Hate that feeling when you buy a bad product and lose money

[Tiger926]

We bought a MetroPcs phone to use for data, calling and texting back home to Canada. We do have a special CDN/US data pack on our Blackberries, but wanted a phone for calling and texting. Have only had it for 7 weeks, and it's a horrible phone. We did a lot of research into big carriers monthly plans, as well as prepaid/pay as you go, and went with Metro as salesperson said great coverage for what we needed. Wish we would have come back home to do more research on the actual phone, but hubby wanted to purchase this one, an it has been a bust!

During our 2 week trip to Florida, we had dropped calls, no service and battery only lasts a few hours, phone calls itself (Samsung Admire). We don't have social media either and no apps besides Lines, so we would use it for taking 1 photo, email to grandma or nieces, make a 5 mins call, and rest of time it would stay in pocket, unless we checked a line. Most of the day it was unused. We would put it in pocket in morning on a full charge, and a few hours later, needed to be charged again!

Discovered tons of simillar stories on Internet, as well as their horrible customer service. Just chatted with an agent for 40 mins, but he couldn't really help at all.

Between the phone, screen protector, tax and 2 months of service ($60.00/month all unlimited plus International), we spent $235.00. Take some money off for the few times we could use the phone, and we are out some good money.

I am struggling with this, but hubby says we are done. They said we could take back to corporate store for them to check on it, but hubby says no.

Don't you just hate expensive product errors like this?

Tiger

 

[LJSquishy]

I'm sorry you've had so much trouble with what should be a simple purchase. I know how frustrating it is when all you want is for something to work properly and it just doesn't. I feel that way about a lot of store employees these days, lol.

I really only trust the three major US carriers: Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. T-Mobile, which is also a large company, is not on my list because they are so hit and miss which is not good for traveling at all.

I've never heard of MetroPCS, so it must be either regional or just plain crap (or both).

 

[mjhd]

I do hate it and cell phones are the worst! We all just switched our plans and it's been a pain the whole way and we're still not done. In Metro's defense, DH did sign up for them - they have a seven day return policy. Service at our house was awful. He took the phone back on the seventh day and they reimbursed him in full. Not sure if you were aware of that or not, but it seems if you were, that may have been your best bet

 

[Friendly Frog]

You might want to check out page Plus wireless service. It runs on the Verizon network so you can check out the coverage on their website. The best part is you can use any verizon network phone as long as it was not used on a prepaid verizon plan. I purchased a used phone for my husband and for myself off of ebay. If you switch service providers perhaps you could sell your old phone on ebay?

 

[Colleen27]

I hate it too. We have MetroPCS and have been pleased with their service. It isn't very good in rural or isolated areas, but we knew that when we signed up and their service map is, if anything, conservative rather than exaggerated. However... You do have to be careful with phone choice because to target their cost-conscious customer base they offer a number of bottom-of-the-line phones that boast features far beyond their price point but which suffer on quality issues such as reliability and battery life.

My husband has one of their middle-of-the-road "dumb" phones, just a $30 flip phone, and it frequently has a signal when my low-end Android doesn't. So does my old LG QWERTY slider that is now DS's phone. Their battery life is easily triple mine as well. When my phone is charged it is fabulous at WDW because there's good 3G signal strength there, but the battery drains quickly even when not in use and once it gets below about 40% charge I start losing signal, missing calls, and not receiving texts. I really should have done more homework because I wouldn't have "upgraded" from my LG slider to this Android if I'd read up a little more on the battery life and associated issues.

 

[Tiger926]

I'm sorry you've had so much trouble with what should be a simple purchase. I know how frustrating it is when all you want is for something to work properly and it just doesn't. I feel that way about a lot of store employees these days, lol.

I really only trust the three major US carriers: Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. T-Mobile, which is also a large company, is not on my list because they are so hit and miss which is not good for traveling at all.

I've never heard of MetroPCS, so it must be either regional or just plain crap (or both).

Metro started in Florida, and has very good coverage in Michigan and Ohio, which is where we spend a lot of time, so when he showed us the coverage map it looked good, so we then asked about travelling i75 as we drive to Florida, and he spent 15 mins going over that with us, but it's all bunk, as there are many areas, despite the map saying they have coverage, that do not have coverage.

We didn't go with one of the big 3 as we only needed 1 phone, so the cost was more than what we pay for our 2 Blackberries here in Canada. Looked at prepaid with all carriers, but there were restrictions with coverage areas as well as needing to add the Canada pack to the phones. Plus, we were not willing to sign any contracts whatsoever.

I do hate it and cell phones are the worst! We all just switched our plans and it's been a pain the whole way and we're still not done. In Metro's defense, DH did sign up for them - they have a seven day return policy. Service at our house was awful. He took the phone back on the seventh day and they reimbursed him in full. Not sure if you were aware of that or not, but it seems if you were, that may have been your best bet

We weren't aware until he had already processed our phone, and we should have declined right there, as we weren't going to Florida for another 2.5 weeks after that. Some of our phone calls in Disney were not bad, but the rest of the time was utterly horrible, from dropped calls, dialing itself and no service. At $60.00/month, that is not acceptable!

You might want to check out page Plus wireless service. It runs on the Verizon network so you can check out the coverage on their website. The best part is you can use any verizon network phone as long as it was not used on a prepaid verizon plan. I purchased a used phone for my husband and for myself off of ebay. If you switch service providers perhaps you could sell your old phone on ebay?

Thanks. We just added the CDN/US data monthly pack back on our Blackberries and have OnStar service in our van. If we need a voice travel pack (we also have long distance card), we can put one on our phone right from the account services app in our phones, so we should be good.

We were trying to get the phone to do it all: voice, data and text, but it was not a good idea as it ended up costing, time and money.

I hate it too. We have MetroPCS and have been pleased with their service. It isn't very good in rural or isolated areas, but we knew that when we signed up and their service map is, if anything, conservative rather than exaggerated. However... You do have to be careful with phone choice because to target their cost-conscious customer base they offer a number of bottom-of-the-line phones that boast features far beyond their price point but which suffer on quality issues such as reliability and battery life.

My husband has one of their middle-of-the-road "dumb" phones, just a $30 flip phone, and it frequently has a signal when my low-end Android doesn't. So does my old LG QWERTY slider that is now DS's phone. Their battery life is easily triple mine as well. When my phone is charged it is fabulous at WDW because there's good 3G signal strength there, but the battery drains quickly even when not in use and once it gets below about 40% charge I start losing signal, missing calls, and not receiving texts. I really should have done more homework because I wouldn't have "upgraded" from my LG slider to this Android if I'd read up a little more on the battery life and associated issues.

This is a midde of the road phone. Glad we didn't spent a couple of hundred dollars on a phone, as we would have been even more upset. The battery life is utterly horrid, and Samsung should be ashamed of themselves.

I also discovered that I hate Android phones (I am a Blackberry girl!), so it was good to try it out for that, I guess.

The phone works on wi-fi for data and apps, so the kids now have a new toy!

Tiger

 

[Colleen27]

This is a midde of the road phone. Glad we didn't spent a couple of hundred dollars on a phone, as we would have been even more upset. The battery life is utterly horrid, and Samsung should be ashamed of themselves.

I also discovered that I hate Android phones (I am a Blackberry girl!), so it was good to try it out for that, I guess.

The phone works on wi-fi for data and apps, so the kids now have a new toy!

Actually the Admire is a low end Android. Because MetroPCS doesn't give subscriber/contract discounts even a mid-range Android will cost a couple hundred bucks through them, and they don't really have much that could be considered high-end (though they're trying with a Samsung Galaxy S offering and a more advanced LG, both of which run ~$400 USD).

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that I hate Androids too. I'm waiting out the iPhone 5 release and then I'm going to be in the market for a used iPhone 4S to take over to the Straight Talk network. Maybe if I tried a higher-end Android I'd have less issues but both models I've had have had issues with being kept in a pocket - the screen wakes up too easily, the phone unlocks too easily, it is too easy to accidentally turn it off entirely, etc. But if I'm going to spend any real money on a phone it'll be on the iPhone.

 

[Tiger926]

Actually the Admire is a low end Android. Because MetroPCS doesn't give subscriber/contract discounts even a mid-range Android will cost a couple hundred bucks through them, and they don't really have much that could be considered high-end (though they're trying with a Samsung Galaxy S offering and a more advanced LG, both of which run ~$400 USD).

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that I hate Androids too. I'm waiting out the iPhone 5 release and then I'm going to be in the market for a used iPhone 4S to take over to the Straight Talk network. Maybe if I tried a higher-end Android I'd have less issues but both models I've had have had issues with being kept in a pocket - the screen wakes up too easily, the phone unlocks too easily, it is too easy to accidentally turn it off entirely, etc. But if I'm going to spend any real money on a phone it'll be on the iPhone.

Hmmm - he said it was a mid range, and their most popular model, as the store was full of lower end phones priced at $40, $50, $60 and then higher ones at $150 +.

I have friends with high end Galaxy phones who love them, but they are tech geeks, who wipe their phones, reset, etc. I really don't like the Android platform at all. Hubby and I use our phones for work, and not much play, so our Blackberries are great!

Love, love, love my Blackberry, so I am hoping that the new Blackberry 10s will be great! If not, then our next phones will be iPhones as well.

Tiger

 

[cey]

We are Canadian too, who spend 2 months of the year in Florida as well. What has worked for us is Netphones and Tracphones which we only use on vacation in the US. Right now I have a Netphone which I have had for 3 years and which I keep active by placing a new $30/300 minute card on every 60 days when my minutes are about to expire. By activating the international feature, I can call or text back to Canada. Right now I have accumulated 1200 minutes, as we never seem to use the maximum amount of minutes. You can buy cards which are good for a year, but I keep expecting my netphone to die one of these time, but it keeps on ticking! I have a great little Motorola model and my dh has a Samsung Tracphone which he uses. Since they are the same company and use the same network, we have had no problems. Granted, the customer support line is frustrating at times, but believe me they are nowhere as frustrating as dealing with Bell Canada!

 

[Colleen27]

Hmmm - he said it was a mid range, and their most popular model, as the store was full of lower end phones priced at $40, $50, $60 and then higher ones at $150 +.

I have friends with high end Galaxy phones who love them, but they are tech geeks, who wipe their phones, reset, etc. I really don't like the Android platform at all. Hubby and I use our phones for work, and not much play, so our Blackberries are great!

Love, love, love my Blackberry, so I am hoping that the new Blackberry 10s will be great! If not, then our next phones will be iPhones as well.

It sounds like he was talking about the whole spectrum of phones, not smartphones in particular... The Admire is one of the cheapest Android phones on the market, but since it is an Android it is still much more expensive than the $40/50/60 phones that are just phones or maybe have a slide-out keyboard for easier texting.

Blackberries seem to be losing the smartphone race here. I considered one because I do like the design - I'd much rather a small QWERTY keyboard than a touchscreen one - but ultimately I want more of a multifunction device and that means Android or iOS because that's where the apps are.

 

[willowsnn3]

I went over to MetroPCS about 3 years ago and have never had a problem. I bought a Kyocera for $29.99 from them online with unlimited minutes/internet/texting for $45.00 a month. Before that I had service with AT&T & could not get much service at WDW & in a lot of areas driving from home to work. My dd has T-Mobile & can't get a signal anywhere inside at WDW but can out in the open.
My Metro gets excellent service while at WDW & while driving all the way down I-75 from Atlanta to WDW. And I say all the way because I have to be almost constantly in contact with my office most of the drive there and back, lol. My dd gets service in rural GA when she visits her dad, while his Straight Talk doesn't get good service from the same area. I am very pleased with my Metro.

 

[Tiger926]

It sounds like he was talking about the whole spectrum of phones, not smartphones in particular... The Admire is one of the cheapest Android phones on the market, but since it is an Android it is still much more expensive than the $40/50/60 phones that are just phones or maybe have a slide-out keyboard for easier texting.

Blackberries seem to be losing the smartphone race here. I considered one because I do like the design - I'd much rather a small QWERTY keyboard than a touchscreen one - but ultimately I want more of a multifunction device and that means Android or iOS because that's where the apps are.

Yes, we know that now about the Admire. Normally I come back home and research, but hubby was feeling like we needed to buy the phone then, as we had spent all day going from carrier to carrier to research phones.

Nothing to do now, as we have discontinued our service.

Blackberry doesn't have tons of apps, but no biggie as we aren't huge app people. And I have to say, that our Blackberries work fabulously when we are in the states, even in rural areas, as Rogers ties through AT & T. Blackberries are also fabulous with data consumption, and that is also great! Will cost us more in the long run as opposed to if the Metro phone had worked out, but our phones provide us great service, and that is what important!

I went over to MetroPCS about 3 years ago and have never had a problem. I bought a Kyocera for $29.99 from them online with unlimited minutes/internet/texting for $45.00 a month. Before that I had service with AT&T & could not get much service at WDW & in a lot of areas driving from home to work. My dd has T-Mobile & can't get a signal anywhere inside at WDW but can out in the open.
My Metro gets excellent service while at WDW & while driving all the way down I-75 from Atlanta to WDW. And I say all the way because I have to be almost constantly in contact with my office most of the drive there and back, lol. My dd gets service in rural GA when she visits her dad, while his Straight Talk doesn't get good service from the same area. I am very pleased with my Metro.

You are lucky. I did use the phone a few times in WDW to place calls, and while on the road near Atlanta, and it worked fine, but terrible service or no service in other areas.

Still bummed about losing out on that money, but nothing we can do at this point.

Thanks, Tiger

 

[Colleen27]

Yes, we know that now about the Admire. Normally I come back home and research, but hubby was feeling like we needed to buy the phone then, as we had spent all day going from carrier to carrier to research phones.

I did the same thing with my first Android. DH & I were out looking at them, one in particular caught my eye, and he decided to get it for me. I ended up regretting the lack of research too.

 

[Tiger926]

I did the same thing with my first Android. DH & I were out looking at them, one in particular caught my eye, and he decided to get it for me. I ended up regretting the lack of research too.

We spent a ton of time researching plans, international packages, prepaid, etc., but not really that much time on the actual phones.

I am a serious researcher, but hubby was feeling pressure to get the phone as we were leaving for Disney. He apologized to me again yesterday as I am feeling very bummed and guilty about the loss of money, as I am very serious about our budget.

Tiger

 

[badblackpug]

Funny, the differences.

I have T-mobile. A MyTouch 4G. (android) I have never had an issue with signal or dropped calls. I get a signal all over WDW as well as at home. I am one of the few people who always have a signal inside the building at work.

My husband has an Iphone on Verizon (paid for by his job) and he consistently has dropped calls and his texts often send 2-3 times in a row. He said if his job wasn't paying for it he would go back to his droid in a minute.