Jaideep struggled with Nextel to replace a phone he thought was covered by insurance. When Jaideep joined Nextel, he agreed to purchase third-party insurance exclusively provided by Signal. He filled out all the forms. He signed all the paperwork. All was well.

Until Aug 11, 2006 my cell phone’s antenna housing cracked. So I called “Signal” and after spending 20 minutes describing how the phone broke, I was told that I had no insurance. So I called customer care “611”, and had a rep. help me out. He did a in house exchange because he said that I had signed the paper work but the plan was not added. He also told me that there would be a prepaid return box sent to me, and I could just send my broke phone back.

Jaideep sent back the Nextel i860 he had activated two years prior onto an expired contract.

One week later, I received a I850 cell phone, and no return box. I called customer care and they said they would send out a box. I used the phone for about 2 weeks, still no return box. After using the phone for 2 weeks the phone started to randomly shut off. I thought nothing of it, thinking my battery was just low. After using it for couple more days the problem got worse.

Turns out, the problems Jaideep was experiencing were all too common. Fed up, Jaideep called Nextel to ask for another replacement phone. Nextel refused because Jaideep’s thirty minute warranty had expired.

Nextel claiming, “The company might be ripping you off, but that doesn’t mean I can just take off these charges,” and Jaideep’s response, after the jump…

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Nextel told Jaideep that once your phone is used for thirty minutes, it’s yours. We looked for such a policy online, but could only find the following:

RETURN POLICY – 14 DAY RISK FREE GUARANTEE
All phones and devices may be returned for a refund or credit within 14 days (30 days in CA) of activation.

Maybe the insurance Jaideep signed up for could help.

I then call Signal and I was once again told that I do not have insurance. I called customer care and explained the situation and was told that they did not add the insurance once again and they would add it. Till today the insurance has not been added. So I was told that I could do a swap at the Nextel store.

Jaideep brought the busted phone to a Nextel store. They gave him a refurbished phone for $36. What happens next? The same thing. Busted phone number three.

Two weeks later, Jaideep receives a $241.06 bill for a new phone.

I called customer care and the reps kept telling me that they could not help me out, because Motorola has determined the phone is not repairable and that it is not in inventory. I asked what was wrong with the phone? I was told that “it was not repairable” I asked why?. I was told by your employee “You probably dropped it and bent the board inside of it. or you could of dropped it in water.”. I have used my previous phones for years, and neither of that occurred as you can see by the website provided earlier in the letter stating problems with this model. I asked her “Is that what it says on the description?” Her response “No, it says it was not repairable”.

Jaideep escalates the call and gets a manager.

They said that maybe if I signed a 2 year contract, they might be able to take off $100, and I could buy a new phone from you.

Jaideep didn’t want a new contract. Jaideep wanted the charges reversed. The manager, refused, saying: “The company might be ripping you off, but that doesn’t mean that I can just take the charge off for you.”

Jaideep still doesn’t have insurance. The charges have not been reversed. Jaideep told Nextel to reverse the charges or cancel his account. The next step is Nextel’s. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

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