Seven months ago, I went to a Clearwire store here in Raleigh, NC to purchase two internet Modems, one for use in Raleigh and one for use in my Daughters dorm in Charlotte, NC
Before, signing the two year agreement the sales rep made sure that Clearwire service was available in the zip code in Charlotte where my daughter resides and assured me it would work there.
When we went to install it there was not sufficient signal. I worked with the Clearwire technical personnel and we tried over 15 different locations in the home, to no avail. The technology that Clearwire uses is, in simple terms, straight line radio frequency waves, so trees, large hills, buildings, dips in topagraphy, etc can affect the ability to get a strong signal
The tech support team being satisfied that I did everything possible to get it to work, transferred me to the customer service center to, so I thought, initiate the product return process. This is where the nightmare begins
The time bewtween purchase and installiing the unit in Charlotte, working with tech support, trying a different modem, etc and calling custopmer service had been about 5 weeks.
First I was told that I was beyond the 15 day trial period, so I could not get out of the contract and I should find someone to sell the contract to on my own. They were very helpful with ideas of how I could sell it myself! Despite the fact that thier records showed I was talking to Tech support since about two weeks after purchase!
I have talked to customer service agents, supervisors, had the sales agent who sold it to me call them to explain that - hey, it's just the nature of the technology - sometimes it just doesn't work, even if the coverage map says it does.
I have had a Clearwire technician personally visit my daughters home, take measurements, etc and conclude that there is just not enough signal strength, and document it in my account records. Still all this time I continue to get charged $35 a month for something that doesn not work, and never will
Even yesterday, I was still being told, I have to sell the contract on my own. If I stop the bank draft they will take me to collections.
Too bad, not a bad product or concept where it works... But knowing that the technology has limitations and even when their own technicians verify they are holding my feet to the fire on contract language... I will not reccomend them to anyone ever
Thomas
Raleigh, North Carolina
U.S.A.
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