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< Esato Forum Index > Regional > Americas > BestBuy sells Cingular's T616 refurbished phones as new ones Bookmark topic

Hello.

I just exchanged my T616 R2A to R4A. I was happy enough, before I saw the quality of the plastic; and the signs of wear on the plastic of the battery; and some glue from the (previous) label on the phone near the SIM-card. The phone is crap --- joystick's 'up' button does not work when I hear the metal click from the button itself. The thing to cover the external antenna is mis-shaped and looks very cheaply. I am very angry and unhappy with this particular phone, and I am going to go to the BestBuy shop tomorrow first thing in the morning to do the exchange back to my original T616, as that one only had small problems with the screen (see my original post), while this one, also having the same problems with the screen illumination, just stinks anywhere else.

When did Cingular started selling refurbished phones as new ones? Is it legal? I do not see any label stating that it is in fact a refurbished model, although it is clear that it is.

Has anyone had such experience with dealing with refurbished phones claimed to be new ones? Any help is greatly appreciated. I am sorry if this message conflicts with any guidelines.

Cheers,
Constantine.
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Posted: 2004-02-22 05:58:52
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Cingular does not sell used phones as new. Any Cingular employee who does is breaking our Code of Conduct. We do not kit them that way. As a matter of fact, we are only supposed to sell our 15 day return phones for the 1 year contract price as a last resort.

That being said, Best Buy is an independent, and entitled to sell what they want how they want. They do not even have to purchase their phones from Cingular, but can get them from other vendors. If you are unhappy with your purchase (and I gather you are), you should bring it back and ask to speak to a manager. If you do not receive satisfaction, you should ask them to contact their Cingular representative.
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Posted: 2004-02-22 16:35:17
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@porterg:
This is all nice, but the phone (package) was not opened before, i.e. it has all the proper stickers on the display itself and the battery was sealed; it looks like it was refurbished on the manufacturer's factory or Cingular's factory, --- what can I do in this case? Certainly, this is not a problem of the employee who gave me the crappy old phone, rather a problem of the supplier, who gives refurbished phones with the same package and UPC as the new ones.

I have serious concerns now about the origin of the products that are sold here under the names of the phone companies, as this phone's package looks very legitimate and I bought it from a famous retail shop... And this is all very sad...
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Posted: 2004-02-22 20:22:26
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Then may have to be looking towards SE, since that is where they are packaged. Cingular doesn't kit the phones. Cingular does provide some of the packaging, but they come from the manufacturers typically in boxes of 5. Those boxes stay unoppened in the Memphis warehouse, and then are sent out to store.

Bring it back to Best Buy, and explain it to them
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Posted: 2004-02-23 03:35:52
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I was in the shop today. The person who is responsible for mobile phones at the shop claimed that the phone works well. He also claimed that the sound the springs that contact the battery are making is quite normal, just as the glue near the SIM-card (from some label), as well as the defect in the rubber-made thing that covers connector to the external antenna.
He himself had problems with turning the phone on after putting/removing SIM-card from the phone, until I removed and connected the battery back again. He claimed that the problem was not with the connection with the battery, but that the phone needed software reset (this is non-sense). (We were able to repeat the problem with the battery few times, so I have no idea why he claims that the phone works and is new. )
Of cause, he said that they do not sell refurbished phones... He said that he just wants to give me my money back (I paid only 49.99 USD).

It is a pity that they do not have any more T616 phones in stock, so no exchange is possible at the time. I spoke to the manager of the BestBuy, and said to me that I have three options: return the phone, keep the phone, or wait if they have any new T616 in order for an exchange. I decided to wait for an exchange or return the phone if my 30 days after purchase are up.

Are least, I hope I still will be qualified for the upgrade from some other Cingular dealer in case I have to return the phone...

Btw, is it possible to buy an upgrade phone from any shop in the region? I.e. can I go to a different city with different area code but within my calling plan and purchase a new phone?

As always, if anyone has any suggestions, let me know.
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Posted: 2004-02-23 04:11:57
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tell the sales guy that he is full of shit. Phones do not come with little defects like those. That's like a car dealer selling a new car, and tells you, oh don't worry about that dent, sometimes the manufacturer makes them with dents. And the oil leak is a special drain valve. Either get a new phone, or talk to the manager. Remember they are the company, and they are risking losing a customer, and last time I checked cell-phone customers are hard to come by now that there is number portability. if you don't like cingular, switch to some other company. they don't want to lose a customer. and they would rather not make a customer, than to lose an existing one. continuing customers are the ones that they make the big bucks off of. Keep that in mind.
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Posted: 2004-02-23 04:53:22
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True. You should have 15 days to return equipment and cancel any contract, though policies can vary at independents. If unhappy, return the phone, and go to a different store. Can go to the Cingular direct near the Pirates Chest on, if I am remembering correctly, Greenvile blvd. Been a couple years since was in greenville. There is also a store in Wilson and New Bern, as well as independents.
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Posted: 2004-02-23 13:20:32
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i don't know if it matters or not, but that's old firmware as well. r1b is much faster than r1a. i don't know if there is anything newer than r1b.
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Posted: 2004-02-24 21:26:18
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I have noticed some other strange thing about it --- in my R2A phone I had R1B charger, but in my R4A phone I have R1A charger. Why there is such a regression? (Because it is refurbished?) When I will go for the exchange next time, how can I make sure that the phone they are giving to me is original?
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Posted: 2004-02-27 05:12:51
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Question: what do you need the new firmware for? What is it going to do for you? Also, did you bring it back to Best Buy.

With all due respect, if you are unhappy with your purchase, stop complaining about it and return it.
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Posted: 2004-02-27 13:28:20
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