Contributor
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77 Messages
No Fee Upgrade Nightmare!
Dealing with Xfinity Mobile starting about a month ago - by phone and at the store - was beyond infuriating!
I wanted to do a no-fee upgrade, to which I'd become entitled back in late-October.
I called Customer Service to double-check on inventory, as the smartphone I wanted was available online, but perhaps not at the nearest Xfinity Store. There's no way to call the store directly, as many of you may know. The phone agent said if it's in stock online, you can be certain all our stores have it, too. So that night I ventured to the store here in Philadelphia, with my phone all ready to be turned in.
I was first told there is no longer any such thing as a no-fee upgrade! Well, no one had ever notified me of that! I told the Clerk I am shown to be eligible when I log in to my account, and that my eligibility was also confirmed on the phone with their call center.
My account was then pulled up, and it clearly established my eligibility to the Clerk. However, he then told me the phone I wanted (Galaxy Flip 3) was not in stock. I reiterated my being told if it's in stock online, it's at all the stores, but he said that's not how it works. Furthermore, the store could not order the phone for me, even though the warehouse has them (that is apparently the basis for the in stock status online). The Xfinity Store will not order a phone for the purpose of a no-fee upgrade, I was told. It can only be for what is immediately on hand at that location.
I pointed out that policy is ridiculous - but it only got worse. I asked when they expected more Flip 3s to come in, and was told he had no idea. I was told to keep coming back to the store at my convenience to check inventory. There is no way to check online, for the Customer Service People to tell me store inventory, or for me (as stated above) to call the store directly.
Even if there were not a pandemic going on, that policy is preposterous! Who has time to waste going back and forth to a given store just to check if a given mobile is in stock?!? In a pandemic, however, it could be dangerous - especially if one has lowered immunity, as I do. I was appalled this was standard operating procedure for Xfinity Mobile!
The next day, I again phoned Customer Service, to double-check on the info I was given, and point out that I was seriously considering taking my business elsewhere as soon as I was able. The Phone Rep told me he could help me - they did not want to lose me as a Customer. He said he would do the no-fee upgrade over the phone, and I'd have my Flip 3 by early the following week. He made it clear I was to take the SIM card out of my old phone, install it in the new device, and then return the old phone to the Xfinity Store. I was charged that day for the initial month of service, plus sales tax.
I did as directed re the SIM card - only for the Xfinity Store to refuse to take the old phone. They looked up my account, and said the Phone Agent had actually given me a second line - NOT a no-fee upgrade! I was furious! I asked if I could at least return the new phone to them at the store, and was told no - I had to send it back to the warehouse after setting up the return with Customer Service.
I called them the next day - and was eventually placed with the Advanced Team or whatever the elevated tier of Agents is called. That guy tried to sort things out with me on the phone for nearly two hours, and then said he needed more time, and would call back in two to three business days. He assured me he could yet sort out the situation, for me to have a no-fee upgrade.
So I waited three business days, but never heard back. I phoned the call center again, to ask what was going on, and was told there are no notes since the prior Saturday - nothing was done - no one would have called me back.
That was NOT what I wanted to hear! I was finally told to return the new phone. I was assured I'd not be charged a restocking fee.
I shipped it back the next day, and it was received the last day of January at the returns center in Texas. A couple days later, my initial payment was refunded, but I was assessed a restocking fee. So - yet another call to the Customer Service center, to get that fee refunded.
I remain most amazed, surely, about the lack of any reasonable way to check store inventory and particularly the expectation Xfinity has that Customers will just come in as often as necessary to check if a desired model of mobile phone is in stock at the shop -
especially with the pandemic still being a danger. I also have to wonder why I was initially told there was no longer any such thing as a no-fee upgrade - and why mobiles in stock at the warehouse cannot simply be ordered when necessary to complete a no-fee upgrade?
CCMike1
Official Employee
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933 Messages
3 years ago
Hello @BobbySevenSevenSeven and thank you for sharing your feedback. I'm sorry to hear about your experience upgrading. Have you tried to get this resolved with our phone support team? We have limited support on this platform for mobile issues unfortunately.
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