Database Users

My Nexus One/HTC Ordering Debacle

I ordered a replacement AT&T Nexus One on Monday 6/7 at 8:00 am.
I received no confirmation email, just one stating that my card had to be authorized, etc. The funds ($529) almost immediately went on hold from my account. I called immediately following the order, stating that I hadn't received a confirmation for the new device/shipping label for the defective device. She said "We're about to switch over our system, so I'll push it through manually. You should receive your Device and shipping label within 24 Hours". Great, I said.
This morning, I woke up and still nothing. No shipping label. I called again. Spoke to a different HTC rep. I told her I hadn't received the confirmation etc. She said the funds were awaiting authorization. I explained that they had been authorized, just not updated on there end. She checked and saw that, talked to a supervisor, and "pushed the order through". I should be "receiving the shipping label within 2-3 hours and the device within 24". Great, I said.
3 hours later, no shipping label. I called again. This time, I talked to a seemingly more savvy rep. He told me the same, the funds were awaiting authorization. I explained that this was the third time I was calling about this. He placed me on hold for a few minutes, came back on the line and said, once again, "I've pushed it through". I told him that the last two reps said the same, to no avail. He kindly placed me on hold again. When he came back, he said "I've given the order priority and escalated the situation. You should receive your device within the next 24 hours".
I REALLY wanted to believe him. I couldn't.
3 hours later, I called back and spoke with another rep. This gentleman was clearly a smart guy who had it together. I told him the situation. He reviewed the action taken by the last three reps and said "I just dealt with this same type of situation on my previous call". The real story came out.
Apparently, HTC/Google screwed the pooch.
They've "switched over to a new system", meaning everyone who purchased seemingly within the last week has been left in "Order Limbo". That's right folks, HTC has my money and my phone. Not only did they neglect to warn customers that they were making this switch, they also didn't notify their CSRs (customer service reps). This man actually called the texas corporate office to get to the bottom of the situation. He was extremely kind and helpful. He had told me about the previous customer who had ordered and not received. He was headed to Kuwait with the army. I told him my situation wasn't quite as dire, as I was just using an old, broken G1/Dream in the meantime. He snidely remarked "that sounds worse than Kuwait to me". I chuckled, but wanted to move on to the bad news.
He said it is totally out of his hands, he'll make the notes on my account. He explained that several orders were placed in this 'Limbo" period. They are apparently stuck in the "awaiting authorization" phase of the process. The must be MANUALLY PROCESSED by the Texas corporate office. He said they're begrudgingly giving him "24 hours or bust" till shipment. That means that not only will my $529 Nexus One not be delivered next day, it won't be delivered the next day, or the next day, or maybe even the next.
HTC, Google, I love you. Please don't screw this up any more. Please provide some sort of fix for the faithful customers. Your product rocks. Your service reps are extremely kind and attentive. Your system is, apparently, a mess right now.
I should not suffer because you have made the mistake of switching over your "system" and fudging dozens of orders.
My final rep said, jokingly, "No good thing comes without pain". I said, "I thought the $529 was the pain".
Please, HTC/Google, fix this, get me my phone, and then do something else on top of it to make me happy. This is to the point of frustration.
Figured this might clear things up for anyone experiencing the same. We can cry together.

Uh dude...they said to give them 24 hours. You gave them three after each call. At least you didn't get a defective phone after a long wait like I did. I'm down 1124 for the nexus one until htc processes the return of my defective one.
I know you are anxious to get your hands on the phone, but you must understand that nothing in this world runs smoothly 100% of the time.
Anyways, just wanted to give you some perspective on your situation. Good luck. Hope you enjoy the phone whenever you get it.
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App

You should call your bank to let them know that you're buying the phone and how much the total charge will be so they don't hold it up. Also, don't freak out so much. This happened to a lot of us, myself included, when the phone was released.

needmoregigs said:
Uh dude...they said to give them 24 hours. You gave them three after each call.
I know you are anxious to get your hands on the phone, but you must understand that nothing in this world runs smoothly 100% of the time.
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They said I wold receive a shipping confirmation after 3 hours on two occasions. That's why I called back. Only on the last call did I get actual, factual, accurate info.
I can't believe you guys are just like "whatever". I get that in the scheme of things, it's just a phone, but it's a $529 investment. I'm paying for a premium product - I expect premium service at every level.
The thing that really bothers me is that I wasn't notified in advance, ie. "We are undergoing system maintenance and orders are subject to delays". I was told next-day. I expect next-day. I work in social media. My phone is one of my greatest tools. My first Nexus has "Bad RAM", that's why I'm having the replacement unit sent out. I think I have a bit of a right to be upset at this point.

chordmasta said:
They said I wold receive a shipping confirmation after 3 hours on two occasions. That's why I called back. Only on the last call did I get actual, factual, accurate info.
I can't believe you guys are just like "whatever". I get that in the scheme of things, it's just a phone, but it's a $529 investment. I'm paying for a premium product - I expect premium service at every level.
The thing that really bothers me is that I wasn't notified in advance, ie. "We are undergoing system maintenance and orders are subject to delays". I was told next-day. I expect next-day. I work in social media. My phone is one of my greatest tools. My first Nexus has "Bad RAM", that's why I'm having the replacement unit sent out. I think I have a bit of a right to be upset at this point.
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If you're having a replacement sent out, why did you have to order a new one?

I chose the "We'll hold $529 from your account, send a new unit, you send the old, we diagnose and charge whatever, subtract that from the $529, and release the rest" method because I was told I'd get it a phone the quickest this way (within 24 hours). It's now been 52 hours and I just received the shipping label for my unit that needs repair. I was supposed to receive that within 24 hours as well.
Do you understand why this is all very frustrating? Communication has been 100% initiated by me, I have not been kept up to date, and only one rep has been transparent with me. Meanwhile, I'm Nexus-less.

Dell Warranty Claim Rant...

Hey Gang,
Been dealing with Dell customer care over 3 weeks now trying to get my Streak replaced and it has been a nightmare... I just wanted to share my story with the community...
So I have had my Streak for about 2 months. When i first got it, i noticed the LCD would bleed if i put any pressure on the corner of the earpiece, I didn't think much of it until the bleeding became permanent and my screen began to wither away like it was cancerous.... So I call Dell's mobile service customer care area and explain to the nice lady my problem. She was very helpful and took it very seriously and said they would go ahead and send me a replacement ASAP and I should receive it in a couple of days and would get an email that day with the details of the claim. Great! Case closed or so I thought... That was call number one...
Next day still no email, i call them back and the lady i talk to says they didn't have my phone number so they couldn't send the email? Ok, whatever, here is my phone number, and the email arrives an hour later. Check online at the status of my claim and the claim has no info, but i don't worry about it until a few days later when nothing is updated. Called back, guy i talked to was rude and said the order was pending and it should updated by noon, noon nothing happens, i call back and the guys says it is pending and that they are probably on back order, he has no idea how long. At this point i am pissed... the next day i check online again and the order has been canceled for some reason! Call back again (call number 5) and the guy is like, oh must have been a mistake i will open a new order for you, "fuuuuuuu!!!". Couple of days later, no update on the new order, call back and the guy spews the same BS, ask to talk to manager and he says he will take care of it. By the end of the day it is shipped out. Receive it last Friday, 3 weeks after initial call, pop in my sim card and the phone is locked to another network!!! Has the rogers crapware on it but wont accept a rogers sim... FML... call them back, Friday morning, the lady says i will have to call back on Monday as the department that does the unlocks is unavailable... Call back this (Monday) morning and the lady i talked to said the IM was down with the dept that does the unlocking and she would call me back before lunch, no call back so i call again, another lady i talk to looks into it and says i will have to wait 48-72 hrs to get the code. I ask to talk to the manager and he says the same thing, that the only way they can get it is to email the other dept and wait for a reply. "So you cant phone them?" "no" "You are saying that Dell cant contact Dell to get an unlock code for a Dell phone?" "no" "I can go online and spend $20 and get the phone unlocked in 5 mins and you, Dell, the makers of this phone, are telling me i have to wait another week to unlock the phone that they took 3 weeks to replace, all the while paying for mobile data services that i cant use?" "yes"
So this is where I stand now... who knows when i will get this beast unlocked...
Just wanted to vent, i know it is a long post but just wanted to warn people that you have to stay on top of these guys every day if you want to get anything done...

Fire off an EECB (Executive Email Carpet Bomb) to Michael Dell, using either of the following addresses:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Follow these tips: http://consumerist.com/2007/05/how-to-launch-an-executive-email-carpet-bomb.html . You won't have to do steps 3-5 because the list is already in this post. I do believe once the owner of the company is made aware of a problem from one of his customers, it will get resolved VERY quickly.

As the other post said, tell Mike. I did on an issue that was not getting resolved for weeks. It took literally 12 hours from when I sent the email to when I got satisfaction.

If you just call the main dell line, you'll bounce to india and then bounce to the dell streak call center. They should be more than happy to give you the unlock.
When I had to rma my phone they were quite easy about getting me my phone. In fact, I think it came unlocked. Can you not unlock your sim or something?
I didn't read the whole thread so I probably missed something about it.

Sounds pretty similar to my experience minus the unlock issue. Mine bled to death within hours of unboxing, then they sent me a still broken refurb to replace my dead of box new phone. In the end it took 3 weeks and 2 replacements to get a working one. Oh and that was only because I called and harrassed them constantly. I'd probably still not have a phone today since it was "on back order"

Update: Still no unlock code... Sent a nice email to Michael Dell explaining the problem but haven't heard back, sent the following follow up this morning after my conversation with "customer service"
This is an update to my previous email. As I received no reply from the supervisor who promised to call me back within the next 48 hours, I called back yesterday (Wednesday, May 18th). The representative I talked to assured me that the unlock code would be emailed to me yesterday. I explained that I had been given timelines before and was promised that I would be emailed the code yesterday. I was not emailed the code. I called back this morning and just got off the phone with another supervisor. He now tells me that I will have to wait another 2 days to receive the code. I have explained to him how many times I have attempted to get this issue resolved and the supervisor would not budge. He promised to call me back within 2 days, I explained that I had been made that promise many times and I did not believe it would happen, I requested to be transferred to a manager but the supervisor said that the manager was too busy to talk to me. Alas, nothing has changed. I am still paying for services that I am not using. I am continuing to vent my frustrations online at every opportunity and will go out of my way to ensure that consumers are aware of the poor service that awaits them if they chose to purchase Dell products.
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How did you get them to replace it? my screen under the glass has cracked from simply tapping the home button. They are telling me that the screen isn't "hardware" and not covered by the warranty and i have to pay $249!
my damage wasn't caused by "external causes such as accident, abuse, misuse, or problems with electrical power" and should be covered by warranty!

Issues With Samsung Customer Support

I sent my Nexus S in for a faulty rear speaker on August 25th. They received the phone on September 1st. On September 6th, the ticket was updated saying the phone was repaired. Then two days later, the ticket was placed on hold due to a part being on backorder (even though the phone was supposedly repaired two days prior).
I first called Samsung on September 20th to ask for an update. The representative said the ticket didn't have any updates and they opened an expedite ticket (but didn't provide me a ticket number) to get an answer from the repair center.
I called again on the 23rd. Same deal as the previous call. No update, expedite ticket opened, but no ticket number.
I called on September 27th asking for another update. No update in the ticket, but this representative actually gave me an expedite ticket number to reference.
I called today, October 3rd. Still no update on the status of the repair. I asked to be transferred to a manager. They transferred me to Executive Customer Relations. After spending 27 minutes on hold I finally got a hold of a representative by the name of Kevin. I asked how long does Samsung hold a phone in a repair status before they ship out a new unit to the customer. He told me Samsung doesn't do that since they don't stock phones at the repair facility (ok, but Im sure Samsung has other facilities that do stock phones - they are the manufacturer after all). He then put me on hold to get an update from the Dock Manager at the repair facility.
He came back after about 4 minutes on hold. He said the Dock Manager has no update from UPS as to when the shipment will arrive. I asked what part were they waiting for and he replied the rear speaker. They thought it was the wiring from the main board to the speaker and replaced that, but the phone still exhibited the same issues as when it first arrived.
I asked if - hypothetically - UPS still doesnt deliver the parts in, say, two weeks, what happens? He responded that a manager will make the decision at that point to replace the phone (but I thought Samsung doesn't replace phones??).
I asked who makes that decision to which he said a "higher up". They conveniently don't have a department name or a phone number because they don't deal with customers. He reiterated that they are waiting on UPS because they will be delivering it. He implied that UPS doesn't even have the parts in their possession yet, so who knows when they will actually be delivered.
I love my Nexus S and was seriously considering getting the Prime, but after this never-ending debacle, I highly doubt I will be purchasing another Samsung device. I'm angry at myself too, because I knew damn well that the speaker was the issue and saw replacements on eBay for under $30. I wanted to keep my warranty intact by having Samsung do the repair, which turned out to be a very bad idea.
Cliffs:
-Rear speaker died on Nexus S
-Sent in over a month ago
-Still no ETA for repair
-Samsung support is worthless
Anyone else have any issues with Samsung support?

civicdrivr said:
I sent my Nexus S in for a faulty rear speaker on August 25th. They received the phone on September 1st. On September 6th, the ticket was updated saying the phone was repaired. Then two days later, the ticket was placed on hold due to a part being on backorder (even though the phone was supposedly repaired two days prior).
I first called Samsung on September 20th to ask for an update. The representative said the ticket didn't have any updates and they opened an expedite ticket (but didn't provide me a ticket number) to get an answer from the repair center.
I called again on the 23rd. Same deal as the previous call. No update, expedite ticket opened, but no ticket number.
I called on September 27th asking for another update. No update in the ticket, but this representative actually gave me an expedite ticket number to reference.
I called today, October 3rd. Still no update on the status of the repair. I asked to be transferred to a manager. They transferred me to Executive Customer Relations. After spending 27 minutes on hold I finally got a hold of a representative by the name of Kevin. I asked how long does Samsung hold a phone in a repair status before they ship out a new unit to the customer. He told me Samsung doesn't do that since they don't stock phones at the repair facility (ok, but Im sure Samsung has other facilities that do stock phones - they are the manufacturer after all). He then put me on hold to get an update from the Dock Manager at the repair facility.
He came back after about 4 minutes on hold. He said the Dock Manager has no update from UPS as to when the shipment will arrive. I asked what part were they waiting for and he replied the rear speaker. They thought it was the wiring from the main board to the speaker and replaced that, but the phone still exhibited the same issues as when it first arrived.
I asked if - hypothetically - UPS still doesnt deliver the parts in, say, two weeks, what happens? He responded that a manager will make the decision at that point to replace the phone (but I thought Samsung doesn't replace phones??).
I asked who makes that decision to which he said a "higher up". They conveniently don't have a department name or a phone number because they don't deal with customers. He reiterated that they are waiting on UPS because they will be delivering it. He implied that UPS doesn't even have the parts in their possession yet, so who knows when they will actually be delivered.
I love my Nexus S and was seriously considering getting the Prime, but after this never-ending debacle, I highly doubt I will be purchasing another Samsung device. I'm angry at myself too, because I knew damn well that the speaker was the issue and saw replacements on eBay for under $30. I wanted to keep my warranty intact by having Samsung do the repair, which turned out to be a very bad idea.
Cliffs:
-Rear speaker died on Nexus S
-Sent in over a month ago
-Still no ETA for repair
-Samsung support is worthless
Anyone else have any issues with Samsung support?
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Wow that is just horrible, sorry to hear that I can't believe they won't send you a new phone that is insane.

I have to add, that the service reps were very nice throughout this, but the lack of information is frustrating.

You'd be surprised at how quickly they will get their act together when you start calling their various numbers and demand a resolution.. Over a month is unacceptable. You just have to be more vocal man.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

uansari1 said:
You'd be surprised at how quickly they will get their act together when you start calling their various numbers and demand a resolution.. Over a month is unacceptable. You just have to be more vocal man.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
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What numbers would you suggest? I have called 888-987-4357 as well as 800-522-7341. The teir 3 support number that is floating around online seems to be disconnected.
And no offense to the tier 1 and 2 reps, but they just aren't helping. They are polite, but no matter how many times I call, how many times I *****, they will not do a damn thing. Its always "I'm sorry sir, it's out of out control". I don't know how a company expects customers to be happy when their mantra is "please call back for more information" day after day after day. HTC doesn't do this to their customers.
Someone on another forum suggested I message a few Samsung reps directly through Twitter, which I will be doing once I get back onto my computer.
Sent by carrier pigeon

That's really rough dude. Fortunately it is not a problem I will have to endure because I voided the **** out of my warranty when I rooted.
Anyways I like to make sure to get ID numbers from anyone I talk to on any customer service. It just seems to keep people more accountable when they know the call is recorded and I know who they are. I dunno if it'll help in this situation tho. Seems like there's not much the reps can do if the manager says they're waiting on a part. The suggestions above are all valid, being more vocal and whatnot. That's probably your best bet.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

It's for reasons like this that i try to keep my cell provider in the loop regarding repairs. Yes, it's a little more awkward dealing with them, but if you end up in a situation like this, then you have another fallback for getting a quick resolution.
I'm in a similar situation, i'm dealing with the search bug, so i'm sending it back and back again and again until i get 3-4 repairs in, then i can go to my provider and say "They can't fix this phone, I would like a different one" and if i'm lucky, by the time i get there, the Prime will be released, if not, i'll get a shinny new nexus S (or maybe the galaxy 2 with cyanogen)
For your current situation, the only thing i can recommend is tie up their people. One of my classic tricks is to "collect" people on the phone. Don't let the reps transfer you, make them conference and keep them on the phone for as long as you can. The upper people will be more careful on how they deal with you as to not give bad examples to the lower people. You are taking the lower people off the general queue, costing the company more money. The longer talk time will also draw the interest of the floor manager (different from a manager you would speak to on the phone) who will do whatever it takes to speed things up.
I once made a rep wait 1 hour on the phone with me cause his "manager" was in a 3 hour meeting that could not be disturbed. after 1/2 hour, he tried everything he could think of to get me off the phone, no avail. after 1 hour, they interrupted the meeting to get the manager on the phone.
Finally, no matter how frustrated you get, don't get rude, pissy or mean. Be firm but always be polite and proffessional.

Thank you for the tips. I called again around noon and requested to be transferred directly to Executive Customer Relations. I spoke with a gentleman named James. He was very polite, and in about 10 minutes of being on the phone with him, I was told I would get a tracking number by the end of the day. At 6:57EST, I received an email from the generic Samsung delivery service as well as James with the tracking number for a new device.
I must stress that the reps on the phone were really polite. I guess it's just Samsung that is making things difficult. I didn't have this problem with my TV, but that was about three years ago. Im going to have to think long and hard about buying another Samsung device.

I'm about to go through a similar situation. I shipped my Nexus S in to a Samsung service center in Texas almost 2 weeks ago and received an email today saying my repair is on hold due to parts needing to be ordered.
My issue is a bit more complicated then a speaker but come on! I hate iPhones but st least if you have a issue with your phone, Apple gives you a refurbished one on the spot(RIP Steve).
I'm going to call Samsung tomorrow and see whats going on. I cant wait months!
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda premium

kmmxracer said:
I'm about to go through a similar situation. I shipped my Nexus S in to a Samsung service center in Texas almost 2 weeks ago and received an email today saying my repair is on hold due to parts needing to be ordered.
My issue is a bit more complicated then a speaker but come on! I hate iPhones but st least if you have a issue with your phone, Apple gives you a refurbished one on the spot(RIP Steve).
I'm going to call Samsung tomorrow and see whats going on. I cant wait months!
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda premium
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I've been hearing that a lot of people have not been getting their phones back in a timely manner. I was contacted by a Samsung employee on here, I pm'd you their screen name. Good luck.
Sent by carrier pigeon

Thanks I appreciate that
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda premium

Samsung has the worst customer service I've ever seen. I live in Canada and their Canadian site only has the number for the American Customer Service centre.
I was put on hold for over 1/2 hour then told to call the Canadian customer service number.
When I called the Canadian number, the reps gave me the number of the wrong service centre so I had to call them again today and ask for a service centre close to my area.
I'm expecting a call tomorrow so I hope everything goes well. My problem is with a Samsung Dryer not a cellphone, but I've experienced the same problems before when I had to call about a cellphone issue.
Overall, they're completely useless but their products are usually solid so you don't have to call them so often!

EraqEE said:
Samsung has the worst customer service I've ever seen. I live in Canada and their Canadian site only has the number for the American Customer Service centre.
I was put on hold for over 1/2 hour then told to call the Canadian customer service number.
When I called the Canadian number, the reps gave me the number of the wrong service centre so I had to call them again today and ask for a service centre close to my area.
I'm expecting a call tomorrow so I hope everything goes well. My problem is with a Samsung Dryer not a cellphone, but I've experienced the same problems before when I had to call about a cellphone issue.
Overall, they're completely useless but their products are usually solid so you don't have to call them so often!
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I had not problems finding their number on the Canadian site.
http://www.samsung.com/ca/info/contactus.html
Talking to tech support, i even got a direct number for their Montreal repair facility.

The number you see on their stupid website is the American number. The Canadian number is 1-888-899-7605
I tried the number you mentioned and some lady with a Southern accent answered and she told me they're based in the US. She then transferred me to the Canadian branch which has the number I posted above.

EraqEE said:
The number you see on their stupid website is the American number. The Canadian number is 1-888-899-7605
I tried the number you mentioned and some lady with a Southern accent answered and she told me they're based in the US. She then transferred me to the Canadian branch which has the number I posted above.
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I've called the number on the website 4-5 times without any issues. Maybe I'm just lucky.

Dude, that's extremely hard. However, because I lose my warranty when I rooted, I won't have to deal with this issue.
In any case, whenever I speak with a customer support representative, I want to be sure to collect their ID numbers. Just knowing that the call is being recorded and that I am aware of who is on the other end helps to make folks more responsible. But I'm not sure if it will be helpful in this case. If the management states that they are awaiting a part, it seems like the salespeople won't be able to do anything. All of the aforementioned recommendations, such as being more vocal, are sensible. Your best option is most likely that. If this is happening again and again the contact samsung customer service dubai or make a call on +97145864033.

Verizon rant...

This is sort of a long story. Sorry, I just had to put this in writing to get it off my chest, I am beyond frustrated with Verizon...
I bought a Galaxy 10.1 4G LTE from Verizon Wireless online back in July. I got and love the crap out of it. It is awesome. Then I got the dreaded newton rings, and read through the epic thread here on XDA and decided to get it fixed or replaced. I walked into a Verizon store (which are becoming more common that McDonald's around me) and told them my problem and asked for a replacement. This was 9/22/2011. He said since I ordered online they have to order the replacement online and I would have it in two business days. Great. I would rather have the thing right now, but I can deal with that.
Two days later, I get an empty brown cardboard box. I call Verizon 'customer care center' and they say to wait another day or two to get the new tab and put my old tab back in the box and ship it back. They at Verizon never want their customers without a device, so make sure to wait until you get the new one, then you have 10 days to return the old one. Okay.
Two days later, still no tab. I call Verizon again. Their system says the tab is on back order, and as soon as they get one in stock they will ship it out. Okay. Another week later, I call back, same response. Another week later I call back, same response. WTF? How can a product be on back order for that long if you are still selling them in the store?
Finally (11/4/2011) I called and wasn't going to buy their back ordered story, and the lady was pretty helpful. She kept me on the line and conferenced in someone from the technical center. This lady said in a condescending tone that I had the return box, why didn't I return it to them. They can't process a new tab until they get the old one. They have 700 of them in stock, I just need to send them my damaged one and they will ship out a replacement or repair it in 1 to 2 business days. She was kind of rude, like why did I wait this long. Whatever. I boxed up my tab and shipped it off to them on 11/7/2011. FedEx tracking confirms they receive it on 11/9/2011. Nice. Maybe by the end of the week I'll have my new tab.
Nothing. I call again on 11/16/2011. Customer care rep says hmm, they are showing back ordered. I said I've heard that one before, call tech support. She calls tech support. The lady at tech says that she sees they received my old tab, but there is no note or pending shipment for the new one. She will put that order in right away and overnight a new tab to me, so I will have it on 11/17. Good, finally I might get my tab by the end of this week.
Today, 11/18/2011. I get an empty cardboard box with instructions on how to ship my tab to them for repair. I call customer care. Hmm, system says they are back ordered. Call tech support. Tech support guy says, nope there are plenty of them in stock. He sees that the order was placed on 11/16, but has no idea why they haven't sent me a new tab yet. He is going to initiate an investigation, which could take a few days. He does send me his e-mail info and contact info for his supervisor, so now at least I have someone to call direct at tech support.
Almost two months since I first initiated the repair order, two weeks without my tab, and Verizon has no clue what is going on. Great. Maybe next week...
I should have bought the WiFi version.

May I suggest finding a better Vzw store to deal with. I work with the largest indirect VZW dealer and have helped 2 put 3 people swap there's with no issues. I really hate to hear the run around you are dealing with. I would be livid. Hope this is resolved soon for ya.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium

Get in touch with me
I work as a consultant at Verizon Wireless, I forwarded your post to my boss, I will do my best to help you. Send me a private note and I'll be in touch.
Jim

Thanks for the replies and the help. The guy handling the investigation called on Friday night and said that his records showed that the replacement was shipped and delivered to my office. Since I was at home, I couldn't confirm that, but suspected it was the empty cardboard box I got. I checked this morning, and it was. The tech did send me his e-mail and his supervisors direct number, so I left a message with the supervisor and will keep trying to get this resolved! Everyone I talk to seems like they want to help, but nobody is quite sure how to get things done. They have different policies for the tablets than their phones, and nobody seems to know how to handle the tablets.

DMMCD -
Email sent to the parties involved, along with their boss. Hope it does something....
Jim

Thanks for helping, Jim. Yesterday there was a lot of back and forth e-mails between people within Verizon, which Jim was kind enough to keep me updated on. I did get a voice mail on my work phone from a tech support supervisor last night around 6:15 pm, but I just got the message this morning. I left him a message with the information he requested (tracking number for sending my old tab back, which I gave to two different tech support reps previously). Hopefully today brings resolution. It would be nice to have my tab for Thanksgiving holiday.

I would file a complaint through your State Attorney Generals website in regards to all of this. Then VZW's Consumer Government Affairs department will research the matter and are required to respond to your complaint and to the Attorney General.
Put a little heat on them. Get as many eyes on this as possible. That's absolutely ridiculous. Unfortunately, as with most companies, the CSR's are limited to notes and what's on an account. They can tell you things all day long and try to help you but they're limited to what's in front of them.
EDIT:
For Pennsylvania the State Atty General Consumer Complaints can be found here:
http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/complaints.aspx?id=451#
Here is the form you can submit the complaint with online:
http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/complaintforms/bcp_form.aspx
Again it's all just a suggestion, you're not penalized for doing it, it's your right as a consumer. You're not suing them, you're not taking them to court or anything. You're just making a formal complaint that they have to recognize and address, then they have to identify steps they took to resolve your situation to the Attorney General.

Hopefully it won't come to that, but we'll see...
I thought things would happen today, but so far this morning I have left two messages with a tech support supervisor, along with a message for a different supervisor yesterday, and e-mailed the original tech support rep with no replies at all. The only info I had that things were happening at all were from the e-mail traffic that Jim (tommydorsey) was kind enough to forward on to me.
I don't like being left in the dark. I would like a call from somebody, even if it is to say that no progress has been made. Why can't I just walk into a Verizon Wireless store and have them hand me a new tab? That would have ended this insanity two months ago, and I would be a very happy customer.

I ordered mine online and got an in-store replacement for the Newton's ring issue. And used the opportunity to upgrade it to the 32GB model. Their are allot of Verizon "Premium Retailers' that have are pretty poor in my experience. I stay away from them and only do business a with Verizon owned store. Those experiences have all been excellent.

The store I went to is a large Verizon owned retailer. It seems like a lot depends on the particular sales rep that you have the fortune of speaking with.
I did finally get a call back from the tech service rep. He said the warehouse claims they sent the Tab to me last week. We checked the tracking number, and I confirmed that what they thought was a Tab was actually an empty cardboard 'recovery' box with that tracking number on it. I offered to take a picture. So he is in communication with the warehouse to see why they sent a recovery box rather than a tablet. The saga continues.

Okay, I got a call from the tech supervisor around 5:45 pm who said "headquarters" shipped out a tab and I should get it tomorrow. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that it is not another empty cardboard box...

dmmcd - I hope this works today. Fingers crossed.

Yey, I finally got something. Of course the name on the label was Don and I am Dan, so it was given to the wrong person in my company and I had to track it down. But I got a "new" tab.
Which bugs me a little, it is a "certified like-new replacement". I really hope I don't have any problems with it. I guess at this point I am happy to have anything. I also lost my screen protector when I sent my original tab back to them.
The screen is different than my original one, and has the SAMSUNG logo on the bottom of the screen. I hope it stays free of the newton rings.
A tech support supervisor texted me to make sure I got it. Still not really blown away by this customer service. It took over two months to get to this point, and the last 2 1/2 weeks I was without a tablet. The last week seemed like intense negotiations just to get anything out of them at all. Too much confusion within the company. I still think they should have honored my exchange at the physical store and avoided all this mess.

My Story with handtec.....

OK. SO, This was my first dealing with handtec or any of the overseas online companies.
It was on the 5th of November that I bought a Galaxy Note from them. Before I actually made the purchase, I used the "live support" to ask them regarding the availability of the product and quality support they can offer me after the purchase. The chat was very professional and I even got a discount with the phone. I ended up getting the sim free version for the price of the network logo version.
Few weeks after I received my phone, I finally have the time to have a good look of my phone, I found 3 dead pixels on the screen. Man! was I devastated! (for those of you remember my thread about it). I used the live support again and they suggested me to return it back to them asap and ensured me that everything will be taken care of and not to worry. I remember the operator said to me "Don't worry, handtec will take care of you"
After about 4 days of sending back the phone (which is today ).....my tracking status showed the item was delivered. So I immediately use the live support again to ask them about whether or not they have got the phone. They said they have, so I asked them when they will be sending the replacement back to me. They said they will try to send the replacement today.
I told them that I hope the replacement phone that I will be getting will be without dead pixels. I don't want to have to pay the expensive return postage again. They said they can help me to gain a peace of mind by letting them open my box to check to make sure. So I agreed (it took me a while to make that decision as I have always like the feeling of opening a brand new package )
I then logged off the live support, but as soon I logged off...I was like...oh crap!
I forgot to tell them to wear a glove and also make sure that none of the protectors were taken off while they check my screen. So I logged back on in about a minute after I logged off and asked them not to take off any protectors. Guess what they said to my surprise?! (apparently, it was the same operator)...and he said the check has already been done, nothing is wrong with the phone, and it is going to the warehouse as we speak, ready to be sent out today, and I will be getting it early next week.....
WOW....they must be SUPERMEN or something close....so professional and efficient.....
At this point....I would never hesitate to buy from them again in the future because they are very professional, responsible and efficient...
I will let you guys know when I actually receive the replacement back from them......and hopefully by then, I can also say...yay...my screen is PERFECT too
Anyways...thanks for hearing me out....hope I get my lovely GNote back soon!!

My experience has been near the same with them, sans the dead pixels. I placed my order with them at 1:30 EST (Im in the US) on the 28th of November. Email conformations were quick and informative. On the 29th I received an email stating that because of my first time order with them, and that I was overseas, I needed to answer some additional security questions (Credit Card Bank Authorization number, etc.) I responded quickly to this, and they continued the vetting process. I ended up calling them to be sure they had everything. They were very polite and helpful on the phone. Rather than continue to delay the shipment, they asked that they be able to send the shipment to my work address so that they didnt have to wait for the security team to validate my home address with my CC. Because of the time difference between the US and UK, they werent able to ship it on Tuesday. I checked my tracking number on Wednesday and found that they sprung for overnight AM shipping! So Thursday morning my package comes in (my only complaint here is that they didnt ship it in a box, it in a loose bubble envelope). All has been working great since! No dead pixels, and this phone is simply amazing!
Hats off to Handtec for doing it right!

Bought both SGS II and the Note from handtec. I'm probably going to continue the trend with Galaxy S III. Despite what some people say about handtec not selling "UK" version of the note, it's not like it matters much here in the US
Both times, my phones arrived in less than 24 hours from UK!!!

Glad to hear there are good experiences with them, I will have to try them out on my next phone Galaxy S3? xD

plasket said:
My experience has been near the same with them, sans the dead pixels. I placed my order with them at 1:30 EST (Im in the US) on the 28th of November. Email conformations were quick and informative. On the 29th I received an email stating that because of my first time order with them, and that I was overseas, I needed to answer some additional security questions (Credit Card Bank Authorization number, etc.) I responded quickly to this, and they continued the vetting process. I ended up calling them to be sure they had everything. They were very polite and helpful on the phone. Rather than continue to delay the shipment, they asked that they be able to send the shipment to my work address so that they didnt have to wait for the security team to validate my home address with my CC. Because of the time difference between the US and UK, they werent able to ship it on Tuesday. I checked my tracking number on Wednesday and found that they sprung for overnight AM shipping! So Thursday morning my package comes in (my only complaint here is that they didnt ship it in a box, it in a loose bubble envelope). All has been working great since! No dead pixels, and this phone is simply amazing!
Hats off to Handtec for doing it right!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you reach them on the phone? I tried to call them many times, but all end up being referred to go to the website.
How can the package get there overnight? wow

what version of the note are they selling?? and where is it made (although i'm not quite sure what problems are inherent with which manufacturing site)

DMax99 said:
.....So I logged back on in about a minute after I logged off and asked them not to take off any protectors. Guess what they said to my surprise?! (apparently, it was the same operator)...and he said the check has already been done, nothing is wrong with the phone, and it is going to the warehouse as we speak, ready to be sent out today....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that Handtec is a good/reliable company and also no offense to you but seriously..? In a minute? Come on... Since you said they asked for permission for opening it I assume it was opened/checked after you close the chat.
Lets see:
Closing chat with you and email or phone the Service Dept to check the phone? Time: 1-3min
Service Dept: Find your phone or any phone that will be sent, open box, open back cover and put presumably a used battery in it and start it up? Time: 5-10m if they haven't anything else to do.
Doing some quick tests directly on the phone or connected to the PC? I will give it another 3-8min because some pre-requirements might be needed.
Tests done and ready to ship, shutting phone down, removing back cover, out the battery, backcover on, phone in box closed, report made for the phone(not always), everything ready to sent and finally in it's way to the "warehouse"? Add another 10-20min
We are looking at about 20-40minutes if everything goes smoothtly. No offense OP but some common sense doesn't hurt here. Many people might jump to wrong conclusions reading that.
DMax99 said:
WOW....they must be SUPERMEN or something close....so professional and efficient.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are just being sarcastic aren't you...? Please tell me you are!
Also please, this post in not directed to you OP. But at Handtec.

koniakki said:
I agree that Handtec is a good/reliable company and also no offense to you but seriously..? In a minute? Come on... Since you said they asked for permission for opening it I assume it was opened/checked after you close the chat.
Lets see:
Closing chat with you and email or phone the Service Dept to check the phone? Time: 1-3min
Service Dept: Find your phone or any phone that will be sent, open box, open back cover and put presumably a used battery in it and start it up? Time: 5-10m if they haven't anything else to do.
Doing some quick tests directly on the phone or connected to the PC? I will give it another 3-8min because some pre-requirements might be needed.
Tests done and ready to ship, shutting phone down, removing back cover, out the battery, backcover on, phone in box closed, report made for the phone(not always), everything ready to sent and finally in it's way to the "warehouse"? Add another 10-20min
We are looking at about 20-40minutes if everything goes smoothtly. No offense OP but some common sense doesn't hurt here. Many people might jump to wrong conclusions reading that.
You are just being sarcastic aren't you...? Please tell me you are!
Also please, this post in not directed to you OP. But at Handtec.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL....It is TRUE....when I was on the chat the first time I have already given him the permission to check the phone. I don't know how their company works, but when I logged back on (maybe about 30 seconds to 1 minutes after) He told me the phone has already been checked.
BTW....They only said they would check the screen with my new replacement phone as the problem with my faulty phone was with the dead pixels on the screen.
But seriously I am not sure how the company works.....I am suspecting that the company is quite small. So maybe their warehouse and return department are the same department, and maybe there are only a few people working in the company with each person doing multiple things. Therefore, it take less time for communication. I really believe they try to make their company look bigger than what it really is.
Finally, I was not being sarcastic when I told them they are supermen. I really thought that they were really efficient.
ps. all the things I have told you are what they have told me on the chat. who knows what really happened over there on the other side of the world.

They were pretty easy to get ahold of. I called their number that was listed on the website, reached an automated prompt, chose sales support and waited a few minutes on hold. Guy picked up pretty quickly. They have hours from like 7-5:30 UK time
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

You people must be really lucky to get the phone delivered so fast. I ordered mine with some accessories on the 29th, I have yet to get it. Fedex status says clearance delay. First, Customs wanted an itemized breakdown with value. Then they want an FCC form. Having sent many phones to the U.S, I would have expected Handtec to know what documents are required to get through Customs.
That aside their customer service is pretty good so far. I'm just frustrated I didn't have the phone over the weekend.

So finally received my gnote.
Powered up got the OTA and now I'm enjoying it. Handtec even credited my credit card because the price has dropped since I purchased it.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App

My replacement should get here by tomorrow

Ok....so I have finally received the replacement back from handtec. They have also given me a Travel Power Adapter as a gift. I think they have given me that because the phone was supposed to be sent to me last Friday but didn't end up getting sent on Monday (not really a big deal to me though).
I have quickly turned on the phone to check the screen and it looks fine. I am pretty sure it's a German version as there is a German Manual in the Box plus, the phone was in German when it first booted up. It is kind of weird because everything on the back of the box is in English and even says UK at the buttom.
Anyways...I will start using the phone tonight after it's being charged fully and with a screen protector on. Hopefully there will be nothing wrong with this handset
I must say this again at the end....I am very satisfied with handtec's customer service. I will definitely buy from them again!