Verizon is laughably bad sometimes.

[jalov]

Just wanted to share a quick, funny story from my weekend. I've loyally stuck with the Droid brand, even when my Droid 2 had to be replaced 3 times and I ended up using the silly Droid R2D2 as my primary work phone because they ran out of replacements.

Anyway, I bought the Droid 3 off contract, as I wanted to save my upgrade for when a new Droid came out and knocked my socks off. The Droid 4, which came out ridiculously quick, did not do it for me, so I stuck with the 3, even though it looks like we aren't even getting the promised ICS with it. I'll wait for the 5, since the non-removeable battery in the 4 is giving some people issues.

Long story short, my Droid 3 malfuntions, and they tell me since it is under contract, I pay for insurance, and am completely covered, they will replace it. Only issue is the store doesn't have any, and the rep called customer service, and the warehouse is also out. The phone rep tells me I am covered and says they will send me something comperable, and they offer me as a replacement....a DROID 1. I was speechless. I said you mean to tell me you find a 4th generation old phone (Droid 1, Droid 2, Droid 2 Global, Droid 2 R2D2, Droid 3) comperable as a replacement to a phone I JUST paid $550 for not even 6 months ago?

Of course, they understood my frustration, and gave me the choice of upgrading to the Droid 4, but at the standard upgrade cost of $200, AND wasting my 2 year upgrade, or adding a line for $10 a month, downgrading my minutes, and I would also lose my unlimited data plan by adding the line. So both solutions were non-solutions. Only other option they gave me was to hold onto my broken phone and hope in a few weeks they find some stock elsewhere of Droid 3s.

Not the best service or solution at all. The girl working at the store itself told me she was actually amazed how calmly I spoke to her and the phone rep, and even said another customer overheard the entire process, and said he would be fuming.

Poor, poor outcome in my opinion. Almost insulting to be honest.

 

[doogald]

That is incredible. They must have been able to find a replacement Droid Incredible 2 (also a world phone), Samsung Stratosphere (also a keyboard phone), etc., as replacements rather than a Droid 1, based on which of these features was most important to you.

 

[jalov]

Yup. Amazing, huh? Even better, the rep on the phone told me she would call me in a few days to update the status, and when I was leaving the store, the girl came over to me and handed me the customer service # card, because she said not to expect any type of call or follow up, so I would most likely have to keep on it myself.

 

[NJ Fred]

Allow me to suggest you call back and speak with a supervisor. What you have related is absurd on Verizon's part. It pulverizes even the elementary tenets of customer service and indicates their guarantees and insurance are pure horse manure.

It is not your fault the handset does not perform as advertised. I know they had no problem taking your hard-earned money when you made the purchase. You are asking them to do no more than stand behind their product as advertised.

Be as forceful as you need to be without venturing into threats or profanity. I am confident you are the victim of a bottom-level employee who lacked the acumen to call their supervisor for guidance. If anything, the Droid 4 should have been offered on a complimentary basis or for a token charge.

Do not take this lying down. You pay their bill - they honor their service agreement. And that is all you are asking for.

Best of luck. I understand your disappointment and frustration.

 

[glennj]

This makes me wonder if Verizon Wireless has run out of Droid3's ?

They did not order enough initially to even meet the unexpectedly high demand (even with the very muted launch and lack of promotion). Early adopters with problem phones were getting CLN phones that also had problems, for a while. Then they seemed to get another large lot of them made and started sending out brand new phones in exchange for defective ones. Next there was what appeared to be a pre-Droid4 cleaning out of Droid3 stock. Now they seem to have run out of new phones for warranty replacements, and are out of CLN Droid3's as well ?

It has long been clear, even back when Droid3 was released last summer, that Verizon's corporate strategy is to get people off 3G and onto LTE 4G only and there are good reasons for Verizon to want to do that. I don't want a Droid4, even at the cost of not never having the ICS update I was personally promised by a Verizon sales rep at the time I purchased my Droid3. I have issues with the new keyboard and the sealed-in battery and the inefficiency of the LTE radio. So, if my Droid3 fails under warranty, I want a replacement Droid3, and not anything else. Verizon wants me and my "unlimited" data plan off their 3G network, so maybe they are hoping that they can achieve that goal by just not having any D3's to replace mine with if mine fails.

By the way, my son has a Droid1 still. He needs to replace the battery, but otherwise its a good phone, though slow and limited in memory compared to my D3. Its worth maybe $50 at the max, so no way I would accept a D1 or an Eris as a warranty replacement for a Droid3...that would be them just cheating you.

Glenn

 

[Shurple]

Just wanted to share a quick, funny story from my weekend. I've loyally stuck with the Droid brand, even when my Droid 2 had to be replaced 3 times and I ended up using the silly Droid R2D2 as my primary work phone because they ran out of replacements.

Anyway, I bought the Droid 3 off contract, as I wanted to save my upgrade for when a new Droid came out and knocked my socks off. The Droid 4, which came out ridiculously quick, did not do it for me, so I stuck with the 3, even though it looks like we aren't even getting the promised ICS with it. I'll wait for the 5, since the non-removeable battery in the 4 is giving some people issues.

Long story short, my Droid 3 malfuntions, and they tell me since it is under contract, I pay for insurance, and am completely covered, they will replace it. Only issue is the store doesn't have any, and the rep called customer service, and the warehouse is also out. The phone rep tells me I am covered and says they will send me something comperable, and they offer me as a replacement....a DROID 1. I was speechless. I said you mean to tell me you find a 4th generation old phone (Droid 1, Droid 2, Droid 2 Global, Droid 2 R2D2, Droid 3) comperable as a replacement to a phone I JUST paid $550 for not even 6 months ago?

Of course, they understood my frustration, and gave me the choice of upgrading to the Droid 4, but at the standard upgrade cost of $200, AND wasting my 2 year upgrade, or adding a line for $10 a month, downgrading my minutes, and I would also lose my unlimited data plan by adding the line. So both solutions were non-solutions. Only other option they gave me was to hold onto my broken phone and hope in a few weeks they find some stock elsewhere of Droid 3s.

Not the best service or solution at all. The girl working at the store itself told me she was actually amazed how calmly I spoke to her and the phone rep, and even said another customer overheard the entire process, and said he would be fuming.

Poor, poor outcome in my opinion. Almost insulting to be honest.

When I had my Samsung Charge, Verizon pulled the same crap with me about offering me an older Samsung phone... I flipped a nut and they gave me the D3. Also, adding a line on YOUR contract makes you lose unlimited data? I thought that was grandfathered in, and your account itself is unlimited.... adding a line shouldn't change this.

Verizon's customer service has issues for sure.

edit: I have a CLN D3 and although I have typical Droid issues, the phone itself is great. No "CLN" issues, and I did not have to pay a penny for it.

 

[doogald]

Also, adding a line on YOUR contract makes you lose unlimited data? I thought that was grandfathered in, and your account itself is unlimited.... adding a line shouldn't change this.

If your current line has unlimited data, it is grandfathered and you can retain unlimited data, but any additional lines that you add to your family plan (for now - they are apparently thinking about adding family data plans soon) or any additional line is subject to current data plan offerings.

So, adding a line doesn't make you lose unlimited data - but the new line cannot also get unlimited data.

However, what OP could have done is add the new line but then activate the new device on his current line. The Droid 3 would have been assigned to the new number and continued to be billed $10 a month for the additional line and whatever data plan he added ($30 I believe is the cheapest plan), so that inactive line would have been billed $40 just for the new device subsidy. The only exception is that if you have an old phone that does not require data, you could then activate that device on the line and I think avoid the data charge. (I may be wrong about that last bit...)

 

[fosterj]

However, what OP could have done is add the new line but then activate the new device on his current line. The Droid 3 would have been assigned to the new number and continued to be billed $10 a month for the additional line and whatever data plan he added ($30 I believe is the cheapest plan), so that inactive line would have been billed $40 just for the new device subsidy. The only exception is that if you have an old phone that does not require data, you could then activate that device on the line and I think avoid the data charge. (I may be wrong about that last bit...)

No sir, you are completely correct. I actually did this when I got my D3. They had a 2 for 1 deal, but my fianc

 

[jalov]

Well, at least it seems I am not alone in dealing with the ridiculousness of situations like these with Verizon. Looks like it is not an isolated incident.

My whole issue with the entire situation is that they never really offered a true solution. They offered to "let" me use my upgrade (which hits the 2 year mark in 3 weeks and I would have actually lost out on the $50 credit I am owed if I used it) and re-up for two more years on a phone (Droid 4) that was NOT a replacement and will probably be outdated in 3 months anyway. Then they "offered" to cut my minutes and the rep specifically said I would lose my unlimited data plan. He may have been wrong, but on the phone that is what he told me. Finally, my last resort was to have them ship me the Droid 1. So, in the end, even though it was suppossedly covered under warranty, I do pay for full coverage, and the rep confirmed it was a manufacturers defect, I am sticking with my broken phone for now in hopes a few weeks from now they "magically" find a Droid 3 lying around somewhere.

 

[techno-update]

That is absolutely terrible, I have always had great service from Verizon. I think a lot of it has to do with the store, I know a guy who messed up his droid, and they gave him a D2 free! This was awhile ago and the D3 wasn't out yet, but I was still pretty impressed.

 

[James Sell]

Bummer. I lost my Droid3, Asurion replaced it. Phone looks great and runs great EXCEPT when you slide upon it runs crooked on the track like trying to open an old double hung window. Just called Asurion, described and a replacement of the replacement is on the way. Maybe Asurion has all the Droid3's.

 

[techno-update]

Bummer. I lost my Droid3, Asurion replaced it. Phone looks great and runs great EXCEPT when you slide upon it runs crooked on the track like trying to open an old double hung window. Just called Asurion, described and a replacement of the replacement is on the way. Maybe Asurion has all the Droid3's.

Mine does not slide right sometimes too... I have just gotten used to it though.