where would I go for hardware support with Google Fi?

[Jeffrey Knox]

Hi all! Where I would go for hardware assistance when using Google Fi? I no longer drive and I live 1 block from a Verizon store, so that would be sweet if that works out. Verizon 's also selling the Motorola Nexus 6 for a super-sweet deal (in comparison), so yay... if I can use that cheap phone with G-Fi, not Verizon... This is also going to replace my only phone. Any pointers?

Isn't it kind of odd there isn't a Google Fi group at groups.google.com?

Thanks,
J-Kno

 

[Neofite]

There are 2 groups on google+ one the public and one you have to be invited to once you are on fi.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Schoat333]

What do you mean by hardware assistance?

 

[Jeffrey Knox]

There are 2 groups on google+ one the public and one you have to be invited to once you are on fi.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Oh, duh. It never occurred to me to look on Google+ since I think of that only as a social networking site. Thanks for the pointer!

 

[Jeffrey Knox]

What do you mean by hardware assistance?

I mean like if the physical device has issues that cannot be solved on a message board. Since this will replace my one and only phone, I need quick turnaround time for maintenance repairs if/when things go wrong. That's why I was excited about Verizon selling one of the cheaper phones since I live so close to one of their stores. I would assume that means Verizon would handle hardware support...

 

[Schoat333]

I mean like if the physical device has issues that cannot be solved on a message board. Since this will replace my one and only phone, I need quick turnaround time for maintenance repairs if/when things go wrong. That's why I was excited about Verizon selling one of the cheaper phones since I live so close to one of their stores. I would assume that means Verizon would handle hardware support...

Probably not actually. VZW will likely only assist you if the phone is active on their network. If you order the phone from the play store, Google would provide replacement devices for a year I believe. If you buy it anywhere else, and activate it on Fi, you will probably have to go to Motorola directly for any replacement or warranty issues.

 

[Jeffrey Knox]

HUH. Strike 1 against Fi. I think I'll hold off on being an early adopter and just see how it all shakes out... Thanks!

 

[Schoat333]

HUH. Strike 1 against Fi. I think I'll hold off on being an early adopter and just see how it all shakes out... Thanks!

Do you have a lot of problems with hardware? I can't think of a time that I have ever had to get a replacement phone.

 

[Zendroid1]

I'm trying to think of a good analogy but it's not coming to me. Buy the phone from Google Play and/or Motorola. They both have a good deal and fast / free shipping. Why buy from Verizon unless you absolutely have to? Especially if you don't plan on using it on Verizon. I would pay extra to NOT have that logo on my phone and just knowing Verizon never got their stinkin' paws on it!

 

[Schoat333]

I'm trying to think of a good analogy but it's not coming to me. Buy the phone from Google Play and/or Motorola. They both have a good deal and fast / free shipping. Why buy from Verizon unless you absolutely have to? Especially if you don't plan on using it on Verizon. I would pay extra to NOT have that logo on my phone and just knowing Verizon never got their stinkin' paws on it!

Agreed

 

[diesteldorf]

Had to throw in my two cents. Even if Verizon was capable and willing to provide warranty replacement phones on demand, you probably wouldn't want them to, because you'd both be frustrated.

You'd walk in first and they would probably want to pull up your account. Of course you don't have one. They would want to troubleshoot when it's connected to their network, not the network your currently using.

By design, all warranty replacements are processed and linked to customers and accounts and you are neither....Not a bad thing, just a fact of life. Assuming they could just put a hold on your credit card and mail the replacement, while waiting for the defective device, would you really want to go through the process of filing a dispute if they showed the device was never returned?

Carriers are not really setup to provide support to non-customers. I would imagine if you bought the device and it was truly deemed defective, Verizon would replace it if you were within their 14 day return period, similar to a Best Buy, Costco, or Walmart. However, as others have said, once you are outside that window, you'll likely be referred directly to the manufacturer--Motorola.

They may be kind enough to send you a replacement, while they wait for the return. However, I wouldn't expect it, as I have heard mixed results.. Still, if I had a truly defective device, I would rather deal directly with the company that made it and not the middle man.

Obviously, it is much easier if you have the luxury of having spare devices, but it's not realistic to expect that people will have a spare Nexus 6.

I bought one from TMO and one from Sprint, since both were offering ETF buyouts and different promotions. I wanted to shop around, knowing that my phone would be unlocked and able to be used anywhere.

I still have Sprint, but haven't had TMO for almost 6 months. There is no way I would go to them with any expectation for assistance if my Nexus 6 was defective. As others have said, buy from Google (the carrier you are using) or Motorola (the manufacturer)

However, in my mind, given equal pricing, I would always buy directly from the company that made it.

 

[diesteldorf]

Had to throw in my two cents. Even if Verizon was capable and willing to provide warranty replacement phones on demand, you probably wouldn't want them to, because you'd both be frustrated.

You'd walk in first and they would probably want to pull up your account. Of course you don't have one. They would want to troubleshoot when it's connected to their network, not the network your currently using.

By design, all warranty replacements are processed and linked to customers and accounts and you are neither....Not a bad thing, just a fact of life. Assuming they could just put a hold on your credit card and mail the replacement, while waiting for the defective device, would you really want to go through the process of filing a dispute if they showed the device was never returned?

Carriers are not really setup to provide support to non-customers. I would imagine if you bought the device and it was truly deemed defective, Verizon would replace it if you were within their 14 day return period, similar to a Best Buy, Costco, or Walmart. However, as others have said, once you are outside that window, you'll likely be referred directly to the manufacturer--Motorola.

They may be kind enough to send you a replacement, while they wait for the return. However, I wouldn't expect it, as I have heard mixed results.. Still, if I had a truly defective device, I would rather deal directly with the company that made it and not the middle man.

Obviously, it is much easier if you have the luxury of having spare devices, but it's not realistic to expect that people will have a spare Nexus 6.

I bought one from TMO and one from Sprint, since both were offering ETF buyouts and different promotions. I wanted to shop around, knowing that my phone would be unlocked and able to be used anywhere.

I still have Sprint, but haven't had TMO for almost 6 months. There is no way I would go to them with any expectation for assistance if my Nexus 6 was defective. As others have said, buy from Google (the carrier you are using) or Motorola (the manufacturer)

However, in my mind, given equal pricing, I would always buy directly from the company that made it.

 

[bdmridgeback]

He doesn't drive (no car or no license) but is going to spend $400-500 on a phone ?!?
Confused I am

 

[Jeffrey Knox]

Yes I have an admittedly very rare set of circumstances. Not-driving is saving me upwards of $1.5K-$3K a year in gasoline, plus maintenance costs though. What's odd is that I don't drive because of a lack of finances. On 5/26/07, a drunk driver hit me when I was a pedestrian (that's the *very* short version), leaving me in a 5-week coma. When I awoke, I had double vision. <leaving out a *lot* more details you didn't ask for> In the end, not driving is a choice I make both for my safety and the public's. (although someone said to me yesterday that folks with only one eye can be licensed, so I may look into it again...)

 

[Jeffrey Knox]

Thanks all for the input! I ordered my Google Fi phone roughy a week ago through fi.google.com (I'm pretty sure) and it will be here about the end of October. Then a few days later I was hurrying like mad to change clothes after class since I needed to catch the next bus to the gym. And I put my LG Optimus F6 on the only shelf in the restroom at school, which is at head height, and was arranging things all around it. Lo and behold, I knocked the phone to the floor where the screen cracked. Luckily, a cell phone repair store moved in a block away recently, so I got it "fixed" quickly. (I forget what else was going on, but I couldn't afford the time for two buses, to & from T-Mo) Fixed is in quotes since the only faceplate they had at the moment was a different color than the back, so obviously it's been refurbed. So two questions come out of that experience:
1) If that was my Google Fi phone, that's exactly what I meant in the original question... what will my options be here? (although I'm a good bit less spazzy about being without phone service temporarily in case the Google Fi fix involves the mail, as my folks recently found MagicJack, so at least I have a home phone... for the 1st time in 18 years)
2) T-Mo has disavowed themselves of support for that phone since it was worked on by a 3rd party. I expect I'll find the same with a Fi phone purchased from Google, correct?

Thanks for your responses!
Jeff

 

[Jeffrey Knox]

I've just figured out the word I couldn't think of-- warranty. This became a very easy answer then: https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6209387?hl=en