I initiated cellular service with Consumer Cellular. On 7-9-2010 I received two Motorola EM330 cell phones. On 7-12 one phone locked up. Upon advice, I removed the battery to reboot the phone. When doing so, the battery door latch became disengaged from the phone body. I then advised Consumer Cellular of this event. I was IMMEDIATELY told :’now you’ll have to buy a new phone’. That’s a direct quote. Phone less than four days old? “The Buy a new phone” statement made at least 8 times as I worked my way up the staff levels of customer support. I was ultimately able to reinstall the battery cover latch button, and decided I had made a grave mistake of choosing Consumer Cellular, and elected to return everything per the terms of their ‘45 day return policy’.
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Unbelievably, I was then told in no uncertain, terse terms: ‘We won’t accept the one phone back. We don’t accept broken phones for return. You can keep that phone, it’s yours now’.
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The phone WAS NOT ‘BROKEN’ ! I had never described the phone as ‘broken’, only that the battery cover latch had become disengaged. I had already managed to successfully reinstall the latch release button.
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Their oratory during the sales pitch was filled with accolades of self-praise as to what a great service they provided, how they were the “no argument” cellular provider. ‘We’re different’.
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Different they ARE! I have never witnessed such a Jekyll / Hyde transformation of any entity in my life. The mood went from ‘kissy-kissy’ (for lack of better term) to outright acerbic, rude, and irresponsible dialogue in the transition from sale to service issue.
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Actually the Motorola EM330 was a poor choice, being cheaply made and overly fragile. Doubly so when dealing with a cell provider with the post sale policies of Consumer Cellular.
