Alltel
Poor service, phones, and failed to provide refund in timely manner! Ripoff

Almost 2 weeks ago, I went to this Alltel outlet, interested in acquiring a phone through the company. I had heard great things about Alltel's services and was, to say the least, very happy with the choice of company I was making.

I arrived at the outlet, picked out a phone, payed the payment on the phone, signed the contract, then left happy that I had this brand new phone and that I had all these wonderful bells & whistles on my plan.

The first day I attempted to reach my voicemail and was met with a busy signal. I tried to contact the store, but all they could say was that it was "weird" that was happening. So, I let that slide for then. Within a number of days, I was losing my service if I held the phone at a random angle or distance from the ground; I had dropped calls and people were not able to call me. Needless to say, this was frustrating, being that my phone was only as good as how well it could keep time if it didn't keep a signal.

Around 5 or 6 days ago, the phone began glitching tremendously. While I was in the middle of a phone call, the entire phone reset itself. And many times over the course of an hour, the phone would restart while I was playing Tetris or surfing the web.

After having the phone for 10 days, I contacted Alltel's customer service, and the gentleman I spoke with stated that the phone was a newer model, but that my phone should not be experiencing the issues I stated. After a half-hour of trying to resolve as many of my problems as possible, the representative simply told me to "take it back to the store". He was quite blunt that I had been given a phone that was not in proper working order, that the programming was not done correctly, and that I should make use of the 15 day return policy as soon as possible.

The following day I returned the phone to the outlet, explaining to them the issues I was having with it. They didn't hesitate to refund the phone for me, and took the time to help me find a replacement phone that might work out a lot better. So, I picked up a new phone, and was refunded for the difference between the new one and the old one. Here's where my problems start.

With refunds, I expect the amount to show up immediately on my bank account as a pending transaction; but upon returning home and checking my online banking, the transaction wasn't pending - it wasn't even posted on the account. On my way out of the mall, I had picked up lunch expecting the amount in question to be there; so naturally I was greatly concerned. I contacted the store and they stated that it should post before the day was out.

At midnight, being 2 hours late for work, I checked my online banking again. No transaction. I had already begun incurring NSF fees as a result of the refund not being there. Right now, I am sitting here still awaiting this transaction to post - and it hasn't.

I contacted the store, and the store manager stated that it should be there within 24 hours. It has been far past 24 hours, almost 36 to be exact, and the amount has not been refunded.

In the meantime, I have incurred $90 an additional $35 if the amount does not post before midnight tonight. The amount in bounce fees is much higher than the refund itself, and the bounce fees wouldn't have come to exist had this transaction been sent through properly.

Unfortunately, my bank is refusing to forgive the charges, stating that they were not caused by a bank error.

While the employees at the store are very nice and welcoming people, I feel the business they do is not on par with their customer service skills. It's one thing to sell me something with a smile on your face; another to sell me something that works with a smile on your face.

None of my issues have been resolved through this outlet with the exception of the new phone; with which I have already contacted Alltel's customer service with multiple questions and issues such as my inability to surf beyond the Alltel homepage on the phone's browser. A representative from the company resolved my voicemail issues, but stated that I should have walked out of the store with an active voicemail account.

While I hate to file a complaint on their services, because I honestly think the people are wonderful, I have no choice. I have been ripped off. And what scares me is that I suddenly have a mountain of bounce charges because I was repeatedly told the money was coming and it never did.

I understand that if I would've kept a closer eye on my bank account and waited until I saw the transaction posted, I could've avoided the charges. But I ask you to take into consideration that this company didn't give me the phone and bill me 2 days later for the amount; the amount I was charged for the original phone was taken immediately from my bank account. I would expect the refund would take place the same way, especially seeing as Alltel's customer service representatives have stated that their systems show nothing on the purchase, so it was an over-the-counter purchase for the phone.

In the future, I do urge you all to take precaution when handling your accounts after receiving an invoice that you have been refunded a certain amount from any company. While I feel that Alltel should pay the bounce fees associated with my account, as they would not have incurred had Alltel handled this transaction appropriately and timely, I understand that this is an uphill battle I am not the least bit interested in fighting.

Joshua
Tucson, Arizona
U.S.A.

Company: Alltel
Country: USA
State: Arizona
City: Tucson
Address: 7401 N La Cholla Blvd
Phone: 5205319286

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