[HTC EVO 3D] Vivix729:
This is going to be lengthy...I apologize, bear with me. I have been a customer of Sprint for nearly 7 years. I currently have 5 lines on my account, and I have NEVER experienced anything like this.

My friend Patrick, who lives an hour away is one of those 5 lines. About a month ago, his Evo 4G phone broke, and due to having a warranty on his device, Sprint shipped him out a replacement. Fast forward a few weeks, and last Thursday, July 21st, his replacement phone stopped charging. The following day, he went into the Sprint store, and they ordered another replacement phone for him, that was supposed to arrive at my address either Monday or Tuesday.

On Tuesday, July 26th, the phone hadn't arrived yet. Since Patrick doesn't have another line, I call Sprint that evening around 7PM where I talked to Derek, out of Texas call center. He told me that the Evo 4G is on backorder for warranty exchanges, and that it may take up to 10 business day for it to ship. Then, Derek himself offered to send a different device instead. Note, I did not ask for this, he offered it for me. I said sure, and he offered me several devices, including Nexus S 4G, Kyocera Echo, and, to my bewilderment, Evo 3D. He said that due to the hassle this has caused, he was willing to do that for me.

When all was said and done, and we ended the conversation, and I received the confirmation email. Unfortunately, I noticed that the defective phone was listed as MY own phone (Evo 3D), and that the exchange was supposed to be done under MY phone number. Afraid that this was a mistake, I called them back, and this is when the roller coaster started.

The first guy (I didn't write down the names at this point, because I assumed this was going to be a simple fix) said that she couldn't believe that I was offered an Evo 3D, and after putting me on hold for 28 minutes, she came back and she said she would transfer me to their tech department. When I told the tech person what had happened, she said that it was impossible to make such a promise, and despite the fact that my customer note did in fact confirm that the upgrade was to be made, she didn't want to do it for me. At this point, she says she canceled the new Evo 3D order, even though I told her not to do it. I ask to speak to the manager, and I was then placed on hold for 45 minutes.

At this point, I decide to hang up, and try again. The second time I called, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENS. After being on hold for over an hour, I call the retention department. Rhonda says that she will try to fix the situation, and then she transfers me to "customer relation specialist," Derek (a different one) answers. After he was confirming to his superiors and chatting, he comes back to the conversation and tells me that they will honor the complimentary upgrade, and that he will call me around Thursday, July 28th (today, as of this writing) to handle the exchange. I mentioned the fact that Evo 3D order was canceled, but he tells me that in fact it hasn't, according to his system.

The next day, July 27th, around 12 PM, I get a phone call from Derek, apologizing for his mistake, and that the order was indeed canceled. He then transfers me to another tech department, and at this point, I get the run around that their system experienced a bug and that they are unable to fulfill the promise, despite what my "customer note" said. At this point, I was at a boiling point, having spent nearly 5 hours on phone with them in order to fix THEIR mistake. The manager offers me a Nexus S, which I accepted.

On July 28th, I get another shipping confirmation. Unfortunately, it was shipping confirmation for the Evo 3D, still under my number. Angered and confused and desperate, I try calling customer service, only to be given a rundown "what do you want me to do?" At this point, I go to a local Sprint store, where I talk to Brandon, one of the store managers. After patiently listening to my story, and reading over the notes, he confirmed that it was Sprint mistake, and that he will resolve it however necessary. He also confirmed that the Evo 3D was shipped and that the Nexus S order was canceled. At this point, he wrote a lengthy note on my account. He says that Patrick should just active the 3D, and ship the 4G back, and that the note should take care of everything. I thanked him and left the store.

Fast forward a few hours later, Patrick received his phone. Unfortunately, the exchanged phone came with no battery, and 4G battery does NOT fit into a 3D. I call Brandon at the local store, and tells me that sometimes that happens, and that Patrick can simply go to a local store and get the right battery.

At his local store, Ryan, the assistant store manager, refused to provide a replacement battery, saying that Patrick received the 3D in error, and that he should have received a Nexus S instead, and that his system is showing that the Nexus S order is NOT canceled. At this point, I get a phone call from frustrated Patrick, using one of their in store phones. Ryan refused to call Brandon in my local Sprint store to confirm the story, and he also would not talk to me. After a lot more arguing, Ryan finally provided the battery for Patrick.

After this whole ordeal, I am simply APPALLED at the customer service that was provided. Being given a run around, and being left on hold for an hour two times just to get rid of me, I felt that both Patrick and I were mistreated and lied to. I do appreciate what Derek tried to do for me, and Brandon's customer service went far and beyond to attempt to resolve this issue, but overall, this has left a sour taste. Despite getting a free 3D upgrade, in the end, it just wasn't worth it.

Now, I am also scared of what may happen when the Evo 4G is shipped back. Guess I can always head to Brandon, the only person willing to help me out in all of this.

I don't really know why I posted this...I think I just had to vent. The sad thing is, my 30 day return window on Evo 3D ended 2 days ago. Otherwise, they would have lost a customer.