Gotta Love AT&T... NOT!

Tweet

For a few months now, my phone (LG Vu) has been giving me a hard time. It would just shut off on it's own randomly, sometimes restarting on its own - other times, not. Another problem was that at times when I went to charge my phone, as soon as I plugged the wire into my phone - it would freeze and shut off.

This has been happening since November and I got the phone only a few months prior in May!

Both of these aforementioned problems, though, I put up with. I put up with them because a) it wasn't happening all the time and b) it wasn't really effecting me using the phone too much.

Then, near the end of last week I started noticing that my fully charged phone would go to extremely low battery as soon as I made a call or accessed the internet (or after a few text messages).

Because I only had one class today morning, I finally got around to contacting AT&T. The lady I talked to online first through the Technical Support department told me to go to a specific AT&T store and they would test the battery to see if the problem was the battery or my phone itself. She also noted that she was leaving a note on my account on the problems I am having with my phone and that "the agent at the store will have access to the notes and assist you from here". I kindly thanked her for her help and went to the store she specified right then because I would need a working phone before I left town on Monday.

I get to the store, and I explain the problems I am having with my phone to the guy helping me and what the lady from the technical support department had said earlier. Apparently, there was no such note left for them to access (just my luck!) and so I again explained everything. He did a few things to the phone, asked me a few questions (like when I got the phone) and then finally told me that I would have to go the Device Support Center.

But the lady from the technical support department from customer service JUST told me specifically to come here!!!!

To which he replies, I know - but they do this all the time... they always refer the customers to us instead of the Device Support Center. Another worker chipped in to agree and also said they are just a sales store.

I don't know if they were all just shifting the blame to one another, but well, if that really is the case then it is a lapse in their system and something needs to be done about it. How can the customer service department not know where what happens when this is what they do day in and day out!!!

I asked the guy if this place would have the replacement for me, to which he said they definitely would because this is the stuff they deal with it.

Annoyed, I next went to that Device Support Center. I once again explained the problems I was having with my phone and she takes my phone to the back for less than a minute and comes back and says the problem is that my phone is overcharged. I usually never charge my phone until it needs to be, so I don't know how much of that I believe(d). 


I guess the lady saw that I wasn't buying it because then she takes my battery and spins it and takes another battery and spins it with a less spin like I was stupid or something... and goes see, yours spins more - that means it is over-charged.   


Whatever... as long as I'm getting the replacement battery.

She goes on to say that she can order a replacement battery for me because they didn't have any in stock and the earliest I would get it is on next Tuesday. I ask her if there is a way it can be priority-shipped or something because I am leaving Monday and I need it before then not to mention the fact that I was just assured this location would have the damn battery!

No. The earliest you can get it is on Tuesday.

My brother asks if any other locations would have it and she said maybe in stores in Union and Paramus (along with a few other places that were too far). We have them check and of course they don't have it either!

I go ahead and place the order anyways because I really had no other choice.

Back in the car, I call customer service to see what they can do. I AGAIN explain everything and also ask if they can priority ship it. This lady says no (surprised?) and that the device support centers handle that and that if I want, I can go to one of their stores (like the store in the mall I went to first) and buy it myself but the warranty wouldn't cover it. That the warranty only works through the Device Support Centers - and I angrily not very kindly reminded her that the Device Support Center (this location AND the other one) did not have them!!

Well than what's the point of having these Device Support Centers if they aren't going to carry the replacements?? To which she sheepishly responds: To provide replacements under the warranty... for free.

Yeah, well... it kind of helps if they actually have the battery!!! Just saying.

I go back to the store I originally went to earlier and talk to someone different than I had from when I was there previously and I tell him that the location they sent me to ordered it for me but I wouldn't get it until next Tuesday and to see why they couldn't just replace the phone if they don't have the batteries in stock, and of course the phone is no longer sold. Which I'm not surprised at all about because EVERYONE that I know that has this phone has some kind of problem with it. He checks for the phone and the battery in another location and they too don't have either (surprise surprise).

I ask him about the battery and emphasize that I need it before Monday and he says he can place an order online and that I would get it Friday (tomorrow!!). I thank the man (and I felt kinda bad because he took all my anger that was building up from the first four people I talked to yet he was the most helpful of the five by far) and leave (slightly) less annoyed.

Sheesh. Was that SO hard??!!


As I was walking out the store, I compared the two confirmation sheets from the Device Support Center and this sales store and both have the same links, the same area from the website where they ordered it from so:

• I don't know why this store sent me to the Device Support Center when they could have just done it.
• I don't know why the Device Support Center said that Tuesday would be the earliest I would be able to get it when the sales store was able to choose the following day.

But at least, after talking to FIVE different people... I got somewhere with AT&T.

All I am saying is, I BETTER GET THE BATTERY FOR MY PHONE TOMORROW!


Just watch - the problem will turn out to be my phone and not the battery.


P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.