Do not get a nextel phone! Beware!
I live in mississippi and right before hurricane katrina i was in the mall oneday and i needed to get a phone holder for my husbands cell phone (which was with nextel only because it is a company phone) i went to the booth in the mall and the guy their (ryan richards) talked to me about my cell phone (which was with cellular south and had always been) he said that since my husband had nextel that i needed one so we could use direct connect (which i did not know what that meant at the time)
Ryan richards went on to say that there was no charge when you had direct connect and talked to someone else who had a nextel phone. I informed him that i was very pleased with my cell south phone and i was not planning on changing companies.
I continued to listen to him and he kept talking about all the features (luring me in) he said this was the way to go and then i could talk to my husband at no charge. I explained to him that my husband drove a truck and traveled allover. He continued to tell me "it did not matter, still no long distance charge for this feature."
He began to go over service areas with me and showed me a map everywhere i would have service. I explained to him that we were in the process of moving to make sure we had service in that area.
Of course, he said we would have plenty of service their. I also told him my daughter had health conditions in which i would have to be reached if the school needed me and he still assured me that i would be covered in the towns i shopped incase
i was needed.
I walked away signing a 2 year contract (boy do i regret that) and was so excited because i had found a way to get intouch with my hubby at no charge with direct connect. He told me that i would receive my new phone by fedex or ups in a couple of weeks.
Then before i received my phone hurricane katrina came through.
Of course, leaving us with no power, no phones, nothing.
Everyone was trying to get in touch with loved ones and friends to make sure everyone was ok. After a week of no power we finally was able to get a generator.
Anyway i was setting out in my van oneday to hook up the tv to the cigarette lighter to hear the latest news and the fedex man pulled up with my phone. I was so excited because I wanted to get in touch with my family and friends. I charged my phone (using generator). I was able to use my phone and finally spoke with most of the people i needed to. I had one friend who lives in gulfport, ms and i was not able to get in touch with him or his family. I was panicing!
I used my phone so much that i went way over my minutes trying to stay in touch making sure everyone had food and supplies, like my 87 yr old grandfather. Finally when we were able to get mail, i got my first bill. It was extremely high but i knew i had used my phone due to the storm. Also after my husband was able to go back to work they sent him out of state so i used my direct connect to talk to him. Also i traveled to the town where we was moving for the first time since i had my phone (my family lives in this town) i had no service, i was so mad.
Not to mention that the town i shop in i had no service either, so that means if the school needs me and i'm trying to buy groceries, they can not get me.By this point i am very upset.
I was extremely angry to also find all kinds of charges by using direct connect. I called ryan richards and spoke with him, he told me he would look at my bill and call me back. He never did.
I spoke with him another time and also left messages with his sister, i told her i had left several messages, she informed me that he never returns his calls and laughed, he never returned my calls. I finally went to the booth in the mall and his sister was working at the booth. She said he would be right back, so i waited on him. When he returned i had my bill with me and showed it to him.
I asked him what happened to direct connect and why i was charged. He said he would take care of my charges and put in for a credit on my account. I told him i did not have service anywhere he said i would and explained to him about us moving and the phone would be no good to me and also that i have a daughter with health issues that may need me.
All he said was to call customer service and make up a story and see if they will break the contract at no charge ($200 to break contract) and then he would buy the phone back for $40.00.
I told him i did not have to make up a story that i had a good reason for breaking my contract that he had mislead me.
He said he could not do anything about it.
I asked him who his boss was and he said he actually owned the booth. I told him there was somebdy over him and he would not give me a name.
When i got home i called customer service and explained to them the situation and the lady had the nerve to tell me that they have this problem all the time. See this guy is actually nextel partners and they just have a booth and sign people up then it is out of their hands and they don't care what happens, this lady told me basically they can tell you anything to sell you a phone then they are not responsible after you sign a contract.
I told her they should not be allowed to do that and something should be done. She told me should could not break my contract unless i paid them $200. I was very upset. I called several other times trying to talk to someone different who may help me.
Everytime i called i would have to tell them the whole story and they always said they would make a report (file a complaint) on my account about it.
I finally got a name of a guy in jackson who was over the booth that ryan richards owns and i explained the situation to him.
He informed me that he might could break the contract if i would pay him $100. And he would bill ryans booth back for $100.
I told him that you could bill ryan for $200 if he could do $100. He said it was just my word against ryans on what he told me and that he would not do that.
I found out that ryan was working for fema because i went to the mall oneday to talk to him and a girl at the booth said he was working for fema and would not be there much anymore. That's true because i have not seen him since the day he said he would by my phone back for $40.
I reported him to the better business bureau and of course they have not done anything, i never got to talk to anyone i filed a complaint online and i did get a email saying they would check on it but nothing was ever done.
You really have to watch out for people like him. You would think that especially in my situation, having a child on sezuire medicine and all that he would find it in his heart to
do something about misleading me but he did'nt. God bless him because he really needs it. I prayed that he would realize what he did but i guess he did'nt.
Oh, oneday when i was at the booth talking to his sister, a old lady came up asking for him. This lady looked to be in her late 60's. She said that she had no phone service and ryan signed her up for a phone. She said she had tried to get in touch with him but could'nt. The lady said she had even looked in the phonebook under his name,
My heart just went out to her because i could just see her setting by the road needing help and ne service where she needed it.
Apparently this guy has done not only me this way. If i can only make it till this august i will be out of my contract and i can go back to cell south.
Please if you live in hattiesburg, laurel, meridian mississippi do not go to these nextel partner booths because this guy owns all of them. I was even in laurel mall the other day and stopped at the booth to ask the girl working there to look on her computer and tell me exactly what day my contract would be up. She tried but could'nt. I kinda told her the story and she said she had never even met ryan. She told me she hated nextel phones and had a cell south herself. That's pretty bad when the employee selling the phone does'nt even like them.
By the way his sister also told me that she hated nextel phones.
Anyway, please don't get this phone.
I have learned from my mistakes and also cell south was helping people out in the mississippi area that had storm damage, do you think nextel would help with my bill "no", they said they did not do anything like that. Of course i was not surprised and paid my bill because i knew i owed it.
Angela
Collins, Mississippi
U.S.A.
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