I took my phone in today to get it exchanged as it had 5 stuck pixels and 1 dead pixel. What transpired was a fantastic experience in customer service, for the most part.
For reference this was a store in LaVista, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha.
I waited my turn as there was a small line. The manager got around to me and asked me what I had come in for today. I asked her if she knew what a stuck pixel was. She said "yes". I explained that my Pre had several of them. I then proceeded to try and demonstrate them to her when she stopped me and said something like "I'm sure you wouldn't have gone through the trouble of coming all the way down here today if it wasn't for a good reason." She checked to see if they had a Pre in stock for me, and luckily they had exactly one left. She proceeded to process my exchange without ever verifying I actually had the stuck pixels I claimed to have. She was the store manager. She showed an incredible amount of trust for me, the customer. I don't know if I would have done the same in her shoes, but it sure made me feel good.
She completed the transaction with a very pleasant attitude. She also handed me the charger, cable, cloth case, and battery from my old phone for my "slight inconvience" and because I could probably use the extra. I most certainly can use them! This really surprised me since the phone rep I spoke with said I would have to hand back all my original accessories and even the packaging and user guide materials when I went to exchange the phone.
Well, I walked out of the store activating my new Pre with a smile on my face. The first thing I did, of course, was verify that this Pre does not have any stuck or dead pixels, and that appears to be the case. However, 5 minutes later I realized there was a mechanical issue with the slider. When closed the screen would give way more than it should and would rotate a bit above the keyboard. This was definitely a manufacturing error and I had to go back. Luckily I was in the game store next door and hadn't left the strip mall.
This time she was a little more skeptical and checked out my claim by comparing it to the slider mechanism on the one I just returned. This was totally understandable since I had JUST returned a Pre 5 minutes ago. You can only trust a stranger so much and I felt she handled it appropriately. She was still very kind and after inspecting the new Pre agreed that it was indeed flawed. She then had to inform me that since I had taken their last Pre she would have to put me on a waiting list. She gave me the option of voiding out the exchange I just made, giving me the choice of being stuck with dead pixels or a loose screen for a few days. Since I had already finished the activation on the new one I decided to keep the loose-screened Pre until she calls me with yet another one.
I guess you could look at this and say its disappointing that I have to get yet another Pre. Personally though I feel the defects were fairly minor (as defects go) and I am really impressed with the way Sprint has handled my returns. I am not a fan boy or a zealot. I am not a brand loyalist. I think Sprint and Palm are still just corporations, not sports teams. For at least a while though I will be recommending Sprint's service to friends and family. I am thoroughly pleased with their coverage in my area and their customer service has really shocked me with its high quality lately. I think the Palm Pre is also worthy of recommendation too, but right its starting to seem like just another reason to move to Sprint. |