yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] martinezma99:
Anyone tried returning phone yet?
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] bretrick30:
I am trying to. Hard to do when they dont return calls, emails, and chats.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] rootdude:
When you have the number to call let us know. Mine's going back too.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] hrdc69:
Phone return

Holiday weekend has nothing to do with the lack of communication. Like others have said I too have been trying to contact them to cancel my order and the phone number (888-444-2222) is just answered by a robot who says to leave a message which is never returned. I have left several emails with no return communication wither.

I also got a email from them last week asking for a copy of my drivers license which absolutely floored me. I subsequently read others also received emails like this. The company went on social media to say it was all a mistake but I never got any email apologizing.

It could be they are not replying to customers wanting to return the phones so that the 15 day return period will pass and a return will no longer be accepted. The initial mostly poor reviews is what caused me to change my mind, but this appalling lack of customer service is the icing on the cake. Doesn't Andy realize not letting customers communicate with the company is the quickest way to destroy consumer confidence in his product?
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] worldsoutro:
You guys are going to get this response. Then when you say you would like to continue with return..... Crickets

Samuel Urfer (Essential Products, Inc.)

Sep 5, 05:05 MST

Hi,

Thank you for reaching out. Please accept our deepest apologies for the delay in response. As you may be aware, we experienced some technical difficulties that prevented us from being able to respond sooner.

We fully understand your frustration, but we know that Essential Phone is a product that will exceed your expectations. We ask that you give this additional consideration, keeping in mind that we do have the 15 day buyer’s remorse policy. Please respond to this email letting us know how you would like to proceed. We hope to hear from you!

Sincerely,

Samuel

Essential Customer Experience Team
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] IM0001:
Once they responded you are going to be able to return it when the process begins. They aren't trying to stick you in the dark until the 15 days are up. Jeeze

They had both a holiday weekend (Which they actually worked as I got an e-mail on Monday) but also they had to do some damage control from the zendesk e-mail user info snafu.

Just shoot them an email and give it a day or so. Be polite, respectful, and use proper grammar if you are able and they will get you taken care of. Being rude and leaving dozens of calls really makes no CS agent want to have to deal with your crap until it's the last thing on the ticket list, and when they do, if you continue to be a **** to them, they will do the absolute minimum they have to.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] mallman:
Same here....
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] l7777:
It's likely no one complaining on XDA has ever worked a support position. Stuff happens. Good customer service people are just as unhappy with their inability to answer every support contact as it comes in but that's the reality when the support contacts overwhelm the support staff. I doubt very much that they would try to "stick" people with phones. It would be a very easy argument to dispute such a charge with a CC.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] hx3:
I'm able to return mine for a refund without any hassle at all (yet). I sent a message through their website, and quickly received a response. They just needed my order number, account name, email address and phone number. They're sending out a return label for me to ship it back. Could be up to a week that I'm refunded, though. I was pretty surprised at how quick and smooth it went.

Bummed out that the PH-1 didn't pan out for me. I was having a very frustrating time using it in several ways.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] foopy:
After experiencing connectivity issues with this phone and looking closer at signal strength I have observed this phone varies in signal strength continuously by about 8-10 dB. It does not work well at my house or where I work. Calls either drop out completely or the person on the other end cannot hear me at times. I have never experienced this with other phones I have including the iPhone 7 Plus, Axon 7, or the OnePlus 3. I have initiated a return for an exchange. I first called last night and got a recording that basically directs me to their support page and says to send in an email "for faster service" so I did. I got a response early this morning requesting certain information in order to start the claim. I have responded so we'll see how it goes. I really like the way the phone is made so I'm hoping a replacement will function better.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] dboss007:
I emailed them via the website, received the boiler plate email about the 15 days, responded that I was sure I wanted to return it and they indicated they would be sending a label and box to return the phone not even 12 hours later. The process was pretty painless to this point as far as I'm concerned.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] RMarkwald:
Reached out today about either getting a replacement, or returning the device.

The light bleed on the left side up around the left corner is pretty noticeable, and for the price, I would like a replacement. I guess I'll see what they say, but it is to the point where I guess if my only option is to return for a refund, that's what I'll do. The did reply with an email "support is reviewing your request and will contact you shortly" email, about five minutes after submitting my request via their website.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] rootdude:
Count me in as one of those people that got a quick response to my request for a refund today and am expecting a 3-5 return shipping box. That gives me 3-5 days to decide to change my mind (I won't). Between the camera illness and the signal strength issues (how were these not addressed before shipping I'll never know) it's really a non-starter. I wanted to love it. I really did.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] ZooBaAr:
Same here, I really did want to love it.

I did get a fairly quick responce to my support email by a real person !

Asking for return details form me # order and such.

I went a bit off script and aired my thinking about the company, In the nicest way truly, and got a surprising human response. here

Erich, I really like the PH 1.

What makes me and everyone that looks like me, nervous, is the compleate lack of information about this phone.

Will you provide kernel and sources to Customize it ? I already know I can unlock the bootloader, I am ready to do so.

What driver to use when hooking up to pc to transfer files ?

When will we get Oreo?

And many others.

What every Essential does, what YOU MUST do is inform your customers that are

Buying on faith . I find it very disturbing that there seems a lack of organization in this process.

It does not bode well but I would hang on with some of my queries answered.

Thank You,

Their response

Thank you for responding and sharing your concerns. We do appreciate you choosing Essential Phone. We are working hard to ramp up our customer care and customer communication channels to get information out to our customers in a timely manner now that the device has shipped.

Essential Products is committed to providing an open device that you can make your own. The bootloader is unlocked, but information about ADB drivers and if we will be releasing source code is not information that I have at this time.

The frequency of Android OS updates and security patches is important. The goal is to provide monthly security updates. If you bought your device directly from Essential.com security updates will typically reach your phone within two weeks after they are released. We will guarantee security updates for 2 years from when the phone first became available on Essential.com.

I don't have specific information yet on the timeline for Android 8 (Oreo), but we will be communicating when available on our website and social media channels.

Please let me know Zoo if you still want to proceed with the return, or if there are any other questions I can help you with.

There you have it. I am returning it unfortunately

Zo0
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] Chronzy:
Yep this sums it up for me too. I'm not dealing with these frustrations for $700. I might be willing to kick out $300-400 for an interesting niche phone and help a fledgling company get in the game... but at this price- that's pixel 2 money.

I had the highest expectations... and it came down to I didn't like the way it felt in my hand. A simple tpu case would've went a long way. And its heavy... I like a bit of premium heft, but that's too heavy. Bummed by the PH-1, but i'll have my eye out for the PH-2. I'm gonna start the return process tomorrow.

Thanks all for sharing stories of your CS experiences!
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] hx3:
Exactly, for $700 it simply wasn't worth it at this time. I basically received a lemon. The entire right side of the screen had light bleed, while the left side had a few larger blobs. This was very noticeable in every situation, except when the screen was white. I also had severe touch screen issues. It caused the device to feel extremely laggy, scrolling was a chore and had missed taps galore. Yes, it was a part of the first batch of phone's assembled, and these things happen with every manufacturer, but not quite to this extent.

For as long as people waited for this phone to be released, I think they rushed it. Not only from many people having various issues, but also from a company standpoint. It became obvious they weren't ready. I do hope they find success, as I will be keeping an eye on any future products they release.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] martinezma99:
Customer service saying I will get a call in the next 3 to 5 days to finalize the return process? A call? Is this normal?
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] spotmark:
Who knows what normal is with this company. I'm just glad that my phone showed up, it's built well and working properly, and that I'm starting to really like it. Otherwise, I'd be dreading having to go through the return process. Customer service from Essential is virtually nonexistent. If they expect to survive they need to get on the ball.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] Goronok:
I was told 3-5 days as well. No idea if that means a call, a pre-paid label, or a return shipping box showing up at my door.

I opened a dispute with my credit card company a few days ago too. I don't trust Essential to handle this properly and fully expect they will drag their feet beyond the 15 day return window. Credit card involvement should force their hand in accepting a return.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] bretrick30:
I received the return package yesterday. It came from 'Wireless Customer Solutions'. The return label is also addressed to Wireless Customer Solutions. There was nothing inside that mentioned it was for returning my Essential phone. Wanting to make sure this was from them, I contacted support and they confirmed this was for returning the phone. I told them it would have been nice to have something included in the package at least with Essential's name on it or in their email telling us that they are sending it who it will be coming from.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] AITT:
I saw on another forum it had Assurion letter / label attached to and was to be sent to Tennessee. Does your reflect that also? I'm still waiting on the box.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] bretrick30:
Mine doesn't say anything about Asurion. It is going to Tenneessee though. The response I got from Support mentioned Asurion.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] AITT:
Why is it going to Asurion though? This makes no sense.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=830189&p=5962404&viewfull=1#post5962404

It almost makes me believe these people are doing everything they can to say they won't accept the phones back. Asurion handles repairs and phone warranty. Unless they are using a third party to do their "phone check". This company service has been a complete clusterf... I'm so over them.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] Ksehwail:
I had a pretty quick response in starting my return. I called and emailed yesterday and got the reply today. They have specificed Asurion as the receivers. I believe they are sourcing the device inspection to them.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] S.R.G.:
Emailed and received a reply September 5th that I would receive return materials in 3-5 business days. Emailed again September 11 to confirm return materials were sent with a reply they were...Nothing received from UPS, FedEx, or USPS.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] tech_head:
I'm concerned about support. I've decided to return my phone.

I can't deal with a company that is this unresponsive to to customers.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] S.R.G.:
I'll make it even sweeter, my uncle also purchased an Essential phone that we actually opened and used as our test unit. He emailed twice from the email he ordered from quoting his order number...the second time attaching the original order email. They finally replied that he needed to provide the email, order number, phone number, and name to initiate a return. So far he has yet to receive a reply...

The part of their original email reply:

"If you would like to initiate your return, please provide the following information:

Sales order number

Email address you submitted the order with

Phone number

Full name"
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] tech_head:
Hi,

I provided that information in my request.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] AITT:
First I was told 3-5 days to receive the box. That was last Tuesday. Now I got this email when I inquired about it

I'm so frustrated with this company. I received my phone on 9/1 and they are definitely milking the return process. Such a PITA!
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] &roid:
Still fighting with the return process. This is the worst phone and support experience (or lack thereof) I have EVER had. They finally returned my dozen phone calls and emails yesterday. They are sending a return box, and yes it's to Asurion. They're probably using Asurion not just to inspect returns, but also so they can use unwanted phones also for insurance jobs. I

HATE

Essential Products. Of course they couldn't have just emailed a paid return label, they had to mail a box to me which takes 4 to 5 business days to receive. So I'm just sitting around waiting for a box when I could have already mailed it. You can't get your phone on time with these clowns, you can't get timely support, and returning it is also a complete nightmare! I beg of anyone considering this phone to PLEASE re-consider...many won't believe me until they do it to themselves, but once they finally get the damn thing, they'll quickly realize that anyone trying to return this joke of a phone was essentially right.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] Veritech:
I too have started the return process /sigh. I really wanted to love this phone and for the most part I do however the little things add up. Lack of cases to choose from, good tempered glass screen protectors, root, no devs chiming in to say they'll develop for the phone once they gather all the files/info they need and no wireless charging. I tried to overlook much of it but this slippery little phone has to go back :(

My trusty Nexus 6 will get me through the end of the year for sure lol
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] tech_head:
Same here.

If I have to stay in a walled garden then I'm jumping ship.

Apple finally made an iPhone I like -> iPhone X.

I'm not a price sensitive buyer so I don't suffer from sticker shock.

I'll go for the device payment plan with Apple that allows me to upgrade every year.

Since I trade phones often, that will work for me.

Oct 27, here I come.

I'll get by with my LG G3 until then.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] martinezma99:
I've been lucky. Customer service has been quite responsive the few times I've emailed. I am returning the phone for maybe LG V30 or Pixel 2. Time will tell.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] Veritech:
Same here, goin for V30 or Pixel 2 XL and Essential customer service already responded to my request earlier to return the phone. Hopefully the return process goes smoothly lol
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] S.R.G.:
Just received a notice from FedEx Delivery Manager, NOT Essential, that the return materials are being processed for delivery. The ETA is 9/13 (tomorrow) but we will see if it shows up. As for the other return request, nothing as of yet and the requests were sent the same day.

I may add that the return materials are for the phone only...not the camera? I haven't received a single reply on the camera return yet. They may get pictures of both in the packaging and get them at the same time...with a full refund expected or a nice credit card dispute initiated :)

Lesson learned...just stick with Google Play phone purchases. Nexus 5X, 6P, and Pixel XL have never let me down (with multiples of each).
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] tech_head:
I emailed this morning and got almost immediate responses.

The offered an extended return period to see if I would fall more in love with the phone.

I'll keep it and wait for more cases. But next week, if there is no more support by people making screen protectors and the like, it's going back.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] S.R.G.:
Let me quote parts of my email to them as it's quite poetic :) -

"So far I have one unboxed Essential phone in hand and another due to arrive Wednesday. I absolutely love the phone aesthetically! The screen is spectacular, I feel as if I'm at home holding it (aka it's the absolute perfect size), and did I mention it's just beautiful?!

Now to why I am emailing...the cameras, yes plural, are absolutely pitiful! Compared to my Nexus 6P and Pixel XL the photos taken using the Essential phone are horrendous in all testing scenarios. Low light, macro, every-day, etc result in photos that look like low-quality Polaroids taken through a fuzzy lens: blurry, lack of detail, hit and miss colors, etc. I depend on my phone acting as my main camera when the DSLR isn't right there with me... And sadly enough I can't carry around the Essential phone and DSLR 24/7, fanny packs are just silly.

So Essential, what is the refund policy? How many days do we have to test and wait for a camera update before returning for a refund? Is it best to refuse the phone delivery coming in for a full refund?

And yes I called but the nice voice prompt said I should email before ending the phone call :)

If the engineers ever fix the issue you can expect I'll buy the phone again :)"
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] crossen0:
As in phone only, with or without the charger and cables?
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] bricky23:
I emailed them about what to put in the Fedex envelope. They said to put the phone, including box and acc. and 360 camera in. And add the 360 camera order # to the existing information on the outside label. Which already included name, phone #, and phone order #. I then took it to fedex.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] virtualepiphany:
Their customer service is appalling. I ended up having to dispute the charge to get them to honor the return.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] &roid:
Still waiting for the return box/bag or whatever the F they send...I hate U essential! Ugh! It's so unfortunate that there will sure be others soon to come now that more of these things are finally being delivered late to people that have waited so long. What sucks is that people will quickly wonder what they were waiting for after a few days with this thing...and then the dreaded return process will really alienate the same people that believed in this sham of a company.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] martinezma99:
Why wouldn't they honor the return? Any specific reason?
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] virtualepiphany:
I cancelled my order before it shipped and was told it was cancelled. Then 2 days later I got a tracking number. I opened another ticket with them right away to coordinate the return and the guy spent over a week trying to convince me not to return it. At that point I just got fed up and disputed the charge. Within 48 hours I had the approved RMA.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] jaseman:
After reading so many of the threads about this phone I am so glad I passed on it to wait and see how things developed. The biggest risk I have ever taken on any cell phone is to pre-order from a well known company, and so far that decision has proved to be a good one...for me. I may never do it again though. But to pre-order a phone from a brand new company (I don't care who is on the team) is to me a risk way beyond the norm and simply not worth it. I like the way this phone looks and I like the materials it is made from ( I would like to see a black stainless steel phone myself ) but to those who are getting burned...you knew the risk you were taking. :eek:
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] tech_head:
They were pretty fast approving my phone return.

They said on AMA that cases from third parties are coming.

They still need to address the throttling.

I'm sending mine back.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] bricky23:
Ok David Brown Wireless received my package today. But then I received a notice from fedex, that I have a package coming from Davids wireless. The reference # is the same as my camera order #. So apparently they are sending the camera back. I was told to include it. What am I going to do with the camera, and no phone? I emailed Essential support. And awaiting response. GRRR
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] S.R.G.:
Let me know what they tell you...I sent my camera too with the phone yesterday. Sent out the second phone today.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] tlxxxsracer:
I just sent my phone and camera. They said the return was for both. So both need to be returned.

Wonder how long it'll take to get my refund
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] JMUT:
Pretty sure that the FedEx they're sending you this time is just another return envelope, this time for your camera. I received one today for my camera, even though I just mailed back the phone and Camera in the first padded envelope I received, today.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] Kukaless:
I did the same. Packaged both together and today got a second padded envelope.

I will hold onto it for a few weeks just in case.
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] NeutronBomb:
Are you guys returning the box and charger and all that or just dropping the phone in an envelope? My return package should show up today. Not sure if I'm supposed to put the camera in with it or not. I also live 45 minutes from a Fed Ex location so that sucks...
[Essential Phone Questions & Answers] JMUT:
If you're returning as opposed to exchanging, I'm pretty sure they want everything back so they can use it as a warranty replacement or sell it as a refurb some time down the road. I put both my phone and camera in the same envelope. I wrote my second order number on the label since it only had one order number on it. I've heard other people were told to do that by Essential Support.