Complaint Review: Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go

My fianc and I travel quite extensively and need constant access to the Internet to check specific accounts for work, so for that extra coverage (and peace of mind) we decided to purchase a wireless modem.  On April 7th, 2012 we went to our local Best Buy in Colorado Springs and purchased a Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go Mifi 2200 Broadband Device and a Virgin Mobile $50 Topup Card in order to use the broadband device.

We used the product over the weekend were we experienced continuous Internet drops, freezes and extremely slow download speeds (and we havent even traveled anywhere yet we just tried using the product within our own home).   We called Virgin Mobiles customer service for their broadband Internet usage at 1-877-877-8443 to confirm that my location was indeed a hotspot area where I should be receiving the best coverage possible and it was. I told Virgin Mobile if this was the best their wireless modem had to offer (within a designated hotspot) what was it going to be like while traveling and not within those areas? Thats rightno coverage!

So, my only real options were either poor coverage or no coverage at all? I told Virgin Mobile that I was going to return their wireless modem to Best Buy and wanted to know if I could also receive a refund on the $50 Topup Card since Best Buys policies does not allow such returns.  The customer service representative apologized for the inconvenience and poor experience with their broadband device and said she would issue a refund right away for the $50 Topup Card (conformation #:3-M68GTKZ, account#:7192339510), however we need to wait 4-6 weeks for a refund to be sent via US mail. I said that was not a problem and up to that point we were satisfied with Virgin Mobiles refund policies.

Next, we returned the Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go Mifi 2200 to Best Buy on April, 9th 2012 and waited the full six weeks for Virgin Mobiles refund that NEVER came!  I called Virgin Mobile back  May 23rd, 2012 and spoke to another representative (who was a lot less professional) stating that I needed to send them the actual $50 Topup Card, which I never received from Best Buy, in order to receive my return.  This Virgin Mobile representative was very condescending and rude. Where he said nothing could be done for us even after I gave him my conformation number the previous representative gave me stating the refund.

I quickly hung-up and called back in order to talk to someone more reasonable, however through my best efforts I could not understand this representative since their accent was so prominent and their English was so poor. Again, I hung-up and called back and this time asked to speak to a supervisor who told me that I need to fax them a copy of my purchase receipt with my name, phone number and pin number to 1-888-844 7056 before they would send out a refund check. This story was completely different from what I was originally told from the first Virgin Mobile representative, but at this point I just wanted this over and done with so I sent out all the information they required on May 24th, 2012. And waited another full six weeks for a check that NEVER showed up again!

I am sick and tired of the lack of professionalism and follow-through with this company and at this point we will NEVER do business with Virgin Mobile again unless they make good on their word. If not, I hope a $50 Topup Card was worth losing several customers for life? For I told all my family members and friends about our poor experience with Virgin Mobile and we all agreed we would take our future business dealings elsewhere.