I have been a Virgin Mobile customer since I returned to the US in 2012. It reminded me of the low pressure nature of the relationship with mobile companies in Spain. I purchased their low end phone to try out their service (and smartphones). Overall I have found their service to be perfectly functional. There is one exception, it's kind of ironic, the phone service sucks. I have to stand by my bedroom window or lean over the balcony railing to hear and be heard clearly. I don't actually mind. I hate talking on the phone but enjoy the pocket computer. After a year I decided to upgrade to a Samsung Galaxy 3, at the time 2 generations behind their most recently offered S5. I purchased my S3 from Radio Shack (RIP). Six months after that purchase, while vacationing in California, I had trouble charging the phone. It required that I prop something under the cord to ensure connection. After some back and forth, although I purchased the phone through Radio Shack, Virgin sent first a replacement battery, and when that failed to solve the problem, a replacement phone. This is significant to the rest of the story.
I finally decided to upgrade after the Samsung Galaxy S8 was released. I bought it through Virgin Mobile based on their service when my S3 failed me. I noticed in the first few months that occasionally it wouldn't be charged when I removed it from the charger and would make a point of making sure the cord was fully seated each night. After several months I found that what had seemed like carelessness on my part was actually an issue with the phone. It had deteriorated to the point where I couldn't maintain contact with the charger unless I applied constant pressure. I used a rubber band. When I contacted Virgin about the problem with my phone they assured me that it was my fault for dropping the phone or exposing my waterproof phone to water. They also recommended that I contact Samsung, since they were a mobile carrier and not the manufacturer of the phone. I reminded them that they were the vendors of the phone that was still under warranty and set out over a series of emails back and forth to determine what their warranty meant. In the end I learned that their warranty means nothing. See for yourself. It makes me wonder if this is the world consumers can expect going forward (jk, not really wondering, it is). I would definitely recommend not purchasing your phone through Virgin Mobile. They're happy to take your money but their warranty is worthless. Apparently, I'm not the only one with complaints about their customer service.
I finally decided to upgrade after the Samsung Galaxy S8 was released. I bought it through Virgin Mobile based on their service when my S3 failed me. I noticed in the first few months that occasionally it wouldn't be charged when I removed it from the charger and would make a point of making sure the cord was fully seated each night. After several months I found that what had seemed like carelessness on my part was actually an issue with the phone. It had deteriorated to the point where I couldn't maintain contact with the charger unless I applied constant pressure. I used a rubber band. When I contacted Virgin about the problem with my phone they assured me that it was my fault for dropping the phone or exposing my waterproof phone to water. They also recommended that I contact Samsung, since they were a mobile carrier and not the manufacturer of the phone. I reminded them that they were the vendors of the phone that was still under warranty and set out over a series of emails back and forth to determine what their warranty meant. In the end I learned that their warranty means nothing. See for yourself. It makes me wonder if this is the world consumers can expect going forward (jk, not really wondering, it is). I would definitely recommend not purchasing your phone through Virgin Mobile. They're happy to take your money but their warranty is worthless. Apparently, I'm not the only one with complaints about their customer service.
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