Finally started the RA process today with LG and will be shipping them the phone after I back it up and reset it this weekend. This part has me concerned though- THREE WEEKS for them to even reply back to you? I can certainly get by with my backup phone, but geez what were they doing that entire time? They can't be that understaffed or backed up with that many repairs, can they?
Just got my phone back today and I must say... the ABSOLUTE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE IN MY LIFE.
I chose the refurb option for $200, which I assumed meant new logic board and housing. Housing was definitely new. I powered it on to see that it had it 5.1.1. Ok, fine. I go to turn on the Wi-Fi - works the first time, subsequent tries no luck. I power it into safe mode and can activate it but can't connect to any network. I go to check the MAC address: IT'S THE SAME F*CKING MAC ADDRESS. THEY DIDN'T FIX A G-D DAMN THING.
So I call up the 1-800-793-8896. I tell them that the phone hasn't been repaired and that I need to speak with a supervisor. The customer service rep tries to stall, and asks me when I received the phone back from the repair facility. I tell them today. What does she tell me? She suggests that, because it was just repaired, that I needed to wait 24-48 hours for it to work properly. WHAT IN THE EVER LIVING F*CK KIND OF ANSWER IS THAT?????? So I lose it and start arguing with her, asking how is the phone going to magically start working after 48 hours? I continue to push her to speak with a supervisor, and she continues to stall. I did not curse, but I repeated over and over to speak with a supervisor. I told her that I knew her call was being recorded for quality assurance purposes, and that is when she hung up on me. Upon calling them back, the rep I spoke with had "no record" of the previous phone call. How convenient.
I'm still on the phone now trying to get this resolved. Can someone, anyone PLEASE PLEASE get me a contact to LG Corp? I don't have a Facebook or Twitter account (I'm very anti-social), but I'm considering signing up for accounts just so that this experience can be heard. I would never want another customer to ever have to go through this kind of nightmare. I haven't included the debacle of sending in the device in the first place (had to pay out of pocket twice because first shipment was refused by warehouse because they were "closed", they refused to send me a shipping label and never patched me through to a supervisor).
I'll keep you guys updated.
Update: LG is having me ship back the phone yet again and are providing a FedEx shipping label. After about 25 reboots today, I was able to get Wi-Fi to enable once. My concern is that when the factory receives it, it will work that "one time" for them and they will consider it enough proof for them. Then, they will again ship it back to me un-repaired. I have no way of knowing if they will thoroughly test it with multiple reboots like a proper repair technician should. Looking back at the repair papers, it states that "Repair Results: Bluetooth / WiFi Module." So the modules were "repaired" (software update, re-seating the module, etc) but not replaced. The serial number listed in the packing slip is the same as the one that was sent in, further leading me to believe they did not replace the logicboard at all (as if having the same MAC address wasn't enough).
I've reached out to my insurance adjuster (extended warranty through credit card) for guidance on how to proceed. At this point, I have zero trust in LG and am hoping to be able to get a second opinion at a local repair shop if LG once again sends it back un-repaired. I hope to be able to claim the cost of both repairs under my extended warranty.
Update 2: Got off the phone with insurance adjuster. He advised to send the phone to LG as they offered. If it comes back un-repaired again, take it to a local shop and get an estimate. If the estimated cost of repair + what I've paid LG already exceeds what I paid for the phone ($393 after taxes), he will credit me that amount + the amount I've already paid for repairs.