Wind mobile – final sale, no refund
I decided to share my story with you and seek your opinion on it.
I was looking for cheap mobile phone service for my daughter. She wanted unlimited text messaging and just few talk minutes. After having done research on prices from different mobile phone services providers I came across the Wind mobile offer. They offer service my daughter wants for $7.5 for the first 6 months and then for $20 thereafter.
I checked the coverage map and I realized that area of our house and my daughter’s school is not covered and should be covered by the end of 2010 (sounds like now, but it is still not covered). I decided to inquire about it in the store. I also must note here that she has her own phone handset she wanted to use on wind mobile network to make the story complete.
Equipped with all the information I walked into the local store - Blockbuster on Trafalgar road in Oakville. I ran into problem immediately when I spent 5 minutes arguing with the wind mobile rep over my cell phone. Without any checking he claimed that majority of the phones will not work on wind mobile network. Eventually he agreed to use his SIM card to test the phone and bingo …. it did work no problem. Silly, but I believe that any rationally thinking individual would test it first and then started to discuss other options.
Next I raised my concern about coverage area. The wind mobile rep checked the coverage map on wind mobile website and he concluded that he lives in that area and he is always in “home zone”, just web site in not up-to-date. After he added that if it doesn’t work, I would be refunded under condition that it is less then I believe two weeks from purchase and less then 10 minutes of talk time I agreed to proceed with the purchase.
I realized right away that the SIM card cost is overpriced ($20 versus $10 other providers charge), but I agreed to accept it, because in long run it would pay off easily.
To make sure that there will be no surprise charges at the end of the month, I decided to go with the monthly prepaid option.
Next day I learned from my daughter that she is in “away zone” in the school and all the way from the school to our house. Only in our house and its close vicinity she is in the “home zone”. Ironically I must say it is logical, it is our home after all :-) Because of the smart decision block any services which is not covered by the plan she wasn’t able to neither text nor call. I asked her to give it a one more try next day. She did it with same result.
After such experience I realized that wind mobile will not do it for her and she decided to go with other provider. All this happen two days after purchase. I went back to store asking for refund. This time I was told that SIM cards are final sale because they cannot be reused once they are entered into system. I argued for a little while in the store, but then I gave up and I called customer service next day. They just repeated same stuff over and now I’m left with bill $22.6 (assuming that prepaid service will be refunded) for 2 days use of SIM card. At this point I want to stress that I wasn’t informed at the time of the purchase that SIM card is a final sale and it is not written on the receipt either. When I asked customer service about it, I was told that it is on the website, but I cannot find it there either.
Anyway, enough of long story.
Please can you suggest what I can do to get the refund for wasted SIM card?
If you disagree with me in terms that I shouldn’t be eligible for refund on the SIM card, please feel free to post your comments.
I was looking for cheap mobile phone service for my daughter. She wanted unlimited text messaging and just few talk minutes. After having done research on prices from different mobile phone services providers I came across the Wind mobile offer. They offer service my daughter wants for $7.5 for the first 6 months and then for $20 thereafter.
I checked the coverage map and I realized that area of our house and my daughter’s school is not covered and should be covered by the end of 2010 (sounds like now, but it is still not covered). I decided to inquire about it in the store. I also must note here that she has her own phone handset she wanted to use on wind mobile network to make the story complete.
Equipped with all the information I walked into the local store - Blockbuster on Trafalgar road in Oakville. I ran into problem immediately when I spent 5 minutes arguing with the wind mobile rep over my cell phone. Without any checking he claimed that majority of the phones will not work on wind mobile network. Eventually he agreed to use his SIM card to test the phone and bingo …. it did work no problem. Silly, but I believe that any rationally thinking individual would test it first and then started to discuss other options.
Next I raised my concern about coverage area. The wind mobile rep checked the coverage map on wind mobile website and he concluded that he lives in that area and he is always in “home zone”, just web site in not up-to-date. After he added that if it doesn’t work, I would be refunded under condition that it is less then I believe two weeks from purchase and less then 10 minutes of talk time I agreed to proceed with the purchase.
I realized right away that the SIM card cost is overpriced ($20 versus $10 other providers charge), but I agreed to accept it, because in long run it would pay off easily.
To make sure that there will be no surprise charges at the end of the month, I decided to go with the monthly prepaid option.
Next day I learned from my daughter that she is in “away zone” in the school and all the way from the school to our house. Only in our house and its close vicinity she is in the “home zone”. Ironically I must say it is logical, it is our home after all :-) Because of the smart decision block any services which is not covered by the plan she wasn’t able to neither text nor call. I asked her to give it a one more try next day. She did it with same result.
After such experience I realized that wind mobile will not do it for her and she decided to go with other provider. All this happen two days after purchase. I went back to store asking for refund. This time I was told that SIM cards are final sale because they cannot be reused once they are entered into system. I argued for a little while in the store, but then I gave up and I called customer service next day. They just repeated same stuff over and now I’m left with bill $22.6 (assuming that prepaid service will be refunded) for 2 days use of SIM card. At this point I want to stress that I wasn’t informed at the time of the purchase that SIM card is a final sale and it is not written on the receipt either. When I asked customer service about it, I was told that it is on the website, but I cannot find it there either.
Anyway, enough of long story.
Please can you suggest what I can do to get the refund for wasted SIM card?
If you disagree with me in terms that I shouldn’t be eligible for refund on the SIM card, please feel free to post your comments.
. J/k about the bracket part though. 
