Note: Please refer to the 2 attachments with this complaint.November 24, 2015We would first like to apologize for not responding to this issue sooner, as we have been out of town on a family matter and did not receive this letter until today. A to Z Computers received the above-referenced...
customer complaint and appreciates the opportunity to respond. Specifically, Mr. & Mrs. [redacted] claim that our company and the service that we provide is a scam. They are requesting a refund of their original setup fee of $199 plus tax. We, however, feel that the complaint is not based upon the facts and is misrepresentation of the events. We will do our best do address this below, as well as what we have done to try to resolve the matter. First, they stated that our first two levels of internet do not work. This is incorrect. We currently have over 400 local customers on our first two levels of service. There are a host of individuals that would be happy to state that our service is anything but a scam. Mr & Mrs. [redacted] stated that we use Straight Talk as our service provider for our first two levels of service, and allude that we are misrepresenting the service by handing the customer a device with the name “Verizon” printed on top. This is also an incorrect statement. We buy our data/service for our devices from various entities, however, they all operate off of Verizon's mobile network. This is why “Verizon” is displayed on the box. The customer, in all due respect, knows nothing of the inner-workings of our business and lengths we go to in order to provide the best service that we possibly can. So, to simply state that “they using Straight Talk on customers” displays a lack of knowledge or willingness to understand our repeated verbal explanations to the customer. They also stated that Verizon knows nothing about our business, which is correct. We operate independently from Verizon or any other wireless provider. Verizon's knowledge of our business has nothing to do with the legitimacy of our service. Just as, for example, Dell doesn't need to be informed if we sell a Dell computer; or Motorola doesn't need to be informed if we sell a Motorola phone. The manufacturer's knowledge is not required for the lawful reselling of their product. They said that our “game” is to try to sell our customers one of our two lower end plans($55 and $129 per month), knowing that neither of those plans work, which would then force the customer to upgrade to our most expensive plan($229 per month). This is NOT in any way, shape, or form, correct. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As previously stated, we(as of this writing) have over 400 internet clients, and only a handful of them are on the most expensive plan. Finally, they stated that they want a refund of the $199 setup fee that they paid. Please allow us to explain the situation, and how we have tried to work with the customer on this. Mrs. [redacted] signed up for our 3G on Nov. 3rd., at which time she signed our terms of agreement that states: “We have a 3-day return policy. If you decide that you do not want the service you may return the equipment in its original condition for a full refund within 72 hours of sign up.” She returned on Nov. 6th requesting to upgrade to our 4G beta program. She was not talked into it, she did not request to cancel or to receive a refund at that point. She was told in detail that the beta program is just that-- BETA. We are still ironing the wrinkles out of the service, and if for any reason we encounter a problem that causes the hotspot to slow down or stop working(whether it be the customer's fault, our fault, or a problem with Verizon's towers), we BOTH have to pay a $25 fee to reprogram the hotspot. We gave no illusion that they would not encounter these charges. We always tell our customers that several reprogrammings can be expected. We thoroughly informed Mrs. [redacted] of the the risks involved in being in the beta program, but she decided to try it. She then returned with her husband on Nov. Nov. 11th, saying that the hotspot had slowed down. We reprogrammed the hotspot, and we both paid the fee. Again, they did NOT request a refund of their initial setup fee. At this point, they were now clearly outside of our 3-day return policy. On Nov. 13th they were again having speed issues, and Mr. [redacted] returned to our office, at which time we offered to upgrade them to the $229 plan at a discount for their first month, beyond what we normally offer to customers(we offered them a $129 discount). The other option we gave them was to go back to the original 3G plan. We offered these options because they were frustrated with the service and, despite our continued explanation, they did not understand why they had to pay a reprogramming fee. They said they would reprogram one last time, and if it didn't work, they would be back to upgrade to the $229 plan. Mr. [redacted] returned a few days later, but instead of upgrading as he said before, he demanded a refund. Again, this was clearly outside of the terms of our agreement. We once again offered the discount, even though we were not obligated or required to do so. It was declined. We should also note here that this is a month-to-month prepaid, no contract service that can be canceled at any time the customer desires. We sincerely regrets any inconvenience this issue may have caused. Our offer to Mr. & Mrs. [redacted] still stands. Please feel free to contact us directly at [redacted] if you have any additional questions or concerns in this matter. [redacted] – Owner [redacted] - Manager
Note: Please refer to the 2 attachments with this complaint.November 24, 2015We would first like to apologize for not responding to this issue sooner, as we have been out of town on a family matter and did not receive this letter until today. A to Z Computers received the above-referenced...
customer complaint and appreciates the opportunity to respond. Specifically, Mr. & Mrs. [redacted] claim that our company and the service that we provide is a scam. They are requesting a refund of their original setup fee of $199 plus tax. We, however, feel that the complaint is not based upon the facts and is misrepresentation of the events. We will do our best do address this below, as well as what we have done to try to resolve the matter. First, they stated that our first two levels of internet do not work. This is incorrect. We currently have over 400 local customers on our first two levels of service. There are a host of individuals that would be happy to state that our service is anything but a scam. Mr & Mrs. [redacted] stated that we use Straight Talk as our service provider for our first two levels of service, and allude that we are misrepresenting the service by handing the customer a device with the name “Verizon” printed on top. This is also an incorrect statement. We buy our data/service for our devices from various entities, however, they all operate off of Verizon's mobile network. This is why “Verizon” is displayed on the box. The customer, in all due respect, knows nothing of the inner-workings of our business and lengths we go to in order to provide the best service that we possibly can. So, to simply state that “they using Straight Talk on customers” displays a lack of knowledge or willingness to understand our repeated verbal explanations to the customer. They also stated that Verizon knows nothing about our business, which is correct. We operate independently from Verizon or any other wireless provider. Verizon's knowledge of our business has nothing to do with the legitimacy of our service. Just as, for example, Dell doesn't need to be informed if we sell a Dell computer; or Motorola doesn't need to be informed if we sell a Motorola phone. The manufacturer's knowledge is not required for the lawful reselling of their product. They said that our “game” is to try to sell our customers one of our two lower end plans($55 and $129 per month), knowing that neither of those plans work, which would then force the customer to upgrade to our most expensive plan($229 per month). This is NOT in any way, shape, or form, correct. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As previously stated, we(as of this writing) have over 400 internet clients, and only a handful of them are on the most expensive plan. Finally, they stated that they want a refund of the $199 setup fee that they paid. Please allow us to explain the situation, and how we have tried to work with the customer on this. Mrs. [redacted] signed up for our 3G on Nov. 3rd., at which time she signed our terms of agreement that states: “We have a 3-day return policy. If you decide that you do not want the service you may return the equipment in its original condition for a full refund within 72 hours of sign up.” She returned on Nov. 6th requesting to upgrade to our 4G beta program. She was not talked into it, she did not request to cancel or to receive a refund at that point. She was told in detail that the beta program is just that-- BETA. We are still ironing the wrinkles out of the service, and if for any reason we encounter a problem that causes the hotspot to slow down or stop working(whether it be the customer's fault, our fault, or a problem with Verizon's towers), we BOTH have to pay a $25 fee to reprogram the hotspot. We gave no illusion that they would not encounter these charges. We always tell our customers that several reprogrammings can be expected. We thoroughly informed Mrs. [redacted] of the the risks involved in being in the beta program, but she decided to try it. She then returned with her husband on Nov. Nov. 11th, saying that the hotspot had slowed down. We reprogrammed the hotspot, and we both paid the fee. Again, they did NOT request a refund of their initial setup fee. At this point, they were now clearly outside of our 3-day return policy. On Nov. 13th they were again having speed issues, and Mr. [redacted] returned to our office, at which time we offered to upgrade them to the $229 plan at a discount for their first month, beyond what we normally offer to customers(we offered them a $129 discount). The other option we gave them was to go back to the original 3G plan. We offered these options because they were frustrated with the service and, despite our continued explanation, they did not understand why they had to pay a reprogramming fee. They said they would reprogram one last time, and if it didn't work, they would be back to upgrade to the $229 plan. Mr. [redacted] returned a few days later, but instead of upgrading as he said before, he demanded a refund. Again, this was clearly outside of the terms of our agreement. We once again offered the discount, even though we were not obligated or required to do so. It was declined. We should also note here that this is a month-to-month prepaid, no contract service that can be canceled at any time the customer desires. We sincerely regrets any inconvenience this issue may have caused. Our offer to Mr. & Mrs. [redacted] still stands. Please feel free to contact us directly at [redacted] if you have any additional questions or concerns in this matter. [redacted] – Owner [redacted] - Manager