Rants and Raves August 5, 2008

Verizon: Why did I bother to go to your store??

As you’ve seen in my Verizon Centro Review, my normal personal cellphone is a Green enV on Verizon Wireless. I love my phone, however, the external LCD has started to fade on it.

So, off I go to the Verizon store expecting to walkout with a replacement phone. What I got was a piece of paper. I wasn’t expecting an enV2 or a Voyager, but another enV. The enV was just taken off the market maybe a month or two ago, and since they had NONE in the store, told me I would have to wait 2 days to get my replacement. They didn’t even offer to see if another store had them. I was just handed a piece of paper.

To some, this isn’t a big deal. However, I made the effort and spent money on gas to get to the store. I live on the south end of Columbus and had to go to Easton or Grove City, OH to get my phone serviced. I expected service, and I got told to wait. I could understand if I called it into the Verizon service phone number, however I was there. I was in person. I should have been able to walk out of the store with more than a broken LCD on my phone, a piece of paper, and orders to wait 2 days. I pay for my service plus I pimp Verizon to all of my friends, because I do think that in Columbus anyway, they have the best service. Maybe I need to change my tune?

Let me make something clear, I don’t want special service just because I am a blogger. I just expect that when I show up in person, I should get better service than if I had stayed home and called a service center. What I got was the exact same type of service I would have expected from a faceless customer service call. FAIL.

Tags: Verizon

Nokia E71 Review – My Phone Has Arrived!!

Review: PC Tune UP – Turn That Tortoise Back Into A Hare In Four Easy Steps.

About Joel McLaughlin

View all posts by Joel McLaughlin

Joel is a system admin for a local college in Columbus, OH. While he loves Linux and tends to use it more than anything else, he will stoop to running closed source if it is the best tool for the job. His techno passions are Linux, Android, netbooks, GPS, podcasting and Amateur Radio.

drowe

I had a similar experience. I left AT&T because of poor service and went to Verizon. I got a couple of low end phones and went home. After a week I decided I wanted a smartphone again. I called the store, explained what I wanted and they said no problem. I purposefully asked if they had the vx6900 in stock and they said yes. I went over there and after waiting around was told that they didn’t have any there and there weren’t any at any of the other stores/kiosks around and they would have to send me one. I, too, went home with a promise, not even a piece of paper, that it would be sent to me. After 2 days the manager of the store called and said my phone was there instead of being shipped to my house. I asked him to put my name on it and I’d be there at 5:30. I got there, was put in the wrong queue, waited for about an hour and they said they couldn’t find it….. I sent them back to the back and finally got it and I’m happy now.
Joel McLaughlin

Well it never ceases to amaze me what companies to do to serv….er make more money.

When I am standing right there, you sure as heck better be able to serve me to my satisfaction. If you can’t, come renewal time, I could be looking at a nice iPhone on AT&T or something else on Tmobile.
http://www.s-consult.com/index.php Wayne Schulz

Tip: Retail cell phone stores are for two purposes —

a. To shoplift accessories

b. To pay your bill because the phone got shut off and you only have cash
mchinsky

Oh man Wayne…Did you ever nail it with B. You ever see the machines (they have them at the sprint store) that is like a reverse atm that people cram cash into to pay the cell phone bill.
http://www.mormanfh.com sixftunda

Joel what exactly did you expect? Your model phone is not on the market and they got you one just like yours in 48 hours. If they are like the store near my house (Sandusky, OH BTW) they ship it free to your home or business saving you another trip.

I agree that in Ohio Verizon pretty much rules when it comes to coverage.
markntravis

So why didn’t you tell them to call the other stores/kiosks in the area?
Joel McLaughlin

sixftunda: Just a little over a year ago when my decrepit e815 bit the bullet, they got me another e815 that day. That phone also went off the market soon after I got it. I at least expected them to make the effort to see if I can get it sooner than later.

markntravis: They didn’t give me the option. They didn’t even ask. They simply handed me the ticket. What’s funny is every time I went in to re up my contract in the last 3 cycles, they STILL had the Razr. That’s amazing to me.
Joel McLaughlin

Oh and I PAY 5 a month for the insurance too. Just so you all know…
markntravis

You misunderstood my question. You should have insisted that they call the other stores/kiosks.
Joel McLaughlin

markntravis: You know, I am TIRED of having to do that. The point is I shouldn’t have to. They should have volunteered to check at least the corporate stores inventory and if they already did, they should have told me that. They are there to serve me. It’s not the other way around.

I don’t feel like I am at all expecting too much. I shouldn’t have to deal with people in the service industry like they are 2 years old. But then, it seems like that’s the only kind of people that want these kinds of jobs.
doogald

Yeah, the Verizon insurance. As I learned, despite the fact that I pay Verizon Wireless the insurance payment, the insurance is actually through a third party called Assurion and you must call them if you have a claim. Verizon will do nothing for you if you go in and need to make an insurance claim. They could really, really do a better job explaining the process when they sell you the insurance policy. (They really should act as agents on behalf of their customers rather than as a payment collection agency.)

To me, though, I think that you are being just a bit unfair. You signed a contract with VZW, and those are the terms. Would you have been pleased if they offered a cheaper phone to replace yours? I do know that they offer loaners if you travel to a GSM area – perhaps they could have offered a basic phone for $5 a day until they have your model?

If your car starts failing and the company does not have a part in stock, do you expect them to give you a new model year replacement, just because you drove in?

Is this phone out of warranty or in warranty, by the way?