The Lovely Harvey's phone took a great fall and shattered the digitizer glass.
The LG Enact is a very difficult repair, not for the unskilled or faint of heart. We've been quoted $100+ for the replacement if we brought in the $30 part I'd already purchased before finding out how hard it is.
An LG Lancet is an upgrade in every way and its full retail price is a mere $120.
$100 more to fix a phone with no guarantee of success or $120 for a new phone with a warranty?
"New phone!" she exclaims!
Cash in hand, literally CASH IN HAND we trundle off to the Verizon Wireless store to buy a new phone for her.
We talk to a nice sales drone named Mark at the Gulf View Square Mall, 9409 US-19 #183, Port Richey, FL 34668 location. Phone picked out, accessories chosen...
He cannot process the sale.
Why?
Because our account is in arrears for $520.
SIGH.
No it's not.
But the computer says...
The computer does this every month. We've been fighting it for ten years. The bill is generated on the 5th and shows us late on the 10th. But it's actually $260 not $520.
But the computer says...
Our paper bill says $260. Want us to go get it?
The "manager" Edwin steps in here and haughtily informs us that our paper bill will match what's on his screen.
So Harvey and I go home, grab the bill, and return. Mark has left for the day and Heather takes over. Edwin is lurking nearby.
"All we need to do is pay the bill for one month and you can process the sale?" Harvey asks Heather.
"Yes," she replies.
$260 is handed to Heather, the payment is registered, and our balance drops from $520 to $0. Heather is baffled, but bemused. Edwin who is now comparing our paper bill to his computer screen is in full-on denial.
The real problem nowadays is they cannot sell you anything that has to be linked to your account unless their computer says your account is up to date. You cannot buy a phone from them at all without an account either.
Slow clap.
I'd dump them in a heartbeat if I weren't constantly finding myself in places where they're the only carrier with a signal.
I need to add that Mark and Heather were excellent customer service people and were doing as good a job as their system would let them. They were as much victims of it as we were. Edwin could use a class or three on how to talk to people and once he's graduated those, then take some classes on how to talk to customers.
PS: Two people carrying guns were extremely frustrated and bordering on becoming very angry... yet no gun was produced, brandished or fired during the entire three hours this all took to resolve.
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I am in the process of switching from Verizon to Straight Talk - while the process has NOT been painless, their personnel have been good about handling a computer problem that kept me from doing the transfer online; they sent me a new SIM card and reset the start of my plan to when I called to get the new card activated.
ReplyDeleteI opted for the Verizon Option on ST (instead of the AT&T option) - it will drop my bill from $120/month to $45 for the same service on the same phone.
Of course I can't speak to the quality of service, but friends who use it have no problems, at least in this area.
What service works best is very dependent on where you are geographically. We once had AT&T while they are fine locally, there's a huge void in service traveling from here to Iowa that Verizon doesn't have. Sprint is very patchy locally.
DeleteI don't know what arrangements Straight Talk has made for roaming outside my home area that are invisible with Verizon now, and that matters a lot on some trips.