Last night my husband went to the local ATT wireless store in Appleton to get a new handset. His old phone was simply falling apart, and although he wasn't eligible for an upgrade, he went ahead and got a phone.
My husband picked out a very expensive ($469) phone and paid in full. He even bought a case. He was thrilled, until I got home.
You see, I sell wireless and naturally I asked to see his 'new baby'. He told me he loved it, but thought it was odd that this phone...
"... Has a whole bunch of numbers in the phone book already..."
I check over the handset and sure enough, it appears as though it has been used by one of the managers of the local ATT store, right down to his mother's number and his home number. There were over 40 numbers in the phonebook! I tried to enter the default PIN numbers for his type of handset to get into the security features. When this doesn't work I call 611 (customer care) and speak with two different people asking for the lock codes, and default security codes. After confirming the I was entering the right ones, it became obvious they had been changed.
This phone was used.
To those of us who sell wireless, there is usually a way to determine how much airtime has been used over the life of the phone. Many times it is in the menu system, but sometimes it is in the locked settings. It varies by manufacturer and sometimes by provider.
After fiddling with the phone I find out this information is not in the menu system of the phone, customer care is unable to help me and... Get this... I have to take it back to the store and have them put it on a machine. This is not uncommon for upgrading software and diagnosing problems, but for determining the life of a handset? Of course, this is also the same store where a manager sold my hubby this phone.
In our state, it is against the law to sell any handset with more than 15 minutes of airtime as a new phone; it needs to be sold as refurbished or "used", with a substantial discount. Neither of which was offered to my husband. That's called fraud, folks.
I ask for the district manager's number to have him meet me at the store tonight. They don't have it.
Still on the phone, I got the operator's ID who I spoke with last night and had her note in my account that no matter how much usage this phone has on it tonight when he gets it back to the store (this is his only business phone), that the handset is returnable for a new handset. We note the IMEI in the account and document the issue. At this point, it isn't really the returnability of the phone, it's the lack of ethics involved.
I asked my husband if they "broke the seal" on the phone in front of him. No. I asked him did she have to put it together (insert the battery). No. I asked him did he offer him any discounts, or tell him the phone was used. No.
As you can see, gang, this is going down hill in a hurry. I would NEVER under any circumstances do this to a customer. The saddest part is I warned my husband before he left to check everything over carefully before taking it home, but they'res so much to it that the average consumer gets a little overwhelmed, and unscrupulous people try to pull one over on you instead of being in your corner.
I will post later when I find out exactly how much time is on that handset and what happens tonight after round 2. Thanks for letting me vent.
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