Bad experience @ t-mo store. Rep open the box. Paid & walk out w/o phone

[chong67]

I have a bad experience at a T-Mobile store (not reseller) today.

I walk in to buy a new S4 phone for my wife prepaid service.

After I been charged to my cc and I sign the paperwork, I proceed to look at the phone.

It is opened. The rep opened it at the back of the store. I am getting this phone for wife and I don't want it opened yet.

The manager came and she said I will be charge a $50 restock fee. She say all the store must be opened before cust leave. I refused to sign the charge back minus the -$50.

I walk out of the store WITHOUT the phone.

Immediately I call my cc and they say I have to wait until they charge to my cc, then I can put in the dispute. I am going to dispute it.

I call T-mo 800 # and she said to go back to the store and tell them to call the 800 number. I tell the CSR I am not going back to the store.

Anyone had similar experience and what did you do? Anyone knows what is going to happen next?

 

[BRAINZ2013]

Hell yeah i was in a store when a man came back they argued and the clerk yes the employee pulled a knife and stabbed the customer in the chest twice . The reason for that was because the customer brought a device and was charged twice for one device . So ask yourself why did the employee stab the customer . That employee knew that he done that to the customer . :what: but you did right . And file the dispute with the bank and goto walmart or bestbuy or even a radioshack. They are cheaper in price or order online also . After seeing the blood shed i say tmobile reps sucks. :thumbdown:

 

[chong67]

Well, I have a control and educated anger. I know me and store manager and that sales man are making a circus and everybody is watching.

I will dispute with my cc company when it is charged.

The CSR on the phone is nice and ask me to go to store and ask the manager to call the office. I am not going back to damn store for sure!

Will T-mo take me to court?

 

[SEMIJim]

.

 

[chong67]

Did you ask the store why that is their policy?

Jim

I didn't ask. Only after paying and looking at it immediately did I see it is opened.

The manager and sales man say its their store policy.

I bought a new HTC One from the same store and it was never opened.

I didn't open the phone. The sales man did at the back of the store.

If you buy online, do they ever open the phone?

Who wants a open box phone when you want to use as a gift.

So many unanswered question.

 

[BRAINZ2013]

Well see if the box was open tmobile will say that they had to put the sims card in and make sure the connection and phone number works. But if you buy off line its cheaper and some places let you put the info in yourself

 

[chong67]

In that case I will never never never ever ever buy any phone in store anymore. One way I always remember anything is put your notes on Google Calendar. That way every year, it will pop up and remind you.

Just buy it online right and it will be shipped to you unmolested. This is true right?

I don't dispute if I open it and decide I want to return within the window and get hit with the restocking fee.

 

[gtbarry]

I say you escalate this to someone who will understand and care about you as a long term customer and not a +1 in the daily sales stat sheet.

email everyone possible at the t-mobile corporate office from the CEO and any VP you can get the email address of. Include managers and district sales managers if you can.

Give them a just the facts timeline of what happened. And tell them how much you want to start a long term relationship with t-mobile. But their antiquated policies are the problem.

Everyone in the store may have been very correct about the policy. More importantly, they may not be empowered to do anything about it. Your goal: find someone who can make this happen and don't waste your time with someone who cannot.

 

[chong67]

The 800 CSR rep tells me to go to the store and ask the manager to call their 800 number. I didn't want to do it.

I am going to dispute it with my cc company tomorrow.

T-Mobile is not the only company like this. I had similar experience with Sprint before. They open it in front of my eyes and I was not happy about it many years ago.

If you all read this, just buy it online and get it ship to you.

 

[SEMIJim]

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[Deleted User]

If you report this to your CC and tell em the truth then you are going to lose....if you lie then you would be committing fraud. Either way the phone must be new and even if the box is open pretty sure people will understand that the store was simply making sure everything worked fine.

 

[bruce73]

Hell yeah i was in a store when a man came back they argued and the clerk yes the employee pulled a knife and stabbed the customer in the chest twice . The reason for that was because the customer brought a device and was charged twice for one device . So ask yourself why did the employee stab the customer . That employee knew that he done that to the customer . :what: but you did right . And file the dispute with the bank and goto walmart or bestbuy or even a radioshack. They are cheaper in price or order online also . After seeing the blood shed i say tmobile reps sucks. :thumbdown:

Aw, cut 'em a little slack, lol.

 

[bruce73]

The saying goes "the customer's always right," but any vendor will tell you there's always exceptions to that rule. I'd suggest you're being that exception. But fine: You're displeased with the store's policy. T-Mobile is giving you a means of redress and you're refusing to take advantage of it. If you're honest with your CC company, they'll tell you that makes you ineligible to file a dispute.

If you lie to your CC company and T-Mobile balks at the dispute, your CC company will not be happy with you to find you misled them.

The dispute process is not a means for you to always get your way, whether you're right or wrong.

Jim

Exactly. Thank you. OP, get over it. You're being unreasonable.

 

[chong67]

I don't want it opened. It is a gift. Do do want your gift opened by someone?

My friend said at other store, they open in front of you. He opened at the back. Don't even know what he does.

If I buy it online n get shipped to you, it will never be opened.

 

[saptech]

I remember last time I purchased dumb phones from stores, yes they did open it in front of me, which I didn't really think much about it. I guess now we know if we don't want the store to open it, we need to tell them ahead of time.

When you do buy online and they ship, it wasn't open, this was through Amazon when I got my current smartphone & the wife's phone.

Just a thought!

 

[wyndslash]

Well, if it is their store policy to open it, then maybe it's better for them to inform the customer and open it in front of them
That way the customer knows there is nothing fishy going on.

 

[BRAINZ2013]

Yes the op is right they shouldn't opened it without him present or opened it at all . For all we no the store clerk could have pocketed the sd card or anything from the box that will make the phone work to its peak performance . So he is right with leaving and wanting to file a dispute . Just think if he gave the clerk the full amount in cash he would not get it back. Thank the man above he used a cc cause this is easy to replace the funds . Visa does this daily and refund cause the product wasn't what you thought it was . So tell me where are you going phone shopping now . Try walmart.com or a new place gives you discounts up front . Letstalk.com .. they are a tmobile and other major carrier store ... LETSTALK.COM

 

[SEMIJim]

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[MLSS]

The way I see it is that when you called T-Mobile and they asked you to go back to the store and have the manager call them, they were doing what needed to be done to address the situation.
The chances of you walking out the door with a new phone that has never been opened without being charged a restocking fee was 99% at that point. You refused (for whatever reason) to do this, so when Tmobule tells your CC company that they tried to settle your dispute and you refused you will still be charged the 50 dollar restocking fee.
If you would have worked it right you may have walked out of there with a credit on your bill....

 

[BRAINZ2013]

Nahhh he does if its a bank or credit union Visa card . Read visa fine print they will accept the dispute for items that you thought was something and now you find out nothing . The op will fall under the quality assurance part . The clerk didn't open and examine in front of the buyer . This may take 10-18days .

 

[BRAINZ2013]

The way I see it is that when you called T-Mobile and they asked you to go back to the store and have the manager call them, they were doing what needed to be done to address the situation.
The chances of you walking out the door with a new phone that has never been opened without being charged a restocking fee was 99% at that point. You refused (for whatever reason) to do this, so when Tmobule tells your CC company that they tried to settle your dispute and you refused you will still be charged the 50 dollar restocking fee.
If you would have worked it right you may have walked out of there with a credit on your bill....

But that's the game you don't want to go back they have your cc and your other numbers they was to call the buyer and try another solution if that was giving him that option of buying without opening it would come down to them calling . And think on sunday a assistant manager is on the real manager wont be there til today to close bills and sales and make a money run . Trust it he will get his way like it or not . And may get a discount on a phone of his choice .

 

[gtbarry]

Regarding opening the box:
They may be required to open the box. It may be an FCC requirement or the like. Some kind of consumer protection thing when you buy it in store (as opposed to online). We don't know. Perhaps someone here has worked mobile phone sales and can help us out.

Regarding reporting to the credit card company:
I would try to work it out with t-mobile first. And speak to the correct person at t-mobile.

 

[jhawkkw]

It is generally a common practice at phone retailers to open any box if the device is being activated that day. If using an upgrade/buying subsidized rather than full retail upfront, it may be part of the "contract" to have it activated that day. I will admit, having them open it in the back and not in front of the customer is concerning because there have been reports of newly bought phones coming with pictures or videos of sales people doing things with the phone in the past.

 

[chong67]

The manager said get this phone or sign the paper work for refund minus the $50. There are no other option to get another unopened phone. I told them I want an unopened phone.

You can dispute online w/o human too. I m going to try that as soon as it is out of pending.

 

[7Priest7]

http://androidforums.com/t-mobile/765892-my-bad-experience-buying-new-phone-t-mobile.html

Seems like people should avoid t-mobile stores.