If your new phone breaks under warranty, do you deserve a brand new replacement?
May 21, 2010 What's Going On
There’s an interesting (and very timely, for me) discussion going on today on one of my favorite sites, Consumerist. I was first in line (online) to get a Droid phone when they debuted earlier this year, and I’ve been mostly thrilled with it. I have a few complaints, and every once in a while it would freeze up and I’d have to remove the battery to get it going again. But since it’s basically more like a small computer than a phone, I wasn’t too surprised. My computers get a little bitchy if I keep them on 24/7 as well.
But then two days ago, with no warning, it simply stopped working. I went online and tried everything suggested to get it going again, with no luck. Then I called Verizon, and since I sounded like I knew what I was talking about they didn’t make me run through all of the possible fixes again. They couldn’t locate a Verizon store anywhere near me with a Droid in stock, so I pleaded with them to overnight one to me (at no charge) and they said yes. I’m not sure if this is because I’m a long-time customer who gives them a lot of money each month, or the tech was in a good mood, or what, but I was really happy that they didn’t give me a run-around. I’m very dependent on my cell phone so getting a replacement quickly was essential to my sanity.
My phone arrived last night and I was not surprised at all to see that it was a “Certified Like-New Replacement.” I went through this with my last Verizon phone, an LG Voyager. It worked perfectly for almost a year, then got really weird on me. They gave me two refurbished replacements in a row that didn’t work (I don’t remember what was wrong with the first replacement, but on the second one the bluetooth didn’t work). I was furious at that point and ready to walk, so they gave me a brand-new Voyager. Actually, it was a more expensive model than I had bought. So in the end it worked out OK, but I had to go through two months of trouble to get to that point – very frustrating.
Now, of course, I’m stuck with another refurbished replacement. And guess what? It’s not working. The screen goes dark during calls and won’t light up again. Not only does this make things difficult when using an automated service, but I can’t even hang up on a call. The only way to get to the touch screen during a call is to slide open the keyboard. (UPDATE: Things have deteriorated, and now opening the keyboard doesn’t always turn on the screen. A couple of times I had to take out the battery and restart the phone just to get the screen and make a call.) This is definitely not how it’s supposed to work. So, Verizon is over-nighting me…wait for it…another refurbished replacement phone!
The commenters on Consumerist seem to be split between people who think the original poster should stop whining about not getting a brand new replacement, and people who don’t understand why Verizon (and just about every other wireless company) can get away with this for an under-warranty phone. Several of them talk about getting multiple replacements from Verizon with none of them working. Meanwhile, someone tweeted this to me:
Doesn’t look hopeful, does it?
My own personal take is that if the refurbished phones work, then I’m fine with getting one. I’ve purchased lots of refurbished products from Sony that all looked and worked like new. But Verizon seems to have a problem with their refurbishing process, at least in my experience. What do you think? If you’re still under warranty, do you deserve a brand new replacement?
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information. Amy also blogs at Filming In Brooklyn, Behind the Screen, and the NYC Moms Blog.
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Tags: Droid, refurbish, replacement phone, Verizon
