Walmart Family Mobile REPLACES YOUR DEFECTIVE NEW PHONE WITH OLD JUNK Bentonville Arkansas

 On June 19, 2015, I bought a Samsung S3 phone at Walmart store 2701 S Interstate 35, Round Rock, TX 78664 . I met with a Family Mobile Specialist named Samantha, whose card I still have, who sold me the phone and Family Mobile Service. I am disabled an needed a RELIABLE phone service. While speaking with Samantha before purchase, I asked her if the phone participated in the Texas program for the disabled /low income called Lifeline Texas. She said definitely yes, and so I purchased the phone with Family Mobile Service .

Since that day I have not had reliable phone service. Issues Samantha did not activate my phone properly; weeks went by as I tried to struggle with customer service in the store and on the phone to Family Moblle; my phone was delayed almost 2 weeks just being activated. At that time Family Mobile led me to believe that any issues I continued to have were software updates needed on their end, so I did not return my phone to Walmart. Family mobile does not participate in the program which I did not find out until I applied and as rejected because they are not part of it; (therefore Samantha , the vendor rep in the store made deliberate misleading , fraudulent statement to induce a purchase), My calls to her were never returned; I had to repeatedly go to Walmart to find out what was wrong with my phone, an excruciating task at best as managers and help are exteremely hard to find and try to dodge a customer with a problem; average time at Walmart 1 ½ -2 hrs each visit; This is at store # 475. I have been there 5 times trying to sort out what has been wrong with my phone since I purchased it. Each time no one has been able to solve the issues and we must call and wait on hold for extremely long periods of time only to get no resolution to the issues below. The manager Jose is unhelpful, and threatened to not to help me at all if I took action about this issue.

I repeatedly called Family Mobile reporting dropped called, phone not ringing, complete unintelligibility of calls. I spent dozens of hours reporting these issues to Family Mobile and going through all their “trouble shooting” of software only to have no improvement in my phone. I have had an open trouble ticket with Family Mobile since last year, which no one ever followed up on and it was causing me so much anxiety I had to stop calling for help. My doctors, clients, friends, family including the State of Texas have not been able to reach me regarding appointments, which has impacted my health, income and well being; I am not being reimbursed for the dozens of hours spent trying to “repair” the issues, playing phone tech for Family Mobile; Finally, I said enough, and demanded they replace my brand new phone. I sent it to the distribution center at a cost of $ 28.00 to me as no shipping was offered. I photcopied the back of the inside of the phone to make sure I had the identifying IMEI number.

Two weeks later I got a box (dropped off at the office where I live, which I was unaware of because no tag was ever put on my door notifying me it was back, causing a 9 day delay in receipt). There were no directions or information sent back with the replacement phone. I could see different IMEI numbers and the phone was very worn on the charge portal. I charged the phone and it immediately began to overheat. I took it to the Battery Store where they told me my battery was fine the phone was defective and was a fire hazard. I called Samsung and they told me this phone went out of warranty in 2014, a year before I bought my phone. I bought a brand new phone, and was given an old phone as replacement, that was also defective. I got back a phone with no back on it, and no note with directions or information, except an envelope with a box tag saying “defective”. I called Family Mobile who said I was sent a “refurbished” phone and then started the whole “let’s see if we can fix it over the phone run around”. The charger for the phone was obviously not working, it would fall out of the insertion point.

I returned AGAIN, today March 15, 2016 with all my paperwork, shipping tickets, receipts, tracking numbers, proof of purchase, etc. Once AGAIN I had to chase down the manager, Jose, whose attitude throughout was to be as unhelpful as possible and drop the issue in the lap of a brand new associate who had no clue how to resolve customer service issues. I made him keep the manager in the loop, understand that all my paperwork was in order. I also made them call Samsung as my phone should have had at least a one year manufacturer warranty on it. Samsung initially had not been able to find the IMEI number, finally did, then told them the WARRANTY WAS UP IN 2014 THE YEAR BEFORE I BOUGHT IT. (That is exactly what Samsung had told me when I had called them. They too, were very uncooperative and unhelpful). Finally, after multiple associates getting the run around, Samsung said they would honor the warranty if I had proof of purchase. The only issue was that Family Mobile did not repair my phone, they gave me another old, used phone with a different IMEI number on it, so now I am obliged to return my phone AGAIN to Family Mobile and try to get a proof of exchange for my original phone. Then I have to try to send that phone to Samsung to get one that will still have the manufacturer warranty on it. Walmart has taken no responsibility for the incredible amount of time I have had to spend to fix their mistakes and frauds even though they began from day one of purchase when my phone was not ported over correctly for 2 weeks.

Family Mobile has not worked in good faith either, even though through this excruciating experience I have paid my phone bill. If this had happened anywhere else the phone would have been replaced and the the run around and inconvenience of time, money, stress and frustration would have rightfully been Walmarts, as from the start the phone was sold to me under fraudulent circumstances. The fact that I have gone almost a year without reliable phone service and what that has cost me financially as a self employed person has been ignored. The fact I am disabled and rely on phone service has been ignored. The Walmart manager Jose is the worst manager I have ever encountered. During the course of this he made it apparent from the beginning, before even investigating what was going on, that I would not be getting a replacement phone from Walmart. Finallly, March 15, 2016 I went to a different store # 3569. I had to explain all of the above again to this manager Becca. I gave her copies of all the paperwork. She was very helpful and said she would follow up, which she did. Family Mobile basically gave her the same runaround, saying someone would call me. Some one some time will call me……………….

Walmart has made in impossible for me to send this information into them as they limit how many words they will accept about their shoddy service. I cannot believe the terrible customer service I have received from both Walmart and Family Mobile.