[cyberchief#CB]

My personal/corporate phone is a bb through verizon. My company pays for the service...

My family's service is through AT&T. I pay for 4 lines with a monthly bill at about $280 per month. We got my daughter an LG VU in August. the last few days, the phone will not charge. We bought another charger, still wont take a charge. Today, I drove 20 miles round trip to the ATT store. The guy verifies that a wall charger will not charge it, but a car charger will. He says they dont carry them there, but call in and they will do a warranty exchange. He notes that there appears to be a prong in the charging port that appears bent or missing.

So... I call ATT... spend 20 minutes answering their questions. Result? He says they wont warranty replace it because the problem with the port is "physical damange". I told him that the phone, new, is worth $30 max... are they willing to lose close to $300 per month?? He says nothing he can do. I tell him to transfer me to a supervisor. 5 mins later he comes back on saying he talked to his supervisor and he said the same thing.

Good bye ATT. You are losing $300 per month from a LONG time customer that has given you THOUSANDS... all over a $30 phone.

[pilsbury]

I understand your frustration with AT&T, Ive had several issues with them too. But you do realize they will charge you like a $250 early termination fee per line right?

[berryite]

He notes that there appears to be a prong in the charging port that appears bent or missing.

I'm not a fan of AT&T and would generally think that most people can and should do better with another carrier, but why should it be AT&T's fault that the phone was damaged?

Does BMW owe you a new car if you dent your door?

[rdiddy_25]

Find out if there is a warranty exchange center near u and go there. They'll swap it out right away, problem solved.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[cyberchief#CB]

First of all... most of the contracts are up very soon. As each contract for each phone is up, those lines will be cancelled. As well, all features that are not needed as part of the contract will be cancelled as well. Regardless of the termination fees... they will have lost a TON more money from me than they will make.

Second... it is not my daughter's fault the phone was damaged. If the screen was cracked or if the phone had been abused... I could see that argument. Fact is, it was not mistreated... just bad equipment. And if ATT is selling it, they should support it and exchange if there is a problem.

I had the SAME problem with my blackberry curve about 6 months ago. Went in to the VZ store... they took care of it in about 15 mins with a new phone.

Either way... problem is solved. Spent abouth $350 at VZ tonight for 2 new phones. ATT will not get any more money from me that is needed to finish the contracts.

[MobileMadness002]

Good for you. A lot of people say the best way of showing discontent is with your pocket book. And that's exactly what your doing. Kudos.

[Entrical]

Yeah, a Device Service Center is always the best way to go. They will most likely swap it our for you because they know that its a common problem. It happened on my refurb 8310 3 days after I received it, took it in, swapped it out no questions asked.

But you may be screwed because if your account is noted already saying physical damage, there's not much they can do because they could probably get in trouble.

I'd still give it a shot though.

Technically, bent prongs are classified as physical damage. Just tell your daughter to be more careful next time :-P

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[berryite]

Fact is, it was not mistreated... just bad equipment. And if ATT is selling it, they should support it and exchange if there is a problem.

I'm still confused. Apparently someone damaged the charging port/contacts somehow. This is not a material defect, this is someone causing damage.

Is it your opinion that the carrier is suppose to give you free phones whenever you cause damage to your phone?

And if so, may I ask what type of business you are in?

[cyberchief#CB]

berryite... The product was inferior. Plain and simple. After 5 months of casual use... NOTHING should have gone wrong. If the engine dropped out of your vehicle because of sub-par bolts... should the car manufacturer blame YOU because you drove it? **** No! That is what recalls are all about. Obviously, you have a dog in this fight.

how hard is it to plug in a charger??? my 13yo daughter certainly knows how. It is her 4th phone. It is her life... so she takes care of it.

To the rest of you.. thanks! It is already a done deal with 2 new phones purchased and 4 att lines on their way out.


As far as my business goes... I am a Lead IT Analyst for a major telecommunications company. NOT VZ.

[pilsbury]

Im glad you wont have to pay the ETF's-good luck!

[berryite]

berryite... The product was inferior. Plain and simple. After 5 months of casual use... NOTHING should have gone wrong. If the engine dropped out of your vehicle because of sub-par bolts... should the car manufacturer blame YOU because you drove it? **** No! That is what recalls are all about. Obviously, you have a dog in this fight.

LOL. I don't work for AT&T. Actually I have a pretty low opinion of AT&T so not sure where you're gonna go with that one. And I don't work for any cell phone manufacturer so I can't imagine what "dog" I might have in this fight.

I just wonder where people get this idea that they can break things and that the original seller of the equipment is somehow responsible.

All we can go on is what you've told us and what you've told us is that AT&T looked at the device and somehow determined that the damage was not normal and therefore not covered by warranty. Your response was to be insulted because the carrier won't give you free phones for damage they didn't cause.

I somehow wonder what you'd say if someone demanded that you work a few days for free because their computer crashed after they used it inappropriately and then blamed the problem on faulty support from IT.

[kilted thrower]

What I don't understand is the phone has worked fine since August, so that's 6 months of fine charging, working, etc. And now there's damage to the charging port. How is this a defect in the device when it's been working fine for 6 months. The charging port would have to be physically damaged by someone for it to be damaged.

I can't imagine any cell company giving you a new phone for free after 6 months of use for something that had to use physical force to damage it.

[cyberchief#CB]

lol... it's called LOW QUALITY. Just because something works when you purchase it does not mean that it will last 6 months. In my opinion, it should! through NORMAL wear and tear, it should not break down in that time frame. If it does, it is a question of quality of product... and should not reflect on the consumer. Again, just because the car runs the first 5 miles... if it blows up, should the dealership just ditch you because, hey... it ran off the lot.

Seriously. The phone was not abused. there was a manufacture defect causing it to go bad in a very short amount of time. AND... the fact that it is a $30 phone... if they can't replace it, or at the least, offer me something similar... that is rediculous.

Not to mention the fact that the guy at the ATT store TOLD me that it shouldn't have happened and he TOLD me that they WILL offer a warranty replacement... well... the call center did not back that up. AND... having the same problem with my curve and VZ jumped all over it to replace for me... I know where my loyalty is.

Again... it was not "damaged" due to any excessive use or ignorance or anything else. It was faulty or bad quality and the company selling them should back that up.

[bloodlinebb]

Who insures AT&T phones? Assurance?

The first thing that needs to be done is review
The insurance contract and review the limited of Liability

Under my insurance ... Physical Damage is covered
Cracked screens and liquid damage...

Before you call them .. Make sure the failure is covered
Complaining when you didn't research first is putting
The blame on ATT when its on you...

Insurance companies love collecting but hate paying out

Charger issues are not covered I think...

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[cyberchief#CB]

Im glad you wont have to pay the ETF's-good luck!

I make plenty of money. I can continue paying it until the monthly service charges are done... then I will ditch them. Money is not an issue for me (thankfully). It is a matter of what is right and what is wrong. Regardless of what I can afford... if a company shows so little respect from a customer that has been loyally paying $300 per month for the last 3-4 years... and refusing to warranty replace a $30 phone... well, there are companys out there that will want my business more.

I work for a telco. I know the game. VERY well. When I was a rep... I offered out discounts or adjustments, sometimes into thousands to make customers happy. This was horrible customer service plain and simple.

[chou12]

My personal/corporate phone is a bb through verizon. My company pays for the service...

My family's service is through AT&T. I pay for 4 lines with a monthly bill at about $280 per month. We got my daughter an LG VU in August. the last few days, the phone will not charge. We bought another charger, still wont take a charge. Today, I drove 20 miles round trip to the ATT store. The guy verifies that a wall charger will not charge it, but a car charger will. He says they dont carry them there, but call in and they will do a warranty exchange. He notes that there appears to be a prong in the charging port that appears bent or missing.

So... I call ATT... spend 20 minutes answering their questions. Result? He says they wont warranty replace it because the problem with the port is "physical damange". I told him that the phone, new, is worth $30 max... are they willing to lose close to $300 per month?? He says nothing he can do. I tell him to transfer me to a supervisor. 5 mins later he comes back on saying he talked to his supervisor and he said the same thing.

Good bye ATT. You are losing $300 per month from a LONG time customer that has given you THOUSANDS... all over a $30 phone.

You were pretty quick. First posted around 4PM and before 8PM the same day already got two lines with Verizon...

That is SPEED!

Anyway ATT keeps getting more new customers than VZW, that's the fact!

[jules966]

I make plenty of money. I can continue paying it until the monthly service charges are done... then I will ditch them. Money is not an issue for me (thankfully). It is a matter of what is right and what is wrong. Regardless of what I can afford... if a company shows so little respect from a customer that has been loyally paying $300 per month for the last 3-4 years... and refusing to warranty replace a $30 phone... well, there are companys out there that will want my business more.

I work for a telco. I know the game. VERY well. When I was a rep... I offered out discounts or adjustments, sometimes into thousands to make customers happy. This was horrible customer service plain and simple.

I agree with you totally. I am so sick of AT&T! All of our calls drop & half the time we can't even make one or don't receive calls at all. My daughter just switched to Verizon & I want to wait & see how that goes. I also pay for 4 cell phones through AT&T & about to do the same as you. Let me know how their customer service is, how your phone holds up & how their actual service is as well. Good Luck!! & Good for you!

[breakmedown]

If we're gonna go off this car analogy, how about this. You buy a car off the lot close to or brand new. You drive it for 2 to 3 years, and one winter you hit a huge pothole and it ruins your front strut assembly. Should the dealer pay for that? After all, that's normal usage and wear and tear. Happens all the time, too. It's within a warranty period. But no, they probably won't because it's still your fault. It's also something that's likely to break and or need replacing because of normal wear and tear. As for the "recall", I've never seen one on phones. They just stop selling them. As AT&T has done with the Vu.

I think the guy at the store should have just handed you a phone rather than telling you he could do something he probably knew they wouldn't. He really should have told you straight up there was nothing they would do. If it's only "$30" why didn't you just buy another one, since money is not an issue? Not that I think a 3G touchscreen phone is "$30"...

I understand it's not the money, it's the principle. Other than an empty promise from an obviously misinformed and/or ball-less salesperson, what principle was broken? Bring a discontinued phone into Verizon and they may act the exact same way.

Posted from my BlackBerry using BerryBlab

[berryite]

what principle was broken?

The almost uniquely American principle of being an obnoxious individual and browbeating employees to give you something for nothing because you think it's your birthright. After all, every four years our politicians tell us that we're the smartest and the brightest and the most entitled people on the face of the earth right?

If there was no defect for 6 months and then all of a sudden there was a broken part and the AT&T employee inspected the phone and determined that it was user damage, well that pretty much says it all. The daughter broke it and the dad didn't want to deal with it and expected the carrier to take the hit. What else needs to be said?

I think AT&T is a horrible company focused solely on maximizing profits at the expense of their customers. Their refusal to invest in their own network to bring it up to standards is all you need to look at in testimony of this.

But the simple facts are that if you break a phone and it is caused by user damage, it doesn't really matter who the carrier is. You break it, you replace it.

So many Americans are so full of themselves these days for no real good reason. We better get back to doing things with some degree of individual character and personal responsibility soon or the country will be finished.

[Saukrateaz]

I just wonder where people get this idea that they can break things and that the original seller of the equipment is somehow responsible.

Apparently this user has not had to deal with faulty usb charging ports on their blackberry, which is a VERY common defect in the devices, which is covered by warranty.

[Saukrateaz]

there was a broken part and the AT&T employee inspected the phone and determined that it was user damage, well that pretty much says it all.

From what was said in the first post, the AT&T rep that actually LOOKED at the device said to call it in for a warranty exchange. the phone rep, whom did not look at the device at all said it was damage.

[scorpiodsu]

It appears to me the OP is a little dramatic. I do understand your frustration but this is why people have insurance on their phones. And the whole car analogy thing...... yes if my engine falls out of my car 6 months after I bought it, I would have problems. But if the warranty didn't cover it or I did somethings to void it, then I couldn't expect them to pay for it. The problem here is that it just seems like some physically messed it up. It could have been from dropping it, sitting on it or stepping on it. There are certain things that basic manufacture warranty won't cover. And when something seems like it's physical damage they won't cover it. It's like if I don't have insurance on my phone and I dropped in and the screen crack 2 days after I bought it. How could I expect them to give me another when I misused it? Next time read, the fine print on what is covered under basic warranty and then you'd be less frustrated.

[Entrical]

Apparently this user has not had to deal with faulty usb charging ports on their blackberry, which is a VERY common defect in the devices, which is covered by warranty.

It's common, but it's not covered by warranty. Any person in a DSC or a rep on the phone will say it's physical damage. It just depends on how nice, or understanding, the person is that you're talking to. It also has a lot to do with your tone when speaking to them as well.

[mckinnie]

I can agree, a bent charging port is not worth the ~$250 dollars they would charge you when you sent it in. However, I don't understand how you say the wall chargers don't work, but the car one does?

If it were me, I would just call back and get a different rep. Some of them are just duds.

[mckinnie]

It also has a lot to do with your tone when speaking to them as well.

This is 110% true. Absolutely positively. I've had many favors done for me by AT&T's warranty dept. and customer service, because I respect them when I call and come off as very polite and friendly. A lot of the times it gets into personal conversations while they wait on the process to go through etc. I've talked them into sending me a Bold for my Curve. Went from a RAZR to a Nokia 6682 years ago...it all depends how you speak to them. If you state your wishes in a calm and polite manner, more than likely they will get you what you need.