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ok quick question? Is there a delay or not? Will prime launch at 19th of December ot not?
It depends on who you ask. So... no one really knows.
The Verge (I think it was them) got a response from Asus that said shipments will be going out the week of the 19th.
well sir, if you read any of the forum posts,
NOBODY KNOWS
its ALL speculative
You must not have noticed the 30+ threads trying to glean every word spoken or written by anyone even closely associated with Asus or any one of their delivery partners, tech blogs, forums or the palm reader on the corner to ascertain the actual day, time and second the Prime will begin shipping.
If we knew for certain the day I am sure there would be several posts clamoring to be the first to announce it.
biggem001 said:
well sir, if you read any of the forum posts,
NOBODY KNOWS
its ALL speculative
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haha... I tried my hardest not to give that reply.
skinien said:
haha... I tried my hardest not to give that reply.
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I couldn't help it myself. My "You've got to be kidding me" meter went off the chart!
techjunkie9194 said:
I couldn't help it myself. My "You've got to be kidding me" meter went off the chart!
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my "is this guy F&*$ing trolling us right now" meter went off at first... then i noticed it was forreal
now its "no, he's just an idiot"
Most of today's comments from online resellers are that they don't know when they're receiving their shipments and some saying delivery will most likely be after X-Mas. Check the Adorama, B&H, and Fry's threads for detail.
Best Buy's saying the 19th is on and people who pre-ordered there are trying to guess the hidden meaning of having their credit cards re-authorized (apparently they periodically re-authorize on pre-orders).
Amazon's canceled all 32GB and calls today indicate the 64GB won't ship before X-Mas.
GameStop has demo units and people have said some stores have inventory but aren't allowed to sell it yet.
Asus Canada's said shipments are delayed indefinitely while a Wi-Fi range problem is resolved.
And there you have it...
Orion66 said:
ok quick question? Is there a delay or not? Will prime launch at 19th of December ot not?
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Let's look at it this way. No one besides asus know that question. So that eliminates almost everything posted on the internet by anyone besides asus.
Now let's assume that only asus can tell us the answer. Asus USA says it will be released on the 19th. Now you have two choices, believe that or don't. So you got 50/50 still. According to asus usa it's not delayed.
Bottom line seems to be this, in the interest of maybe forestalling other such threads (ha!): ASUS is shipping SOME stock to SOME retailers on or before the 19th. So, they'll live up to their public statements. However, they're shipping far fewer units to far fewer retailers than expected. So, only a select few with the right pre-orders at the right retailers (Best Buy and Gamestop, most likely) will actually get Primes before the end of the year.
Pretty much anyone who wants one should be able to get one by, say, February.
I think that's probably as solid a bit of speculating as anyone is able to conduct at this point.
Engadget is pretty reliable, they got something from Asus saying that it will ship on the 18th. Pretty sure it's shipping.
infinitemethod said:
Engadget is pretty reliable, they got something from Asus saying that it will ship on the 18th. Pretty sure it's shipping.
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Where di you see that? last i saw they reported a delay
wynand32 said:
Bottom line seems to be this, in the interest of maybe forestalling other such threads (ha!): ASUS is shipping SOME stock to SOME retailers on or before the 19th. So, they'll live up to their public statements. However, they're shipping far fewer units to far fewer retailers than expected. So, only a select few with the right pre-orders at the right retailers (Best Buy and Gamestop, most likely) will actually get Primes before the end of the year.
Pretty much anyone who wants one should be able to get one by, say, February.
I think that's probably as solid a bit of speculating as anyone is able to conduct at this point.
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^^^^^
All of this.
Asus may have screwed themselves by not getting more inventory out prior to CES. People buying tablets for X-Mas will have made a different choice and people who haven't gotten one by January may wait based on how soon what's announced at CES is expected to be available. Once the "I have to have it first" wave passes there's no rush for existing first-gen tablet owners.
---------- Post added at 10:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 AM ----------
BiGMERF said:
Where di you see that? last i saw they reported a delay
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This appears to be their latest. It changed from the "19th" to the "week of the 19th" which may or may not mean anything.
Update: We heard back from ASUS US and were told the Prime is still scheduled for release the week of 12 / 19.
BarryH_GEG said:
Most of today's comments from online resellers ...
Amazon's canceled all 32GB and calls today indicate the 64GB won't ship before X-Mas.
...
And there you have it...
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Amazon cancelled all 32GB Amethyst Grey orders. I still have my Champagne order in place.
I do agree that there is nothing much other than speculation, but reading that all 32 GB were cancelled scared me a little (That's my only pre-order) Even thought, I have already resigned to receive it after Christmas...
BarryH_GEG said:
Most of today's comments from online resellers are that they don't know when they're receiving their shipments and some saying delivery will most likely be after X-Mas. Check the Adorama, B&H, and Fry's threads for detail.
Best Buy's saying the 19th is on and people who pre-ordered there are trying to guess the hidden meaning of having their credit cards re-authorized (apparently they periodically re-authorize on pre-orders).
Amazon's canceled all 32GB and calls today indicate the 64GB won't ship before X-Mas.
GameStop has demo units and people have said some stores have inventory but aren't allowed to sell it yet.
Asus Canada's said shipments are delayed indefinitely while a Wi-Fi range problem is resolved.
And there you have it...
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Amazon didn't cancel all 32gb's just the grey ones...
Boy, is there any better forum post to insight such a riot.
I personally think that Asus planned a Dec 9th release, but this was moved to the 19th for them to fix the minor wifi issue that was in the preview units. So the delay was already incurred. The problem would then be inventory ramp up which was slower due to fixing the issue. Since most of the rumors are coming from non-us sources or smaller chains, one can assume that this is really a supply issue and not an actual hardware delay.
I am willing to bet that if you haven't heard from the retailer you pre-ordered from about a delay, then you will probably get one shipped the week of the 19th. However, its all a guessing game which obviously has people sensitive.
UmbraeSoulsbane said:
The problem would then be inventory ramp up which was slower due to fixing the issue.
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If that's all it was, then Asus are idiots for not just coming out and saying so. When there's a problem, people are much more forgiving if you're frank and open with your communication. Asus Canada at least had the balls to tell their resellers that there was a problem. Asus U.S.' terse one sentence responses to inquiries by the media mean either: A) something's going on or went on that they haven't wrapped their hands around, or B) what you said is true and their PR people should be fired. And any one that says this is all intentional to build up buzz and intrigue doesn't know PR.
Bottom line is if the early units people receive work flawlessly then all of this will be forgotten in a couple of weeks and Asus will come out unscathed. God help Asus if after all the gymnastics people went though to get one there's common issues or problems. Especially Wi-Fi related issues because that's what Asus Canada reported as the reason for the delay and Asus U.S. has denied via their silence. If that happens their obvious rush to get it to market and all the secrecy about the delay will come back and bite them in the ass.
Orion66 said:
ok quick question? Is there a delay or not? Will prime launch at 19th of December ot not?
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Absolutely No it Won't! Wait, I just read a site that claims that they heard another site that said that their little brother knows a tipster, that knows a friend who's cousin is a friend of a social worker, that knows a guy that used to work with Asus and says his inside source is as confused as this post is and all these other ones are!
BarryH_GEG said:
If that's all it was, then Asus are idiots for not just coming out and saying so. When there's a problem, people are much more forgiving if you're frank and open with your communication. Asus Canada at least had the balls to tell their resellers that there was a problem. Asus U.S.' terse one sentence responses to inquiries by the media mean either: A) something's going on or went on that they haven't wrapped their hands around, or B) what you said is true and their PR people should be fired. And any one that says this is all intentional to build up buzz and intrigue doesn't know PR.
Bottom line is if the early units people receive work flawlessly then all of this will be forgotten in a couple of weeks and Asus will come out unscathed. God help Asus if after all the gymnastics people went though to get one there's common issues or problems. Especially Wi-Fi related issues because that's what Asus Canada reported as the reason for the delay and Asus U.S. has denied via their silence. If that happens their obvious rush to get it to market and all the secrecy about the delay will come back and bite them in the ass.
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I was trying to think of a reply, but you nailed it so well, there's not much else to say.
i just called 3 of my local gamestops here in Orlando (that are going to carry it) and 2 just said the 19th with out checking. The 3rd which was florida mall, I asked to please check there system. Hey came back and said it has been delayed and until when he did not know. waaaaaa
here is there number if anyone wants to call them and act like they have it on preorder too..lol
4072400310
Got my TP yesterday from Best Buy, and unfortunately it had few issues, biggest being that the left side was separating (you could see the glass move and could hear a click when squeezing it....) Needless to say I was not going to keep it, so I figured I will give a local Best Buy a try to see if I can exchange it...
I walked up to the Customer Service desk and explained the problem. They said no problem, just go to the computer area and get another one, and they will do an exchange. Went back there, and asked for a Transformer Prime. Got a blank stare, then was told that they are not out yet. I proceeded to explain that I already have one and I'm just exchanging it. Another blank stare, then I was assured that what I must have is the Transformer. I finally got tired of this and asked one of the reps to go back to Customer Service with me.
Upon looking at the box, he looked up the SKU and not finding it in the system, he told me that there is nothing they can do, since it's not in their system and he has no idea how I was able to order one. I politely explained that I have the packing slip from BB.com, order receipt, emails from BB, etc. I had two other people look at it, try to pull up the SKU, then telling me the same thing. It was time to talk to somebody that might have a slightest clue, so I asked for a manager. To make a long story short, after a 25 minute discussion where I was basically accused of "doing something funny", he called somebody else on the phone, and after a short conversation told me that he will "issue me a refund, but this is just not right."
I stayed calm and got the refund, then politely explained to the guy that I can't believe how they can treat a customer in this manner. I don't remember the last time being treated remotely like this, and I will certainly let the corporate office know. He could obviously care less...
Anyway, just wanted to vent. Best Buy lost a VERY good customer, as after this whole TP fiasco I'm just done with them. It's a shame that such a large retailer has so little clue about customer service and competency...
Well the TP is not currently sold in stores yet, its an online only product. I can see why there were confused, but they should've know that though.
Dang! I hope my luck is better. I have a Grey 64GB with dock on pre-order from B&H. It's amazing how lame and helpless these sales people can be. They are slaves to the Point-Of-Sale terminal with no imagination or obvious access to resources.
The correct response would be to accept what you said as true, apologize and issue the refund since they have no units in the store to give you.
Bye.
Hmm, who would've guessed Paul Christoforo would get a job at Best Buy so quickly.
Ludikhris said:
Hmm, who would've guessed Paul Christoforo would get a job at Best Buy so quickly.
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Well obviously since his tablet was only purchasable on wwebsite as on the internet, they couldn't find it.
Mine comes in tomorrow from Best Buy. I hope I don't have any issues that I have to do go through them. Maybe I'll just contact my ASUS rep straight up if I have a problem.
jyan_osu said:
Well obviously since his tablet was only purchasable on wwebsite as on the internet, they couldn't find it.
Mine comes in tomorrow from Best Buy. I hope I don't have any issues that I have to do go through them. Maybe I'll just contact my ASUS rep straight up if I have a problem.
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True. Or he could have sold them all on ebay for $150 so there were none left.
Asus packaging really sucks(only booklets is well protected), and BB mailed it in plastic envelope..No wonder there are a lot of problems....
Sorry to hear about the lousy experience. After working in retail, I can deffinently tell you not to threaten with "going to corporate". Just as you said they probably aren't going to care.
Much better to tell the manager on site that you want their District/Regional managers name and phone number. Call the number on the spot if it's during normal daytime hours. This will get you much better results.
District/Regional managers are the normal top dog of the store area, and if you can relay your distress to them in your treatment/experience, results will quickly follow. The store themselves aren't scared of a veiled threat to someone they never directly interact with ("corporate"). But get in touch with their direct boss (the region/district), and that'll put some fear in them...
That doesn't surprise me one bit. Best Buy customer service and return policy is one of the worst I've ever seen.
Now that the competitors (Circuit City, Silo) are gone some long gone Best Buy brick and mortars feel that they can do whatever they want. "Like where else are you going to go?"
but part of this blame also needs to be shared by ASUS for half-ass launching of their product. You don't launch a product to minimum stores unless you want your product to flop.
strange ASUS never revealed the amount of Primes they shipped to US for launch. My guess is under 3,000 units at best.
I was in BB last week, doing other shopping and for the heck of it, asked if they had the dock in yet (they didn't). But all of the BB guys were insisting that the TF Prime was not even out yet and that it had been delayed until Jan. I was like "Of course it's out, I have one!!". Lol... :/
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
The Best Buy clerks at the retailer in my area knew that they were out but had no idea of when they would be in, they checked their internet computers and only saw what most online-shoppers saw the "Coming Soon" message.
Can someone explain to me again why BB stopped their TFP online ordering nearly 2-weeks before Christmas and put-up a "Coming Soon" banner? Do they not realize how many customers they lost in what I can only see as a dumb move. I mean even if you didn't have any TFP in-stock, you could have at least kept it set up as a pre-order to collect potential buyers, but leaving it as a Coming Soon did no good for anyone, not even their own brick and mortar retailers who also used BB.com.
the_game_master said:
Can someone explain to me again why BB stopped their TFP online ordering nearly 2-weeks before Christmas and put-up a "Coming Soon" banner? Do they not realize how many customers they lost in what I can only see as a dumb move. I mean even if you didn't have any TFP in-stock, you could have at least kept it set up as a pre-order to collect potential buyers, but leaving it as a Coming Soon did no good for anyone, not even their own brick and mortar retailers who also used BB.com.
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With the ridiculous amount of issues that it turns out they've had with preorders, stopping them was ultimately the right move.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
It is just truly amazing that a retailer the size of Best Buy can have basic issues like this and how unresponsive they are to fix those issues. I think the mentality here is - it is not effecting enough people, so let's just not talk about it.
so i guess this confirms they really wont be issuing any sort of fix or solution?
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Asus-UK-Transformer-Prime-Refund-New-Model-TF700,14516.html
Misleading title is misleading. They're just saying if you don't like it, return it to the shop you purchased it, something you can do by Law. The only thing Asus are offering is an extension to the warranty.
Just curious... did you even read the article?
Asus is not offering refund, they are recommending people who are not happy with WiFi/GPS performance to return them to retailers.
arrrgh said:
Just curious... did you even read the article?
Asus is not offering refund, they are recommending people who are not happy with WiFi/GPS performance to return them to retailers.
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Lmao I was thinking same thing OP fails.
Has anyone rang asus to take the extended warranty? I have and they dont know anything about it!
What about us in the United States? Do we get an extended warranty? It feels like, other than in Taiwan, the US was doing a bunch of beta testing on this thing.
That article basically says that the Wifi Issues will be fixed for the UK Version, but what about versions that have already been released?
How exactly is it misleading?
the company is now offering another alternative: A full refund. The company today said that extensive checks have confirmed that no units with WiFi issues have been supplied to customers in the UK, it is willing to refund customers that are still unhappy with their device.
"After extensive checks we can confirm that no units have been supplied to the UK with a known WiFi issue. Any customers experiencing WiFi issues specifically are advised to contact our support hotline on 0870 1208 340," Asus UK said. "Any customers who have purchased a Transformer Prime TF201 and are dissatisfied with the performance of the GPS module are advised to return the unit to their point of purchase for a full refund as per standard consumer rights that apply in the UK."
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The article specifically says ASUS is offering a full refund.
The article says ASUS is asking customers who are dissatisfied, to take it back to their place of purchase.
Who says they haven't reached out to the retailers and instructed to offer full refunds, outside of the store policy?
And who the hell knows what "consumer rights as they apply in the UK" means?
I wish people would stop being so quick to judge posters. The link i posted may or may not be accurate, but no need to flame. Im not here trying to stir up ****, im trying to share info i came across.
Thank you.
PS, this article proves to me, more than anything, that ASUS has no intention of offering any solution to the weak wifi ... which pisses me off because otherwise i am in love with my tablet.
and yes, for a while i was hopeful that they would make some statement about it, offering some solution or cheap fix.
I dont want a refund, or a credit, money is not the issue .. i just want this tablet to have better wifi signal, that is all
So I just checked if there were any firmware updates available and there was one! Does anyone know what it does? Obviously I'm hoping it'll fix the rebooting issue but I'm wondering if anyone else has gotten it yet.
Edit: Whoops, I posted this to the wrong thread. I'd delete this post but I'm not sure if I'm able to.
rsarno said:
How exactly is it misleading?
The article specifically says ASUS is offering a full refund.
The article says ASUS is asking customers who are dissatisfied, to take it back to their place of purchase.
.......................................................
And who the hell knows what "consumer rights as they apply in the UK" means?
..................................................
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In the Uk we have a number of consumer protections.
One is the distance selling regs which give peeps who buy a new Product (excepting opened software, mucic media or things like pants (underwear for our friends over the pond) earings etc where there is a hygiene element) a minimum of 7 days to look at a product and try it out (there are expectations to keep the original packaging and to look after the goods) and decide to keep it or return it.
Another consumer protection is the Consumer Protection act which protects all purchasers of goods and this protects consumers by stating that goods should be fit for purpose, this protection should last (a very subjective) for a reasonable life of the item and if a fault is found in the first six months the consumer should have the right for that item to be treated as if the fault was present at the point of sale. (it is not always easy to force this issue but there are remedies) so for example a Television that dies after 18 months could fall under this legislation as it would be reasonable for a TV to last longer than 18 months.
Another area in which we might be different is that in The UK the contract is between the seller and the purchaser, not between the manufacturer and the end user, so that Asus increasing the length of their warranty is over and above the responsibilities of the seller.
in the UK the grey TFP is as rare as rocking horse sh*t and there are very few outlets that have been able to distribute the TFP with the silver version is as common as a dodo! Asus has in all likelihood been in contact with the company who is distributing the TFP over here and arrangements have been made for the return of faulty TFP's to be made simple.
On another level I do not mind peeps griping about the goods but I get really pee'd of with those who take over the official asus rep started threads in which Asus are looking for patterns of the faults to help them narrow down the problems to work on fixes to vent their spleen: If i was an Asus rep I would be disheartened by this and feel that (I am sure they are working their nuts off) their efforts are not being appreciated and this also has an effect on me and other users; as it makes focussing on those issues all the harder because the likes of Gary are having to wade through a lot of irrelevant posts to get to the meat of the problem, and also some of the posts have been pretty insulting and personal to the point that I have reported a couple. I think Asus are being much more responsive than Apple was over the Iphone having difficulties making calls)
(Sorry for the rant in the previous paragraph but having read the three threads earlier it just had to come out and I was going to post similar on those threads but managed to check myself. It was not pointed at yourself or any individual in particular )
Hope the info on some of our consumer legislation was useful.
As indicated many countries outside the US have customer protection programs and this drives corporate decisions for those countries to make sure customers feel like a company that is getting bad press is trying to resolve the issues. Based on what we are seeing in the last week ASUS is stepping up to the plate in many ways to resolve their problems with the Prime.
Well, if anyone is interested, i filed a complaint with the BBB, REGARDING the locked bootloaders vs the unlocked, as unfair business practice against the people who casn't unlock, probably won't help, like everything else we've tried, but had to give it a shot
At least you're trying to make a difference.
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using xda premium
Aldo101t said:
Well, if anyone is interested, i filed a complaint with the BBB, REGARDING the locked bootloaders vs the unlocked, as unfair business practice against the people who casn't unlock, probably won't help, like everything else we've tried, but had to give it a shot
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Expanding complaints to the BBB got me thinking... How about the Public Utilities Commission? A quick search found this:
How to complain about your Wireless Service: http://www.consumersunion.org/campaigns/learn_more/001038indiv.html
Includes information about complaining to FCC and State Attorney's office as well. Interesting comment in the State Attorney section:
"· Describe the problem. Describe as completely as you can the problem with the product or service you have purchased. Were you told something that was untrue? Describe what you were told and how it was untrue.
· Explain what you want the business to do. Specifically state how much money should be refunded or exactly how you want a product fixed or a service performed."
Weren't we told that the bootloader could be unlocked when we bought these?
junkmail9 said:
Expanding complaints to the BBB got me thinking... How about the Public Utilities Commission? A quick search found this:
How to complain about your Wireless Service: http://www.consumersunion.org/campaigns/learn_more/001038indiv.html
Includes information about complaining to FCC and State Attorney's office as well. Interesting comment in the State Attorney section:
"· Describe the problem. Describe as completely as you can the problem with the product or service you have purchased. Were you told something that was untrue? Describe what you were told and how it was untrue.
· Explain what you want the business to do. Specifically state how much money should be refunded or exactly how you want a product fixed or a service performed."
Weren't we told that the bootloader could be unlocked when we bought these?
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yes, well i think what might be verizon's downfall here is the fact they allowed unlock for 2 wks then locked it down, it's like they baited people to buy the phone, this is not a good thing, in my eyes, i think it's our loophole. as it where
I think you guys are stretching. I never heard anything about this phone being bootloader unlocked. It was always the hope and then when some of us got in everyone was nicely surprised.
This phone is not the first time that something like this has happened. Verizon pretty much locks the bootloader on every phone because it "provides us a better service". We all know that is crap but that is how they justify it.
blazingwolf said:
I think you guys are stretching. I never heard anything about this phone being bootloader unlocked. It was always the hope and then when some of us got in everyone was nicely surprised.
This phone is not the first time that something like this has happened. Verizon pretty much locks the bootloader on every phone because it "provides us a better service". We all know that is crap but that is how they justify it.
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well, your probably right, but none the less some at first got unlocked, either by an oversight from htc or verizon. it still leaves the fact that it's not right to the people who after reading it was unlockable went and ordered the phone, myself included. this i hope will be their downfall in this situation, the big red making a mistake, really
i herd from the BBB, all they told me was they were contacting verizon yesterday, haven't heard back yet. that's about all i can report.
i recieved a letter today from the BBB, stating they contacted verizon, the attached letter is their response, it was tha same generic deal we all recieved before stating their excellence of customer satisfaction blah blah blah, same old story, so that did no good, lets keep on truckin though.
i have to respond within 10 days or they will consider the matter closed, i will of course contact them(BBB) hell i already know what they sent me.
Hi,
I've been reading around the NL/WP8 forums here for quite a while and just wanted to share my horrid experience at the MS store at Washington Square.
I'd been waiting and wanting a Nokia WP8 device since the rumors began and with some odd luck suddenly had a work related trip to the US for the first time. On my last day in the US I had a few hours to do some shopping and landed up at Washington Square mall in Beaverton, amazingly appeared before me a MS store :good::laugh: . Went over there, played around with the NL920 & 8x, I was originally a bit concerned after reading so many reviews pointing out the weight issue of the 920. While standing there naturally the sales personal starting chatting with me, I immediately stated I was from overseas and that fact I was very interested in the 920. The first lady mentioned that there's no problem using it overseas, again naturally I was surprised and quite suspicious. I kindly asked if she could verify this with someone "technical", to cut a long story short after about 15 minutes standing there and talking with 3 different MS people, the "higher up" insured me "The AT&T logo is just for sales reasons". Sadly my overseas SIM (& phone) were standard and not the Micro variant so innocently I took their word for it and left there a jolly shopper.
BUT once I got home, replaced my SIM with a Micro SIM via my cell carrier I was amazed to discover that it's locked!
I don't want to sound like an imbecile or an over innocent person, I simply believed what 3 different (and very convincing) sales people told me, it was "just what I wanted to hear" but I still couldn't believe the misleading would be so blatant.
Emailing MS & Nokia was completely and utterly pointless, they didn't even say they'll check it out or even make sure the salespeople are aware of this. They both responded that they basically don't care and tried to blame each other, and just ignored my replies without even a word of response. Such disappointing and non-existent customer service from two companies that really need the consumers to back them.
Just wanted to share this with you people and make sure no one else gets scammed by 'em, it isn't too much fun getting home after 16 odd hours of a long flight and work trip to discover you have a giant wp-Pod (even though it's quite a cool device)..
BTW, really appreciate all the people here trying to find and test out unlocking services and as everyone hoping something new comes up soon.
R.
Unfortunately, I'm not surprised. People in this country (even those who work in the Microsoft Store or other U.S. telecom company) have no idea what the difference is between "unlocked" and "off-contract". They also don't know the concept of frequency bands either.
I was at the U Village Microsoft Store in Seattle, WA a few weeks ago. Just for fun, I asked an employee if the Lumia 920 is pentaband. The employee couldn't answer so he ran off to ask another employee. He started a chain reaction. Pretty soon, 5 or 6 employees tried to answer my question. Eventually they just gave up and said that they didn't know.
This past week at the Bellevue Microsoft Store, I saw a couple looking to buy an unlocked Lumia 920. Needless to say, they had a long discussion with the MS Store employee and weren't really making any progress. Eventually I interrupted and showed the couple my unlocked Lumia 920. I gave them a few options (Negri, GSM Nation, etc.). I also told them that they can go up to a Rogers Store in Vancouver to buy one and have it unlocked for $50.
Moral of the story is to take everything you hear at a U.S. tech store with a grain of salt. Most of the time, they don't know anything. Occasionally, you'll find one who actually knows the stuff, but that's extremely rare.
If you need advice on the phones to buy, you'll have to take your time to do research on the internet and ask people on forums. Most of us know a lot more than retail employees.
I hope your situation works out though. I would continue to talk to Microsoft since they were the ones with misleading information. I don't think AT&T and Nokia can help you, since they're not the ones who sold the phone to you.
This is what I have heard....>The phone would work overseas. As long as you are on AT&T (or their partner).
try this
You can try calling up AT&T, explain what happened and get the unlock code. If you browse wpcentral forums you can find folks got the code.
hawc1506, I completely agree about the research part but simply after reading a few times that people did get unlocked devices from some stores, and the fact I actually took out my overseas SIM and "waved" it a couple of times, I was a bit too much of a "sucker" and believed what I'd heard.
After I responded to the MS rep via mail they just started ignoring my email, and when I spoke with AT&T (via Skype) they basically said that only if I join them I'll have some hope.
Someone sent me an IM saying I should try post a YouTube video of the story and as much as I'm really against that kind of "child play" I don't think that any other common-sense will work with these companies and every time I fiddle with my shinny micro-pod it annoys me more.
Thanks for you comments everyone , I do hope at some point we all find some reasonable way of unlocking these devices (better sooner than later )
Well in desperation (+ 2 recommendations by people) I decided to YouTube my story both to share and maybe that'll be the miracle that will cause MS/Nokia to actually pay attention to a customer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdRMQ4pC884
Please excuse the poor experience, it's my first ever video and Powerpoint doesn't seem to convert the audio
P.S. I reviewed the forum rules and didn't see anything against my video so I hope it won't be a problem.
As was mentioned, this was a misunderstanding on the part of the store and I'm sorry you had to go through it. Unfortunately, as was also mentioned, it is not common for Americans to purchase devices SIM free/unlocked. As such, most places have no idea what that even means. I ended up in a similar misunderstanding once in Italy several years ago where I'd spent €450 to buy a Samsung Android phone, only to discover that there was a common defect with the screen. I wanted to get my money back, but the common policy in Italy is that one can only exchange for other goods. As such, I was pretty much forced to find €450 of electronics on which to spend the credit. Lesson learnt.
Hopefully you'll be able to get it unlocked or re-sell it on eBay.