Can you receive a replacement Storm directly from RIM? I am on my second Storm and it is starting to "device error" restart again and I am absolutely loathing the idea of returning to the VerizonPlus store I purchased it from.
1. It is 1 hour away from me.
2. The people there are so lazy and give you a real bad attitude when you ask them to help you (i.e. do their job).
On my last visit to get my Storm replaced, I was passed to a lady associate who literally rolled her eyes and huffed when she was asked to help me. Then after she started the process I had to wait as she and another associate "secretly" tried to go through my Storm settings to see if I passed their 500 minute warranty rule. I asked the lady what they were looking for (although I already heard them whispering about it) and she said "Uh...we're checking..." O really? What was really funny was that 1) they had no idea how a Storm works so after 4 minutes of struggling to find a "minutes used" info screen (which doesn't exist) the other associate eventually had to take the phone back to his manager to ask her and 2) the manager's response was "Give the customer a replacement regardless of the 500 minute warranty rule".
So the kid comes back and says they are giving me a replacement. Which makes me happy except I'm unsure how to transfer my contacts so I ask him, and he says "Yeah, you can do that. Ernie knows how to do it." Then 15 minutes later, as we continue the process, I say "I'd like to transfer my contacts." Upset, the lady associate says, "YOU HAVEN'T DONE THAT ALREADY?!" I reminded her about Ernie, the guy who was going to do it for me, and she says "We don't know if he'll do it...." and she looks at me like I am wasting her time. So I politely asked her for a pen and some paper and I spent the next 15 minutes copying my contacts list down by hand.
Then when I think I am ready to receive my new phone, I am led into part 2 of "amateur phone detective" hour by the two associates. They ask me again what is wrong with my phone (she even asks why I didn't come in sooner. Really???) and the second associate makes a call to another supervisor. Again, he accesses my phone to see if I have the most recent software installed. He said "You probably don't have the most recent software. We'll install it for you and that will fix your problems". So the supervisor on the phone talks him through the steps to finding the software info screen (remember these people have no idea how to navigate a Storm) and guess what? I have the latest software. I was able to thwart their gumshoe tactics once more!
Anyway, after about 1 hour and a half total of waiting, I finally get my new phone! Actually, no. I have to wait while the lady associate charges the new phone for 25 minutes so she can set it up to my Verizon account. That part wasn't really her fault but would YOU want to sit there with these people for another 25 minutes? I think not.
And now, my new phone is "device error" restarting too! Ah, the prospect of returning to the store and repeating this debacle once more (I'm sure they have planned and improved their detective tactics in the week since) scares me. Is there a way to bypass these little troll gate keepers and get a new working phone? Please say yes???
Receive a replacement through RIM? (or How I hate my VerizonPlus store)
