Related
There's a lot of different resellers about and equally many roumers of who's good and who's dodgy at the moment . So that we all know who's who out there, heres a little Thread with Vendor reviews.
If you have something positive or something negitive to say about a seller please say it here.
Also please rate your vendor XX out of 10, I might add a field to the vendor wiki.
Vendors and prices here >http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Raphael_Vendors
I've always used Expansys / MobilePlanet. I'm USA so MobilePlanet.
There is some atrocious whining in their forums from - for want of a better term - EXTRAnoobs.
But in my dealings they are professional, rock solid and I've never had any problems.
Onthegosolutions
I have used Maobile Planet in the past and had no specific problems.
For some years not I have been using OntheGoSolutions and I have been pleased because I always know who I am speaking with. Seems to have very little turnover and they are small enough that I can communicate with one person. They are definitley not the cheapest but have at least twice in the past lowered a price for me when I pointed out an advertised lower price elsewhere.
I bought my Raphael online from Expansys Canada... All I can say is the transaction was very easy, and shipping was SUPER FAST!!!
Ordered it Friday afternoon (approx 3pm), after a small billing problem (I gave them a different phone number from the one on my Credit Card account), confirmed the order on Monday morning at 10am (they aren't opened on weekends), I had the device in my hands Tuesday just before noon...
All in all, besides the phone # problem, I'm very happy with the transaction. It was easy, smooth and fast...
Inkino UK
To all in London and southeast
Eugene at Inkino (I never knew I needed one), 48 Tottenham Court Road www.inkino.co.uk is a mine of information on all things HTC. They are one of the few, if only, HTC Ultimate Partners and it shows.
I have bought my Trinity and now Touch Pro from there.
Yes I could probably get a few pounds off here or there but the service and honest opinions I have had from Eugene and his collegues at the sister branch 9 Great Russell Street mean that I will simply not buy from elsewhere. If I have a problem I know I can call up or drop in and I will speak to someone who knows his products inside out and is a straightforward trader.
Pleasure to do business with.
I ordered mine from Expansys UK. I live in Cyprus and Expansys is propably the best choice. Although I should have used Expansys Cyprus, the UK site was 40 Euro cheaper so I went with them. The service is excellent! Prices are among the best in the market. (630 EURO inc. DHL shipping fees).
They support Paypal, which is a big plus in safety matters, and by using DHL you get your phone in record time.
All in all, i am a happy customer=p
I'm in the US and I bought mine from Clove. A tad more expensive, but I was having problems with Google Checkout (which Handtec uses for overseas orders). Clove was a little slow to receiving my order, but once they did they shipped it out within hours. DHL got it to me in 2 days, all the way from UK to California, and by 10am no less.
One thing about Clove (that I appreciated) is that they require you to confirm the order by calling your CC company and requesting the 6-digit charge authorization number for the charge. Maybe it's an extra hassle, but it's nice to know they're serious about your security.
I would order from Clove again, but of course now I have no money.
I'm in the US and purchased from Smart Mobile Gadgets. All was as they said, including Saturday delivery.
I ordered my TP from On the Go Solutions in July. They said they would call and make sure I still wanted it before they would ship. They also shipped the day the said they would, a month in advance. I am very satisfied with the way they do business.
This is a statement of one set of circumstances and does NOT impute or call into question the credibility or otherwise of this particular organization. There may be an explanation - but so far - my client has not received one.
A client of mine bought direct in a Buy It Now eBay auction from a company with a high level of positive feedback with thousands of positive transactions on eBay. Their public site is - Popular Electronics http://www.popularelect.com.
Approx 24 hours after buying eBay declared the auction NULL AND VOID and advised my client that they do not have to pay. eBay stated:
"As eBay removed the item, you are no longer obliged to send payment for it. Please don't send money or respond to any emails from the seller.
If you've sent payment but haven't received the item, please wait a reasonable period of time for delivery. If you don't receive the item, please contact us again by clicking "Contact Us" on any eBay Help page and selecting the following contact options:
Buying and Finding>Fraud and Payment Concerns for Buyers>Item Not Received or Item Not as Described (you paid)"
My client has called and emailed the company direct and not received any replies.
I've carefully reviewed the eBay email and header codes and believe the email is genuine and not a phish. All the auctions that for TouchPRo's that WERE on ebay from this company have disappeared at 9/3/2008 14:00 EDT.
I leave you to draw your own conclusions.
BEWARE OF THE TIGADUACELLULAR!!!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2617797#post2617797
Has anyone actually baught anything from tigerCellular out there? If so let us know are they real or fake? thanks... im betting the latter but you never know
2call.nl 5/10
Got my TP from 2call.nl
Price without contract (as I use company sim) was good and delivery was very fast.
However, as my TP came with the know problems (GPS instable and hot, black paint falls off,...), I asked 2call within two weeks after pruchase to take my device back and replace it by a new one.
They refused.
As price and delivery is not the only thing I expect from a retailer of a some hundred euro device, I personally will not buy at 2call.nl again.
I ordered mine early on 11/1 or 11/2. Mine still shows as "being processed." Just wondering if anyone elses is showing this, if they ordered through t-mobile.com (upgrade)??
Thanks
Yes, mine has done the same thing. I have contacted customer service several times but they cannot tell me other than it hasn't shipped yet. I wonder if they are having problems with the website updating? I sure hope so. My confirmation email said the estimated delivery was today, and online it says 11/8. If it hasn't shipped yet, I don't see how they will make 11/8 with standard shipping. If you find anything out, let me know!
Did you order with the express shipping? I did so yesterday AM, and it showed processing - waiting on shipment all day. This AM however, it has been shipped and is set for delivery tomorrow.
No, I just did standard shipping. Did T-Mobile show the tracking online or did you get some kind of other notification that it shipped?
I ordered around noon yesterday - express shipping. The UPS tracking number doesn't show an ETA yet, but shows "Ground" shipping. I hear T-Mo does this if UPS can guarantee that the "3-day Express Shipping" will be met. Living in NY has its merits, as Ground can happen in 1 day.
I chose regular shipping on either 11/1 or 11/2 and its "still processing" with eta deliver date for 11/8, but in the email it said deliver date of today...
Legaleye3000 said:
I chose regular shipping on either 11/1 or 11/2 and its "still processing" with eta deliver date for 11/8, but in the email it said deliver date of today...
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Have you contacted customer service yet? I am curious if you get the same answer as me. If I don't have a package when I get home from work today, I will be talking to them again.
Haven't called... Stuck at work all day. Hard to make phone calls....
i placed my order about 8 last night and mine is pending shipping. this may be due to the fact that i have express shipping? (offered free through retentions)
VibrantOwnr said:
i placed my order about 8 last night and mine is pending shipping. this may be due to the fact that i have express shipping? (offered free through retentions)
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It should be shipped soon with express shipping. I ordered on Wednesday AM and will get it tomorrow.
Mine is "pending shipping" -- I ordered early morning yesterday. It is set to be delivered 11/10 I thought they would ship out the phone the day I ordered, but apparently they take longer to ship out ground shipping orders.
(Ground shipping -- I was told express shipping could not guarantee the phone coming on Friday, but rather guarantee was for Monday.)
I ordered on the phone yesterday. Called 611 today and said order number, as I didn't have one. The recording came back and gave me a tracking #. Scanned this morning by UPS and due here on Monday.
Legaleye3000 said:
Haven't called... Stuck at work all day. Hard to make phone calls....
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I am at work also, but I did the live chat a little bit ago. The rep said that she has seen it happen where the online shipping doesn't get updated, and even if it says processing, it could have shipped. I don't know if that is true or not, but I guess we will see. Other than that, I got the canned answer that based on ordering 11/1, I will get it no later than 11/10.
My status is 'complete' according to T-Mo. UPS still shows that only billing info has been received on 11/3 with no date of shipment. I wonder what that means?
floepie said:
My status is 'complete' according to T-Mo. UPS still shows that only billing info has been received on 11/3 with no date of shipment. I wonder what that means?
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UPS has been notified of the shipment. When they pick it up it the next scan will say origin scan, which should be sometime today.
I ordered mine through customer retention on 11/3 at 6:15am and was told they would ship it out express. I called in to check the status this morning and it is still processing and they now show it GROUND. I complained and they stuck to their plan saying it would be there in 3 business days. I called in again about 3 hours later and was told to check it on line with the order number. I did and it shows a delivery date of 11/10 and it was sent GROUND. First they denied me the red color and now they are playing games with the shipping. I am ready to call corporate. i have been with t mobile over 13 years and this is the third phone in a row shipped to me that went ground after telling me they were shipping express. Either UPS is ripping them off by shipping ground instead of express or T mobile is just cost cutting and wants to make the customer feel like they are being treated royally. This really puts a damper on the excitement of the new phone. When a business starts telling you one thing and doing another then they have lost all care for the customer and their customer relations awards are bogus.
tenbeau said:
I ordered mine through customer retention on 11/3 at 6:15am and was told they would ship it out express. I called in to check the status this morning and it is still processing and they now show it GROUND. I complained and they stuck to their plan saying it would be there in 3 business days. I called in again about 3 hours later and was told to check it on line with the order number. I did and it shows a delivery date of 11/10 and it was sent GROUND. First they denied me the red color and now they are playing games with the shipping. I am ready to call corporate. i have been with t mobile over 13 years and this is the third phone in a row shipped to me that went ground after telling me they were shipping express. Either UPS is ripping them off by shipping ground instead of express or T mobile is just cost cutting and wants to make the customer feel like they are being treated royally. This really puts a damper on the excitement of the new phone. When a business starts telling you one thing and doing another then they have lost all care for the customer and their customer relations awards are bogus.
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When you talked to the rep on the phone, when did he mention the phone would be delivered by with express shipping? Mine told me with express he could guarantee the phone would arrive on Monday at the latest and if it didn't arrive on Monday my shipping charge would be refunded. I, of course, denied the express shipping because if I was going to have to wait the weekend I may as wait it out for ground shipping.
Now, it turns out my phone is set to be delivered on Monday with ground, which makes me think express would have delivered by Friday, so I am not a happy camper.
I ordered through retention also yesterday AM. While it was pending all of yesterday on the check order page on their website, it showed expected delivery on 11/10 - must be a default date without regard to actual shipping method.
As soon as I checked first thing this AM, it showed shipped, with next day (Friday) delivery.
tenbeau - have you checked the status online today - hopefully it has been shipped?
Just got a message from t mobile stating the phone has not been shipped yet and is due to arrive on 11/11/10. I was promised express to arrive within 3 days and according to the rep Friday the 5th at the latest. Upon calling in again I was informed that it was never meant to be shipped express but only ground even though all of the past 4 orders were supposedly sent express. Of course UPS shows ground for the last 4 orders. What a cluster f**k. This just sets the tone for the phone, I am ready to call and cancel the phone order and talk to other carriers. What really upsets the applecart is that they denied me the red color when I called in and when I called back they said red was no problem but they could not place the order until the first order was cancelled in their system and that could take up to 48 hours. The retention rep than told me that you will have the phone by Friday maybe even tomorrow so I declined to cancel and place the red order. I decided to just let things be and now the phone is 7 days away and not even the color I prefered. I am reading threads in this forum where locations did not have a selection of colors even the corporate stores. You would think that their new flagship phone would be well stocked with all colors available and everything ready to go on launch but NOT T Mobile.
Edit Just got online with T Mobile and sure enough still showing processing and delivery date of 11/11/10. I should have kept the G2 would have avoided all the hassle even though the G2 had issues. Does anyone know of the corporate phone number for T Mobile-Just spoke with Customer retention and was informed that it was processed ground even though it was ordered express. Now showing a delivery date of 11/12 and they cannot tell me why it has not been shipped. The rep offered to take $50 off of my bill. She than said T mobile paid for the shipping and I said I would have been happy to pay for the shipping to avoid all of this hassle. What mess!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone else experiencing this type of clown act.
I finally called Customer Loyalty and the rep said that they just switched warehouses and that many orders have been getting lost. He said that my order was lost and would never ship. He was not able to cancel the order but was able to put a note in my account to allow me to upgrade "again" at a T-Mobile store. I suggest anyone who has been stuck in a "being processed" call Customer Loyalty and get it resolved...
Hope this helps.
I've already succeeded ordering the Nexus 5 16gb, but cancelled it because it won't reach the time before my auntie comes back here in my country, so I ordered the 32gb instead.
a.) I'm originally from the US, on vacation outside the US
b.) Mom and Dad's Credit/Debit Card Visa Issued in America
c.) I assigned the shipping at my Auntie's house
d.) Auntie's going here in my country this 23th (My Birthday, Best Gift I could ever have..)
#1 First time I ordered
-Nexus 16gb, Est. Dec. 13 (then was moved to Dec. 20) cancelled that order. *Has not shipped yet prior to cancelling*
#2 This time
-Nexus 32gb, Est. Dec. 11 (hopefully doesn't get pushed back) waiting *Awaiting Shipment & Charge*
Now my question is:
-I've checked my Google Wallet Account and went into settings, and noticed that my Mom's Debit Card was presented with my Auntie's Name on a preview picture? Will this terminate my order by any means because of the card not belonging to the person's shipping address? (Debit Card belongs to my Parents, but the address it shipped to my Auntie) Will there be a problem with this? *Really hope my order doesn't get rejected because of that*
Extra Sidekick Question:
-I cancelled my Nexus 5 16GB order on Google Play, but in the bank statement, the Nexus 5 16GB charge+shipping+tax fee is still Pending? I've cancelled the order already, should I contact my parent's bank to inform them about this cancellation or will Google be the ones themselves to remove the pending status?
Anyways, thanks everybody really appreciate your help and future answers.
zhypher_23 said:
Extra Sidekick Question:
-I cancelled my Nexus 5 16GB order on Google Play, but in the bank statement, the Nexus 5 16GB charge+shipping+tax fee is still Pending? I've cancelled the order already, should I contact my parent's bank to inform them about this cancellation or will Google be the ones themselves to remove the pending status?
Anyways, thanks everybody really appreciate your help and future answers.
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To answer your Extra Sidekick Question,
The pending charge is just that. It will drop off automatically if the merchant does not notify the 3rd party payment processor that the order is confirmed. I cancelled a few orders in the last two years and have had this happen. So don't worry about it. It will disappear soon. Usually 3-6 days after order cacellation.
PaisanNYC said:
To answer your Extra Sidekick Question,
The pending charge is just that. It will drop off automatically if the merchant does not notify the 3rd party payment processor that the order is confirmed. I cancelled a few orders in the last two years and have had this happen. So don't worry about it. It will disappear soon. Usually 3-6 days after order cacellation.
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Click to collapse
Thanks Paisan, I'm relieved now that the Pending Charge disappeared. Can I ask you for some help again if you don't mind?
-I cancelled the Black 16GB and instead ordered the Nexus 5 32GB Black Variant instead, it's written in my Google Play Order Receipt *No Email Shipment Verification Yet :[* that the Order (Ordered it on Dec. 6) "Leaves warehouse at Dec. 11" <<< Does this statement mean that it will ship as stated Dec. 11? Cause my aunt is going back here to Philippines on the 21th (I chose 3-5 business days shipment $9.99/Aunt lives in CA *should the shipment be fast since she lives in CA?) and I could use her transportation instead of using a freight forwarder saving me some money shipment and a lot less worry, really hope soon the transaction gets charged to guarantee a sure buy.
*Used Parents US Debit Card
*Shipped to Aunt's House
*Inserted Billing+Shipping Address of my Auntie (Will this affect the transaction even though the CC Billing Address is in another city of CA Aunt Address > Esco CC Billing Addres > San Diego)
Sorry for asking too much, kinda worries me that time is ticking and approaching that my aunt flight is just around the corner, and I'll be very busy in next coming days so I won't be able to touch the computer/internet for about less than a week, anyways, Thanks for helping.
zhypher_23 said:
Thanks Paisan, I'm relieved now that the Pending Charge disappeared. Can I ask you for some help again if you don't mind?
-I cancelled the Black 16GB and instead ordered the Nexus 5 32GB Black Variant instead, it's written in my Google Play Order Receipt *No Email Shipment Verification Yet :[* that the Order (Ordered it on Dec. 6) "Leaves warehouse at Dec. 11" <<< Does this statement mean that it will ship as stated Dec. 11? Cause my aunt is going back here to Philippines on the 21th (I chose 3-5 business days shipment $9.99/Aunt lives in CA *should the shipment be fast since she lives in CA?) and I could use her transportation instead of using a freight forwarder saving me some money shipment and a lot less worry, really hope soon the transaction gets charged to guarantee a sure buy.
*Used Parents US Debit Card
*Shipped to Aunt's House
*Inserted Billing+Shipping Address of my Auntie (Will this affect the transaction even though the CC Billing Address is in another city of CA Aunt Address > Esco CC Billing Addres > San Diego)
Sorry for asking too much, kinda worries me that time is ticking and approaching that my aunt flight is just around the corner, and I'll be very busy in next coming days so I won't be able to touch the computer/internet for about less than a week, anyways, Thanks for helping.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's hard to say. When my N5 shipped, it shipped almost a week before the stated date. But just know that it is not Google who warehouses, packs, and ships the phone. It is a third-party subsidiary owned by UPS, called UPS Supply Chain Solutions (UPS-SCS). Google just handles the administrative part of it. Similar to what Amazon does. You may see alot of items "Sold by so and so but fufilled by Amazon." The so and so person owns the product but Amazon warehouses, packs, and ships those items for them.
Based on past experience and posts on this forum, noone can truly trust the estimated ship date. The Nexus 4 launch last year was way more evident. Myself and thousands of others were told it would be shipped and delivered in 3-5 days. Five weeks later I finally received it. I have read forum posts on here of people having their phones ship a week or more after the estimated ship date. It is hit or miss. And many people blame Google, not knowing the shipping logistics, but honestly it falls in the lap of UPS-SCS.
Regarding the question of the credit card address... If you had the billing address and shipping address separate in Google Checkout, then it "should" go through. Most banks just want the billing address and phone # to match. Again, with the N4 and the Nexus charging orb, i was able to successfully have them shipped as a gift to a girlfriend's address 40 miles away, but charged to the debit card assigned to my home address (my bank is Chase).
Honestly, IMO, if time were such a constraint like this, regardless of stated shipping dates, I would have opted for at least the 2 Day shipping for a few dollars more.
I am sorry I couldn't help more, but I hope some of this long post made sense LOL
Good morning everyone,
since it happened to me for the first time in my life that I have a self-inflicted defect on my smartphone, I thought that at this point I would post a thread on how the repair experiences with the Pixel 4 XL are - especially so shortly after the release of the device.
Field report
Origin of damage
I have caused the display to crack on December 17th, 2019, because the Pixel 4 XL - which as been in the corresponding Google Fabric Case - fell on a stone. The fall height was quite low at about 50 cm, but the angle of impact was so unfortunate that it hit with the exposed display edge, above the lower speaker. The lower 15% of the display surface is completely torn and the display has suffered a small hole in the display glass at the point of impact. The good thing is that the functions are not impaired. However, small shards of glass crumble around the hole, and I notice that the display is very sharp-edged at this corner.
Damage report
So I contacted the Google support directly from my pixel. After a short phone call they sent me a link to the website Pixel reparieren lassen, where I opened the repair order. After entering the IMEI and selecting my pixel model and the damage, I immediately received a fixed price for the repair of the display as such. The repair, which is expensive, but with a price of € 229.00 net, or € 281.67 gross, is within the usual range of a diplay repair for high-end devices, I could order there directly at the mentioned price. I created the order with the option that Google sends me a box for secure shipping free of charge. This way damages that occur during transport to the repair partner are insured by Google. The said box should have reached me by December 19th.
The whole order was - incl. phone call - done within a few minutes. Also the naming of a fixed price, without hidden costs, which could develop, if the production of the cost estimate were left to the repair service provider, is very good. I also welcome the fact that I have concluded my order, and thus the contract for the repair, directly with Google DE, and do not have to do this individually with the repair partner. This means that Google DE assumes responsibility for ensuring that the selected partner carries out the repair according to their terms and conditions. The repair duration was given to me with 10 - 12 days, starting from arrival of the device at the repair service provider. The sending in takes place via UPS Express. Google has already sent me a corresponding shipping label by mail, as well as the invoice for the repair.
The concerns
Unfortunately there is a further grain of salt ... The official repair partner of Google DE is the company CTDI from Poland, which has a bad reputation in the industry. With the Smartphone of my wife, I had big problems here in the past. I had to send in her HTC three times until the repair was completed professionally. I hope that everything will go smoothly and that I will get the Pixel 4 XL back in working order.
I will keep you up to date with all the latest news here, so that as many people as possible can benefit from my experience, and to make any problems that occur transparent.
Further repair procedure
Update 1: December 18th, 2019 - Packaging for the return shipment has been sent to me. Arrived at my place: December 20th, 2019 one day late.
Update 2: December 21st, 2019 - RMA package delivered to UPS Access Point. Arrived in Poland: December 24th, 2019.
Update 3: December 27th, 2019 - Device has been checked. Additional defects were identified. Google refuses partial repair. New repair costs € 279.00 plus VAT.
Update 4: January 3rd, 2020 - Device has been repaired and dispatched by Google. Arrival at Germany: January 6th, 2020.
Update 5: January 6th, 2020 - All in all I give it a good grade. The result is only diminished by the unavailable partial repair and the somewhat long runtime during the holidays around Christmas and New Year.
Quality of repairs
The Pixel 4 XL was delivered yesterday and I picked it up at my UPS Access Point to set it up and test it thoroughly in the evening. Carry it with me again today and I must say that the result is extremely positive. No differences in the gap dimensions can be detected on the device and everything works smoothly.
Summary
Pros
Google gives the net repair time very precisely. The 10 - 12 days, minus the holidays due to the unfortunate time of the defect, were fully adhered to.
Google proactively informs about the status at regular intervals, such as the delays due to the Christmas and New Year holidays. The online repair status informs about all steps of the process almost in real time.
The repair process can be initiated very quickly and self-explanatory by me as a customer. A phone call lasting about 60 seconds and the subsequent repair request via a sent website link was extremely uncomplicated.
Cons
Google refuses partial repairs on its devices. The consequence is that I - besides the cracked display - had to pay extra for the frame (contained a small scratch) and therefore also for the, actually intact, USB-C port.
XDA:Thread Information
[Repair experience] Pixel 4 XL - Display cracked
Created: 2019-10-29
Last Updated: 2020-01-06
Update 1 - Waiting for the repair set
The corresponding packaging material was sent out yesterday, December 18th, 2019. It should arrive today or tomorrow. Since I have not received a tracking for the packaging, I am unfortunately unable to tell you where it is currently located.
OK contrary to Google's statement that the packaging should be with me within 48 hours, it arrived on September 20th, late afternoon, making it 72 hours. I had ordered it on December 18th, at about 09.30 am. I suspect that this is due to the parcels arriving before Christmas, because they arrived by DHL - who are always overworked before Christmas..
Update 2 - sending in the pixel 4XL
The corresponding packaging material was delivered on 20 December. I must say that I am not very enthusiastic about it, as it was just a very thin white box padded with some felt. I had imagined something better underneath...
But now to the further course of the return to the repair service provider:
Friday, December 20th: Pixel 4 XL packed in a repair kit.
Saturday, December 21st: at 10:53 a.m. the packed Pixel 4 XL was delivered by me to the nearest UPS Access Point in my town.
Monday, December 23rd: at 11:27 p.m. the package processed at the transfer point in my region, and is now ready for transport.
Tuesday, December 24th:
at 04:30 a.m. the package leaves my region
at 07:08 a.m. the package reaches Warsaw (PL), where it has received the import scan
at 11:32 a.m. arrival at the repair service provider (CTDI).
Duration thus far:
Net: 4 days (as the 10-12 days count from delivery at the UPS Access Point)
Gross: 7 days (plus 3 days shipping time for the repair set)
Update 3 - Device test of the Pixel 4XL
The Pixel 4 XL was checked by the service provider on December 27th. The following additional defects were allegedly found:
a slight defect (scratch) on the frame, and
a defect of the USB-C port.
Even if the scratch on the frame - it was caused by the fall - exists, it is only visible on closer inspection and should therefore not be repaired. I also have used the USB port for a whole week (i.e. until the pixel was sent in) after the fall to charge my pixel without being able to detect a defect. Therefore I cannot believe this second additional diagnosis in any way.
A telephone call with Google Support revealed: As a matter of principle, they would not carry out any partial repairs, even if this is what I as a customer would like. I would therefore have the possibility:
to extend the contract accordingly, or
to get my device back unrepaired
The new repair costs now amount to € 273.00 net, or € 335.79 gross.
In the end, after a long, discussion-packed phone call with the service consultant on the Google Support Hotline, I confirmed the order extension yesterday noon at 12:21 pm. I just want to get my 4 XL back.
What gets me upset is the following: Why the hell does Google imagine they can simply decide on the extent of the repair! This is outrageous. I will report this - after successful completion of the repair - in any case also to the German consumer protection, since such conduct is prohibited in this country. And now, the Google repair tracking, on top of everything else, it's informing me about a "delay in the repair", without explaining the reason for this. Just telling that they'll keep me posted ....
Duration thus far:
Net: 6 days (as the 10-12 days count from delivery to the UPS Access Point)
Gross: 10 days (plus 3 days shipping time for the repair set, and the Christmas holidays in Germany)
Update 4 - Pixel 4XL repair time and return
The Pixel 4 XL was finished today and sent back to me on the return journey. At 13:50 it would be announced UPS.
But now to the further process of returning it to the repair service provider:
Friday, January 3rd:
1:50 pm the device would be packed and the shipping label would be generated
4:20 pm the package has received the UPS pickup scan.
5:27 pm the package has received the origin and export scan
9:01 pm the package has left Warsaw (PL).
Saturday, January 4th: 4:34 am the package received the arrival scan in my region.
Monday, January 6th:
10:24 am the package was delivered to the UPS Access Point at my residence.
6:00 pm pick up by me.
The delivery to me is done by UPS Express Saver, which, compared to UPS Express (to save costs/supplements for Saturday delivery), delivers only on working days. As the delivery is scheduled for Monday (until the end of the working day) according to the tracking system, I had the package redirected to a UPS Access Point in my town to be able to pick it up after work.
Duration until Monday 06.01.2020:
Net: 16 days (as the 10-12 days count from the time of delivery to the UPS Access Point)
Gross: 20 days (plus 3 days shipping time for the repair set, and the Christmas holidays)
Duration until Monday 06.01.2020 - less public holidays:
Net: 12 days (as the 10-12 days count from the time of delivery to the UPS Access Point)
Gross: 16 days (plus 3 days shipping time for the repair set, and the Christmas holidays)
Excluding the Christmas holidays and New Year, and taking into account that Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are only half working days, the 12 days promised by Google are indeed coming true.
I will give a last update as soon as I have inspected the device in peace at the beginning of next week, and have a picture of the quality of the work. Always in the hope that there will be no reason for complaints.
Update 5 - Pixel 4XL quality of repairs
The Pixel 4 XL was delivered yesterday and I picked it up at my UPS Access Point to set it up and test it thoroughly in the evening. Carry it with me again today and I must say that the result is extremely positive. No differences in the gap dimensions can be detected on the device and everything works smoothly.
As a little treat, the device came back in a nice package including a new SIM eject tool and display cleaning cloth. That's certainly a very nice service, in order to clean the glass surfaces once the applied protective foils have been created.
All in all I give it a good grade. The result is only diminished by the unavailable partial repair and the somewhat long runtime during the holidays around Christmas and New Year.
When you buy phones in your country, are you able to buy insurance for it? I bought mine here in the states from b&h photo and purchased insurance from square trade. I think it cost me $90 for 24 months and has a $75 deductible. But you can take it to local places and have them make the repairs, or mail it in for repair.
Either way, it's terrible the run-around they are giving you. But even still, don't you have local places that repair phones?
Yeah sure you can.
And most insurance companies that repair a display damage without excess cost € 13.99 gross per month and run for two years. So the question arises whether you want to pay € 355.76 gross over two years, or once (if it happens at all) € 335.79 gross in case of an accident.
Sent from my HTC U12+ using XDA Labs
Okay, things are getting a little weird now. TODAY (at 12:30 pm) I get a mail from Google stating that the repair is delayed. So they send me a mail which is only a confirmation/copy of the information from 4 days ago. This is absolutely wrong, especially since the mail does not give any reason for the delay.
So I chatted with the Google Support. Unfortunately they couldn't find a cause in the system. So let's hope that the device - despite the holidays - can be repaired by Friday and that it is only due to the holidays. If it should be due to supply shortages of spare parts, this would be more than unfortunate.
Just wanted to chime in that I've been following this thread with interest. In my case, I'm awaiting an advance replacement for my device but it's taking Google over 10 days just to deliver it to me (this despite the fact that they were able to overnight the device to me when I ordered a new one). I don't have much experience with Google's support so all of this is good learning. I also contemplated buying their Preferred Care but the service fees of $199 CAD combined with $199 CAD fee for the plan is absolutely nuts. Anyway, I'll keep watching this. Hopefully things work out well for you.
dhorgas said:
Just wanted to chime in that I've been following this thread with interest. In my case, I'm awaiting an advance replacement for my device but it's taking Google over 10 days just to deliver it to me (this despite the fact that they were able to overnight the device to me when I ordered a new one). I don't have much experience with Google's support so all of this is good learning. I also contemplated buying their Preferred Care but the service fees of $199 CAD combined with $199 CAD fee for the plan is absolutely nuts. Anyway, I'll keep watching this. Hopefully things work out well for you.
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Click to collapse
Hola
A few questions and comments if you don't mind:
1. Whereabouts in Canada are you?
2. Why did you have to go through an advanced replacement order? Broken phone?
3. It is typical for these OEMs, to not have too many devices for advanced replacements after the first few months simply due to them waiting on undamaged returns to fill their RMA inventory.
Please continue to let us know how your return is handled. Thanks.
Good to have a few more users chimin' in on this one. Updated post number #5 with further details on repair time and return of the device to me.
QAM said:
Hola
A few questions and comments if you don't mind:
1. Whereabouts in Canada are you?
2. Why did you have to go through an advanced replacement order? Broken phone?
3. It is typical for these OEMs, to not have too many devices for advanced replacements after the first few months simply due to them waiting on undamaged returns to fill their RMA inventory.
Please continue to let us know how your return is handled. Thanks.
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Click to collapse
1. West coast.
2. Issues with the screen mainly. In addition to the green tint (which is standard on the Pixel 4 XL, and perhaps the smaller Pixel 4 as well), my device display has large blotches of red on it.
3. Advance replacements for new devices that are within the refund period, are not filled out of RMA inventory. They're replaced with retail devices. (Google provides a special link to purchase a new device out of sequence with the rest of the orders.)
So far, the update is that the replacement device arrived however UPS failed to deliver it (it did not even attempt). This resulted in additional wait, so now I am likely to either get the replacement in-hand on Monday evening or Tuesday sometime. I will have to start a refund process for my original device however because if I do not, the refund window will lapse and I would be stuck with the device even if I am not satisfied with the replacement. This is all due to extremely slow shipping of the replacement device (in shipment since Dec. 26th). Overall, my impression so far is pretty poor. The process is very disorganized and creates anxiety for the customer.
dhorgas said:
I will have to start a refund process for my original device however because if I do not, the refund window will lapse and I would be stuck with the device even if I am not satisfied with the replacement. This is all due to extremely slow shipping of the replacement device (in shipment since Dec. 26th). Overall, my impression so far is pretty poor. The process is very disorganized and creates anxiety for the customer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with advanced replacement is that this process - like the RMA process - is not performed by the sales team. Such processes are always subject to after sales, in which - no matter which manufacturer - only a fraction of the costs are invested, which are spent on the sales area. Aftersales does not bring any money to a company and will only incur costs, which is why material and personnel costs are kept as close to zero as possible. Few costs mean few personnel, few personnel means long runtimes and usually also poorly optimized processes.
In most cases even the complete after-sales processes are subject to outsourcing, only to appear as material costs in the balance sheet. Subcontractors find it much more difficult to integrate themselves into the customer's supply chain in order to be able to accelerate the processes on their own.
Sent from my HTC U12+ using XDA Labs
Updated post #6 with the overall quality of repairs.
After waffling between a 4a 5G and a 5 I finally pulled the trigger on a 5 during the Black Friday sale for $50 off. I had also hoped by waiting that Google would resolve the screen glue issue. Order date was Nov 30. Retiring my old 2 XL, but would have kept it for another year if updates kept coming.
My listed shipping dates have always been Dec 29-30. From time to time I've checked the store for current shipping dates, and the phone has actually been out of stock for a couple weeks, but they did have stock for Fi and Verizon with almost immediate shipping. I last checked yesterday.
Early this morning I received notice from my credit card company that Google finally charged my card. My shipping dates are still listed as Dec 29-30. I decided to check if the phone was back in stock, and if so, what current shipping dates are. Yup, back in stock, shipping dates for current orders listed as Dec 16-19. During the time it took to write this post, shipping dates changed and just now listed as Dec 23-25. Both these dates are obviously earlier than my listed shipping dates.
I suspect they just received a new batch from manufacturing and my phone is about to ship, but the changing dates are a bit weird and I've never experienced that before. I'm usually a first day, first minute orderer for my Pixels and I'm used to being in the first shipments.
Anyone else get charged overnight? Did your shipping dates get updated?
A few months ago I bought a 4a pre-order and I got stuck with a later shipment than many people. I was not too worried and it arrived when it was supposed to but I also didn't get the charge until it was ready to go like usual.
If it's coming FedEx ground they're probably calculating that in right now -- the real issue is once the label is made and sent to FedEx, if that's today, then by tomorrow you should know what the real ETA is
are they doing USPS? lots of people been getting delay on USPS shipment.
I did standard (free) shipping. Who knows? I'm waiting for Google Store support chat right now. I started at #169 in line. It's going down at a rate of about 1 per minute. Sheesh. Current shipping dates for new orders showing Dec 25-29. My order is still just showing "Ordered".
I had a similar issue but found out some great answers from a customer service rep. I also was quoted a late December delivery when I placed my order in late November. Mine shipped early because their new shipments for fi arrived early.
This is how it goes.... its crazy.
They will temporarily charge your card if you move up in the order "queue". They will then refund the money into your account a few days later after they verify the funds are available. This means the order is getting ready to get processed finally.
You will finally be charged the due amount when the order finally goes to the warehouse for shipping.
They wont permanently charge your account until the phone is sent to shipping. If they haven't refunded the money into your account I would bet that your phone ships very soon.
I was getting tired of the late shipping times and lack of answers so i created a reddit ticket. My phone shipped 24 hours later. Give that a try if things dont go well.
Hope this makes sense.
Over an hour later and I am #82 in line. Had to plug in the laptop!
Finally had a chat.....answer was basically, yeah you're right, newer orders are shipping before yours. We can cancel your $50 off order and you can re-order at full price for earlier shipping. Uh....no....I'll wait, and just stew about it. That's a pretty good summary of the chat. Not too happy.
So.....interesting developments this morning.
I awoke to an e-mail from Google, posted below.
**************************
Hi **********,
Thanks for contacting Google!
As promised, I'm sending this email to you.
This email is in reference to the chat conversation we had today regarding your order status- ******Order Number*********
I'd like to assure you that your order is perfectly fine from our end.
It will get delivered within the time frame- Dec 29, 2020 - Dec 30, 2020
And it'll get shipped a couple of days before that.
You'll also receive a shipping confirmation email once it'll be out from our end.
Stay assured, you'll get your hands on it very soon.
For the inconvenience, I'll be adding $50 to your Store Credits.
Also, I am sorry for the long wait that you experienced but thank you for your kind understanding and patience.
I would like to offer you extra $10.00 Store credit as a good will gesture.
You may check that by visiting the link *****This was a hyperlink****
In case of any discrepancy, please feel free to reply to my email, I'll be right here for your assistance.
Stay assured, I've taken full ownership of your case.
Thanks!
*******Name Edited*******
The Google Support Team
***************************************************************
The link took me to Google Pay which showed nothing, but when I checked the Store, I did, in fact, have a $60 credit, which expires on 12/31/2021.
Not only that.....today I received notice that my order has shipped through Fedex, with an arrival date of 12/21/2020. It's shipping from Carol Stream, IL. In the past all my phones have shipped from about 20 miles away from me.
So I have gone from being very unhappy and questioning my loyalty to Google products to being very happy. I think I am going to use my credit for a Pixel Stand, but maybe a new Nest Audio, but I've got so many Google Homes (full size and minis) and Chromecast products that I really don't need anything but the Stand. I also suspect the Stand, which is WAY overpriced, will go on sale again relatively soon. So we'll see.
In any case, I wanted to be fair to Google. I'm very happy with the way they handled this.
Ordered from Google France on 15 Dec, shipped on 16, arrived today.