Buyer beware! MUST READ!

[JSchu22]

You are correct sir. This forum has more than enlighted me. I think the majority of cell phone users will continue to upgrade there phones through more orthodox and established channels. Convienence, price, and customer service are king! I appreciate your knowledge and comments.

I can appreciate your sarcasm, as I have most certainly used my fair share. You are right though as this new model wont take much steam out of the more traditional means anytime soon. Ironically of the three characteristics you mentioned, Google is arguably only one short- Service. It's definitely a big one, but one I suspect will get much better. Whether it improves enough for this to become a strong option for the majority, who knows. There were many naysayers about online shopping at one point.

 

[System6]

UPDATE : Still not having a tracking number I called HTC. The first guy could not help me, so he got me to the returns/exchange department. I spoke with a guy named Conrad who was very informative and very kind.

He did not use the Holiday as an excuse, but he did say that because of it they did not "batch" their shipments Friday so mine got "batched" today. He said my phone will go out tomorrow, and should be here no later than Thursday. He told me if it had not arrived Thursday to please call back and ask for him personally.

He sounded like he knew his stuff and his customer service skills were awesome. Now......Well. now we wait.

 

[bbrosen]

My 2 cents here... customer service generally sucks now. Companies cannot or will not or just do not know how to take care of a customer. When a company does not have a storefront, they need to step up their game when it comes to customer service. these "phones" are very expensive for average consumers whether for Business, like me or personal use. When i spend 5-600 dollars on a device i expect the level of service to go with it as well as the device to work like a 600 device.

I work too hard to spend my hard earned money on crap like HTC and google dish out. I too have had my problems with HTC, big time. Rude, condescending stupid reps who know very little about their own phones and software. Long waits, constant hangups, etc etc. Then they end up blameing my carrier and tell me to call them.


Sorry, but far too many people are afraid to speak up, wrong is wrong, let me tell you, I do not handle my customers like HTC or google does, too many people put up with crap like this. I for one won't and I will not let my customers either.

Google has more money than God, there is no excuse for the crap that goes on. It's stupidity and arrogance is what it is. Greed also. Google needs to get in or get out. All they will do is alienate a generation of consumers if they play phone designer for a few years and then get board.

Apple got it right, right from the get go. i know I had the IPHONE. Sorry I left. Problem with hardware? Call apple. Problem with software? call Apple. Problem with app store? call apple. Problem with itunes? Call apple. Newest software out? Just plug it in and update.

there were no problems of 500 different handsets and 5 different OS levels, the carriers did not get in the way of newer software updates etc etc.

Apple knows how to take care of it's customers for sure. google is playing for fun and unless they get serious, which i seriously doubt they really will, they will fail in this little experiment.

 

[JSchu22]

My 2 cents here... customer service generally sucks now. Companies cannot or will not or just do not know how to take care of a customer. When a company does not have a storefront, they need to step up their game when it comes to customer service. these "phones" are very expensive for average consumers whether for Business, like me or personal use. When i spend 5-600 dollars on a device i expect the level of service to go with it as well as the device to work like a 600 device.

I work too hard to spend my hard earned money on crap like HTC and google dish out. I too have had my problems with HTC, big time. Rude, condescending stupid reps who know very little about their own phones and software. Long waits, constant hangups, etc etc. Then they end up blameing my carrier and tell me to call them.


Sorry, but far too many people are afraid to speak up, wrong is wrong, let me tell you, I do not handle my customers like HTC or google does, too many people put up with crap like this. I for one won't and I will not let my customers either.

Google has more money than God, there is no excuse for the crap that goes on. It's stupidity and arrogance is what it is. Greed also. Google needs to get in or get out. All they will do is alienate a generation of consumers if they play phone designer for a few years and then get board.

Apple got it right, right from the get go. i know I had the IPHONE. Sorry I left. Problem with hardware? Call apple. Problem with software? call Apple. Problem with app store? call apple. Problem with itunes? Call apple. Newest software out? Just plug it in and update.

there were no problems of 500 different handsets and 5 different OS levels, the carriers did not get in the way of newer software updates etc etc.

Apple knows how to take care of it's customers for sure. google is playing for fun and unless they get serious, which i seriously doubt they really will, they will fail in this little experiment.

I don't disagree with your feelings about customer service at all. Ironically, in reference to your comments about Apple, this is exactly what many in the Android community use as a fault. I do not feel that way as I loved my time with the iPhone- still the longest I've kept myself to a single phone.

 

[System6]

Yeah, both very good insights and opinions. The one thing that REALLY bothers me about the handset is the fact they have different builds. Open OS means that can happen, but like usually win mo devices were getting updates, just not little tid bit.. i.e. sense ui is to motoblur. The would block or disable functions that the device couldn't handle.

It would be nice to see all the phones on the same build, even if they didn't have the exact features, just to bring some consistency.

The fact you can brick these phones too is another complaint. Like you said, Apple got it right with the restore through iTunes via computer. I wish (or hope) that in the future Google will release updates through PCs as well as OTA.

This is a carrier issue, but again, on My MyTouch I was going from 1.5 to 1.6 and to stabilize their network they had to roll it out slowly. Because of this it made it to where some users didn't get the update for over a week after the other users had. This is a universal problem though as we all know that Apple has had unbearable server load with OS upgrades and new device launches. I don't think this has been perfected quite yet.

I absolutely hate the Linux OS (all builds except those for specific purposes, e.g. G-parted), but I love Android.

I hate the linux OS because I think its overly complex to use (I'm a tech geek and know how to use all the functions I just think it's sad they still run mostly off command lines) but I think Android has really brought a simple user interface into the picture with the Android OS.

Phones will get older, and outdated as hardware get better... that's a given, but when you buy an iPhone, you pretty much know that it will be good for almost 2 full generations. That's a smart business model because it feels like an investment.

The Droid is an entirely different phone of its own, and I like it and respect its owners, but you can't help but feel a little screwed when you buy a handset and 2 months later one comes out for about the same price that is almost literally twice as fast.

Ray Kurzweils theory of singularity impacting cellphones to a noticeable extent already?!

We have to be fair and say, is Google a huge corporation, yes. Should they have had the insight and resources to prepare for some of these issue in advance, yes. Is it disappointing to a lot of customers, yes. BUT.... and it's a very big but.... this is their first try. The launch could have gone better, but they still have time to innovate and prove they are going to work towards a successful business model and plan with their cellphone sales.

I think at this point we have all seen and felt the benefits and shortcomings. What has happened has happened.... how they respond to what has happened will determine their fate.

 

[JSchu22]

Hey that's probably why they chose T-Mobile as their first partner- G1 then again with the Nexus One. Only this time their next big venture is doing so with a much bigger network.

 

[FreshPrince]

This is nothing compared to Apple's crap service, so I'm good with it!

 

[infoman]

Yeah, both very good insights and opinions. The one thing that REALLY bothers me about the handset is the fact they have different builds. Open OS means that can happen, but like usually win mo devices were getting updates, just not little tid bit.. i.e. sense ui is to motoblur. The would block or disable functions that the device couldn't handle.

It would be nice to see all the phones on the same build, even if they didn't have the exact features, just to bring some consistency.

Your absolutely correct. It makes you wonder if one should even to continue to embrace the Android platform. If the hardware is running on the Android OS, they all should be the same build and version. Who wants to spend hard earned cash and four months down the road be left hanging and wondering if your getting an OS upgrade at the demise of google. More focus should be placed on developing the OS to provide the BASIC functions people desire, not what they dictate. This will be my last droid based if things don't shape up. It's a tool, not a toy and I won;t be a guiena pig for anyone. I wonder what the standard issue phone is at Google corporate, a Blackberry. LOL

 

[System6]

@FreshPrince I don't agree with that personally, and having dealt with Apple and HTC, I would have to say Apple has a leg up on HTC easily. Not in terms of the way they treat me, but in terms of how smoothly their system is set up to deal with returns, exchanges, and repairs.

My friend had her iPhones simcard stop working... had Applecare....they sent her another one and it wouldn't boot so they sent her a brand new one....9 months after her original purchase.

At this time, they were overnighting her phones so she wouldn't be without one and literally had all 3 phones in her possession with no hold on any credit card.

 

[System6]

UPDATE : Almost 7pm central time and no shipping info. I plan on calling at 9pm if I haven't heard anything yet.

 

[System6]

UPDATE : There is no "Conrad" who works there. "William" just informed me his supervisor is on a break and not available a the moment and that he was escalating this to the "Tier 2 support team". I was also just informed that this was because I was officially out of my 14 days.

Tier 2 support will call me at their earliest convenience. When I asked him if he could assure me that would be with in 72 hours, he could not.

I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE SERVICE.

 

[System6]

UPDATE : Still no handset. I called yesterday and they said tier 2 support would call and they didn't so I called back this morning. I talked to a supervisor that told me she was going to call the return department in Houston and talk to the RMA supervisor. I was on hold for 16 minutes and she finally told me he was not in and she would leave him a message.

2 hours later I got a call that He would "personally" ship my phone today and I would have a tracking label and an RMA label sent to me by 5pm central time. I got neither so I just called. I got a smug and short little man by the name of Chris that told me that when you send something FedEx, you don't get the tracking for 24 hours. I explained to him that this was B/S, because tracking information on an overnight package after 24 hours is useless....it would have already arrived.

I asked to talk to a supervisor. He had me wait several minutes and then told me "She told me to tell you the same thing". I asked again to speak to the supervisor and he said "OK, but she is just going to tell you the same thing".

I held for 8 minutes and got a supervisor by the name of "Heather Cummins". The first thing she said was "You already call this morning and got information, why are you calling back? Did we already no tell you what was happening with your swap?" When I told her that I had been informed of the tracking info and had not received it she said she was "Sorry, but there was nothing she could do about that".

She seemed to be hung up on the RMA label, kept speaking over me, wouldn't let me finish my sentences, and basically yelled at me for calling with questions and concerns. I told her that it was not acceptable to speak to me that way and I would not tolerate her speaking to me in that manner.

She kept telling me she had no info, I just needed to wait, etc. Finally without warning Chris took the phone back from her and provided me with a tracking number.

I went to FedEx and it HAS IN FACT BEEN SHIPPED!

I am sure they are overwhelmed with calls, but no one at HTC up to this point has been so rude to me. I checked my spam folder and they have not sent me anything at all. they confirmed my email address and have it correct.

They promised it was being overnight and would be here tomorrow, and the tracking information confirms that although it is still sitting in Houston.

It looks like the saga of the most difficult purchase and exchange in my life is almost over... knock on wood!

Thanks for the support, I will finish this post out when it arrives and my old device is confirmed defective and not "broken".

P.S. For any of you having battery issues, as I am since my handset has gone haywire, HTC has no extra batteries or battery covers. When asked if I could get these replaced (As my phone was so hot on the charger last night it burnt my hand this morning, and I have had to take the cover off and on to do battery pulls to try to get it to work) they would not promise they could or would exchange those items for me in the future.

 

[System6]

UPDATE : I FINALLY GOT MY REPLACEMENT!

So far it is working great (so did the first one). I called HTC today to ask about the RMA label and the guy treated me like I was an idiot. He said it had been emailed to me several times and to check my spam folder. I did, and it wasn't there.

When my phone arrived the RMA label is in the box. I called and spoke to a supervisor and after being told 5-6 times I would get an email of a label I needed to print out, I discovered they are not doing that anymore and they will all come in the box, unless for repairs of course.

SO! Scheduling a pick up for tomorrow....and away it goes. Lets see if this goes as smoothly as one could hope for.

 

[7thson]

I called HTC today to ask about the RMA label and the guy treated me like I was an idiot. He said it had been emailed to me several times and to check my spam folder. I did, and it wasn't there.

When my phone arrived the RMA label is in the box. I called and spoke to a supervisor and after being told 5-6 times I would get an email of a label I needed to print out, I discovered they are not doing that anymore and they will all come in the box, unless for repairs of course.

This is pretty typical of all my interactions with HTC customer care. They try to treat me like I'm an idiot but they're factually wrong about what they're telling me.

 

[System6]

Overall most of my interactions have been with people who are very kind. I have had 3 now be total jerks, but to be fair I have talked to like 30.....

I believe though that HTCs reps are trained to get you off the phone, period. Make something up, tell them you will call them later, but whatever you do, DO NOT tell them that you actually don't know....lol.

I feel sorry for them. It seems like their company has failed to put the tools in place for them to gather, share, and execute any plans or data.

 

[7thson]

Overall most of my interactions have been with people who are very kind. I have had 3 now be total jerks, but to be fair I have talked to like 30.....

I believe though that HTCs reps are trained to get you off the phone, period. Make something up, tell them you will call them later, but whatever you do, DO NOT tell them that you actually don't know....lol.

I feel sorry for them. It seems like their company has failed to put the tools in place for them to gather, share, and execute any plans or data.

I've only talked to 3, but they've definitely all been jerkoffs. What you said about them just trying to get you off the phone and making stuff up is completely true unfortunately..

 

[mi_canuck]

EDIT: scratch my "favorable" impressions of HTC... they are a bunch of f*cktards...


Just called back to first ask WHY the F I was only given the option of sending in my DEFECTIVE (aka POS) Nexus One BEFORE a replacement sent back to me. Now I'm without my Nexus for what's going to amount to at least a WEEK!

Got that douchebag "Chris" on the phone this time. Arrogant little prick kept saying "I'm sorry sir, there's nothing I can do.... Low man on the totem pole, you know?" The way the put you on hold to "talk to their supervisor" - a huge CROCK that is. He had the NERVE to say... Sorry sir, this is "Google's phone"... "We just do tech support here". It's like they are all passing the BUCK!!! WTF??????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Mark my words - this is the LAST POS HTC device I'm ever buying. I can't say I'm a big Moto fan, but as soon as there is some sort of GSM Moto Android unit with high res screen and T-Mo (AWS 1700) 3G bands, I'm ditching this effing Nexus One...

I was willing to give these guys a break, but EFF that!!!!

 

[mi_canuck]

Anyone know how we can log formal complaints against HTC "tech support" jerkoffs? This has honestly got to stop. They are running their operations for their flagship device with a bunch of high school dropouts. Saying shit like "Sorry sir, but this is *Google's* phone... we have nothing to do with it, except tech support". That is so far from an UNacceptable statement, it's not even funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[7thson]

EDIT: scratch my "favorable" impressions of HTC... they are a bunch of f*cktards...


Just called back to first ask WHY the F I was only given the option of sending in my DEFECTIVE (aka POS) Nexus One BEFORE a replacement sent back to me. Now I'm without my Nexus for what's going to amount to at least a WEEK!

Got that douchebag "Chris" on the phone this time. Arrogant little prick kept saying "I'm sorry sir, there's nothing I can do.... Low man on the totem pole, you know?" The way the put you on hold to "talk to their supervisor" - a huge CROCK that is. He had the NERVE to say... Sorry sir, this is "Google's phone"... "We just do tech support here". It's like they are all passing the BUCK!!! WTF??????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Mark my words - this is the LAST POS HTC device I'm ever buying. I can't say I'm a big Moto fan, but as soon as there is some sort of GSM Moto Android unit with high res screen and T-Mo (AWS 1700) 3G bands, I'm ditching this effing Nexus One...

I was willing to give these guys a break, but EFF that!!!!

I've gotten the same line - "This is Google's phone, we just do tech support here". And then I can't get anyone from google to reply to my emails either. And then the HTC guys treat me with contempt, overall quite a dissatisfactory experience to say the least.

Even though they've hired people for their tech support that can barely figure out how to read and write, I still like HTC's products and will definitely continue to buy them. But the lesson has been learned here - buy directly from a carrier or a more reputable merchant directly.

 

[mi_canuck]

I just had a call with someone over at HTC that actually seemed to care. Whether anything gets done, I don't know. But Gina - a person I spoke with last about my case, was seemingly very helpful and emphatic. She at least took the time to verify whether anything else could be done, and mentioned that she took my feedback regarding "Chris Otter" in order to "escalate" the case.

First of all - this "Chris Otter" - don't know if the same 'Chris' that System6 above had issues with - when he put me on hold, it took all but 5 secs for him to get back to me saying "yup, nothing my supervisor can do either"... He then had the NERVE to say "well sir, this phone is *Google's* phone, it's not HTC's phone, we are just tech support. But it is Google's phone" is a quite derogatory tone. He then proceeds to say "sorry sir, I apologize, but... you know... low man on the totem pole... you know...". Very much the snide, smug attitude that System 6 above talks about. So again, dunno if the same Chris, but sounds like it might be.

All this because of the initial tech agent's (Tony or Anthony Templeton) utter failure in giving me the correct, quickest, most inconvenience-less option of getting a replacement. He stated, "this is the quickest way for us to get you a replacement phone" - ie. me sending my unit back, before they send me a replacement. Why I believed him, I still don't know. All I want is a Nexus One that will work properly. So now I'm stuck without a Nexus for a whole week, as they will only be receiving my defective Nexus on Tuesday 1/26. So likely, they'll only ship out on Wednesday 1/27 and IF it's overnight, will get back on Thursday 1/28. But that's only if all goes smoothly. I expect Friday, or who knows, maybe even later the way things are going with HTC. I'm gone on a trip starting Feb 1st (Mon), so at this point, I don't even know if I'll get it back before then.


For all we know, their names are just aliases... So not only did I log my complaints with Gina (who again, was super nice, and took time to investigate other options, and here my complaints about how the previous tech agents handled my ticket), but I also called HTC back at their main hotline number. I logged a formal complaint against both Chris Otter (for his extreme lack of courtesy and professionalism) but also against Tony/Anthony Templeton for this complete incompetence in giving me - the customer - the best and quickest means of getting a replacement device. Who the hell knows if that will go anywhere. But at least I feel better for at least having tried to make it known to HTC the issues that some of their tech agents are causing, and all the while, I've kept my cool, never "lost" it, never even raised my voice or used profanity against any of the agents. I sincerely hope they do record phone calls, because they (whoever they are) at HTC will realise how POOR "most" (not all) of their Nexus One tech support agents are at handling these initial issues with the early adopters.

Note, I'm not angered about the device itself, or outraged about it having issues. I accept the risks of being an early adopter of a new device. But my beef is with the tech support and how my particular case was handled. And it sounds like many people, just from the threads in this very message board - which is but a small % of the Nexus One community, I'm not alone in my disappointment in HTC's tech support.

I even commented to Gina that if I was asked "if I'd buy another HTC product in the future", my response would be "most likely not".

 

[tpr007]

I'm glad my phone works ok, as both Google and HTC seem to have very poor customer support for what should be their 'flagship' device.

Especially, as I'm UK based I'd hate the prospect of having to send it back for repair/replacement.

It's a lovely phone though, and I like it a lot. I definitely prefer it to my old iPhone, and that was a lovely phone too!

 

[System6]

Indeed. All this feedback is good. Some good experiences, but I think for the most part, dealing with HTC regarding the Nexus one has been unpleasant for about 90% of customers to say the least.

My defective one shipped back today. Lets see what happens!

 

[bbrosen]

This is nothing compared to Apple's crap service, so I'm good with it!

I have dealt with apple many times for software and hardware issues, you deal with one entitiy for all issues, software? Apple. hardware ? Apple, app store ? Apple Itunes? Apple. I have always gotten excellent knowledgeable friendly service, promptly. I have had my ipod replaced new, twice by the Apple store even tho they did not have too, and I also got a free upgrade because of trouble i had with one hardware issue.


Apple does take care of its customers. You do not know what you talk about.

 

[bbrosen]

I just had a call with someone over at HTC that actually seemed to care. Whether anything gets done, I don't know. But Gina - a person I spoke with last about my case, was seemingly very helpful and emphatic. She at least took the time to verify whether anything else could be done, and mentioned that she took my feedback regarding "Chris Otter" in order to "escalate" the case.

First of all - this "Chris Otter" - don't know if the same 'Chris' that System6 above had issues with - when he put me on hold, it took all but 5 secs for him to get back to me saying "yup, nothing my supervisor can do either"... He then had the NERVE to say "well sir, this phone is *Google's* phone, it's not HTC's phone, we are just tech support. But it is Google's phone" is a quite derogatory tone. He then proceeds to say "sorry sir, I apologize, but... you know... low man on the totem pole... you know...". Very much the snide, smug attitude that System 6 above talks about. So again, dunno if the same Chris, but sounds like it might be.

All this because of the initial tech agent's (Tony or Anthony Templeton) utter failure in giving me the correct, quickest, most inconvenience-less option of getting a replacement. He stated, "this is the quickest way for us to get you a replacement phone" - ie. me sending my unit back, before they send me a replacement. Why I believed him, I still don't know. All I want is a Nexus One that will work properly. So now I'm stuck without a Nexus for a whole week, as they will only be receiving my defective Nexus on Tuesday 1/26. So likely, they'll only ship out on Wednesday 1/27 and IF it's overnight, will get back on Thursday 1/28. But that's only if all goes smoothly. I expect Friday, or who knows, maybe even later the way things are going with HTC. I'm gone on a trip starting Feb 1st (Mon), so at this point, I don't even know if I'll get it back before then.


For all we know, their names are just aliases... So not only did I log my complaints with Gina (who again, was super nice, and took time to investigate other options, and here my complaints about how the previous tech agents handled my ticket), but I also called HTC back at their main hotline number. I logged a formal complaint against both Chris Otter (for his extreme lack of courtesy and professionalism) but also against Tony/Anthony Templeton for this complete incompetence in giving me - the customer - the best and quickest means of getting a replacement device. Who the hell knows if that will go anywhere. But at least I feel better for at least having tried to make it known to HTC the issues that some of their tech agents are causing, and all the while, I've kept my cool, never "lost" it, never even raised my voice or used profanity against any of the agents. I sincerely hope they do record phone calls, because they (whoever they are) at HTC will realise how POOR "most" (not all) of their Nexus One tech support agents are at handling these initial issues with the early adopters.

Note, I'm not angered about the device itself, or outraged about it having issues. I accept the risks of being an early adopter of a new device. But my beef is with the tech support and how my particular case was handled. And it sounds like many people, just from the threads in this very message board - which is but a small % of the Nexus One community, I'm not alone in my disappointment in HTC's tech support.

I even commented to Gina that if I was asked "if I'd buy another HTC product in the future", my response would be "most likely not".

HTC support is farmed out to a third party company, and they are horrible. once their contract is up they will probably look for some one else. They are rude, condecending and snide. I have complained many times about them, fill out the survey they email you, they do call you back about it, I always tell the truth in them, they do seem to be concerend , you have to get the right one.

 

[Necorum]

"All this because of the initial tech agent's (Tony or Anthony Templeton) utter failure in giving me the correct, quickest, most inconvenience-less option of getting a replacement."


Once you make the second call verify your email is correct for the prepaid labels, user error and sometimes you can not hear the customer talking IE screaming babies in the background, driving with the window down on the phone etc. We try our best to help everyone and I do apoligize to anyone and do truly feel bad when I have to tell them that I personally can not do anything at this time but send a email out.