This was a scam done by both private retailer for Metro PCS and also Metro PCS itself. Only reason I even got the phone from them was because my fiancee was insistant on getting it from them though regretted it not soon after. Heres the complete story:
New mall opens up few blocks from our home so my fiancee and I go and check it out. She wanted another Metro PCS phone which is a phone and service that allows calls long distance 24/7 throughout the US as long as the calls origionate from CA. They were not completely set up so had to call first mine them my fiancees card up to the store to get it charged. Each card got declined and the store employee tells us the cards are stolen which I take back and tell him hes full of it. Turnes out these people the first time were completely stupid, as they did not put in the 3 digit number in back of our cards for processing. They rushed it and put in 000's causing any bank to stop a card as stolen. After talking to our banks, got the blocks lifted, and one card had to be reissued. I stupidly let my fiancee goad me into going back there.
This gets better. Same guy who screwed up last time offers the opening discount and I inform him of what he did last time and he said he realized after and there wont be any problems. He sells us the phone and instead of activating it, tells both my fiancee and I that his computer is down and on our contract he wrote what we had to do to activate the phone. We calk 20 feet to try activating the phone. Put in the code and get Metro PCS who asks for the phone ESN number, then asks for personal information then tells me my first billing date will be December 2nd of but since their systems down they cant activate the phone and could be a few days to 2 weeks before I can use the phone. (funny, this happened with my first phone, took 3 weeks then they charged me for new month on thrid week) I then inform the serive that Im 20 feet from their vendor and that Im not having a startup date for a phone not in service. If its going to take 3 weeks, then you are required to start the date then. She insisted that is not the case. I then told her iM returning the phone and hung up on her.
I go back to the kiosk and tell the guy to take the phone back now. If you cant give us a working phone we are not paying and Ill call my card right now to do chargeback. His computer somehow was suddenly working. (wow, not 14 days to 3 weeks?) and got the phone working. (its not over yet, nightmare just begins)
I get home and log into my email which by the way, informs me of EVERY charge done. I then see multiple CRAZY WIRELESS charge emails and Im thinking (Why am I getting repeat emails?) so I log into my account and see multiple charges that took place right after I left. He charged my card after I left probably thinking it be weeks before I found out. I call him up and inform him that unless he reverses the charges hes done to my card which by the way emptied my account, I was going to go there with a sheriff and personally place him under arrest. He said go for it and hung up.
Guy was a moron, and stupid as he sure as heck didnt know that the main San Bruno Police department was right next to his busilding. I went their first. All windows were closed and a phone to get an officer. Im furiouse now. I pick up the phone and an officer asks if she can help me. This is my reply to her. "I want an officer now. I dont want to hear this is civil, its not. The vendor right next to this building has comited cerdit card fraud and made multiple charges to my card after we left his kiosk thinking I wouldnt see it. Credit card fraud is a felony and unless I get an officer now, Im going into that mall and drag the vendor by the hair if I have to to this police station under citizen arrest wether anyone wants to see a scene or not!" Officer took some info, and in a few moments I was met by a police officer who asked me questions and then he and I took a walk over to the mall next door to the kiosk. The vendor was definately suprised. Probably thought I was bluffing and then realized he bit off more then he can chew. I confronted him in front of the officer who first states he charged my card again because I took his charge slip which both the officer and I knew he was lying, as if that was the case, he wouldnt have hd my card number to begin with. I called the card company by officers request who then talked with the merchant and had him do a printout right then and there of all the days charges. Officer asked the merchant how many phones I bought and the guy waited a bit before responding to one. Possably he was deciding wether to say it was more then probably realized he had no additional contracts to prove it. Officer then stated there should only be one and after talking to my bank with my permission saw that the emrchant in fact did do multiple charges and which my bank releaed to me after the officer told them that there was only one sale and should be only one charge. The officer also told me that merchants that do credit card fraud are forced to close up and are not allowed to sell in the mall and that the spots are hard to get. (My opinion he said this to scare the merchant)
I thanked the officer for his help and left the mall.
Despite I got my money back, Im reporting this as it wasnt the merchant who refunded my money, it was my bank after I had to get the police involved and dont want this happening to anyone else.
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