Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Note 2: Verizon's response to month delay

I am one of those people who adopts new technology early.  Often I'm the guy buying that new cell phone the day it's release knowing that I'm paying more but that I'm also staying on the "cutting edge".  Given what I do for a living, being ahead of the curve is necessary.

For months I've been waiting for the new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 "phablet" to be released.  It's a large cell phone that will also act as my tablet, replacing my 7 inch Galaxy tab.

Since I'm with Verizon I've been most anxious for them to release the phone.  Last week T-Mobile and Sprint released the phone where I was able to go and play with it for a while.  Then Verizon decided to offer it in "pre-order" mode with a November 27th ship date.

Why the delay?

I decided to ask them and along with letting them know of my frustration with a month-long delay while others already have it in stores.  This was Verizon's response:

Good afternoon! I can certainly understand the desire to have this phone; it's going to be a fantastic device! I really appreciate your enthusiasm for it and can completely agree with how it can sometimes be trying to wait for something you know is just around the corner. Normally, I would have called so that we could discuss this together, but I also wanted to respect your request to not have us contact you by phone.

John, when we make a deal to release a phone with a manufacturer, we want to make sure that our customers are getting the best product possible, and sometimes that means undergoing some slight delays if it doesn't meet our expectations. If we find a bug in the software or something that just isn't working quite right, we do work with the manufacturer (in this case, Samsung) in order to correct it. While it can mean that you may have to wait a little longer, please believe me when I say that it isn't to upset you or any customer, but only to make sure that we are giving you the best there is. I do see that you have a preorder for this device already and that it's scheduled to ship on November 27th, so just in time for the holidays! I ask that you please be patient with us. I know it's hard, but I promise it'll be worth it.
I have to be honest, I'm not buying it.  What they seem to be suggesting is that the others have a bug or imperfection.

The reality that they won't discuss is that Verizon is the only company requiring Samsung to imprint their logo on the "Home" button.  That's what I believe is the delay.  So Verizon customers are all having to wait a month to get a button imprinted with a logo, which will wear off within a year anyway.

As I've been reading discussion forums about the topic I'm seeing so many frustrated Verizon customers.  Ugh.

For technology people like me, check this phone out.  It is going to revolutionize the entire smartphone industry.