Cell phone company rant.....

rwsmith

rwsmith

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Has anybody ever taken or know of someone else that has taken a phone to the phone store and gotten the data switched and come out of the store with all of their data intact? I sure haven't. I think it's a ploy to get you to buy something else. I also think phones have 'built in obsolescence' so that they start messing up after a certain period time.

While my son and I were waiting for the data save and reset to get his phone working right the girl said they had a sale on portable speakers and hooked one up and started playing it and it sounded excellent. My son's been looking for one so we asked 'how much?" "Eight dollars", she said. Ok, we said, we'll take one. I asked how much I owed her and she said 'Eight dollars today and $4 will be added to your monthly bill. How much is it total then?" "$135", she said. We pretty much told her to stuff it. When we left the store my son started trying to bring up his pictures, songs, etc. and half of it wasn't there. We were both angry and later I asked him if he wanted to go back to the store and he said, 'No, I'll just re-download everything." That was the sorriest bait and switch deal I've seen in a good while.
 
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The problem is that data is stored in two places. One is the removable data card and the other is the non removable data storage on the phone. I think a lot of people, including employees don't know about the non removable storage.

There is no reason why you shouldn't be able to connect the old phone (provided you still have it) to your computer and pull all that data. The computer will see it as a portable drive and you should be able to get everything off of it.

As to the bait and switch, some employees will do that. My carrier is Verizon, but I've found the actual Verizon store near me very unfriendly and hard to deal with. A couple of years ago, my phone died. It was about three days after the warranty and the so called customer service rep at that store told me essentially that I was SOL and if I didn't want to buy a new phone at retail I could F off.

I called Verizon customer service and got a nice CS rep who wangled a way for me to get a refurbished phone at no charge other than shipping.

I bought my last phone from Amazon and bought the extended warranty from a non Verizon owned store. Better prices, friendlier people, better customer service. Lesson learned, I won't deal with Verizon company owned stores if I can avoid it.
 
Telling the gal to stuff it before you got your data transferred could have Been a mistake.
Was in line a Verizon store- for a long time.
Guy in next line over says my buddy and I have the same phone, same plan.
We go to Conchas Lake a lot. He can talk but I can't. They mumbled, called the manager. They didn't really want me and this other guy to hear the answer but we were only 3 feet away.
Turns out they were on different versions of the same plan, that near to the lake tower wasn't in the newer plan. They put him on the older plan.
Then a guy walks up with three phones. His, wife's , daughter's, They can't talk!
Service lady say where do you live?
Conchas Lake! The other guy and myself just roll on the floor.
The guy looks at us like we are crazy. what's so funny about Conchas Lake?
It didn't take long to get him on the other plan.
 
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GaryS said:
The problem is that data is stored in two places. One is the removable data card and the other is the non removable data storage on the phone.
Click to expand...

The non removable storage is located on the "SIM" card. The external storage is usually on a removable MicroSD card.
The original MicroSD card supplied with the phone is generally quite small, often only 2Gb to 4Gb. A 32Gb MicroSD card should only cost about $30.

You usually must change the desired storage location to the external storage in multiple places in the menus.

MicroSD cards usually are supplied with an adapter so that they can be read directly in the SD card slot in your laptop or other computer.

If you still have your original phone, you still might be able to retrieve your files from it's MicroSD card.
 

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The SIM card on my phone is removable, but of course I don't have SIM card reader, so it's moot. I wasn't aware, however, that data was stored on the SIM card. I thought it was just information to activate the phone.

cowart said:
The non removable storage is located on the "SIM" card. The external storage is usually on a removable MicroSD card.
The original MicroSD card supplied with the phone is generally quite small, often only 2Gb to 4Gb. A 32Gb MicroSD card should only cost about $30.

You usually must change the desired storage location to the external storage in multiple places in the menus.

MicroSD cards usually are supplied with an adapter so that they can be read directly in the SD card slot in your laptop or other computer.

If you still have your original phone, you still might be able to retrieve your files from it's MicroSD card.
Click to expand...
 
I just solved all of that data BS for myself.

I called Verizon and told them to cancel everything data-related. I realized I didn't need mobile internet service, so I was paying a boatload of money for nothing. :eek:
I got rid of everything except talk and text and dropped about $165.00 off my Verizon bill.

For internet, I went with Time Warner - $35.00 per month, no data, no contract. :cool: So far, so good.
 
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Wife's iphone 5S was stolen while she was in the ER (stroke) USAA, will cover it.
Took my old iPhone 3GS to AT&T, the guy there installed a new sim card and transferred the data from my iPhone 5S (same info on both phones due to iCloud) Took about 10 mins and I was good to go NO charge, 3GS functions perfectly.
 
Hillbilly77 said:
I just solved all of that data BS for myself.

I called Verizon and told them to cancel everything data-related. I realized I didn't need mobile internet service, so I was paying a boatload of money for nothing. :eek:
I got rid of everything except talk and text and dropped about $165.00 off my Verizon bill.

For internet, I went with Time Warner - $35.00 per month, no data, no contract. :cool: So far, so good.
Click to expand...

That's a good price, hope they don't go up in 6-12 months. :)
 
I get a new device every couple of years with Verizon's Upgrade program which is free.

I also use Verizon's auto backup so the new device is sent to my house, I call and have it activated then just download the information from the cloud and all my contacts, calender, notes, music,everything is put on the new device without leaving my crib.

Been doing that for the last 10 years at least.
 
Well no I haven't. But to get hit with that kind of sales pitch ya got to look like the type who would think he's buying an "excellent" sounding portable speaker for $8. :D
 
I've never been in a phone store, always wondered why anybody would go to one. I bought my iPhone 5C unlocked from its original owner in pristine condition for a hundred bucks. Actually got two, also bought a 5S from her for another hundred for my son. Ordered a 5 dollar T-Mobile SIM card online. Have unlimited talk and TXT and 5gb of data (which I rarely use) for 35 a month, no contract.
 
eyegots2no said:
I still use my Motorola Star TAC.

It works!!!

The plastic holster is great.
Click to expand...

I'm still using my Motorola Razr 2 clamshell. It's 6+ years old. I find a hard core of people who still use the old style of phone, those who simply need a phone.

Always contact Verizon customer service; I recently did on a service issue and the rep told me they no longer have 2-year contracts. I've been on a monthly contract since they neglected to send me a renewal, what was it, 4 years ago?

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103
 
Recently went with my wife to the AT&T store to replace her iphone 4S with an iphone 6. She was on the unlimited plan. The girl pulled up her usage records and showed her that she had never used more than 3GB a month and she would save "big" money by switching to a 3GB data plan. The big money turned out to be about a buck a month.

Then the girl sold her the "top of the line" tempered glass screen protector to save her screen from scratches. Only $59 and has a lifetime guarantee. My wife looked at me. I was shaking my head no, but she bought it anyway. Two months later she took it off because it had chipped in two places. I told her it has a lifetime guarantee just take it back to the AT&T store for a new one. She called. Nope. The lifetime guarantee requires you to ship it to the manufacturer at your cost, pay a "shipping and handling" fee, and you must send them a copy of your original receipt.

In short, don't believe anything they tell you at any phone store.


I have my son and I on a Ting plan. Costs me less than $50/month for two phones. It's not unlimited, mind you, but I don't use mine much, and the boy has limits on what he is allowed to use. I also don't pay $600-$700 for a top of the line phone. A $200 phone works just fine for my needs.
 
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TX-Dennis said:
Recently went with my wife to the AT&T store to replace her iphone 4S with an iphone 6. She was on the unlimited plan. The girl pulled up her usage records and showed her that she had never used more than 3GB a month and she would save "big" money by switching to a 3GB data plan. The big money turned out to be about a buck a month.

Then the girl sold her the "top of the line" tempered glass screen protector to save her screen from scratches. Only $59 and has a lifetime guarantee. My wife looked at me. I was shaking my head no, but she bought it anyway. Two months later she took it off because it had chipped in two places. I told her it has a lifetime guarantee just take it back to the AT&T store for a new one. She called. Nope. The lifetime guarantee requires you to ship it to the manufacturer at your cost, pay a "shipping and handling" fee, and you must send them a copy of your original receipt.

In short, don't believe anything they tell you at any phone store.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Do your homework online. Understand the plans, equipment and warranty offerings before going to a retail store with a purchase in mind. Otherwise it's likely you'll end surprised about something. And it's not necessarily the fault of the sales staff. A lot of customers simply don't pay attention or just nod like they understand yet have no clue what they're being told.
 
You're singin' my song...

AT&T is the only system I get the kind of coverage I need for US and Mexico/ Central America, but I don't like doing business with them, and I don't like the iPhone at all. If it breaks (home button failure) they say send it to apple. I bought it from the at&t store, they have a store full of them, but they won't take a two day old failed device back.
Verizon won't work, Tmobile is useless and I have to use VOI at sea. Stuck with AT&T:mad:
 
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IPhone with iCloud worked perfectly when I upgraded from My old I phone once I signed into iCloud all my stuff transferred over 100 percent of it.
 
My opinion like it or not? New phone system operators are not worth a cup of spit! They're all alike and all they want is your money!:rolleyes:
Bring back the good old days of AT&T and the Bell System! The days when phones were phones and the service was service!;)
 
T-Mobile "Pay As You Go"

No problems for the simpleton, only need a phone while moving around for emergencies. I like sitting at home when on line.:)
 
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