Posts Tagged ‘Wireless phones’

Verizon Wireless vs. DiGi

Who woulda thunk it.  Verizon Wireless, “The” Verizon Wireless, and a wireless provider in Malaysia called DiGi are having a quiet, polite, second-hand blame war over which carrier is responsible for approximately half of the text messages I send from the United States via Verizon not reaching the mobile device of my beloved friend in Malaysia, a Digi customer.  I personally do not care which company is responsible, but I’m tired of throwing to the wind 25 cents each for messages that do not reach their destination.

Rather than being dazed and amazed that any text messages arrive to someone halfway across the world, in this technological age, we just expect that all communication should not only go through, but go through quickly, clearly and accurately.  And, I must add, for the most part or the 3/4 part, it does.  All of his texts reach me but only about half of mine reach him. 

Both my friend and I have contacted DiGi and Verizon, respectively, and spelled out our concerns.  Both companies claim to have researched the problem with their tech departments and found no difficulties on their ends.  One Verizon rep told me that if the screen says “sent” without an error message, Verizon has done its part and the rest is up to the forces of nature and the technology of the other wireless company.  Okay, yeah, I embellished a little on that statement, but I did sense a bit of arrogance on the part of the first (not the second, who was very helpful and pleasant) Verizon rep I spoke to who finally said to me, “I mean, come on, it’s Verizon!” as if Verizon’s pooh is incapable of stinking.

DiGi, the ball is in your court.  Verizon—2, Digi—1.  It’s your turn to make that phone call, Philip.

The Samsung Smooth; Not lovin’ it, I’m leavin’ it!

Bravo to Verizon Wireless representative, Ms. N., who recognized an opportunity to provide above and beyond customer service to ensure the loyalty and happiness of a long-term customer, me.  For the first time in all my years with Verizon Wireless, this time when I signed a new contract and upgraded our phones we received two complete duds, one which was replaced by another of the same that worked just fine, the Samsung Intensity, and the Samsung Smooth, which two replacements later we have yet to get a “good” one.  At this point, I’m not certain if a “good” Samsung Smooth even exists.  Last night, Ms. N., a very competent and thoughtful customer service rep, solved this problem (even though the solution was outside of Verizon’s normal policy) and made me a happy camper.  For history on this saga read here.

The Samsung Smooth is the phone I chose for my mother when we upgraded.  Before cementing my decision, I read the mixed reviews (ignoring those that seemed overly picky and petty), looked at the technical specs, and compared the phone to other similar phones.  I agonized over the choice more than I did for my own because it was important to me that my mother had a compact, reliable device with good sound and reception.  Unfortunately, I was doomed from the moment I clicked the button to select the Smooth.  Yesterday, after going through two substandard Smooths, I received a third device that had equally crappy sound–blocked out entire words and made people sound like they were stuttering. Ugh, ugh, and triple ugh!

All afternoon, I agonized over the phone call that I would inevitably have to make to Verizon.  My mother, determined with feet planted in cement, insisted that Verizon owed us a working phone.  Her advice:  We should keep returning phones until we finally got one that worked or until Verizon allowed us to select another model.  I agreed, but being the one who, as the owner of the plan, has to make these phone calls, I knotted my gut a little.  I’m not good at being stern and forcing an issue. I usually back down easily and retreat with my tail between my legs.  I don’t enjoy having to raise my voice or make “trouble” and we were just outside of Verizon’s 30-Day Worry-Free Guarantee period so some convincing would be necessary.

Last night, I called mom.  Mom prayed.  I prayed.  I got on the phone and dialed Verizon CS.  Ms. N. answered.  Immediately, I could tell that I was talking to someone who could solve my problem with little to no hassle, and I was right.  Thanks to Ms. N I will be purchasing another Intensity at a reasonable price (the same additional amount I would have had to pay when I originally did the upgrade) and returning the Samsung Smooth and good riddance. 

To anyone who is experiencing a problem with Verizon Wireless, my advice, (for what it’s worth and besides avoiding the Samsung Smooth at all costs), be persistent but not mean and ugly.  Try to find a solution to your dilemma without bending their rules.  Don’t accept the answer of the first rep you talk to if you believe that you have not received a fair solution.  It’s unfortunate, but as with people in every walk of life, some are genuinely interested and want to help and others are just doing their job and following “the rules”.  Sometimes the person you talk to at first may not have the authority to bend the rules.  Politely ask for someone who does.  It has been my experience that most Verizon Wireless Customer Service Reps genuinely want to satisfy the customer.  Thanks Verizon!  Thanks Ms. N!

The Samsung Intensity; Love it or Leave it?

And while we’re at it, should we dump the Samsung Smooth in the ocean too! 

Last month, my family and I renewed our contract with Verizon Wireless and were rewarded for our loyalty with shiny, new, updated telephones as part of Verizon’s New Every Two program.  How excited we were when the FedEx man arrived–out with the old and in with the new and all that stuff.  The packages arrived at mom and dad’s house, but they called me at the moment of arrival and I was across the street in no time to begin the necessary charging and programming.  What fun!  I was even late for work on the occasion.  Oops, did I say that.

From the moment I opened my new cherry red Samsung Intensity, I loved it—the look, the features.  It’s the first phone I have ever owned that has a larger screen and a qwerty keyboard with realistically usable-sized keys.  I had spent hours sorting through all of the phone choices before selecting it.  In the past, I have opted for basic, slim, clamshell types with no fancy features or looks.  A phone, after all, by my way of thinking, is a tool and not a fashion statement.  This time, I went for the goods.  I could barely contain my excitement.

How quickly did my jubilation turn to frustration?  Less than two full days after I began using my new jewel, I was talking to my mother on the phone—she chose the Samsung Smooth—and we could barely carry on a conversation for all the breaking up and crackling.  At first, I wanted to blame it on her phone, certain that it, being the less expensive model, would be the culprit, but as the weeks went by without exaggerating I can say that I have never*, in all my years with Verizon, experienced so many dropped calls in such a short period of time nor have I experienced such poor sound quality and reception in areas that have traditionally offered me excellent reception.  With my last Verizon phone, the reception and sound were so good that I forgot I was talking on a wireless phone and even discontinued my home phone service.

Last Tuesday night, just a few days prior to the expiration of our 30-day satisfaction guarantee period, I decided I’d better take action.  First, I called and then marched myself down to a local Verizon Wireless Retail Store to check out our options.  The retail store would have been happy to exchange my phone but they only had in stock the black, not the red (boo hoo), and even if I were willing to take the black, according to the salesperson, I would be charged the $35 restocking fee due to the difference in the sku. What-ev-er!  Next, I called Verizon’s Customer Service.

Three calls, three customer service reps (two very friendly, one semi-rude) and two Verizon customer service surveys later, I was almost resting in the assurance that I had two brand new phones on the way—one Intensity for me and one to replace mom’s inferior Samsung Smooth.  I say almost, because I was experiencing a small, silent lingering doubt that replacements of the same models would be any better than the originals.  And, now, we wait.

Friday after work, I found that the phones had arrived as promised and eagerly tore the packages open.  Disappointment #1:  My phone was black, not the cheery, cherry red of the original.  Disappointment #2:  The phones were certified “like new” rather than new.  It had been my understanding that with the return being within the first 30 days that the phones would have been replaced with NEW.  Oh well, and another what-ev-er!  I recovered from Disappointments #1 and #2 when I found that my “like new” phone worked just fine, ever so much better than the “new” original.  I can always buy a red cover, right?

Ugh!  Disappointment #3 came this morning when I fired up mom’s Smooth and found the sound/reception to be much less than smooth.  In fact, it was so terrible that I called Verizon and told them we would keep the old one and were returning the replacement.  Two Verizon customer service reps later (both pleasant and helpful, thank you), the replacement Smooth that wasn’t so smooth is on it’s way back to Verizon via FedEx and once received Verizon will send out another and hopefully smoother “like new” Smooth.  I wait with bated breath.

*Unless one counts the period of time I spent on the Verizon pay-as-you-go plan with an antiquated Motorola model many moons ago.  That was horrible!

Merry Wireless Technology Christmas

This Christmas my family celebrated the addition of two new members to our wireless phone share plans—my father and my 12-year-old nephew.  My father, who had steadfastly rejected participation in any plan which required a contract and a monthly payment in favor of a pay-per-use plan, dropped and broke his oversized dinosaur at a local grocery store shortly after hearing my mother and I talk of renewing our Verizon contract and getting shiny new phones.  Left with the choice of having no phone, purchasing a newer obsolete model for his Alltel pay-as-you-go plan, or jumping on the family share bandwagon, he, after some serious deliberation, closed his eyes and took the plunge joining my mother and me.  Of course, he muddied the waters by waiting until the day after mom and I had already signed on the dotted line and chosen our phones, but nonetheless he’s in now and we are never letting him out of our circle. (Never mind that we have a Verizon plan that does not qualify for a “circle”.)  My nephew, like most children today, was born with the instinct to attach himself to a wireless device.  It made no never mind to him how or why it happened, he just wanted it to happen.  This year at Christmas, his parents, my sis and BIL, finally decided that he was of age, got him a new LG Chocolate Touch and added him to their family plan.  Two new plan members, five new phones, and a couple of portable gaming devices later and my family was lucky to have communicated at all except by electronic means on Christmas Day.