Google Customer Service Reps -- Hesitation Giving 6P RMA ?

[evolvedsapien]

Has anyone encountered hesitation on part of Google CS reps in accommodating giving RMA for device returns??

I have ordered three (3) 6Ps; of which TWO have a distinctly yellow hue to screens...colors look way off and downright ugly.

However when calling to return the 6P and request RMA the reps are obviously hesitant; they ask why repeatedly and then try to get you to exchange. When I tell them about the Yellow hue they say MANY, MANY people have requested returns for the same reason and because of that volume of return requests for that reason...according to the reps they say management has told the reps to delay giving out RMAs until more investigation is done. The reps also say the ones that take the initial calls are Tier 1 reps and that for any RMA requests it has to be escalated to Tier 2 and beyond. I called in at 9:20 P.M. EST last night (11/13) and still have not received my RMA.

CS reps asked for my device's IMEI # on two separate occasions and say they can't find it in the system.

I just don't get it.

 

[Go0gle]

When I called, the rep was very sympathetic and made no mention of volume of RMA's. She also was more than happy to send out an RMA. Granted I was still within the return period, and this was my first RMA. I am going to be very nervous if I have to do it 1-2 more times to get a proper screen without any hues or discoloration as I am very sensitive to it. They asked for my IMEI as well but that was the end of it, so I assume there was no issue there. Fingers crossed I get a normal screen on my first replacement.

 

[trap49]

Has anyone encountered hesitation on part of Google CS reps in accommodating giving RMA for device returns??

I have ordered three (3) 6Ps; of which TWO have a distinctly yellow hue to screens...colors look way off and downright ugly.

However when calling to return the 6P and request RMA the reps are obviously hesitant; they ask why repeatedly and then try to get you to exchange. When I tell them about the Yellow hue they say MANY, MANY people have requested returns for the same reason and because of that volume of return requests for that reason...according to the reps they say management has told the reps to delay giving out RMAs until more investigation is done. The reps also say the ones that take the initial calls are Tier 1 reps and that for any RMA requests it has to be escalated to Tier 2 and beyond. I called in at 9:20 P.M. EST last night (11/13) and still have not received my RMA.

CS reps asked for my device's IMEI # on two separate occasions and say they can't find it in the system.

I just don't get it.

I returned my 6P because of a problem with the camera, the rear camera would not focus. The rep I spoke with was great, there was no hesitation at all. He had me check the versions of the camera software, and then had me take a photo with the front camera (which came out perfectly focused). Once he determined that the rear camera was faulty, he asked for my IMEI and immediately sent me the RMA via email.

Just to illustrate how efficient the whole operation was, consider this sequence:
- received my 6P on 10/29 (original estimate was Nov 10-12)
- realized the camera didn't focus on 10/30 but didn't want to call on a Friday evening
- waited until Sunday afternoon 11/1 to call, had the RMA in 15 minutes
- completed the RMA and sent it in on 11/1 evening
- received email from Google that my replacement 6P had shipped on 11/2
- received email from FedEx that package was in transit on 11/3
- 6P on my doorstep at 3:30 pm PDT 11/4

That is what I call customer service! The new 6P is working fine, btw.
-

 

[Go0gle]

I don't think anyone is having issues with the first RMA, especially within the two week return period window. The question is if some people need 2, 3, 4 phone replacements before they get one without any screen issues, will every encounter with Google be as smooth as the last? That's what has me really worried. I went through 3 Galaxy S6's before getting one without a terribly uneven pink hue in the screen, but it was through work so it wasn't an issue. As an individual customer it might have been far more difficult, not sure.

My replacement 6P also was not upgraded to fast shipping like it seems some of you are getting...it's still taking a full week unfortunately.

 

[anticlutch]

Not surprising that the few have ruined it for everyone else. Yes, it's an expensive-ish and "premium" device, and yes you should be entitled to an RMA if there's a legitimate issue. However, it seems like far too many people don't realize that there are going to be variations amongst panels (even Samsung, who reportedly manufactures the panels, can't consistently get it right!). I'd be willing to bet that a significant percentage of people who repeatedly RMA their devices in search of the unicorn-like 6P panel with perfect whites wouldn't have noticed anything wrong with their panel if they hadn't been told otherwise.

As an enthusiast and as a perfectionist I get that people want a perfect panel. Morally however, it irks me to no end that people do this and end up screwing over legitimate RMA claims who actually have a significantly crappier display than normal. Hopefully Google/Huawei can quickly push out something that can address the issue with software by the end-user and also do a better job at calibration and QC as the production batches goes through revisions.

 

[Go0gle]

In my case, the screen is brutal. To the point that my GF even noticed (believe me, she is the least likely person to ever notice or care about something like this). The top half is a coffee-stained yellow, the bottom half is very pink. That is when viewing head on, at normal angles and distances, nothing extreme. This is not normal panel variation, and something I noticed within the first 10 seconds of using the device, before I even read a single word about it online. Now, if the entire panel was uniformly off-white, that is something that a software update should be able to fix, but if half the panel is a completely different color, the only fix is an RMA. Google also spent time press-releasing how much time they spent perfecting the whites on this panel (as well in the Reddit AMA thread) - if people aren't receiving what they paid for, they all deserve RMA's in my opinion. If Google/Huawei doesn't want a ton of RMA's for this particular issue, they should be releasing a statement acknowledging the issue and telling people what they plan to do to fix it. In the mean time, people are going to continue to RMA them, and IMHO they have every right to.

If there is huge variation in panel consistency from the factory, they should be tested before ever being installed into a device. If that is not possible due to the scale of production or whatever, then the companies must deal with the RMAs if they have deemed that to be the cheaper/easier solution.