cover. Phone looked and smelled BRAND new. I quickly called Sprint to activate it and within 10 min I was sporting my new Evo. Added my insurance/repair $7 dollar fee like I do with all my phones.
All was fine until 9/5/2010, I noticed on the bottom left of the screen over the home button, the screen appears lifted and a little dust had gotten under it. Ok no big deal to me at this point. I do keep my phones in mint condition but I was just going to monitor this situation. 13 days later is when I called Sprint asking for an explanation. I called the customer service line and explained the situation with the phone. They immediately started blaming me for it. I guess maybe they thought I used a screwdriver and lifted the screen, who knows. The girl told me she was in Charlotte, NC and that she had never heard of a screen separating from the adhesive and to go to the repair center.
On 9/17/2010, I went to MACOM here in Florida. A nice gentleman greeted me at the repair window and asked how he could help me. I said well I called customer service and explained to them that the phone screen seemed to be coming up and to pay you a visit so you could investigate. 4 screws later my Evo was in several pieces and then put back together. He asked me where I got the phone so I told him. He looked up my account and said "you’re inside your 30 day window according to the calendar here and you should go home and call customer service back". I told him I had no intention of being given a brand new phone. To me , that would be dishonest and I live by being honest and I teach my kids to be honest to people regardless of the situation. He handed me his business card, said call Sprint and call me back if you have problems. Seems he was trying to push me into a brand new Evo. I lay no blame on this guy; he was trying to do the right thing. He told me he could have it replaced but it would be a refurbished phone which I am ok with.
I arrive home on 9/17 from MACOM and about 7pm I start making some phone calls. I have been upfront with Sprint about the terms of my purchase. The first lady I spoke to said she understood my issue and that she would get someone on the phone to help me after we talked 10 minutes or so. She asked if I minded being put on hold and I said absolutely not. I waited for about 7 or 8 minutes or so and another lady got on the phone from a different department. I had a really hard time understanding what her name was, who she was with, etc etc due to the heavy accent. From what I could understand, she was from advanced exchange it sounded like. She asked for my telephone #, verified my pin and all that good stuff and asks me the reason for the call. I then had to go into the WHOLE story again. 10 minutes later she asked me where I bought the phone. I said I bought it off Ebay from a SPRINT customer, not some random power seller. She then told me well there is nothing she could do and that was there anything else she could do for me. I said I guess not and told her to have a lovely weekend. She then said I could always file a claim with Assurion and pay a $100 deductible for this obvious defect.
After speaking to my wife, I felt I needed to call back. Around 8:30pm or so I called back to customer service and once again explained the situation. I asked her over and over to tell me if I had done something wrong, or this was somehow my fault. She completely denied any knowledge of a screen separation issue and proceeded to tell me she was going to talk to her supervisor about it and placed me on hold. She came back on the line in short time and asked if it would be ok if I received a call back. I said ok and told the lady to have a nice evening. About 45 minutes or so later my phone rings. I go to answer it using the slider and because my screen is acting funny due to part of it being lifted, somehow the call was dropped and she left a voicemail and her name and phone number. I immediately called back off my house phone and received her voicemail. I left a message and asked that she call me right away. I have not received another phone call.
Remembering the conversation with MACOM, I woke up on 9/18, loaded up the kids and drove on over. The same gentleman was there again. He remembered me from the night before. I told him I had called customer service and had gotten nowhere. The tune quickly changed from ordering a refurbished phone to having to call his district manager but however the district manager was off and on his motorcycle for the day and it would be evening before he could have a chance to talk to him and it would be next week before he could get back to me. He was very nice and polite and told me to have a good rest of the weekend and he would get in touch with me.
Now that I have laid out the facts, I am now going to state my opinion on this. First off, Sprint denying the screen separation is a joke within itself. Searching on Google using the search criteria "evo screen separation" shows 6,700,00 results found. How could people not know about it that work for Sprint? The repair guy at MACOM had heard about it, but nobody else? How is that even possible? My next complaint is about the way I purchased it. If I was not tempted by all the Sprint commercials about the EVO and not being able to actually find one in Florida, I would not have had to go buy one of Ebay. I bought it from a valid Sprint customer not some guy on Ebay looking to make a few bucks. Sprint still should honor my purchase and either fix my phone or give me one that works, isn't that what I pay the TEP for?. I guess anyone who is buying either a barely used or brand new phone off Ebay should just stop doing it now before you run into a situation like what I am dealing with. I am a premier customer with Sprint; I have 3 lines as well so I consider myself an important customer. Plus it helps in the years I have had service, I have never missed a payment, been late, or anything. Sprint should not allow you to buy a phone from anywhere and activate it successfully if they do not want to honor an obvious manufacturing defect. This will not cost any money for Sprint to replace my phone because I am sure it would be sent back to HTC as a defect. I am not editing this post until there is a resolution so that the public sees what I have had to deal with. Once Sprint provides a resolution, I will then have this post removed and I will once again be a happy Sprint customer.
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I've had better luck. I was once placed in this exact situation. Brought my phone into Sprint to have it repair the lifting of screen. In-house techs repaired it, no questions asked (or blaming). One hour later, they called me back and issued me a new one, as their investigation determines hardware version 0002 was a manufature defect. Perhaps it's all based on locations, reps, your attitude towards them, etc. Where I'm from everyone one's laid back, reps are always friendly and don't really have to put up with too much of people's ****, because non really gives them **** to begin with. They even accept rooted phones too, where as I read that many other users have to unroot before bringing their phone into Sprint for replacement/repair.
If you don't mind paying a deductable ($100 max), call into customer service and request a replacement.
And to the dude who was previously on AT&T with iPhone, sure buddy. SURRRREEE. If you EVER had service with them, you of all people should know that AT&T & Apple will put you through hell. I should know, that's why I dropped AT&T & the iPhone 2G.
illogic6 said:
I read it. Sorry to hear about your EVO man.
I got my EVO through Craigslist new in box because all the Sprint stores in my area who had them in stock wouldn't sell them to people not adding a new line of service. (Which is another story in and of itself)
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That is actually illegal, they have to sell it to you, I actually did the same and had to mention that it is illegal to not sell it, after mentioning that they budged and sold it to me.
Back on your situation with your EVO, I would recommend posting on consumerist as that is more their territory. They have the phone numbers for executive customer support also, they WILL fix your issue ASAP. http://consumerist.com/2007/05/sprint-sets-up-consumerist-reader-executive-customer-service-hotline.html
tbh, I feel no simpathy since you being "honest" has nothing to do with the situation. You didn't steal the phone, the phone was defective therefore it's not like you were doing anything wrong. You should of returned it and gotten a replacement. There's been hundreds if not thousands of people that have done the same with the screen lifting issue.
Also if you didn't know before, google is based on keywords, it doesn't take the phrase and search for it. About 5million of those results were for the word "evo", other million were for "screen", and so on. Out of those results, only about 20-30 were for the evo issue. I've been doing SEO for a long time, so when it comes to google I know what I'm talking about.
Also sprint doesn't care if you took it apart, or if it came apart by itself, because they will tell you in the end to return it because of the issue. They know people do it, and it's perfectly okay, since you're not "cheating" anyone. The 30 day thing is made for a reason, it's not made for you to screw them over. Also the insurance that you put on the phone is made for a reason.
Either you're not telling the whole story, or you were too ignorant to return the phone.
Btw, side note for you. Check out the app TiKL for push to talk on your EVO.
sent from VooDooPhone
As a Sprint retention supersvisor, let me ask you something which I would have asked you if you were on my call. What makes you think SPRINT is responsible for a phone your purchased from somebody on Ebay wether it be a Sprint customer or not? You are LUCKY they even allow you to use TEP on a phone that was not purchased from them. Now, here's what we can do, make a claim, pay the $100 and have it replaced or go back to the store and speak with the idiot that told you to call in.
Let me put it in perspective for you, when your car breaks you take it to the mechanic right? You don't just call Ford and they fix it over the phone or send you out a new truck to your home. There is NOTHING someone over the phone can do, the repair center has to do it all, granted most the time they send you something over the phone or break policy it's to shut the customer up and get rid of them. The store has to fix it, if they can't fix it, make a claim for you through the warranty or asurion. I really don't understand why this is so hard to understand. And please don't take this the wrong way it is not an attack on you personally, but it is definitely an attack on what should be common sense.
6ixtynin9 said:
I've had better luck. I was once placed in this exact situation. Brought my phone into Sprint to have it repair the lifting of screen. In-house techs repaired it, no questions asked (or blaming). One hour later, they called me back and issued me a new one, as their investigation determines hardware version 0002 was a manufature defect. Perhaps it's all based on locations, reps, your attitude towards them, etc. Where I'm from everyone one's laid back, reps are always friendly and don't really have to put up with too much of people's ****, because non really gives them **** to begin with. They even accept rooted phones too, where as I read that many other users have to unroot before bringing their phone into Sprint for replacement/repair.
If you don't mind paying a deductable ($100 max), call into customer service and request a replacement.
And to the dude who was previously on AT&T with iPhone, sure buddy. SURRRREEE. If you EVER had service with them, you of all people should know that AT&T & Apple will put you through hell. I should know, that's why I dropped AT&T & the iPhone 2G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is what he said, with AT&T you're **** out of luck

Sony X10 Customer Service nightmare

I wanted to share with people my worst customer service experience ever.
I recently bought an x10 off of someone online and the in-call speaker (ear piece) started acting inconsistent. It would get quiet frequently and was very hard to hear. And yes, I’m aware there is an issue with the level of sound these things produce.
Since I bought it off of someone I couldn’t return it through the service provider. I called Sony Ericsson (SE) and they told me that the repair should be covered under my warranty. So, they gave me an RMA number and an address of the service centre in Newmarket, Ontario to send it to. The place was Flextronics – Canada.
I was told that I would have the phone back within 10 business days, and that someone would contact me if there was any issues.
After 2 weeks, I called SE several times to get an update and received the rudest reps ever. They all gave me this attitude as if i was bothering them.. One rep said it was coming, while the other told me Flextronics had sent me an email with a quote.
A little upset, I asked why because I thought it was covered under warranty. She didn’t know, so gave me the number to Flextronics.
So, I started calling Flextronics to see what was up. Every time I dialled the extension for SE service department, it would ring twice, beep, and then hang up. So, I started calling other departments in the company and the they just transferred me right back, and I would get disconnected again. Then, I dialled 0 and got the operator, who was almost as rude as the SE reps, and told me to call SE for any updates. I told her I was sick of this back and forth, and can I please talk to someone. So she forwarded me to a supervisor. I left a message, and waited a few days and received no call or email back.
Frustrated, I called SE back and told them my situation. The rep this time was nice, and said he would make note and look into it for me and someone would contact me within 24 hrs.
I waited a two more days, and nothing.
I called Flextronics again, and went through the exact same process. And then nothing.
Called SE back again, this time they told me they can’t do anything until I reply to Flextronics’ quote they sent me. I told them I haven’t received anything from them and have been desperately trying to get a hold of someone there. This rep then said he will escalate it to a supervisor.
Again, a few days passed and nothing.
I called SE back and demanded to speak to a supervisor. The rep was being very rude and tried to avoid the situation. She finally caved and put me on hold for at least 5 minutes. I spoke to a supervisor who was just as rude as her reps and took another 5 min looking into my file, and asked me the same verifying questions again. She told me that the policy states the repair is not covered under warranty because of physical damage.
I told her that this was ridiculous bc the phone was in near mint condition. The only physical damage was that there was a tiny crack in the very bottom left corner of the screen that isn’t even close to the call speaker. And when I say the crack is small, I mean small. It was more like a deep scratch.
Anyway, after trying to defend that the crack had nothing to do with why I brought my phone in for repair, she told me it was up to the repair centre. I said, fine. At this point I just want my phone back. She said she will relay the message.
Waited some more, and then nothing.
I repeated this process for 2 more weeks.
The reps kept telling me that the situation would be taken care of and that the case was escalated. Some reps even told me that the escalations were never processed properly. Arrgghh...
After almost reaching the 5 week mark, I left a desperate message with Flextronics and SE practically begging for my phone back.
There is an obvious discrepancy between the communication between SE and Flextronics.
Finally, after 5 weeks someone actually called me from Flextronics!!!
He explained to me why I had to pay for the repairs. Even though he agreed with me, he said that due to the relationship with SE they can’t fix the speaker unless they fix everything! Including cosmetic stuff!
F’n ridiculous.
He asked if I wanted to try and call SE and dispute this with him. LOL. I was like no way, just give me my phone back.
He said they’ll ship it today and i will receive it tmrw. Let’s see what happens....
Because of this nightmare of the poor quality of the device itself, I will never ever buy another SE smartphone again!!!
i have to say thats a nightmare. i am so sorry that happened to u. i hope this doesnt happen to u again. thanks for the warning about se though. thats people i dont want to deal with. i hope u have better experiences with smartphones.
Sent from XDA Premium from my X10a rooted running 2.3.2 gingerbread rom from rdannar
Here in Austria the SE-CCAs (sitting in Germany) are very nice and competent.
The only thing is, when you bring something in for repair, they always just flash the firmware first and send it back to you so you have to bring it in again, however the snd attempt always worked.
And CC in the US are by principle a nightmare and rude. In the best case they are nice but dont get what you want, because they just hang to their conversation script and dont listen.
On the other side I dont want to know what BS they have to listen to every day.
Quote Sony Erisson"Make it believe"...This's the way of SE treating their customer and provide the poor quality of the products,slow update of firmware and iresponsibility after-sales service.My X10 had been sent to the service centre for changing the motherboard which caused the reboot loop more than 1 month ago but i don't have any news whether it's getting the job done or not.My phone's still under the warranty and i think the warranty would be gone after i take back.Somemore,the xperia arc's coming out soon but i consider Samsung Galaxy S2 which's more powerful with dual core processor.I won't drop into the trap of Sony Erisson anymore...
Update: Failed to deliver once again. Phone has still not been returned as promised by Flextronics. Arrrgghhhh
That sucks for you OP, I would raise hell if I were you, you gotta treat them the same way they treat you to get **** done.
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
OP, if I was you, I'd punch those idiots in the face
So, the argument that says "only 10% of SE consumers, you guys, complain against SE 'cause lack of Android upgrades but the 90% of ppl don't care and love SE" dies here. Im pretty sure that 90% of people wouldn't 'love' SE thanks to things like this, no matter if they want Android 2.2/2.3 or not.
I repeat one-more-time: SE, NEEDS to WORK in the human part.
Oh.. I know all about Flexitronics/SE issue. My Phone stopped charging and I sent it into repairs. I too got the runaround and had to be calling in contantly to get any type of headway.
I was informed I would get callbacks, which I never got. Hell they even said I would get a gift for all my trouble - nothing.
My advice is to get someone from Flex and DON'T HANG UP. Refuse to disconnect the call until you talk to a supervisor. Be Polite and never swear - just tell them to put you on hold until a supervisor can speak to you. This will destroy the Rep's Call time stats and they shouldn't be able to just hang-up on you as you have not done anything to warrant such an action.
Good Luck!
Here is my situation with them:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8396874&postcount=48
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8574507&postcount=53
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8593403&postcount=55
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8611836&postcount=59
Yeah dude sorry to hear about that situation, I hope whatever company you buy from next has better service than that.
You didn't mention it on your post, But did they tell you that they have a FLAT FEE OF $185 FOR PHYSICAL DAMAGE? yep, no matter how small that scretch is they'll probably shove that down your throat.
I had my run in with SE Service, luckily for me I had a tad better outcome.
Check out my situation:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=12075634#post12075634
Thepuffytaco said:
Oh.. I know all about Flexitronics/SE issue. My Phone stopped charging and I sent it into repairs. I too got the runaround and had to be calling in contantly to get any type of headway.
I was informed I would get callbacks, which I never got....]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, they are the worst.
Update: On Friday, March 11, a rep from Flextronics called me, same guy who I spoke to previously. He actually said "I recognized your voice so I don't need to speak to you."
Before he said goodbye I demanded to know where my phone was bc he promised I'd have it on Thur, March 10.
His reply was, oh well, if you don't receive it by Monday, call us back. WTF?
Any way, I finally got my phone back UNFIXED.
Long story short:
- Sony Ericsson and Flextronics' customer service sucks
- almost 7 weeks without my X10a, only to get it back UNFIXED
darkgoth678 said:
Yeah dude sorry to hear about that situation, I hope whatever company you buy from next has better service than that.
You didn't mention it on your post, But did they tell you that they have a FLAT FEE OF $185 FOR PHYSICAL DAMAGE? yep, no matter how small that scretch is they'll probably shove that down your throat.
I had my run in with SE Service, luckily for me I had a tad better outcome.
Check out my situation:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=12075634#post12075634
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They quoted me $108 to fix the screen, so a lot cheaper than $185. But, I refused out of frustration and principle. I bet even if they had fixed the screen and speaker, I'd still have speaker problems.
Good job on your self-repair btw. I would be too nervous to take any tools to my phones. Bad experience in the past. lol
Looks like SE approved service centers are the same, no matter the country. I sent mine 2 times already because of issues related to the USB connector in the phone (not charging and not having stable USB connection via cable). Got it back 2 times fixed partially, now it charges but the connections still is worthless.
So my sympathy goes to you
Dont Buy a Sony Erisson! 35 weeks in repair only to be returned unfixed
I had the same issue Tase.
Im still very annoyed. Im reporting them to the better business bureau as their service is beyond a joke.
I got two X10s. One for my gf and one for me. Her USB port died after a few months so it went back for repair and they swapped it for a reconditioned model.
Mine died after about 9 months went back and got swapped for a reconditioned model which i wasn't really thrilled about. Weeks later my reconditioned model failed. The phone started just turning itself off and dropping calls until finally it wouldn't even come back on.
I work in my home office and my phone is either in my pocket or on my desk so nothing has ever happened to it plus i had it in the plastic protective bumper case as well.
I sent this phone back in April! I waited for a few weeks and kept getting the run around so in the end i said forget it and went and changed phone providers and got a Samsung Galaxy SG2. I didnt want to pay Rogers $50 to use some old piece of crap when i had paid for a Smart phone.
Anyway i still continued to contact them trying to get an idea when it was coming back. I got told the same as you. "Its been escalated" etc.
Another time the guy said he had no idea why it was taking so long and didnt have any idea where the phone was or what was happening. He promised me a call which i never received. I didnt experience any rudeness but every time i waited on hold for ages and was occasionally cut off whilst on hold.
I finally got the phone back this week unfixed! That's what? About 35 WEEKS?!!!!!!
Absolutely ridiculous! How does it take 35 weeks to do that?
Their excuse is that the USB port is broken and they have said this is physical damage and its not covered.
They must have baboons running the place!
I did not break it, the usb is just crap because they cheaped out and is a known problem with the phone. That wasnt the issue anyways. It wont turn on! I can put a fully charged battery in it and it still does not turn on!
The repair centre are a joke. I should have known better. We had two C510a's before this and when they both broke at exactly the same time (due to needing a system update!) and were both sent back mine was sent back unrepaired stating liquid damage when the thing has never been anywhere near liquid. I fixed it myself in 2mins using the proper update software not the pre bundled crap the phone comes with.
I don't know but they works fine in my country. Bring it and they will replace mainboard or even a phone for you such as can't charge... . However, I think the reason is the Flextronic. Also, you should check the phone before buy it from another guy. There must be something wrong so he sells it. And you have to check carefully.
They are pretty renowned for their poor customer service. Check the arc forum to see what I'm talking about
I had similar experiences with Samsung. It can take ages before you get your phone back. Besides, the people in the service centers have no idea what they are talking about.
Just an example. Here they quote that the Galaxy Nexus is a Google device and when you have questions you should contact.......MICROSOFT.......
Microsoft would be the owner of the OS and responsible for firmware updates
maddes1402 said:
I had similar experiences with Samsung. It can take ages before you get your phone back. Besides, the people in the service centers have no idea what they are talking about.
Just an example. Here they quote that the Galaxy Nexus is a Google device and when you have questions you should contact.......MICROSOFT.......
Microsoft would be the owner of the OS and responsible for firmware updates
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TROLLOLOLOL.
Or maybe cat got its tongue (or something like that)?
I have had 0 issues with flextronics, but I am often in Newmarket and I just drop in and ask them the progress .. they are not able to hang up if you are standing right there. Was this a x10a or the x10i?
Darth Glacious said:
Looks like SE approved service centers are the same, no matter the country. I sent mine 2 times already because of issues related to the USB connector in the phone (not charging and not having stable USB connection via cable). Got it back 2 times fixed partially, now it charges but the connections still is worthless.
So my sympathy goes to you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah ah ah, not so fast. I have gotten my x10 replaced free of charge not once, but twice for motherboard related problems in the US. I was under warranty and they respected that. After sending number one in for repair they told me that they would rather replace the device as opposed to reparing the damaged one. They sent me a brand new x10. This lasted about a month before it too began to experience random massive overheating, reboots and eventual failure to charge, boot or respond to any input whatsoever. Say what you want, but I have two x10s and a fully charged battery from the one that never had to be replaced didn't work in the damaged phone either. Anyway I called se up again. Of course I was still under warranty, so they replaced it again. This time I got a device that performs admirably, taking the highest overclocks I can throw at it with custom kernels.
This experience has not impressed me with the general build quality of the x10, but it showed me that at least some reps from se are interested in customer satisfaction.
Then again, maybe they outsourced to some of willy wonka's oompa loompa's!
Sent from my X10 using XDA App
Companies almost never hold up their side of the warranty sadly =(. I actually find apple to be one of the better places for customer service . Anyhow i usually just contact Better business bureau if they don't do what they say they'll do. They sort things out for you . One of my friends said just threatening to use BBB works too lol.

4 days and 3 Droid Turbos: My journey through Verizon hell (replacement woes)

If you want to hear a worst case scenario with verizon employees and new hardware defects, here you go. Kudos if you read the whole thing, I don't expect most people to...unless you're one of those people with a faulty battery/camera flash/screen/speaker. Then, enjoy and beware.
What follows is a true story.
Thursday 10/30/2014 12pm – Purchase Droid Turbo #1
– Went to Verizon Store and worked with sales associate John to purchase my new droid turbo. I traded in my OG droid razr maxx for $100 rebate, and then John tried to “sell” me a wireless charger for the device by saying he could waive my upgrade fee to apply towards the product. Having already read about the promotion for waived upgrade fees, and knowing it is not only applicable towards products in store (as John was insinuating) I declined, feeling decidedly like John was trying to take advantage of me and the lack of knowledge I may have about current Verizon promotions.
Friday 10/31/2014 –Full Day with Droid Turbo #1
Used Turbo Unit 1 for 24 hrs, after charging to full. My battery drained unusually fast, so that I was getting less than 20 hours on the battery. I took screenshots of my battery reports during two full discharges to demonstrate to reps that the battery was in fact underperforming, knowing that evidence would be useful because it is hard to just look at a phone and tell it has a battery issues.
Saturday 11/1/2014 – Return Turbo #1 for Turbo #2
11am- Returned to Verizon store. I worked with sales associate “Ross” and brought my concerns to his attention. He also frequently made furtive trips to have whispered discussions with Andre, who I assume is his manager, throughout our conversation about my wanting a replacement unit. They did a “test” on my phone in which they just opened up a call and let it sit for 15 minutes, then said “oh it looks like it drained normally.” As if they know, on a phone that is literally 2 days old. I could tell they were bullsh*tting me, they had no interest in looking at the battery data I had saved on the phone demonstrating the VERY fast discharge, and when I expressed my displeasure, Ross again went and had another whispered conversation with Andre, and he came back and said “we want to help you out….” He proceeded to tell me that they would replace the unit for me. He then went into the back and came out with a box in one hand and another Droid Turbo unit in his other hand—I never saw him take it out of the box. He switched my sim card into the unit he brought from the back, and said I had to keep my current box/etc and did not give me the matching box with the unit. Here is the first time I have a unit that doesn’t match my box/IMEI number information. This is despite me requesting the box to keep the serial numbers consistent.
Saturday 11/1/2014 – Later that Day with Turbo #2
When I get Droid Turbo #2 home and start using it that evening in low light conditions, I see that there is a noticeable change in color from the top left to the bottom right of the screen. It was evident in multiple apps, and although subtle, is very apparent when you utilize a graphic designed to test color and brightness consistency on a display. (I used Display Test app, “viewing angle graphic” which demonstrated clearly the screen was not uniform.) I make plans to go in on Sunday and have it exchanged for a unit with consistent color reproduction.
Sunday 11/2/2014 – 11am. – Returning Turbo #2 for Turbo #3
I return to Verizon for the 3rd time in 4 days. At this point, I am feeling decidedly emotionally raw from my previous experiences in which I felt that employees had ZERO interest in what I had to say or show them. I explain that I’m here to have my device replaced because the screen color is not uniform. They immediately get General manager Steven S. to deal with me, and after taking a cursory glance at my unit underneath glaring overhead can lights at the front desk (where you can hardly see the screen anyways) tells me “He doesn’t see a problem.” I am detecting barely contained hostility at this point—I feel that the employees have labeled me as a “problem” to be dealt with. Another employee, Matthew, hovers nearby the entire time I’m dealing with Steven, making me feel even more ganged up on and adding non-helpful comments from time to time. At this point they have made no effort to get any information from me. I needed to tell them that the flaw is visible in dim light, when the screen brightness is turned down lower, and how you can see it in certain apps, etc, but they took a defensive posture from the beginning as though they had already decided I was wrong.
After nearly 90 minutes standing at the counter arguing in front of MANY CUSTOMERS IN THE STORE, that there was a flaw that CAN BE PERCEIVED, I plead for them to just LOOK more closely at what I’m trying to show them. I am at my wit’s end at this point, ready to cancel my contract.
Steven S. finally goes to get a magnifying instrument resembling a jeweler’s loupe, and looks at the test graphic that clearly shows the non-uniform screen through it. HE AGREES THAT HE CAN SEE THAT THERE IS A NON-UNIFORMITY IN THE COLOR REPRODUCTION ON THE SCREEN!!! This is an important point, because later on I am told that “there was no defect found on the units I returned” by Solutions manager Jeff.
Steve S. agrees to replace the unit as defective and tells me Matthew will get my replacement. Matthew then goes into the back and does not emerge for nearly ten minutes. Just to get my unit from the shelf? When he comes out of the back, again, he is holding another turbo unit in one hand, and the box it may or may not have come out of in the other. Like Ross did for my last replacement, Matthew swaps my sim card into the other unit, but does not give me the new box despite my asking to exchange, again, to keep serial numbers consistent.
At this point they could have given me back the unit I had returned the day before and I would not be any wiser. I’m feeling more and more uncomfortable about the lack of transparency in this process, and the way employees at this store are handling my complaints and concerns in general.
I leave the store, vowing never to return and completely emotionally traumatized and exhausted from the process.
When I get home that evening…
…and start to use my Droid Turbo #3….the flash starts to malfunction. At first it just misses timing on a photo every third or so, making photos oddly red and dark. Then, it’s giving an odd “half flash” instead of a fully bright flash occasionally. Solutions Manager Jeff G, sent me text message following up on my customer experience. I responded:
(Mon, 11:31 AM) “the camera flash has been wonky on two occasions, like it isn’t timed right with the shutter..I’ll wait and see how it works out.” He does not respond.
Sunday 11/3 and Monday 11/4 – Turbo #3 Flash Not working at all, periodically.
As I’m testing the camera over Sunday night and Monday morning, the flash stops working completely on three different occasions. Even when set to “always on” the flash has just stopped turning on. It gives a weak “half flash” the first time you try after it’s been sitting a while, then just never turns on again. This happens on and off as I test the camera in various lighting situations. Clearly a malfunction, by any definition.
Again, I text Solutions manager Jeff G:
(Mon 6:49pm) “Hahah crud. My flash no longer works at all. Apparently it wasn’t going to be ok.”
Jeff G responds:
(Mon 7:06pm) “At this point, any manufacture defects needs to go through Motorola directly. We have exchanged 2 devices already for this line we will not be able to exchange out a 3rd device for the same model. If you are still unhappy with this device we can exchange it for a different model phone and we will waive the $35 restocking fee, however, if you feel this is just a manufacture defect you can reach out to Motorola at 800.734.5870 or motorola . com
So according to the Solutions manager , there is a 3 unit limit per customer on models of the same device, despite experiencing manufacturers defects that employees admitted were in fact manufacturer defects?
I respond:
(Mon 7:06pm) “ I didn’t realize there was a limit on manufacturer defects! What would you recommend? Is a non working flash on a phone that has taken less than 50 pictures a manufacturer defect or a feature of the droid turbo? Because I’d love to have your answer on record.”
Jeff G responds:
(Mon 7:13pm) “After reviewing the devices exchanged the manufacture defects that were reported are not currently listed as defects by Motorola as a result the devices exchanged were done as a courtesy as a Verizon customer. Future defects should be reported to Motorola. Again if you are unhappy with this phone we are willing to make a final exception to waive the restocking fee to exchange the device for a different model.”
So, at this point I am insulted and offended. First of all, the devices I returned were not exchanged as a “courtesy”—I had demonstrated and provided evidence, BEYOND WHAT SHOULD EVER HAVE BEEN NECESSARY OF A CUSTOMER YOU WANT TO BE COURTIOUS TO, that each of the devices I exchanged were not performing as advertised. Secondly, he is flat our refusing to honor Motorola’s manufacturer’s warranty, despite the fact that I have had the unit for less than 24 hours and it is in PRISTINE condition.
Can a Verizon employee (Jeff) arbitrarily and retroactively change the terms of your exchange of a defective device? Verizon is contractually obligated to provide you with a device that functions as described, but instead Jeff is saying “basically, we took care of you because you whined about it hard enough.” This is despite the verbal attestation of multiple employees at the location that the defects were indeed noted at my time of exchange.
Tuesdsay, 11/4/2014 – I call Motorola. (Case # XXX-XXXXX)
I take Jeff’s advice and call Motorola- I still want a functioning Droid Turbo. Talk to Tech support about flash issue, they agree to send a replacement unit no problem. They ask me for the IMEI number. This is where the problems created by the employees at the Verizon Store Maple Village come to the surface.
I give Motorola my IMEI on the box (XXXXXXXXXXXXX) —but it doesn’t match my device info in their computers. (Remember how they would not give me the matching boxes with my exchanged devices?)
So we investigate further. Motorola tech has me dial a number that gives me Droid Turbo #3’s internal number. (IMEI: XXXXXXXXXXXXX) I get put on hold…and apparently escalated to Tier 2 tech support because the number I gave them isn’t matching the numbers they should have in their system. Fraud alarm bells have gone off, something about what he saw in the info attached to the IMEE# of my device.
Motorola tells me that the Verizon employees have done something wrong, and perhaps even illegal, in processing my exchanges. He says that I need to return to the store and request a replacement unit, with the matching box, serial numbers, parts, etc. This effects my warranty, and apparently could be related to illegal practices behind the scenes at this particular Verizon store? He’s vague about the details, but says they need to escalate it. He gives me a case number and says I’ll be contacted within 48 hours during the investigation.
In Summary:
I don’t know what to say at this point. I demand as many replacement Droid Turbo models as is necessary until I receive a unit that functions as designed and advertised, without defect or flaw, and not as a “courtesy as a Verizon customer,” but as a “fulfilment of the contractual obligation Verizon has to its customers.” This does not seem to be an unreasonable request, given that I am paying for a product and service.
Update at time of publishing: My camera flash has not malfunctioned in 24 hrs, I don't know if it was just working out the kinks, was software related, or new battery, who knows. I don't. What I do know is I have 0% expectation that I will get a replacement unit, so I'm probably just dropping the turbo instead of risking having an unwarranty-able device with no Verizon support and a potential faulty flash.
Try to get the district manager's contact info - they will be able to help you out.
That sucks man. I do have a couple things to say (I know you're mad and I don't blame you for being mad but just some insight on the phone issues not Verizon I won't back them up) I got the Turbo as well and as far as the battery goes.....the first day it's going to suck. Smartphones aren't going to be perfect out of the box because they haven't experienced real world scenarios yet. Phone's batteries can take up to 2 days sometimes more to become for lack of a better term calibrated. My battery was the same but I let it do it's thing and now I get over 24hrs if not close to 40. Yes I'm concious about how I use it but it performs really well. Also your IMEI# is under setting>about phone>status. You don't need the box. One final thing and I'm not assuming anything but....there was an update that came basically the same day this phone went on sale. Now I don't know exactly what the update was for but it may or may not have fixed some of the problems you were having.
As far as Verizon....yeah they didn't treat you right. I'm sorry they did that to you and the reason for this post was again to help you. I noticed you joined xda just this month so I'll say this. This site does a really good job at helping people with issues/questions with their phones. Sometimes it's better to look around on the site or other sites to see what if any other kind of problems other users are having. I am here everyday to read up on things that I may have missed. I mean I spent $600 on the phone, I want to know as much as I can about how to fix or take care of it. No it's not on us as users to fix the problem of a company's mistakes. But sometimes it can produce better results. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions or just to let me know what you think.
Can you just return the phone since you are still in the 14 day return period and get something else?
I dont want to sound like an *** because I have sympathy in wanting a "perfect" phone... but none of the issues you are describing sound like 'manufacturer's defects' to me.
A manufacturer defect is something like: the phone doesnt hold any charge, or half the screen is white, or there is no speakerphone.
"unusually fast drain" of the battery is totally subjective. the screen color issues have already been noted as simply being the result of the quality of the screens in general.
Again, I get you're not happy with the phones, but it may just be that your expectations are too high. the whole sim card swap and holding onto the box thing is wierd though.
rajuabju said:
I dont want to sound like an *** because I have sympathy in wanting a "perfect" phone... but none of the issues you are describing sound like 'manufacturer's defects' to me.
A manufacturer defect is something like: the phone doesnt hold any charge, or half the screen is white, or there is no speakerphone.
"unusually fast drain" of the battery is totally subjective. the screen color issues have already been noted as simply being the result of the quality of the screens in general.
Again, I get you're not happy with the phones, but it may just be that your expectations are too high. the whole sim card swap and holding onto the box thing is wierd though.
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Click to collapse
I agree, knowing what I know now about battery new battery cycles, I may not have ever even taken that first one back. In fact, I wish to god I hadn't, because the flash and screen on that one were functioning and consistent (and up to my high standards )
Honestly I am just looking at changing to another model...I just don't think there's another one I want right now, I waited 3 years for the Droid Turbo and I want a good one damnit.
I had some MAJOR issues with Verizon over the past week, spent over 12 hours on the phone with them, spoken with 7 different Reps, until I had enough. I called their Corporate Office......Ezekiel took care of my issues in ONE phone call, AND I was credited for my inconvenience. I've been a Verizon Customer for 8 years, have 7 lines with them, spend, on average, $5500 a year on Service, more if I buy devices (I've bought 4 tablets from them over the past two years my latest being the Note Pro 12.2) and I regularly upgrade my phones out of contract. IF you're having issues again, I'd recommend giving this guy a call, or call their Executive Offices in New York.
I've removed the personalized message and Case Number, but this is the Contact Info for him directly.
If you have additional concerns, please contact me at (770)-521-5633. My office hours are 8:00am– 4:00pm EST Monday through Friday.
Regards,
Ezekiel Fields
Executive Relations
Im perplexed that you didnt just return the phone. There is nothing wrong with our droid turbos but im starting to hate them and i expect to just return them. I dont mind restock fees to get rid of something i dislike
Don't take this too harshly bro but, your being a **** about all of this. If you don't like the Turbo, take their offer to get something else. Otherwise, STFU. They could tell you to piss off but, they are trying to make you happy and you are refusing. They could ignore your emails and calls and tell you you are delusional and let you be stuck with what you have. Here they are though, eating cash hand over fist exchanging phones for you and you persist. If Motorola tells Verizon that your problem isn't a problem, Verizon eats the phone. At $700 a pop, no matter how loyal a customer you are, there is going to come a time when it's just more profitable to let you walk.
Verizon swapping out the phones without visibly removing them from a brand new box, or at least providing you with the original retail packaging, is where I feel Verizon has really screwed up. As a customer, without the original packaging and paper trail, you have no way of supporting any proof of purchase or warranty claims (as you have unfortunately discovered). You also have no way of knowing whether or not those devices are actually new devices. Honestly, given the bull**** runaround they have given you on each occasion, I would seriously not be surprised if each of those "new" phones are actually units other customers have purchased and returned, likely for the same reasons you did. They are probably trying to reduce RMA chargebacks for non-defective units so are betting that either customers perceive faults where there are none, or that some poor schlub will get it and not know any better.
I'd definitely try and get in contact with someone in customer relations, maybe post something on their twitter account, that store is dicking you around.
Otherwise, did you have to pay anything for the phone, or did you use Edge? If you paid something for it, if you did so on a credit card, you may want to contact the card company and see what options you can pursue through them.
Honestly I would just return the phone but not getting a matching imei box after stating your defect is ridiculous. Another thing is that they give you two different ones from the back, what is this? A McDonalds and you exchanging a burger because you didn't ask for pickles. That store is ridiculous and I would take my business elsewhere. I've had a couple instances where I see a problem and they don't believe me and they ask coworkers and they agree because they're buddy buddy and have to be a team. It makes you feel uncomfortable, its not their devices, why do they think returning a phone is a problem. Its not coming out of their pockets, its not their 2 year agreement.
Sent from my DROID TURBO 64 GB
xkape said:
Don't take this too harshly bro but, your being a **** about all of this. If you don't like the Turbo, take their offer to get something else. Otherwise, STFU. They could tell you to piss off but, they are trying to make you happy and you are refusing. They could ignore your emails and calls and tell you you are delusional and let you be stuck with what you have. Here they are though, eating cash hand over fist exchanging phones for you and you persist. If Motorola tells Verizon that your problem isn't a problem, Verizon eats the phone. At $700 a pop, no matter how loyal a customer you are, there is going to come a time when it's just more profitable to let you walk.
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Click to collapse
You sound like the employees at the Verizon store I have been visiting--trolly. (Troll-y?) Sorry bub, I'm not going to be intimidated into shutting up about real issues with a product I pay money for, not by you, or the managers at my verizon store.
And here I go breaking my rule about not feeding your kind.
zachtheowl said:
You sound like the employees at the Verizon store I have been visiting--trolly. (Troll-y?) Sorry bub, I'm not going to be intimidated into shutting up about real issues with a product I pay money for, not by you, or the managers at my verizon store.
And here I go breaking my rule about not feeding your kind.
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Click to collapse
ok
I work for Verizon on the indirect side (non corporate) in Jersey. They totally violated their own return exchange policy. The reason they did what they did..if my logic is correct..is simply give you a different phone without actually processing an exchange because it will make their internal numbers look bad because of how hard VZW Corp is pushing this phone. I got mine day 1 (also from corporate) and my battery also was not perfect day one..but has gotten better. I know the rep I dealt with personally and know he won't try to screw me. I would recommend going to another Corporate store and explaining the situation to them. Be calm and don't be afraid to turn on the poor mes. Don't be angry as anger is simply reciprocated and doesn't force intimidation like everyone thinks..all it does is make people less likely to help you. Avoid that other store like the plague..now and in the future. Any questions..don't be afraid to PM me.
Sent from my XT1254 using XDA Free mobile app
dano1282 said:
I work for Verizon on the indirect side (non corporate) in Jersey. They totally violated their own return exchange policy. The reason they did what they did..if my logic is correct..is simply give you a different phone without actually processing an exchange because it will make their internal numbers look bad because of how hard VZW Corp is pushing this phone. I got mine day 1 (also from corporate) and my battery also was not perfect day one..but has gotten better. I know the rep I dealt with personally and know he won't try to screw me. I would recommend going to another Corporate store and explaining the situation to them. Be calm and don't be afraid to turn on the poor mes. Don't be angry as anger is simply reciprocated and doesn't force intimidation like everyone thinks..all it does is make people less likely to help you. Avoid that other store like the plague..now and in the future. Any questions..don't be afraid to PM me.
Sent from my XT1254 using XDA Free mobile app
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Click to collapse
Thank you for the helpful advice. I hear what you are saying about the anger! Unfortunately it tends to be the only emotion left behind after being so thoroughly run around. That at bitterness
I shared my post with the Michigan district managers via e-mail. I'm hoping that they'll care enough about the fraudulent employee practices to get involved.
I'm with the others here that have said you are being a douche about this. Sorry to hear your third and final exchange from Verizon has an actual defect. The battery, as you already admitted was a mistake to exchange for. The screen was also dumb. If you can only detect a problem with a screen in low light with the brightness turned down there is no problem. That is a "perfect" screen by manufacturer standards. The flash sounds like a real problem and I wouldn't be happy with the phone you have now either, but the problem is that you have already returned tm2 phones which testing showed to be "perfect" and now those phones will have to be refurbished and sold as such at a loss for Verizon. They have to make the call to stop exchanging for the same device at some point because not only are you costing them money, you are depleting the stock in that store meaning they may lose customers because the phone they want is no longer in stock.
As far as them walking out of the back with the phone out of the box, I would interperate that as them pulling out the phone and powering it on before bringing it out to you to make sure that it is functioning properly. I'm not sure why they wouldn't give you the boxes, but as someone else pointed out, there's no reason you needed them. As far as Motorola saying they did something "illegal", I'm calling BS. That isn't information they would share with a customer. They would simply tell you to go back to the store or they would exchange/repair your device.
To the guy who works at an indirect store, I worked at one for quite a while too and I would like to share with everyone else that indirect employees are not told anything about internal exchange practices. I don't know for sure that pulling a phone out of the box before bringing it to the counter is or isn't against policy, but I do know for sure that that isn't something an indirect employee would know.
My Turbos should be here tomorrow and I hope they're only as "defective" as the OP's first 2...
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
I wish i was b.s'ing about Motos fraud investigation--my replacement would be on its way now if it wasn't for this. Tech supp tried to process exchange, ran into "unusual information" associated with my ohones ImEI #, elevated my call to a manager, who asked me more questions, told me verizon employees at the store "really did not take care of me," and that they have to open an investigation into the store's practices, putting my replacement on hold--he said the words suspected fraud. *shrug*
rhouse1983 said:
That sucks man. I do have a couple things to say (I know you're mad and I don't blame you for being mad but just some insight on the phone issues not Verizon I won't back them up) I got the Turbo as well and as far as the battery goes.....the first day it's going to suck. Smartphones aren't going to be perfect out of the box because they haven't experienced real world scenarios yet. Phone's batteries can take up to 2 days sometimes more to become for lack of a better term calibrated. My battery was the same but I let it do it's thing and now I get over 24hrs if not close to 40. Yes I'm concious about how I use it but it performs really well. Also your IMEI# is under setting>about phone>status. You don't need the box. One final thing and I'm not assuming anything but....there was an update that came basically the same day this phone went on sale. Now I don't know exactly what the update was for but it may or may not have fixed some of the problems you were having.
As far as Verizon....yeah they didn't treat you right. I'm sorry they did that to you and the reason for this post was again to help you. I noticed you joined xda just this month so I'll say this. This site does a really good job at helping people with issues/questions with their phones. Sometimes it's better to look around on the site or other sites to see what if any other kind of problems other users are having. I am here everyday to read up on things that I may have missed. I mean I spent $600 on the phone, I want to know as much as I can about how to fix or take care of it. No it's not on us as users to fix the problem of a company's mistakes. But sometimes it can produce better results. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions or just to let me know what you think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are the types of guys that make XDA awesome
I really appreciate the kind words sir. I've always felt this is a place where users are supposed to help each other. And as I have been a person (lurker really) who has used this site since my droid x days I felt the new guy needed some assistance. Again thanks. As far as my on topic point, Verizon didn't help the situation and that sucks but again I feel as users sometimes it's better to try to figure out the problem yourself cuz when you add more people to the mix it can get sloppy. XDA is the place you can always go for guidance.
cstone1991 said:
I'm not sure why they wouldn't give you the boxes, but as someone else pointed out, there's no reason you needed them..
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Stop being stupid. When purchasing a new product, you expect it to come with an original retail manufacturing box. That box and internals should match the product purchased, period. Otherwise there would be no point in manufacturers investing time and money into labeling each box with specific serial numbers, model numbers, etc.
Has for the OP -
I had to exchange my Droid Turbo 32GB BN due to a defect as well, though my Verizon experience was much different than the OP during exchange. When exchanging my unit, I was very professional & civil about my complaint, it can make all the difference in the world.
The Exchange:
I was approached immediately upon entering my local Verizon store and greeted by an employee named Jason. I informed Jason to accompany me to the location of the demo display units and personally began explaining to him the differences between devices.
Jason was very hesitant at first, but I quickly produced alternative examples with more detailed information and replicated the issue in real time. Jason at this point was in agreement with me but not fully committed to exchange the device as he had to get manager approval. This transaction took a total of about 5 minutes, from the minute I stepped into the store.
The manager, Jeff, approached the sales counter at this point and spoke briefly with Jason. Immediately the manager began asking the same questions Jason did before hand. In which case I explained to Jeff the same information provided previously with Jason. This transaction took roughly 4 minutes.
Manager gives the go ahead, but before I let him walk away I immediately ask him if they had the 64GB in stock as they did not have it previously. Manager confirms stock, in which I inform him I am willing to pay the difference minus the restocking fee. Manager agrees, Jason retrieves the new Turbo 64GB in an unopened box and begins activation. I quickly ask to see the device and inspect it before he proceeds to make sure it does not have the same issues/defects. Everything looked fine, I give the go ahead. This transaction took 6 minutes.
At this point, while waiting for the activation process, I strike up a nice conversation with a couple of the employees around the counter (as it was slow for them at the time). I bring up the question of how many Turbo units they had sold in the past couple days. The numbers were surprising, around 23 units locally in two days (not including online). They even went so far as to inform me about the limited edition employee version with red metal trim to match Verizon branding and two of the four employees present were actually using Turbos personally.
Activation goes through, I am handed the retail box that matches the unit sold and a receipt with the cost difference. No restock fee applied, only the upgraded capacity valued. They put my exchanged unit in a box, but I inform them to take it out and reset as I did not perform that. They hand me the phone, letting me take care of the reset. I finish reset and complete our exchange.
I thank Jason for his time, we shake hands. I locate and approach the manager Jeff, thank him for his time and shake hands. I do this, so that at this point I establish a connection. Chances are they don't care and I'm immediately forgotten the minute I leave and that is fine. The point is if I have to come back again, I more likely made a bigger positive impact than running in flipping tables
At this point the total time spent from the moment I enter to exiting the store was roughly 28 minutes, chalk it up to 30 give or take.
Sorry you had a bad experience all around, but a little generosity and professionalism can go a long way. (Not aimed at you specifically, don't get defensive)
TL;DR: They did not treat you properly and you have a right to complain.

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