On Sep. 23rd, I went to my local T-Mobile to upgrade my phone to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. 512G. This is my experience....
My local T-Mobile store had a promo to upgrade from my Note 10+ to the Z fold 3 for a $1000 trade in. GREAT DEAL!!! I had to pay off my Note 10+ which was $116. I also had to upgrade my line to Unlimited Plus, $10 more monthly. I also paid $30 to upgrade, and $235 for taxes on the new phone. I paid just south of $400 after all was said and done. I have a receipt that they emailed me that proves it. I left with an installment agreement in place and a delivery date of 3-4 weeks.
It is now Nov. 8th and I do not have the phone, nor is there a delivery date anywhere in sight. This is the best information that I can get after going to the store 2 times, talking with the store 3 times, chatting with CS 2 times, and talking to CS on the phone 3 times. I have spent a total of 9+ hours trying to get information regarding ETA.
The main issue is, (BUYER BEWARE) after the purchase is made at the store, the info is sent to shipping. When the item is "picked" and it is time to ship the phone, an order number is created. When the phone is actually shipped, the customer receives an email with an order number so as to track the shipment.
Until the order is shipped, NO ORDER NUMBER EXISTS. This means, no one, and I mean NO ONE has any information regarding the order. So, now, I have been waiting since Sep 23rd and as far as T-Mobile (store, chat, and CS by phone) goes, there is LITERALLY no way to track the order. It lives in limbo. No one can help me. I have been a human ping-pong ball for the last 3 weeks, trying to figure out when or even IF I will receive the phone. CS by phone had a hard time even finding any information at all about the phone. Chat never found information. The store seemed a slightly better alternative.
Today, I decided that I am done dealing with this. I just want to get a refund and be done. No. Not happening. It is impossible to refund an order that doesn't exist. Except, it does exist since I paid money, have a store receipt, and even have an installment agreement number.
I spent 48 minutes on the line with customer service this evening, and after waiting on hold while the rep tried to figure out whether or not I had purchased a phone at all , I was hung up on. Yes. Hung up on. Maybe accidentally, most likely deliberately since we both were getting pretty frustrated. I received no call back. I called them after spending 24 minutes on the phone with my local store who pinged, or is it ponged? me to them. After waiting 10 minutes for CS to call me back (surely we were accidentally disconnected, right?) I decided to call the store again. This resulted in a 20 minute conversation with an employee who informed me that I could not cancel until the phone ships. You know, because I do not have an order number.
This story has many, many details that I would love to share, but to avoid this becoming an ACTUAL novel, I chose to put the most relevant info in this message.
The juicy stuff, those details, make me want to throw a brick through my local store's window. But, I won't. Instead, maybe I should file for a paycheck for the many hours of being ping-ponged. And, maybe I should file an expense report for my mileage. Ha Ha. Loyalty only flows one way with this company, and I assure you, the customer is not on the receiving end.
So, here I am, writing this and basically copying and pasting it to every single review site I can find because I have no other recourse. I cannot cancel the phone that may never come. I cannot get my money back because I cannot cancel. I cannot get a different phone because I have a lease for a phone that I don't have possession of. I am literally in limbo. And, they don't care. Not even a little as has been evidenced by the many calls, chats, and in-person visits that have gotten me nowhere.
Apparently, there is a black hole that exists in their universe. Your money, your time, your inability to move forward, are all sucked in. And, T-Mobile has no idea how to find it. Literally no idea. Who knows, I may not even have a phone on order. They cannot tell me I do because there is no order number. What if I wait 3 more months and no phone comes. Will they be able to refund me then? No. I don't have an order number so you cannot cancel something in limbo apparently.
I asked how long I should have to wait. I was told however long it takes - because there is a chip shortage. Well no **** Sherlock. I get it. But, now that I know that, 7 weeks later, 3-4 weeks longer than I was told, I would just appreciate my money back and the phone "order" canceled. But, there is no order number. Therefore, there is no order. Therefore, I cannot get my money back. I guess I will remain in purgatory. Maybe for 2 weeks, or 2 months, or 2 years. Who knows, they sure don't.