Defective Samsung Brightside Cell Phones - Bad Batch, Corporate Ostriches and Sucker Consumers

I admit I am not a high-tech kind of girl. When it comes to my cell phone, I want something easy. I don't need a "media package" - I have computers for that. So on March 11, 2012 when I went into an alleged Verizon retail store and bought a brand spanking new phone - a Samsung Brightside - I was thrilled that it had everything I needed for a really affordable price.

Welcome to my nightmare.

As marketed and as sold to me - brand new - the phone came with two features I need in my everyday life: A Calendar and an Alarm. To make a long story short, neither have worked from the day I purchased the phone. Every now and then the alarm will go off but for a long stretch of time, it didn't. The Calendar function has NEVER worked.

Three times I went back to the alleged Verizon retail store - the first two within a week of purchase and was told "oh well, must be a glitch, it will fix itself" and "too bad, so sad you are stuck with this phone" can't give you a refund or a new phone.

So I filed a complaint with the Mass. Attorney General's Office. THAT got Verizon's attention. I received a call from a David Hughes, a suit in the Verizon corporate offices who (a) tried to tell me that there is nothing wrong with the Samsung Brightsides; (b) who told me too bad so sad you can't get a new phone; (c) wanted to send me a "certified like new USED RECONDITIONED Samsung Brightside" and good luck with that.

Deny, deny, deny.

So I went onto the Verizon Wireless website, searched Samsung Brightside problems and oh lookee what I found: many other consumers having the IDENTICAL ISSUES! So I printed all those emails, mailed to the mediator handling my case at the AG's office, and continued to solicit information from other consumers about this phone.

Then I get an email from another consumer who named a Verizon employee in Illinois who absolutely undoubtedly had knowledge that there IS and HAS been a problem with the Samsung Brightside cell phones. Hmmmmmmm. I called this Verizon employee and she confirmed that yes, there ARE problems and guess what? These very same problems are and have been documented in an "internal Verizon employee problem blog."

Gee, Mr. Verizon suit lied to me? Oh now that's a novel concept. So I called him back, left him a "terse" voice mail and then I get a letter from him which basically blah blah blahed me to death and denied, denied, denied again and again that there were problems with the Samsung Brightside.

Clearly over 100 people from whom I've received emails must be on the same hallucinogenic drug according to the Verizon suit.

NOT!

I am not some fluffernutter 20 year old. I am a 50 year old, college educated high IQ human being. I know when I am being snowed.

There IS and HAS BEEN a problem with the Samsung Brightside cell phones. Most likely a bad "batch" of cell phones was manufactured by Samsung, distributed, marketed and sold for profit by Verizon retailers (fake or authorized) and many consumers just don't know about the defect because (a) they haven't tried the Alarm function; (b) they haven't tried the Calendar function; (c) or just don't care because they don't USE the Calendar or alarm function.

The Samsung Brightside has a touch screen which is a enticing feature for the pre-teen and teen market. And it's affordable. But with the defect, no recourse for refund, and consumers being offered a used reconditioned phone as a replacement, Verizon finds it easy to simply deny that a problem exists and will not take any steps to contact Samsung to find out if there is indeed a batch problem, a firmware problem (if that's the case, good luck Chuck because the phone will NEVER work as marketed and sold to consumers) because 100 people having the same problem with the same cell phone isn't even a penny to corporate vulture Verizon.

And interestingly enough, I've made such a stink about this that my Verizon FIOS account was screwed with (undoubtedly by some Verizon exec who wants me to disappear).

My next step is to sue the retail store from which I purchased the cell phone (according to the suit's letter, it's an unauthorized dealer so once again too bad so sad for me). But yet Verizon customer service denies problems; denies anyone has called Verizon about problems with the Samsung Brightside and refuses to give me a new FULLY FUNCTIONING CELL PHONE.

I am not being unreasonable.

I just want what I paid for on March 11, 2012.
https://community.verizonwireless.com/thread/773147
Stay tuned.