Last week I saw a shop for Cricket Wireless and now that my phone quit charging I can't find any shops. Does anyone know of any companies with cell phone shops?

Ipsos has purchase or upgrade shops at several wireless companies but it's for post-paid service.

Careful with these Ipsos purchase and return phone shops. I did two of the major carriers and they both billed me for service after I returned the phones and cancelled service.

One I have made three visits, purchase, return (they never cancelled the service even though I returned the phone) and then another to cancel service and they are still billing me. They are stating they can't deal with me on the phone since I can't remember my PIN and they want me to make a fourth visit to the store.

I've done six purchase and returns for cell providers .A, B and C. EVERY one has billed me after the return. A corrected it fairly quickly. B has been billing me for service since March for $48. This must be for the data plan but I never took the phone out of the box. I returned it an hour after purchasing and he tried to charge me for it. He got mad but said he was removing the charge. Apparently he didn't. The only data used was during setup. He told me the exact amount of minutes used and it matches the timing I did for the terror. I've ontacted them several times and now its in collections

I've done two for company C. The first took five months and nine calls to correct. The other was done March 2020. The $627 went to collections November 2020 and remains there. I was denied a desperately needed refi loan and the interest rate I qualified for with my car loan was higher because of the collection.

The mystery company said there's nothing they can do. Thirty eight calls, two store visits and five chats with C has done nothing. They say they can't find the tracking info even though I provided the return receipt. I've faxed all document to them, the Credit Bureau and collections agency but C continues to report it as valid.

I don't know where to go from here. Does anyone have suggestions or a similar story? I welcome all input.

Thanks

Ngodwin, that just sucks.

Thanks for sharing -- you may have saved another shopper considerable grief!!!!!

ngodwin1,

I believe the two of the shops I did were for, I'm guessing, your company A,

I actually got reimbursed via debit card for one month. Previously they credited my bank account for the two months billed incorrectly after cancellation of service for the first shop. They actually admitted on the phone they didn't cancel the service the day I requested it but at the end of the billing cycle. I had to get the MSC involved and got the gift card after I contacted the scheduler.

The second shop I did for company A went to collection for several months bills, about $150. I made two calls to cancel the service per the guidelines the day I got my phone via Fedex. Funny thing is the collection agency was able to transfer me to the carrier's customer service. Does the carrier have their own collection company?

This is the one they won't deal with me because I can't remember the PIN number. When I finally got someone at the carrier look at the account she couldn't figure out what was going on and suggested I go to the store.

Now I am being billed for company B which I returned and cancelled the phone after 5 days due to weather. I was billed a restocking fee. When I contacted the scheduler, she told me that's why they suggest returning the phone the same or next day. I tried to chat with this company but to reach a live person via chat, I had to log in. Because they had reassigned the phone number, I could not log in.

It took a 40 minute phone call but the representative from the cell company said he would credit the $79.04.

BTW,

I don't see these types shops on the MSC's job board near me any more. I wonder if they were just too much hassle for everyone involved.

I always wonder why shoppers take these purchase and return jobs for cell phones. They don't always end well. Same thing with the opening and closing of multiple banks accounts. It will eventually catch up to you.
I would do this IF I needed a new phone or wanted to upgrade or start service. No other way I'd do this for any amount of money. Ngodwin1 is a perfect example of why I would not do these. Sorry that happened to you Ngodwin1. I would just pay it to get it off my credit, but that's just me. I would not have waited to let it get that far though. I'm going to assume that you don't have the extra $627 to pay it either. Lesson learned.

I did the shop when I wanted a new phone. That's the only reason I did it, because I didn't have to return it.