4 days and 3 Droid Turbos: My journey through Verizon hell (replacement woes)

[Nreeldeep]

You create your own circumstances. You were in their environment giving off negative energy and hoping to get help. It's no wonder you got stonewalled. You arrived with an argumentative attitude on their turf and you wonder why they put you through hell. You got what you gave. And because you were in their territory you didn't stand a chance of getting your way if the reps were in the mood to make you suffer. And apparently by your story, they decided to teach you a lesson in diplomacy. Reps are people also. You don't get to talk to them any way you want to.. Hopefully you learned a good lesson. It might make future visits to your store more pleasant.

 

[Nreeldeep]

Maybe other customers will think "if I buy here maybe that will be me" and take their business elsewhere.

...adding, until proven otherwise good business practice is "the customer is always right."

That's an old adage that doesn't hold water any more. I've seen customers who were "right" get escorted out of establishments because of their behavior. Being right doesn't give a customer the right to disrespect staff and cause disruption to other customer. And the customer is NOT always right. I've seen customers without receipts loudly demand refunds, knowing the store policy is no receipt no return. And the customer didn't get the return. As well, customers without receipts approached the store diplomatically and ended up with a return.

 

[Almeuit]

That's an old adage that doesn't hold water any more. I've seen customers who were "right" get escorted out of establishments because of their behavior. Being right doesn't give a customer the right to disrespect staff and cause disruption to other customer. And the customer is NOT always right. I've seen customers without receipts loudly demand refunds, knowing the store policy is no receipt no return. And the customer didn't get the return. As well, customers without receipts approached the store diplomatically and ended up with a return.

Yeah it depends on location. No one situation is 100 percent.

 

[Adawg1203]

This is the biggest bunch of BS I've read in a long, long time. You sound like a rep who wants to get paid as much as possible for doing as little as possible.
I'm not at all an advocate for harassing a rep, but far too often, the only way to get what you are paying your hard earned money for is to be a little rude. You are the customer. You're the one giving up your money. The first assumption on both sides should be that you are right. Anything else is plain insulting. If I buy a phone and during the sale the rep shows they know very little about it, if I'm having problems with it, why would i think they now know more about the device and its problems than i do?
I had a decent experience when i bought my OG Droid. Since then, every single experience, whether i went by myself or with someone, has been varying degrees of awful. They've been filled with nothing but misinformation and disinterest to what i actually want. I have yet to have an employee make much of an attempt to help me with what i actually want until i get a little ride with them. I try not to go overboard and i don't think i ever have, but I've come close a few times. I always start out polite, but when i come in and tell you i want a Droid Bionic and you repeatedly try to get me to buy an iPhone, I'm gonna be a bit rude to you. When i buy a Droid Ultra and you try to repeatedly sell me a "Q-1" charger, I'm gonna be rude. If i came in with a problem like the OP, and got treated like he did, I'd be rude. It's called customer service, not rep service. The customer needs to be the one being serviced. If they had a problem reps should do everything reasonably possible to fix it. If i sold him something defective he has a right to come in with a bad attitude. Reps should understand that and act accordingly, but in this day and age, they don't. The idea of "you just bought a $700 device, it's defective, so you better be nice" is completely ludicrous.
Anyone who listens to you is setting themselves up to be bulldozed by someone who is only there to get a commission.
Whenever i go in to a store my first thought is that whoever is there is going to help me and i act accordingly, but the second i see that my needs aren't being prioritized the switch gets flipped. I'm not gonna go in there, be nice no matter what, let them have their way with me, and then offer them a cigarette when they're done . Not gonna happen.

Posted from my Droid Turbo, Kelly and Ozone

Firstly, I'm not a rep of any sort so you do not have to worry about me expressing my views for financial gain.

I do not choose to treat anyone in a rude manner whether I'm spending a dollar or 700 dollars on something. And NO I don't have to be "a little rude" to get what I want, should I need an issue addressed. Furthermore, you placed a comment in quotes ( "you just bought a $700 device, it's defective, so you better be nice") I say you better re-read my post since this was never a comment I made. Nor am I asking anyone to listen to me as you once again incorrectly state. That said, I hope no one ever takes your approach when they have to deal with customer service. How I tend to conduct myself with any rep is my prerogative. If I choose to be kind that has nothing to do with you and I find it equally ludicrous for you to infer my approach is any less effective than yours.

I'll finish up with another comment you made as I find it laughable. You said, ("If i sold him something defective he has a right to come in with a bad attitude."). You cannot be serious. Perhaps you can post the document that states this is a RIGHT as I am intrigued.

 

[doggy2965]

By being nice with Verizon I have always gotten what I wanted. He should call Verizon and they will send a new one in box. Also he should have kept first one as batteries always run down quicker the first few days. I thought that was pretty common knowledge.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[linebusy]

By being nice with Verizon I have always gotten what I wanted. He should call Verizon and they will send a new one in box. Also he should have kept first one as batteries always run down quicker the first few days. I thought that was pretty common knowledge.

Posted via Android Central App

I would say it's not. Even the store didn't suggest he wait a few days.

 

[udazavlanje]

Just deal with Motorola from now on. They have the best customer service and return policy you can find in the US. I had to replace quite a few devices and some were even after 30 day period - never had a single problem.

via AC App on VZW Moto X DE/N7

 

[tdizzel]

Firstly, I'm not a rep of any sort so you do not have to worry about me expressing my views for financial gain.

I do not choose to treat anyone in a rude manner whether I'm spending a dollar or 700 dollars on something. And NO I don't have to be "a little rude" to get what I want, should I need an issue addressed. Furthermore, you placed a comment in quotes ( "you just bought a $700 device, it's defective, so you better be nice") I say you better re-read my post since this was never a comment I made. Nor am I asking anyone to listen to me as you once again incorrectly state. That said, I hope no one ever takes your approach when they have to deal with customer service. How I tend to conduct myself with any rep is my prerogative. If I choose to be kind that has nothing to do with you and I find it equally ludicrous for you to infer my approach is any less effective than yours.

I'll finish up with another comment you made as I find it laughable. You said, ("If i sold him something defective he has a right to come in with a bad attitude."). You cannot be serious. Perhaps you can post the document that states this is a RIGHT as I am intrigued.

First, I never said you were a rep, I said you sounded like one. People can sound like something without being that thing.
Its great for you that you choose not to be rude. I never said that Adawg1203 had to be rude. Yes, I used the word "you" but why don't you look up the different meanings of the word "you" and then use the context clues do figure out which one I meant. Here's a hint, its not the one where the only person I'm referring to is Adawg1203. But for others being rude IS the only way to get what you need because reps can be overbearing, and don't listen no matter how many times you say what you want. Before I knew better, I had a couple of trips that took over an hour that should have took 10-15 minutes because I was nice the whole time. Maybe you have hours to waste by being nice, I don't know. Furthemore, yes, I put a comment in quotes. Where is the citation stating that the quote is attributed to you? Or are you the only person in the universe now, so it had to be a quote from you? If you're gonna call out someone on grammar, maybe you should learn the rules of grammar first. And since you're so fond of pointing out exactly what I said, please point out exactly where I said that you are asking anyone to listen to you. Or are you just saying I incorrectly stated something that I never stated? Cuz that kinda makes you look like you don't know what you're talking about(which I firmly believe in this case).
And what part of my approach do you think people shouldn't follow? The part where I walk in thinking the people there are going to help me and I act accordingly? The part where I'm not gonna let them have their way with me and be grateful for being screwed over?
And you saying you find my statement laughable once again makes you sound like a rep who's trying to get paid as much s possible for doing as little as possible. Laughing at that statement shows a clear lack of understanding of what customer service is. The thing is, I don't blame you at all for that. Customer service is such a lost practice that people don't even recognize that they're not receiving it. To think you need some sort of documentation to be upset over getting a defective product - the word nonsense doesn't come close to describing that notion. A most basic, basic, basic tenet of customer service is making sure a product does what its advertised to do. Should someone come in yelling, swearing and throwing things because their screen isn't producing uniform colors? Of course not. But to think people shouldn't be at all upset when they pay their hard earned money for something and it doesn't work right...I can't even say how ridiculous that is.
Like I said, I don't advocate harassing reps, but the idea that its the customers responsibility to make sure things are civil and that the customer should be doing most of the work to make sure they are getting what they want is so completely backwards. No one should ever even have to consider being rude, but unfortunately, there is barely any such thing as customer service anymore, and people like you have just accepted that and have switched the onus of a positive experience from the ones whose job it is to make sure things go smoothly to people who just want to be treated like paying customers should be treated.

 

[jerrykur]

As someone who deals with people every day, here is what I have to say.

Usually when customers are being ridiculous AND rude, they get the bare level of service from me. I'm not going to lie, but assuming your first device is bad because of 20 hour battery life after the first 2 days of use is crazy. There are so many things that happen when you first get a phone, the first being you use it a ton because it's awesome, and batteries need a couple of discharge cycles to settle in. The reps probably thought you were being a bit quick to the faulty device.

People can be silly with requests, but you need to be cool as hell. If I knowingly do something I know is not going to fix your problem, just because you tell me to do it, you better be on your best behavior. My vote is all your other problems are Karma kicking you in the ***. Sorry, but I don't feel for you on this one man.

Sorry, but if you are in a job where you provide customer service you need to provide customer service regardless of how the customer acts. That is part of your job. This is especially true with the customer has an issue. They can come in flaming hot because of this issue and you need to deal with it in a calm and methodical manner, even if they get in your face. Your job is to listen to customer rant, extract the relevant pieces of information, and come up with the appropriate solution or solution options.

 

[MA2GA28]

While the customer has a right to be upset with an issue, they typically don't have a right to be upset with the CS rep. On the flip side, the CS rep should be respectful and, as part of their job, try to help in any way.

With that said, this situation is a bit different as it appears the reps were part of the problem by acting in an unethical way. However, getting mad at them won't help to solve the problem either.

The problem with a customer/CS interaction is the expectation and 'sense of entitlement' on each side. Each person expects certain things, and each feels they are entitled to either do their job without distress or have their issue resolved without inconvenience to them, depending on which side one is on. Once one of those expectations is not met, the whole situation falls apart. The solution is to not let the situation get there, and work out a reasonable resolution to the issue.

 

[Adawg1203]

First, I never said you were a rep, I said you sounded like one. People can sound like something without being that thing.
Its great for you that you choose not to be rude. I never said that Adawg1203 had to be rude. Yes, I used the word "you" but why don't you look up the different meanings of the word "you" and then use the context clues do figure out which one I meant. Here's a hint, its not the one where the only person I'm referring to is Adawg1203. But for others being rude IS the only way to get what you need because reps can be overbearing, and don't listen no matter how many times you say what you want. Before I knew better, I had a couple of trips that took over an hour that should have took 10-15 minutes because I was nice the whole time. Maybe you have hours to waste by being nice, I don't know. Furthemore, yes, I put a comment in quotes. Where is the citation stating that the quote is attributed to you? Or are you the only person in the universe now, so it had to be a quote from you? If you're gonna call out someone on grammar, maybe you should learn the rules of grammar first. And since you're so fond of pointing out exactly what I said, please point out exactly where I said that you are asking anyone to listen to you. Or are you just saying I incorrectly stated something that I never stated? Cuz that kinda makes you look like you don't know what you're talking about(which I firmly believe in this case).
And what part of my approach do you think people shouldn't follow? The part where I walk in thinking the people there are going to help me and I act accordingly? The part where I'm not gonna let them have their way with me and be grateful for being screwed over?
And you saying you find my statement laughable once again makes you sound like a rep who's trying to get paid as much s possible for doing as little as possible. Laughing at that statement shows a clear lack of understanding of what customer service is. The thing is, I don't blame you at all for that. Customer service is such a lost practice that people don't even recognize that they're not receiving it. To think you need some sort of documentation to be upset over getting a defective product - the word nonsense doesn't come close to describing that notion. A most basic, basic, basic tenet of customer service is making sure a product does what its advertised to do. Should someone come in yelling, swearing and throwing things because their screen isn't producing uniform colors? Of course not. But to think people shouldn't be at all upset when they pay their hard earned money for something and it doesn't work right...I can't even say how ridiculous that is.
Like I said, I don't advocate harassing reps, but the idea that its the customers responsibility to make sure things are civil and that the customer should be doing most of the work to make sure they are getting what they want is so completely backwards. No one should ever even have to consider being rude, but unfortunately, there is barely any such thing as customer service anymore, and people like you have just accepted that and have switched the onus of a positive experience from the ones whose job it is to make sure things go smoothly to people who just want to be treated like paying customers should be treated.

Seeing you initially responded directly to my post it's clear what "you" meant.

However, I'm past this and will not play your game by responding.

 

[Nreeldeep]

This is the biggest bunch of BS I've read in a long, long time. You sound like a rep who wants to get paid as much as possible for doing as little as possible.
I'm not at all an advocate for harassing a rep, but far too often, the only way to get what you are paying your hard earned money for is to be a little rude. You are the customer. You're the one giving up your money. The first assumption on both sides should be that you are right. Anything else is plain insulting. If I buy a phone and during the sale the rep shows they know very little about it, if I'm having problems with it, why would i think they now know more about the device and its problems than i do?
I had a decent experience when i bought my OG Droid. Since then, every single experience, whether i went by myself or with someone, has been varying degrees of awful. They've been filled with nothing but misinformation and disinterest to what i actually want. I have yet to have an employee make much of an attempt to help me with what i actually want until i get a little ride with them. I try not to go overboard and i don't think i ever have, but I've come close a few times. I always start out polite, but when i come in and tell you i want a Droid Bionic and you repeatedly try to get me to buy an iPhone, I'm gonna be a bit rude to you. When i buy a Droid Ultra and you try to repeatedly sell me a "Q-1" charger, I'm gonna be rude. If i came in with a problem like the OP, and got treated like he did, I'd be rude. It's called customer service, not rep service. The customer needs to be the one being serviced. If they had a problem reps should do everything reasonably possible to fix it. If i sold him something defective he has a right to come in with a bad attitude. Reps should understand that and act accordingly, but in this day and age, they don't. The idea of "you just bought a $700 device, it's defective, so you better be nice" is completely ludicrous.
Anyone who listens to you is setting themselves up to be bulldozed by someone who is only there to get a commission.
Whenever i go in to a store my first thought is that whoever is there is going to help me and i act accordingly, but the second i see that my needs aren't being prioritized the switch gets flipped. I'm not gonna go in there, be nice no matter what, let them have their way with me, and then offer them a cigarette when they're done . Not gonna happen.

Posted from my Droid Turbo, Kelly and Ozone

Going into a transaction with a rep intending to be rude from the outset is immaturity at its worst. These types are never wrong. Never say the wrong things and feel entitled to speak to adults any way they want to just because they're in service positions. You can spot them when they first come in a store. You can tell they're looking for trouble. I use those types as lessons to my children of the manner which they will not comport themselves.
Thank goodness I don't have to experience much of that in my community.

 

[tdizzel]

Going into a transaction with a rep intending to be rude from the outset is immaturity at its worst. These types are never wrong. Never say the wrong things and feel entitled to speak to adults any way they want to just because they're in service positions. You can spot them when they first come in a store. You can tell they're looking for trouble. I use those types as lessons to my children of the manner which they will not comport themselves.
Thank goodness I don't have to experience much of that in my community.

What in the world are you talking about?

Posted from my Droid Turbo, Kelly and Ozone

 

[Zachtheowl]

Alright, at long last an update.

To those who were wondering this was a corporate store.

I contacted the district manager as well as the corporate office in my region, and shared the log of events. I was contacted by both within 24 hrs, and everyone was interested in creating a satisfactory resolution for me.

I chose to turn back time--to a time before I first walked into that Verizon store (with a positive attitide I may add though my narrative belies how jaded I was by the end.)

The district manager arranged to meet me at a nearby vzw store to exchange my Droid turbo #3 (faulty flash) for, not another turbo, but a shiny new note 4. I paid the $50 difference, but I retained my right to a 14 day grace period on the note, like I would have had for the turbo originally.

They were also nice enough to comp me an otterbox defender for the note which fits like a charm and makes it easier to hold, nice and grippy.

There are many good people at verizon--just be patient with the bad ones (perhaps more than I was) and take detailed notes of any difficulties you have including names dates and times--there is a district manager out there somewhere that cares, and wants to hear about the troubles you had.

P.S The Note 4 is by FAR a superior device--it becomes obvious within the first hour with the note 4 after a week with the turbo. User experience is worlds better...I do miss waving to wake the turbo, but it sure felt good to wave goodbye forever.


ZtO

 

[camachinist]

Thanks for the update and happy to read you achieved a satisfactory outcome.

 

[linebusy]

I contacted the district manager as well as the corporate office in my region, and shared the log of events. I was contacted by both within 24 hrs, and everyone was interested in creating a satisfactory resolution for me.

ZtO

Glad to hear it's resolved satisfactorily. Was there an explanation as to why the store was not supplying you with the original packaging on the replacements?

 

[tdizzel]

Alright, at long last an update.

To those who were wondering this was a corporate store.

I contacted the district manager as well as the corporate office in my region, and shared the log of events. I was contacted by both within 24 hrs, and everyone was interested in creating a satisfactory resolution for me.

I chose to turn back time--to a time before I first walked into that Verizon store (with a positive attitide I may add though my narrative belies how jaded I was by the end.)

The district manager arranged to meet me at a nearby vzw store to exchange my Droid turbo #3 (faulty flash) for, not another turbo, but a shiny new note 4. I paid the $50 difference, but I retained my right to a 14 day grace period on the note, like I would have had for the turbo originally.

They were also nice enough to comp me an otterbox defender for the note which fits like a charm and makes it easier to hold, nice and grippy.

There are many good people at verizon--just be patient with the bad ones (perhaps more than I was) and take detailed notes of any difficulties you have including names dates and times--there is a district manager out there somewhere that cares, and wants to hear about the troubles you had.

P.S The Note 4 is by FAR a superior device--it becomes obvious within the first hour with the note 4 after a week with the turbo. User experience is worlds better...I do miss waving to wake the turbo, but it sure felt good to wave goodbye forever.


ZtO

Congrats on getting your issue resolved. It's pretty sad that you had to escalate what should have been something simple to deal with. But good on you for getting what you're paying for instead of letting them walk all over you, which some people on this thread seem to think you should have done.
But i completely disagree about the Note 4 being superior. I played with a buddy's Note 4 yesterday and after about 5 minutes i wanted to throw it against a wall. Touchwiz (though not nearly as laggy as in the past) is just god awful. But i have a Turbo which i love and you have a Note which you think is great, and that's the beauty of Android. We can each have our own choice and be happy with it.

Posted from my Droid Turbo, Kelly and Ozone

 

[rader023]

Glad it worked out. I wouldn't call it far superior over anything but I am trying to get my wife that over the s5 because it is a good phone.

 

[sharkita]

Glad you finally got the issue resolved to your satisfaction. These phones aren't cheap, and it's a shame to have to "settle" for something that clearly isn't what you expected. I'm a Moto fan, so a Note most definitely isn't my cup of tea, but at least you didn't totally lose faith and get an iPhone (LOL).

 

[bizzyqu]

wait.....you returned the turbo after getting less than 20 hours of battery the first day X_X