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| Hello. I'm the Femtocell that Adam's Apartment Needs |
Unfortunately, I am now regretting my decision. Here's why...
Despite understanding that the iPhone plan would cost me almost $50 more per month than my old service, and that service in the DC metro would be largely absent, I decided that the plethora of apps available on the iPhone was well worth the switch.
With a few weeks, my apps library has grown substantially. Steal my iPhone and you'll find that TweetDeck, Twitter, Facebook, The Onion, OpenTable, Epicurious, Yelp, Urbanspoon, Tip Calculator, Hello Vino, Kayak, Metro Map, Tripit, Ride Metro, AroundMre, NextBus DC, SnapTell, Coupons, ReLaser, Discount DialerVuvulela, PS Mobile, Flashlight, Comcast, ImDb, Flixter, Planers, Conver, Cardstar, Spanish LE, Dragon Dictation, The Weather Channel, Mirro, State Farm, LinkedIn, Mark the Spot, FlightControl, PAC-MAN, Words with Friends, Chess with Friends, BrainPop, Sudoku, TicTacTouch, IQuarters and Pandora have all been installed.
I can rationalize that although the iPhone is heavier than what I was used to, the difference is negligible. I don't even mind that the camera takes yellow-tinted pictures from time to time.
However, what I won't accept is ATT and Apple's failure to address two significant concerns of mine.
CONCERN #1
I am of the opinion that if you live within a major metropolitan city such as Washington, DC you should be able to get coverage in your home. Unfortunately, despite living in an apartment that faces Connecticut Ave in Northwest, DC the service in my apartment is abysmal.
My apartment is centrally located -- less than 200 yards away from the street and from from door to entrance I can walk to a major Washington, DC metro station in just about five minutes. Nevertheless, if I walk ten feet in to my apartment I am unable to make calls and current calls drop.
Solving the solution is simple - the 3G ATT Femtocell. However, I have trouble justifying spending $150 on hardware that will utilize my home network's bandwidth to alleviate a strained network I am already paying to access... Especially when ATT has been giving them away for free.I have also recently discovered that residents in the apartment building have called ATT on numerous occastions to report spotty coverage to no avail.
With hopes of a different outcome, I called customer service and was asked to downloaded and utilize the Mark the Spot application. I have done so on several occasions and have heard nothing back (not that I expected to).
When I inquired about the Femtocell, I was told that I would receive a call back two days later after a scheduled meeting about the Femtrocell program took place. Unsurprisingly, that call never came.
In frustration after two calls with my sister (who was trying to tell me she was going to be induced in the morning) dropped service, I decided to reach out to customer care via their @AttCustomerCare account.
I was happy at first to receive a near immediate response, but became quickly disappointed when the representative asked me to Direct Message ("DM"), but never followed me back. (As a point of interest, we were unable to DM as requires a mutual follow.) Fail.
With hopes of reaching somone more helpful, I reached out a second time (yesterday). I was successful in achieving a DM conversation with the new representative and learned via truncated DMs that "while the [femtocell] is now available to customers nationwide, we are conducting very limited trials in on the most effective way to introduce this product to customers for whom it was designed".
Do I not qualify? What are the criteria?
(I also learned that Customer Care is not responsible for sending out the Femtocell's, nor are they able to contact (or provide contact information) for the Network team that is responsible.) Apparently, ATT has amazing intra-company communication.
CONCERN #2
Of less concern, but still important, is the notion that I will not receive a refund because I purchased the case from Best Buy (as opposed to an Apple or ATT store). I am not alone in this unfortunate situation. (See http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=11985098#11985098)
However, whereas some people may have purchased their cases on their own accord, I purchased the case at Best Buy after the Apple Store employee suggested that I do so when I purchased the phone. She did so because:
1. The Apple Store was sold out of bumpers and cases.
2. They had no idea when replacements would arrive.
As such, I was instructed to drive down the street to Best Buy as they have many in stock.
Now, I fully understand that Apple does not want to reimbursing another store's retail cost as it will cost them more than a refund at their own store. (As they are paying for the other store's profit margin.) However, it doesn't mean they can't come up with a creative solution that will impact their bottom line no more than if if I requested a free case.
Perhaps an "xx" credit to iTunes?
WRAPPING UP
I'm not trying to complain, but I feel a bit slighted. ATT is giving away free femtocell's, but customer support is unable to shed any light on the process. Apple is refunding bumper and case purchases, but I am ineligible. (To those of you who may suggest returning the case to Best Buy, I am unable to do so as I threw away the box.)
I have until next Thursday, August 5th to return my iPhone. Sans Femtocell, there is a very good chance I'll be doing just that. It's unfortunate, because other than the spotty service I am pleased with the phone.
-Adam
@apzuckerman
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