Another Reason to Hate Cell Phone Companies

I have a Motorola V60 cell phone. It is a decent small cell phone with a good battery life. Recently it has started to display signs that it is near the end of its life (not charging correctly, call quality is degrading, it turns off frequently, etc.), so I went to a Verizon store to use my cell phone insurance that they provide to have it replaced.

In a nutshell here was the conversation:

Verizon Dude: Hi what can I do for you today?
Me: My cell phone is broken; I need to have it replaced.
VD: Well we don’t carry any of those types of phones anymore, you can upgrade you phone to a new one if you would like.
Me: What does that mean?
VD: I can check if you are eligible (meaning sign a new two year contract) and you can buy a new phone at a discount.
Me: What about the insurance that I pay for on this phone.
VD: That only covers a replacement of the same phone.

Banging my bead against the wall.

Me: So how do I get this phone replaced?
VD: You have to call our customer service center and they can mail you a new phone.
Me: Okay, how long does that take?
CD: Five to 10 business days.
Me: Are you serious, 10 Days?
VD: You can have it over-nighted for an additional $50 dollars.

So at this point I gave up and walked out of the store. When I called the customer service center guess what they told me? Yep that’s right, they don’t send phones to customers, it has to be ordered from the store. So now I get to go back to the store and argue with them and have a cell phone shipped to the store, that I can then go and pick up.

Customer service people… what don’t you understand? We live in a service economy, give me service or lose me as a customer. Argh!