Google's Replacement Policy Sucks!

[MarkSeven]

Google sent me a defective Nexus 5.. I'm so pissed about it. Their replacement policy is stupid. I gotta have a whole other $399+ in my account just so they can run my card again and order a new one, instead of them just sending me a new one with a return label for me to send them the defective unit like everyone else does.
The only other option would've been for me to send the phone back and once they get it wait 1-14 days for them to refund me and then order a new one from Google Play, which would leave me without a phone for all that time (I already cancelled my Verizon service & ported my # to T-Mo). This left a bad taste in my mouth.. My first Nexus. I should've just waited for the Moto G..

I just wanted to vent my frustrations.

 

[y2whisper]

They don't charge your account though only put a hold on it so that you don't get the new device and not send the old one back. thinking carriers do this without all that since they have an account with you already they can easily add the charge to your account.

When I returned my N10 it was similar never once did the charge show up on my account.

 

[patruns]

And why should Google trust a complete stranger with a 2nd phone without some sort of guarantee they will be able to charge you if you do not return the original? I'm not saying your intentions are bad, it's just not good business practice to send out expensive products with no possible recourse if the person doe not hold up their end of the bargain.

Now in your defense, I'm not sure why Google doesn't offer the option of letting you return the phone and then replacing it without further debits and credits to your account.

 

[Robbie317]

And why should Google trust a complete stranger with a 2nd phone without some sort of guarantee they will be able to charge you if you do not return the original? I'm not saying your intentions are bad, it's just not good business practice to send out expensive products with no possible recourse if the person doe not hold up their end of the bargain.

Now in your defense, I'm not sure why Google doesn't offer the option of letting you return the phone and then replacing it without further debits and credits to your account.

This... It sucks that they even preauthorize your account for the amount of the phone.. But their other option is to just TRUST you.... At the end of the day if you stiffed them for $400 it's not worth the legal trouble to hunt you down over $400... even if 10,000 people stiffed them they'd just have to let 10,000 phones go free because it was cost more to chase 10,000 people...

Even sending your phone back first means your either without a device until a replacement can be sent or you have to go back to your old phone for a little while... Not everyone has a credit card they can use to hold those funds until the replacement phone gets back to them.

 

[cgardnervt]

90% of the hardware OEMs do this.

 

[ConTejas]

Google's replacement policy is top notch! They are VERY lenient and extremely fast. It's unfortunate you received a defective device, but it happens. LG has been WAY better at QC than Sammy was with the S and Gnex. Many people received multiple defective Sammy nexus devices in a row. If you can't understand why the put a hold for the full amount on your card/account, well...

Good luck!

 

[Jonneh]

Sorry to hear you're frustrated man, but this is completely common and normal, and Google does a faster and better job at it than any manufacturer (whom, by the way, also does this). It sucks when you don't have the money in your account to handle the temporary hold, but that has to be done. Robbie's idea of simply trusting that the customer is going to send the defective phone back because Google is so nice and wonderful and humans are trust-worthy and Google should just lose money because it's no big deal to them???....yeah, good luck with that ideal there, lol.

The only other option would've been for me to send the phone back and once they get it wait 1-14 days for them to refund me and then order a new one from Google Play, which would leave me without a phone for all that time

And you even have another option since you don't have the money in your account for the normal process, and you still aren't happy?

Also, as ConTejas says, Google's replacement policy is top notch, and so is their customer service. It's among the best I've experienced, actually.
So I really disagree with this entire thread; respectfully, of course.

 

[dazz87]

Google sent me a defective Nexus 5.. I'm so pissed about it. Their replacement policy is stupid. I gotta have a whole other $399+ in my account just so they can run my card again and order a new one, instead of them just sending me a new one with a return label for me to send them the defective unit like everyone else does.
The only other option would've been for me to send the phone back and once they get it wait 1-14 days for them to refund me and then order a new one from Google Play, which would leave me without a phone for all that time (I already cancelled my Verizon service & ported my # to T-Mo). This left a bad taste in my mouth.. My first Nexus. I should've just waited for the Moto G..

I just wanted to vent my frustrations.

DUDE other OEM will not even send you out a replacement. They will force you to send I'm your first and then the replacement will be ship out.

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[MarkSeven]

DUDE other OEM will not even send you out a replacement. They will force you to send I'm your first and then the replacement will be ship out.

Posted via Android Central App

I have never had to send a phone back first with anyone. I always get the replacement first with shipping labels included to send the defective one back..

 

[mr.wizard]

I think it's fairly good. Had a speck of dust under the glass. They had my device replaced, with free next day shipping. Turn around time: 3 business days

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[Sir Alex]

I have never had to send a phone back first with anyone. I always get the replacement first with shipping labels included to send the defective one back..

How many times have you bought a defective phone?

 

[planoman]

I have never had to send a phone back first with anyone. I always get the replacement first with shipping labels included to send the defective one back..

Yeah maybe when you are under contract...sounds like you get a lot of defective phones...maybe you should wait on the moto g.

 

[21stNow]

Do you still have your VZW phone? Was it an LTE phone? If so, you may be able to use it on T-Mobile if you want to take the option to send the Nexus 5 back first then get a replacement sent to you.

 

[Aquila]

I have never had to send a phone back first with anyone. I always get the replacement first with shipping labels included to send the defective one back..

That's common for carriers and insurance claims, such as Square Trade and Assurion, but OEM's almost never bare the risk in these exchanges. They (insurance, etc) also mitigate by sending refurbished models as often as they possibly can, which is obviously a greatly reduced cost. Google is sending something of full value and cost to them, atop the full cost for cash exchange they already participated in. You paid them $399 for something worth roughly $399 and now will be sent a second device at no additional revenue to them, and very little opportunity for cost recovery. That puts them $798 into your $399 and obviously they want to protect that delta.

 

[dan1431]

Actually I find their replacement policy to be easy to deal with.

Granted, I use an Amex Charge Card so deducting the amount has no effect as it is not treated like a credit card, but even so each RMA has been no questions asked.

Dan

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[SteveISU]

I have never had to send a phone back first with anyone. I always get the replacement first with shipping labels included to send the defective one back..

What companies are those?

A company is not going to assume the risk that they don't get ripped off. Putting a hold on the money guarantees they are insured against any scams. They have to protect themselves from someone calling them and claiming a defective phone after they dropped it, sending them out a replacement ASAP, and then getting a phone back with a cracked screen. Good luck trying to pry $400 from that person. I know I know, curse the multi-billion dollar company for not assuming the $400 risk and sticking it to the peasants. I mean whats $400 to them?

 

[21stNow]

What companies are those?

A company is not going to assume the risk that they don't get ripped off. Putting a hold on the money guarantees they are insured against any scams. They have to protect themselves from someone calling them and claiming a defective phone after they dropped it, sending them out a replacement ASAP, and then getting a phone back with a cracked screen. Good luck trying to pry $400 from that person. I know I know, curse the multi-billion dollar company for not assuming the $400 risk and sticking it to the peasants. I mean whats $400 to them?

As other posters have discussed, carriers will usually send a replacement device first, then ask you to ship your broken device back if you are a postpaid customer. They don't have as much risk as an OEM does because the carrier can bill the customer for the device if it is not returned.

 

[yfan]

I have never had to send a phone back first with anyone. I always get the replacement first with shipping labels included to send the defective one back..

Was that through a manufacturer or through your carrier? Your carrier can send you a replacement and a label for you to send your unit back, because they have control over your billing. If you don't return your unit, they can add it to your bill. A manufacturer has no such ways of ensuring payment should you choose to stiff them.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[RustyU]

Now in your defense, I'm not sure why Google doesn't offer the option of letting you return the phone and then replacing it without further debits and credits to your account.

They did (or still do maybe) offer this option.

 

[scorpiodsu]

They should just do it like a warranty replacement. I had to get an LG G2 replaced by att and didn't need to preauthorize anything. They sent me the new phone and I have 10 days from the day of receipt to send the other back and then they would charge me. Everyone doesn't do a preauthorized hold for a replacement. Apple didn't do this to me either for an iphone replacement. In my opinion Google's entire policy on warranty needs a little work. From the warranty only being available to the original buyer to this shows their services lags badly behind others especially apple. And service is one of the reasons people love apple. They destroy all other hardware companies in this aspect and that means a lot to many.

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