Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsBattery defective. Amazon refused to honor replacement arrangement.
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2022
I received the phone within 2 days of ordering. The packaging was fine and initially it appeared to be in great condition. However, I checked the battery health on the first day which stated “Important Battery Message: Your battery’s health is significantly degraded.” The Maximum Capacity for the battery was 78%. No problem, I thought, because one of the reason’s I bought from Amazon is that the phone was advertised “to have a battery which exceeds 80% capacity relative to new” and was “Guaranteed by Amazon” to be “eligible for replacement or refund within 90 days of receipt if you are not satisfied. “
Well clearly, I was not satisfied to receive a phone with a significantly degraded battery. So, I called Amazon Customer service to explain the problem and request a replacement. I did this on the same day I received the phone. The representative was helpful and told me he would send out a replacement immediately, and even upgrade the shipment method for no extra charge. He also told me, both in conversation and in writing to “use the box the replacement comes in to return the original.” That way, I would not be without a phone while waiting for the replacement to arrive.
The day the replacement was scheduled to arrive and but had not, I called Amazon customer service back to inquire about the status. Much to my surprise, I was told the replacement phone order had been cancelled by the third-party seller because the original had not been returned. This irritated me for two reasons: (1) I had never been notified the replacement order had been cancelled—apparently, had I not called Amazon was simply going to drop the issue, and (2) I was specifically told by Amazon Customer Service that I did not need to return the original until the replacement was received.
I told the agent this was unacceptable and wanted the replacement sent to me, as had been previously arranged. When it became clear that she would not be able to help me, I asked to speak with her manager. After providing her with my phone number, she said her manager would call me back. That phone call never happened.
The following day I called Amazon customer service again, now the third time trying to get this issue resolved. I explained the steps I had taken thus far and was put on hold so the representative could verify if my replacement order “was legit.” When I asked what “legit” meant, she said she needed to verify if this was unusual activity on the account because it was a phone purchase. I told her that of course it was legit, as I had email documentation regarding the entire process!
After being on hold, she came back and told me the replacement phone would be delivered within 5 days. She also said she would personally call me on that day to verify that it was received. I asked her to clarify that I would receive the replacement first, prior to sending the original back, according to the instructions I had previously received via email. She looked up that email and saw it said: “Please feel free to use the box the replacement comes in to return the original…” After reading that she placed me on hold again.
After a minute or so, she came back on the line and asked if she could place me on hold for an additional few minutes. I asked why. She said she was trying to find out what went wrong with the first replacement order. When she came back on the line, she told me “to be on the safe side” I should return the original defective phone first to receive a replacement. I reiterated that this was unacceptable and that I had held up my end of the bargain and done exactly as Amazon had told me to do. I wanted the replacement sent first before I returned the defective phone. She said the email I received was in error and the person who sent it made a mistake—the defective phone would need to be returned before the replacement is shipped out. I told her that while I understand that people make mistakes, I did not think I should be penalized (i.e., be without a phone for at least 5 days) for a mistake that Amazon made. She apologized for the mistake but made it clear that I would not receive a replacement until the original was returned. I informed her I would be writing a negative review.
To summarize: I was sent a defective phone, was given incorrect information about how to replace it, had the replacement order silently cancelled without being notified, and Amazon refused to follow through on the terms of their agreement. One star.
