In late February this year, I decided to treat myself to a new cell phone. I wanted a qwerty keyboard, and I didn't want to extend my contract another 2 years. So, I cruised ebay, in search of a T-Mobile branded phone, and in the end, I went for an unlocked Blackjack.
The auction was for a NEW i607 Blackjack, with WM5. The purchase initially went well. It wasn't until the item arrived that I had an issue. To my dismay, it was used! Now I will admit that it was in extremely good shape for a used phone, but nonetheless...
I contacted the seller immediately. I explained that there were signs or wear and tear. The seller apologized for the inconvenience and offered to replace the item. This is where I get frustrated...
The process for the replacement starts with me first sending the phone back (now that had bad idea written all over it...they get my money and my phone?). I have to come out of my pocket to pay the postage fees (and that wasn't the final insult). When they receive the phone, they credit me back the shipping fees, and send out the new phone. Now, mind you , I am extremely impatient...
So I offer to take the phone at a reduced price. I asked "what does a used phone go for?" and receive a $15 credit on the $125 I paid (and it showed up in my email from PayPal whilst I was on the phone! - I was impressed.). At first, I am satisfied. That didn't last but a few hours.
I get home and immediately begin the process of "moving in" to my new toy. As I am attempting to charge it while at the same time adjust the settings, I notice that the charger plug is easily disconnected with even the slightest pressure - one of the only areas of the phone with noticeable damage. After a few moments of this, I cried uncle.
Time for a master reset.
That same night I email the sender and request to exchange for a NEW item (what I had actually bid on). I wait as patiently as I can for a reply the following morning, taking into consideration the different time zones. By lunchtime, no response. I figure - "how long does it take to click reply?" I finally call them by lunch time. They answer, and explained that hadn't read their email yet (frankly i was suspicious of that) and re-iterated to me that they would be happy to provide a replacement provided that I ship them back the phone first. Well...as you can imagine, I got a little loud. But what was I to do? They already had my payment...
I follow the process (as explained above). The phone is shipped on a Wednesday, and received on Saturday. I know this because they credited my PayPal account the shipping charges. Do you think they shipped it the following Monday? Tuesday? Nope. Try the following Wednesday. By the time I got the phone, 2 weeks has passed from my initial purchase of the phone.
The new phone was immediately inspected for wear and tear. All looks good. If it wasn't brand new, I couldn't prove it. Once again, I begin to "move in".
Seems like a happy ending. The final insult you ask? They credited the shipping charges to my PayPal account - not my card. So now it will cost me to get my own money back. I'm pretty sure at this point that I will not be buying something from them again...
If you want the seller's information, post a request, inlcude your email address...
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