Close?
Posted on 03/17/2015 9:56:26 PM PDT by EinNYC
I'd like to hear some opinions about this fine example of "customer service" I recently experienced at the hands of LG Electronics. I purchased a non-smart cell phone from a vendor on Amazon. It was advertised as new, and arrived in the original sealed box. After a few months, the phone's camera stopped working. The battery door was stuck and could not be opened. And the shift key was on the fritz, leaving you with entire sentences in upper case at random times. I contacted Amazon, who contacted the vendor. Two times they contacted them and two times there was no reply. Secure in the knowledge that I had plenty of time left on the 1-year warranty, I contacted LG and explained the issues the phone was having. They sent me a return authorization number and a free shipping label to send the phone to their Texas repair facility. After 3 weeks and hearing nothing, I contacted LG and gave them the return authorization number.
"Oh, we're sorry. We only have the battery and the back cover of the battery compartment," the lady said.
"WHAT?????? I sent you the entire phone, wrapped in multiple layers of bubble wrap, in its original box within an outer box!"
"Well, that's all we have of your phone. We will look around."
A week later, I called back and they had found the phone. But would they repair it now? No. They needed a "Proof of Purchase".
I printed out and scanned the invoice one gets when logged into their Amazon account and on the page of an item you purchased. Then I sent it to LG.
"We're sorry. We do not accept this as a proof of purchase."
Excuse me? This is the only invoice Amazon ever provides. I called Amazon and had them call LG to verify I had purchased the phone when I claimed to have.
And now the phone will be fixed? Oh noes. Now LG demands I supply the phone's MEID number.
"But you have the physical phone! It has the MEID number inside the battery case!"
No. We need it from YOU."
I had to call my cell phone service provider. The Tier 1 tech went into this whole dogma-read about how they could not release that number to me. I roared into the phone that he'd better get a supervisor on the phone, pronto. Finally, a supervisor was located and put on the phone. I finally, after much wheedling, got him to give me the MEID number of my phone. Great! NOW I could give this to LG and get my phone fixed.
Oh noes. Now I called LG to find out when I would get my phone back repaired.
"Oh, we cannot repair your phone. Our techs (who lost it and then found it, recall) found that your phone was refurbished/tampered with/had water damage. We can repair it for money, though."
The phone was purchased as new and certainly looked it.
I contacted Amazon and told them this sorry tale. Either their vendor had lied about the new condition of the phone or LG was playing for time until the May 2015 end of the 1-year warranty period. I told LG where to put my phone (hint: the sun never shines there) and filed complaints with the NY Attorney General and the NYS Dept. of Consumer Affairs.
Oh good!
Still, Amazon needs to be all over this, like Ebay does.
Excuhrent...
When buying on Amazon, only buy from Amazon itself or a *very* highly recommended vendor. If that happens, Amazon will help you deal with it up to and including just giving you your money back.
That said... should have bought a smartphone.
I don't need a smartphone and I don't want to be hit over the head for it in school or on the subway or bus.
Keep it in your pocket and just use a Bluetooth or wired headset. Even cheap crappy non-smart phones offer that function now so that doesn’t mark you as a target. Using a headset also doesn’t block your vision to one side like a handset does - which, by the way, NYC crooks are using as a cover to sneak up on you, hit you over the head and take your valuables *anyway* - cheap phone or smartphone.
How is that cheap price working out? Some stuff, it's just better to go with a good vendor instead of buying online if you know you won't be able to fix a problem yourself.
/johnny
I went with a very cheap, used phone from eBay and with PagePlus for service a long time ago—$10 per month, prepaid, or $80 a year. If the phone had been bad, I would’ve tossed it in the trash and bought another cheap used one.
Close?
Where I live, we don't have subways. I have vehicles, so I don't ride the bus (parking is occasionally hard to find, but never impossible). And they are welcome to any electronics I have with me--once the slide is locked back.
It sounds as though none of those options are available to you where you live.
Perhaps you should consider moving at your first opportunity.
Best of luck to you.
I have bought four unlocked phones on ebay and they all work perfectly with at&t or t mobile SIM cards. One is a Samsung s3 mini and the others are dumbphones, including a credit card sized phone that fits easily in a wallet and another that looks like a BMW key fob. Great stuff.
I wouldn’t accept the repair facilities “water damage” verdict as gospel ,, I’m in FL and every phone has the “telltale” tape that changes color in the presence of water indicating water damage due to the humidity here.. it’s not reliable.
Your story should tell everyone never to get on a contract with a cell phone , you’re paying for service you cannot use from a company that doesn’t value you...
What do my fellow FReepers think of THIS wonderful example of customer service?
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You should just have thrown the junker out and bought a new one at a 7-11 , WalMart or Target store. Those basic phones usually sell for $9.99 or less, you seem to have wasted many days on this already... cut your losses.
I switched to Consumer Cellular a few years ago after being totally fed up with every previous smart phone and cell phone experience I’d had. Coulldn’t be happier, and that includes easy access to informed and English-speaking American sounding associates on the phone.
Best to buy a phone at a place, like AT&T, where you know what you are getting. Bargains rarely are.
Even though I have a store pretty close by, I use Apple’s phone support instead.
So long as you have your device’s s/n, you can set a pre-arranged time and they will call you. I am consistently amazed at their customer service and support.
Amazon has really gone down hill now that they have included thousands of 3d-Party vendors to sell on their site. Many have had issues with items purchased from these sellers and Amazon rarely does squat to help the customer.
It’s gotten so bad that I canceled my Amazon Prime membership this year in protest.
You shouldnt have pissed them off. Now they’re going to send the phone cops after you. :-)
Bring it!
Exactly.
I have a car, but where I work, there is very little parking. It’s much easier to take the bus, which stops right there.
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