Enter one of the worst times of my life.
I'd been using MetroPCS for a year or two without many problems. The service itself is dependable. Eventually, my phone needed an upgrade so I purchased a new one. When I purchased it, I asked if insurance could be added. The representative said yes, he would add it. I asked again when everything is final if the insurance is on my phone, and he said yes... There isn't a document to verify it, but my bill would be an additional $4 than normal.
Mind you, a lot of MetroPCS areas do not offer paper bills. You ONLY receive a text monthly making you aware of your billing. My next text was $2.50 or so more expensive, so I assumed that was the insurance.
Fast forward to the worst night of my life. I'm hit by a drunk driver and spend a night in the ER. As traumatic as that was, it doesn't help to know that the EMT people missed my phone in the wrecked car.
Within the hassle of dealing with doctors, police, medications, etc, I actually come to know that the phone was actually dropped/stolen/SOMETHING out of the vehicle... It's just gone. Well, that's fine, I have insurance...
I go to a MetroPCS store and say I have insurance. The rep says no, you do not... But, I've been paying for it? No, you haven't... I'm offered apologies and suggestions on how to handle the situation, but there's nothing they can do. I went ahead and purchased another phone and set up an account because I'm in the middle of a whirlwind and can't be without communication.
I spend a half hour on with MetroPCS customer service who also claim that there is no record of insuring the phone, and since they do not mail bills, there's really no way to tell why the price increased the last few months, other than possible tax fluctuation.
Afterward, I keep getting calls from random people saying they're calling one number and getting me. I try to check my voicemail, and it's linked to someone elses account. The phone itself starts ringing at random times, when nobody is calling.
This is all the first day I have the phone... I am AWARE of the policy that states that it cannot be returned after an hour of use, and at this point I check and I'm at 48 minutes...
Now, I ASSUMED that calling MetroPCS wouldn't count against me, seeing as every other provider out there allows free calls to customer support. I spent two hours on the phone with their support trying to fix the NEW LINE, and was eventually told to return the defective handset. The Voicemail issue was supposedly resolved, but never was while I had possession of the phone.
Okay, so apparently calling Customer Support counts against your allowed time.
I try to return the phone to the store in Duluth. I am refused because the phone has 2.75 hours use on it. I tell the lady that 90% of that time was trying to get help fixing the phone/account from MetroPCS themselves, and she says sorry, can't take it back. I demand to know how calling their own customer service trying to prevent returning a defective phone is an issue, but she provides nothing. She simply keeps telling me "I can't take it back." I then tell her my initial displeasure at assuming I've had an insured phone up until my accident two days previous, and she only stated that another employees mishap was not her concern. I asked to speak to a manager, she stated she WAS the manager. She then stated there was no corporate because each dealer was self represented. Basically, she flat out told me "We're not liable for those phones at all once they leave our store."
So basically, they don't provide paper statements, so you'll never know WHAT you're paying for. Think you have insurance? Heck, there probably IS no insurance offered on the handsets! Get a defective phone? Better take it back to the store IMMEDIATELY! They offer no condolences toward your lost time and money running around their loopholes!
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