Imagine how happy I was when I got my new Galaxy SIII... then imagine how happy I still was when I found two lengthy scratches on the screen.
Called VZW right away, and she said she wasn't able to place a new order until today, since the phone would officially be on sale. Called the next morning, yesterday, to confirm with another CSR that that was actually an issue. This new CSR could place an order, but it'd remove my unlimited data. When inquiring about having it restored, she said she could send a note to the department that handles that, but that there's no guarantees. Because of this, she suggests going into a store to replace it. She also mentioned the phone wouldn't be shipped until the 19th.
So this morning I make sure to head to the store early, just in case there was to be a huge demand for the phone. When I arrived, the store was busy, but not overwhelmingly bad. The greeter got my name and situation and put me in the waiting queue. After 30+ minutes, a representative talks with me about my situation and quickly tells me they don't have the 32gb model. What? After I sarcastically thanked them for their greeter knowing I was here for a replacement 32gb only to wait 30m and not be able to get one, I asked if they could place a replacement order for me. Figured this could at least be finally resolved, right? No.. since I purchased the phone online and not in the store, I'd have to call customer support.
Things get better. When I called a CSR for the third time now, he has even more good news for me. I could have them place an order for me and keep my data intact, but since it's ordered online they can't guarantee Samsung would agree the scratches were from the factory and may not refund me for my current phone. Basically, the CSR said I could be stuck paying for the new phone and not getting credited for this scratched one. He also mentioned they currently have no orders lined up with stores to get the 32gb model within a week. He suggested I talk to the manager of the store, but with the 32gb model potentially coming to stores after the 14-day return window, it may not make a difference.
Fun situation, right? We'll see what the manager says upon my next visit. The ONLY potential bright side I can see with all this is that if I do have them place the online order, and I don't get credit for the scratched phone, I could potentially end up with 2 phones at the subsidized price. If that becomes the situation, I could then come out ahead by selling the new one from Samsung at a lower-than-retail price.
Thoughts?
Called VZW right away, and she said she wasn't able to place a new order until today, since the phone would officially be on sale. Called the next morning, yesterday, to confirm with another CSR that that was actually an issue. This new CSR could place an order, but it'd remove my unlimited data. When inquiring about having it restored, she said she could send a note to the department that handles that, but that there's no guarantees. Because of this, she suggests going into a store to replace it. She also mentioned the phone wouldn't be shipped until the 19th.
So this morning I make sure to head to the store early, just in case there was to be a huge demand for the phone. When I arrived, the store was busy, but not overwhelmingly bad. The greeter got my name and situation and put me in the waiting queue. After 30+ minutes, a representative talks with me about my situation and quickly tells me they don't have the 32gb model. What? After I sarcastically thanked them for their greeter knowing I was here for a replacement 32gb only to wait 30m and not be able to get one, I asked if they could place a replacement order for me. Figured this could at least be finally resolved, right? No.. since I purchased the phone online and not in the store, I'd have to call customer support.
Things get better. When I called a CSR for the third time now, he has even more good news for me. I could have them place an order for me and keep my data intact, but since it's ordered online they can't guarantee Samsung would agree the scratches were from the factory and may not refund me for my current phone. Basically, the CSR said I could be stuck paying for the new phone and not getting credited for this scratched one. He also mentioned they currently have no orders lined up with stores to get the 32gb model within a week. He suggested I talk to the manager of the store, but with the 32gb model potentially coming to stores after the 14-day return window, it may not make a difference.
Fun situation, right? We'll see what the manager says upon my next visit. The ONLY potential bright side I can see with all this is that if I do have them place the online order, and I don't get credit for the scratched phone, I could potentially end up with 2 phones at the subsidized price. If that becomes the situation, I could then come out ahead by selling the new one from Samsung at a lower-than-retail price.
Thoughts?
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