S3s available for New Customers, but not for Phone Replacement?

[static2229]

I just thought I would let you guys know, that my brand new Galaxy s3 fell off my desk at work yesterday and it cracked the screen in the bottom left-hand corner. I was upset as you can imagine. After being given the run-around for 1.5+ hours on the phone and hearing multiple stories for my situation including:

- Free phone replacement doesn't apply for the Galaxy S3
- Free phone replacement requies a store to have the phone in-stock, we cannot ship it
- Its within 15 days you can simply walk into the store and get a replacement

We finally came to conclusion after talking to 5+ reps that my only good option was to use free phone replacement (which does work on the S3 and does not require the phone to be in-stock at the store).

However, after determining this, I am being told that there are not any S3 phones available for free phone replacement yet. However, for customers that want to open a new line they are available. I find it very odd that USCC is trying to pull this. I have a been a customer for 10+ years, but its seems that I am not as important as new customers are in this situation.

Has anyone else encountered a situation like this???? Your thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks!!!

[BigE]

It's a tough call to make but if you put yourself in US Cellular's position I think it makes sense. If you have a customer who is in a store and is wanting to sign a contract on the spot, but you can't because you don't have a GS3 in stock then that customer is going to walk out the door and go over to Verizon or Sprint to get a GS3.

Whereas if you make the new customer the priority in this particular instance you sign the new customer and the existing customer, in a worst case scenario, has their old phone that they can reactivate in the meantime.

Again, it's a difficult decision to make but I think it makes the most business sense.

[Double_A]

It sucks that you dropped your phone. Reading that made me bump up my priorities and I'll be ordering a Siedo case today. Accidents happen, you can't predict when.

[cometmike]

It sucks that you dropped your phone. Reading that made me bump up my priorities and I'll be ordering a Siedo case today. Accidents happen, you can't predict when.

I already ordered a Seidio case, but I may be getting insurance on my phone too.

[static2229]

After lots of talking and working up and down the ladders in the phone system I was able to get USCC to send me a new phone today via UPS Next Day Air. Crazy that it took them so long to realize that taking care of a long-term customer is slightly more important than gaining a new one.