I am filing this report on behalf of my parents and in response to a similar report on this website about a sister business: Metropolitan Wireless in the Bronx. I must note that after several confrontations with the store, my parents were able to get their money back. The fact remains that the store practiced fraud and these fraudulent practices are not limited to their Park Slope location.
Fraud details:
A few days ago, my parents purchased two phones and a family service plan at this Metro PCS authorized dealer. They were blatantly cheated by the store employees.
- The credit card was charged $100 more than the itemized receipt indicated (the receipt added up to $440 and they were charged a total of $560). A store manager refused to explain the charge or provide a written record of it.
- The itemized receipt was incomplete and did not include tax information (which does not account for the unexplained $100 charge)
- My parents were charged for an extra accessory package ($40) which they did not request and were not explained. They did not receive the actual package (headphones and a case). Because the hand-written itemized receipt did not clearly indicate this item, they were not aware of the purchase. I discovered the charge during our later investigation. A store manager refused to address the issue.
- A deposit of $40 was charged and not returned or counted towards the final purchase. We later discovered that deposits are NOT a common Metro PCS dealer practice.
- My parents purchased a $29 phone warranty which comes for free with this Metro PCS phone model (a fact confirmed by the Metro PCS costumer service).
- The return policy was not explained upon purchase. Because the policy is rather intricate (the phones must be returned within 7 days with less than one hour of use time) one of the phones is no longer refundable.
- The procedure for a $50 rebate was not explained and the necessary paperwork not given at the time of purchase. The sales person said that the rebate will automatically arrive in the mail when in fact it is the buyer's responsibility to file paperwork. Without proactive research on their part, my parents would've missed out on the rebate.
- This is not directly related to the purchase but is a suspicious activity that should be noted: The sales person prompted my mother to create a new email account on her new smartphone which the salesperson herself picked a password for. The salesperson proceeded to write down two copies of the account information, meaning to keep one of the copies. While we don't know the intentions of this sales person, I am greatly alarmed by this behavior.
Personal summary:
My parents were scammed in a very similar fashion to the victim of the Metropolitan Wireless Bronx (posted Sep 10). I believe this business mostly preys on people for whom English is not their first language (like my parents) and who don't fully understand their rights as consumers.
It breaks my heart to think that there are other victims out there who did not have help, like my parents, in getting their money back. Even for my mom and stepdad, who were reimbursed for the scammed amount, the resolution was not truly justice. Though the amount was significant ($113), it is nothing compared with the powerlessness and worthlessness
they were reduced to. I hope that enough victims take action to put a stop to this business's fraudulent dealings.
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