Orange stain on screen,screen flashes on&off,
Yes...cal VM and be told YOU broke it and it's not under warranty.and never will be...That .happened to me after only 3 mos of casual calls only use! I baby my phone...never dropped it or any of the other common accidental abuses that happen too often with phones! . Just one day,,,pfft...orange/yellow stain or blot on the screen and tho the phone still worked for calls..otherwise it's a paper weight without a readable screen! Don't expect any help from the VM "Customer Support" lol, other than to blame you ( me !) for any problem, especially this common screen failure after light day to day use.
So just pony up another $9.95 VM phone and hope for the best! I kept the old cell as a battery charger so I can swap batteries out if caught on low and always have a spare battery charged and ready! You will need the extra battery power since they DO have very limited endurance as commonly discussed in reviews.
At $9.95 for a replacement cheapo VM phone, at that price its easier/cheaper to just buy another cell than struggle with using an imitation leather cell phone hardened waist carrying case for $12 at Walmart...and even more $$ elsewhere..so go figure...they're expendable!
As for VMs "Customer Support" well, expect big hassles when you contact VM by phone. ...the reps are commonly scripted, uninformed, and/or dreadfully ill informed about VM products and policies..merely parroting the inflexible VM one sided policies. Usually VM reps do not have a solid command of English so vitally necessary to effectively discuss unique, or subtle issues common to any type of problems.Wwhen I am forced to dial in, (ugh!) I hang up on accented reps as they're often useless and always frustrating to communicate with in my experience. I redial until I connect with someone who's fluent, not simply reading the same script!
As for the mega frustrating Phone Tree from Hell of Call in Options...a tip here is that by speaking the Magic Word "Live Advisor!" over and over at various phone tree pauses, thereby ignoring non-applicable "topics" I can usually get a human rep much faster, especially for unusual topics. But beware..some of the "chats" with that "Advisor" will cost you $10 for the experience, especially moving your number from one dead phone to a new one..or adding new phones for family. . Whenever possible, do what you can online...on their dreadful website with always changing prices and interfaces that often don't work....good luck! Oh yes...and as a final warning...check your VM bill always to spot VM over billing...they will stick you with unexplainable unneeded "Top Ups" when you are on an credit/debit card "Auto Top Up" feature. VM will charge you for phantom ring tone sales, text alerts for absurd Dating Tips and the like with out authorization and leaving you with the daunting task of stopping them..and you will not get a refund or credit from VM EVER! .I've had 1 or as many as 2 extra unapproved ( in my mind fraudulent!) monthly overcharges appear every few months without any chance of refund until I dropped the auto pay "feature" as a nightmare to resolve and lots of free $$ for VM to rip you off. Top up manually each month and be prepared to add 3 or 4 $$ in unfathomable "taxes and fees" that vary as the VM management sees fit
Why put up with all this?? Well, because by watching all VM fees and charges carefully it can be the cheapest cell service and phone package on the market but for casual users primarily ...especially for families with teens! Regardless, you get what ya pay for and expect headaches..it';s a racket! . .
