Hello Forum,
My Story Goes like this:
Last week (week of 26th Sept), I went to Sprint Repair center in Peoria, Illinois with my EVO 4G that stopped vibrating for repair. Since I was having insurance, they said that it can not be fixed in the store and they would give me a refurbished EVO 4G instead. I agreed and they ordered one for me. In fact they suggested me to get upgraded to EVO 3D as I am eligible as a Premier Customer. I said will think over it during the weekend.
This Monday, I went to the store. They got my replacement phone EVO 4G. I asked the sales person, how much would it cost for EVO 3D. He said it will be $199 minus $87 for my old EVO 4G, So it came to around $113 plus activation for $36. I agreed but I categorically asked if I could return with-in 30 day for any reason. He said now the policy has been changed and I can return with-in 14 days only. I said no problem that sufficient time to finalize any decision.
On 6th, the 4th day, I spoke to the same Sales person over the phone and asked him on when can I come for the return and he said that he was going to talk to his manager because there was a buyback involved and would call me back after that. I got suspicious as to why would he want to speak to his manager, the return process should be very easy and they should be handling it on every day. BTW I never got a call back.
Then I spoke to Sprint customer service on this over phone and she said it would straight forward and I should have no problem returning this phone to store and get the replacement back, of course the replacement that I was expecting was a different refurbished phone because my original was not working (vibrator problem).
Now in the evening when I went to store, the sales lady said that they can’t return it because there was a buyback involved and the buyback phone (my old EVO 4G) was sent to the corporation. I said that’s fine, give me some different refurbished EVO 4G. They said they can’t give a replacement as they don’t have my OLD EVO 4G to replace. Then I said how do customer return a phone then? She said you can’t return this phone because this new EVO 3D would need to be de-activated and a different phone needed to be re-activated with the same phone number. I asked her that from where would I get the 2nd phone, I don’t make phone at home? She said I
HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER PHONE TO RETURN THIS PHONE. I said WHAT!!!
No one told me that once you buy a phone with a buyback of old phone, it is impossible to return your new phone unless you buy another phone. So this means
THERE IS NO POLICY TO RETURN A PHONE IF THERE IS A BUY BACK. Sprint will not give you any replacement and you will have to buy a new phone to get rid of your current phone. I told her that when I asked the sales rep about return policy why did he not tell me all this instead he told me that I can return in 14 days. She said the sales rep was right, we can take this phone but you need to buy another phone. Also she said that you have signed the papers you should have read those 7 pages before you signed that have this clause. I told her in good faith all the important clauses are communicated to the customer verbally and the sales rep did not even after asking the return policy. Anyway I had to leave the shop as they were not helping me out in fact blaming me for all this.
I spoke to Sprint customer service, the customer rep said the same thing what store said. Not ready to listen that
I WAS CHEATED BY THE SALES REP. After a long discussion, he put me with the supervisor and unfortunately the moment the supervisor said hello, the phone signals dropped. I wait for 15 minutes but no one called me back in spite of conforming a call back number in case of abrupt discussion. I called again, 2nd customer rep came, same story repeated and he put me with the supervisor. I explained the situation and he asked what exactly I waned. I told him take my 3D back and give me any refurbished EVO 4G.
WHEN I TOLD THE SUPERVISOR ON THE PHONE THAT I AM PAYING THIS INSURANCE OF $7 (NOW $8) AND STILL NOT GETTING A PHONE REPLACEMENT. HE SUDDENLY BECAME FURIOUS, AND THREATENED ME TO STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS INSURANCE AS IT IS NOT FROM SPRINT OTHERWISE HE IS NOT GOING TRY TO EVEN HELP ME. Guess what, I apologies so at least he could continue helping me. (I always thought that no matter what sprint does in the back but for a customer the Service is always from Sprint, anyway).
This supervisor put me on hold for several minutes and I started getting standard recorded msg of wait until next customer rep available.
After sometime I disconnected and tried again. This time I got connected to a 3rd customer rep. And she insisted me to explain again the whole situation, I asked her to go thru notes to save time. She hesitantly did that and told me that nothing can be done. I asked het that I was taking to supervisor and he was supposed to get back to me. The she put me on hold, came back after sometime and told me that someone will call me in 72 hours.
Let’s see when call comes.
Meanwhile this is what I learnt:
1) You can you return a phone, even within 14 days, unless you have another phone where they can port the number. Since you can’t produce the phone at home,
YOU WILL HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER PHONE FROM SPRINT WITH THE CURRENT PRICE TO RETURN THE PHONE YOU BOUGHT EARLIER.2)
IN CASE OF A BUYBACK, SPRINT WILL NOT KEEP YOUR PHONE IN STORE FOR 14 DAYS, AS PER RETURN POLICY, BUT SEND IT TO THE CORPORATION IMMEDIATELY SO THAT YOU CAN NOT TAKE YOUR PHONE BACK THAT LEADS TO YOU CAN NOT RETURN YOUR NEW PHONE. They will even not provide a replacement phone for the buy back phone. Your insurance has no meaning in this all episode.
3)
SALES REP WILL NOT TELL THE TRUTH EVEN AFTER ASKING THE RETURN POLICY VERY CATEGORICALLY. I gave this sales rep 5 Star on a feed back call from Sprint because I never suspected that he hid the things from me.
4) Your Premier Customer status will not help in this situation that they are any way ending in coming December.
I am with Sprint/Nextel for ALMOST 12 years and this the first time, because of a SALES REPS’ FALSE INFORMATION, I am having this problem and no one in Sprint has a solution in it.
As you can see, I am not trying to take advantage of anything here. Just asking a replacement for my old EVO 4G so that I can successfully return this EVO 3D.
I don’t know what should I do now. Please guide me for the next step!!??
I know it was a long story but sincerely thanks for your help and in reading this.
SS707
(Mod note: Edited for readability. Please refrain from using colors like that as it makes your post very hard to read. Thanks.):update:
I got a call from Sprint next day. Someone senior was on line.
I told him the situation once again and asked him as to why my old phone was returned to the company when it clearly said that I could return the new phone in 14 days. They should have held my phone at least for 14 days.
He too agreed that I was not trying to take any advantage out here but the victim of the system that was placed by Sprint.
Finally I asked him to at least match the price with Radio Shack for my satisfaction. He said that he couldn’t do that as per policy but under the circumstances he agreed to do a price match. I got difference of $72.00 back in my account resulted the cost of EVO 3D came down to $40 after buy back, same as if I would have bought from Radio Shack on that day.
Lesson: IF YOU FEEL YOU ARE RIGHT, PERSEVERANCE IS THE KEY.
SS707
