Complaint Review: Phone Medic - Lenexa Kansas

 I recently took my cell phone into the merchant location at 135th & Metcalf in Overland Park. I had not been able to consistently charge the phone and wanted to get another year or more before getting a new phone. They told me that it needed a new charge port and that they no longer performed that service. They said the Phone Medic location at 95th and Quivera, in Lenexa does the soldering and could replace the charge port. On June 23rd I stopped in that store and the employee told me that they did not have a charge port but would have one in by the next morning. At 10:00 the next day I brought in my phone and checked it in with the store manager who said he would solder on a new charge port. He said it would take about 2 hrs. I drove back around 2:00 to pick up my phone. Another employee told me that my phone was not ready and that the manager whom I checked it in with was in a meeting. I asked why they couldn’t have called me. That employee said he had driven to Blue Springs to get the charge port a little earlier that day! I called back about 5:30 and the store manager said that he was just working on it. I drove back about 6:30 and paid $83.04 and picked up my phone. The phone took a charge now, but on June 28 I noticed that I could not transfer photos to my PC. I was on the phone with Samsung in Colorado Springs for almost an hour.

They could not determine the solution (ticket #2146029145). They suggested having Samsung rep at a Best Buy look at my phone. The next day (June 29) I did this. I told the rep that I had always been able to transfer photos to my PC. I mentioned that I had just had a new charge port put in the week before. He could not get the device to show up on three of their computers. He said the Phone Medic store obviously did not solder the data pin to the mother board correctly. I then drove directly back to the Lenexa store. They said the manager was not working that day. The next morning (June 30) I took my phone back to the store. The manager agreed to correct the issue, make the necessary repairs and told me it would be ready by 5:00. I did not hear from him by 6:00 and drove to the store. The store manager said that he had made three attempts to solder on the data pin correctly and that in the process he had ruined the motherboard and could not get the phone to turn on to be able to retrieve the data! I told him that I had no idea that my data (contacts, photos, calendar, etc) could be lost! I told him that I had no experience with these kind of issues and assumed that a new charge port would only be connected to the battery somehow. He offered me a refurbished Galaxy S5. I told him that I wanted to be reimbursed for the cost of the charge port, the cost of my phone and accessories. I told him that I was not interested in accepting any device new or used that he would offer and that I wanted my data retrieved however he does that. He said the phone would have to cool down to attempt this. That evening I stopped in at a T-Mobile store.

They explained to process of what the manager was doing and asked if I had a google account on the phone. I told him yes. He said that they could have easily backed up the data on my google account or transferred it other ways before ruining my phone. I told him that I had no indication that my data could be lost, nor that what he was soldering had anything to do with a critical part of my phone. The next morning (July1) I made the 7th trip to the Phone Medic Lenexa store. The manager said that he had not looked at my phone yet. I told him that I was very, very frustrated with him and with my experience. I told him again what I wanted as a settlement and that I wanted my data retrieved. I mentioned that in talking to the T-Mobile personell, he could have asked me if I had a google account, which I did, and he could have easily transferred the data before frying my phone. Later that day he called to tell me that he could not get the phone to turn on.

He said that he would take the phone to their "warehouse" so that another employee could work on getting the data, the first thing Monday morning. The following Monday (July 4) I called back to the store. The manager said that now the other employee was coming to his store and he would call me by the middle of the afternoon. Having not heard back, I made my 8th trip to the store by around 4:00, only to have the manager unbelievably, tell me that the other employee took my phone to his location!! I told him that nothing he had told me since bringing in my phone was the truth, except that he had ruined my phone! I told him again what I wanted as a settlement and that I wanted to talk to his supervisor. He went back in the work area and called someone. He came back and gave me a name and an e:mail address! He told me again, unbelievably, that his supervisor did not have a business phone!!

I drove back home and e-mailed this person with the basics of my frustration and asked him to call me. The next morning (July 5) I called the Phone Medic store and asked the manager the status of my phone. He said the other person was just now looking at it. I told him that I wanted the settlement and the contents of my phone by 2:00. Late that morning, I received a call from the Phone Medic District Manager. He agreed to the settlement, which did not include anything for the loss of my data! I told him that the manager had a serious issue with being able to tell the truth and that as I now know, it was incredibly irresponsible to attempt to solder on the phone without backing up my data to my google account. I drove to the Lenexa store.

I was reimbursed for the cost of the charge port and for the partial cost of replacing my phone. Nothing was offered, nor given me for the loss of my data. No apology was given to me by either the store manager nor the company’s District Manager here in Kansas City! I took my phone to a reputable cell phone repair store where they confirmed that the phone would not turn on and therefore my data was lost. I have had to spend more than $400. for a new phone and accessories. My experience with this company is that if you have a device that requires soldering, STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY! The ”Core Values” touted on their website is complete B.S.!