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General discussion

Poor customer support from Inphonic.com/Wirefly.com

Jul 19, 2004 9:53PM PDT

I placed an order on 6/17/04 which was the beginning of a nightmare! I could not get accurate inforamtion about my order and their customer service hides behind email because I was unable to contact anyone by telephone. I was told on one occasion(via email) that my order had been shipped but when I attempted to check on the shipping status I was informed that my order was still being processed. Finally, after three weeks I received the telephone with a congratulatory letter welcoming me as a customer and informing me of my new wireless telephone number with AT&T but by then I had decided to cancel my order and return the phone. I followed their instructions to return the phone and when I called AT&T to cancel the service I was informed that a number had not been activated for me and the number Wirefly/Inphonic told me was mine, was actually assigned to someone else and in use. When I called to get a return authorization I finally got to speak with someone in customer service who wanted to know why I wanted to return the phone. He didn't seem to be too concerned when I outlined the problems I had experienced.

Discussion is locked

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Inphonic Customer Service Response
Aug 31, 2005 5:43AM PDT

Dear Valued Customer,

We are sorry to hear of your experience. Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction. Please send an e-mail including your original order number to customerinquiry@inphonic.com, and I will personally investigate your situation and ensure that somebody follows up with you. Thank you for your patience.

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Inphonic Customer Service Response
Aug 31, 2005 3:51AM PDT

Dear Valued Customer,

We are sorry to hear of your experience. Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction. Please send an e-mail including your original order number to customerinquiry@inphonic.com, and I will personally investigate your situation and ensure that somebody follows up with you. Thank you for your patience.

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INPHONIC REBATE
Sep 30, 2005 8:04AM PDT

I AM GLAD I READ YOUR MESSAGE I AM GOING TO DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, I PURCHASED A PHONE FROM CELLULAR CHOICES, THEY SENT ME A 50.00 REBATE FORM FROM A NOTHER PARTY COMPANY TO REC'V MY REBATE, I AM SO PISSED AT THEM THEY KEEP TELLING ME I DIDNT MAIL IT IN, THEY HAVE NO RECORD NOW THERE TELLING ME IT IS DELAYED B/C THE COMPANY IS CHANGING HANDS I WONT TOLERATE THIS ******** FROM THEN AND I WILL GET MY REBATE MONEY ONE WAY RO THE OTHER.
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP
MICHELLE

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Inphonic Rebate
Oct 26, 2005 7:04AM PDT

I am so pissed at Inphonic as well. What kind of scam artists are they? I had 2 $150 rebates on a motorolla V710 phone. I sent all the information they needed to them and in the correct time periods. It has been over a month and I have tried to email them and check my rebate status. This is a terrible business and there has to be something that can be done about this. If anyone can help I would apreciate it. Thanks

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INPHONIC - CUSTOMER SERVICE
Oct 30, 2005 11:34PM PST

Dear krwatson,

Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction and therefore we are sorry to hear of your concerns regarding our rebates.

It is our policy to promptly process and send checks to every customer that fulfills the rebate requirements. We activate over 100,000 new wireless subscribers every month, and have happily paid out millions of dollars in rebates to our customers.

Please send an e-mail including your original order number to customerinquiry@inphonic.com, and I will personally investigate your situation.

Regards,

Neil
[Inphonic - Customer Service Deparment]

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(NT) Better Business Bureau Cures ALL
Jan 29, 2006 1:50AM PST

I just received in the mail today a 200 dollar check from In Phonic which is the parent company of Wirefly. I ordered 2 v180 motorola's in January i sent in my rebates in August per agreement and they tried to tell me they were postmarked too late. It took the Better Business Bureau about 3 weeks to rectify this. I suggest that you all do the same. http:\\www.bbb.org

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INPHONIC - CUSTOMER SERVICE
Oct 27, 2005 5:52AM PDT

Dear koonsgirl,

Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction and therefore we are sorry to hear of your concerns regarding our rebates.

It is our policy to promptly process and send checks to every customer that fulfills the rebate requirements. We activate over 100,000 new wireless subscribers every month, and have happily paid out millions of dollars in rebates to our customers.

Please send an e-mail including your original order number to customerinquiry@inphonic.com, and I will personally investigate your situation.

Regards,

Neil
[Inphonic - Customer Support]

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class action lawsuit wirefly rebate
Nov 24, 2005 3:50PM PST

I have confirmed information that the people at http://www.wirefly-rebate.com/ are going to file a class action lawsuit against wirefly inphonic, interested in taking part or at least show your support? visit their website and raise your hand, BTW, no registration required to make a post.

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Re: class action lawsuit wirefly rebate
Jan 13, 2006 5:10AM PST

The contact email for that is wireflyclassaction@yahoo.com

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Another Wirefly (now on called LiarFly) Scam victim
Jan 17, 2006 3:48AM PST

I just filed a complaint with BBB Washington. I will also be talking with a friend of mine on class action possibilities against LiarFly. Clearly the laws of our land have not caught up on Mail-in rebate and companies like Liarfly are taking advantage of this usual time-lag in legislative reaction.

1) I am stiffed for $75. $75 is not much but it's a matter of principle. I am being told that my rebate was post-marked too late. I mailed it in late-August and LiarFly rep tells me that it was post-marked Sept 22nd! She is unwilling to provide me the proof. I was naive enough to not mail my rebate registered. BTW, they are supposed to send me a written notice of rejection, which is finally in mail post-marked Jan 11th!

2) Regardless, the rebate conditions are harder than getting a PhD in Metaphysics. For example, the rebate must be mailed after 180 days and before 210 days of purchase. I am sure there are many consumers out there who just give up tracking these dates. And these conditions were never presented at the purchase time. But I guess that'd reveal to everyone the big Scam sign.

I feel foolish to have done business with a company like this. I am certain that the system will catch up with them shortly.

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im interested in taking part in the lawsuit
Jun 1, 2006 12:32PM PDT

I am interested in taking part in this class action lawsuit against wirefly inphonics.

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inphonic lawsuit
Jun 14, 2006 3:35PM PDT

I would like to participate

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lawsuite
Aug 27, 2006 11:32AM PDT

you can count me in...I had enough of these liars and thieves....let sue them...what do I have to do?? Bee

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lawsuite **** correction***
Aug 27, 2006 11:33AM PDT

you can count me in...I had enough of these liars and thieves....let sue them...what do I have to do?? Bee

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i got ripped also!
Aug 27, 2006 12:18PM PDT

they got me for $325, count me in on a law suite.
michael

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INPHONIC SUCKS
Jun 16, 2006 8:45AM PDT

I too am kicking myself that I fell for the rebate through wirefly and inphonic. I called David Steinberg's office today and I was told a woman named Holly Kapos is the team leader for rebate issues and they are "aware" there is an issue with the rebate company. I think they are completely aware and hopefully with enough push up to their CEO I will get my money back. Without going into details, I am also pursuing a story to go on a major network. I'm a tv producer and have associates who are researching these sorts of scams.

The real kicker is inphonic just made a deal with Amazon.com to have them carry their service. Not if I can help it. I also heard there are a couple of class action suits brewing. Before you buy BEWARE. Had I known, and I'm sure you'll all agree, I would not have gone with the cheapest service. I am determined to get my $300 back on the two treos I purchased, and then see to it that this gets shut down sooner than later. Investors hate network tv segments, and it's a slow summer so look for a news piece coming your way....

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FINALLY!!!
Jun 17, 2006 4:42AM PDT

I knew eventually they would piss off someone who works in the media. Given the vast number of rebate problems it was inevitable. But it's been over a year, so I say: FINALLY!!!

Also, I *finally* got an email notice on my third rebate submission that Doreen REsubmitted for me. So apparently now they're sending it, although I'll wait till I receive it (and it clears) before celebrating.

But yeah, that would be a cryin shame if Amazon partnered up with them and thusly soiled their good name. I hope ebay wouldn't be as foolish. You'd think though if they really were aware of the problems with the rebate department (and cared) that they'd be more concerned with fixing that before expanding their sales further.

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I got my money back
Aug 25, 2006 5:45AM PDT

9 weeks after I formally filed a complain with Better Business Bureau, I have the rebate check!

My suggestion:
- Send your rebate certified mail with return receipt
- Follow through with processing center every step of the way. i.e. when all required document were received and learn when it is processed
- Make sure to keep a good record of all correspondences

Once the processing is completed the ball is back in InPhonics court to send out checks.
- Call InPhonic customer service at 202-333-0001 to follow up
- All else failed, file an online complain with BBB of Metropolitan Washington DC (http://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/GetStarted.aspx)

There is a pending law suit against InPhonic, http://occ.dc.gov/occ/cwp/view,a,11,q,636576,occNav_GID,1521.asp. The bottom line is buyer beware.

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Me too!!!!!!
Aug 25, 2006 9:52AM PDT

The short of it is my story is like all the others. Bought a Razor phone in November of 2005 and after referencing this and other scam venting websites to Inphonic. Below is that dialog. This has a happy ending. Hope yours will too.
To: <ddennis@inphonic.com>
Conversation: Rebates


Ms Dennis or whomever owns this email address:


This email address came from one of the sites addressing fraudulent behavior at Inphonic. The latest turn in my saga is that all access to the web sites to check my ?status? for your rebates gives error messages. These sites have worked for the ten months I have been dogging my money and all of a sudden they are dead links, peculiar, no? Would you be so kind as to update me on order xxxxxxxx
Thank you for sending your faxed Inphonic rebate
documentation. On 05/05/06 your information was resubmitted.Your submission Id number 71111088 is no longer valid. Your new submission Id number is 71193557. Please allow 10-12 weeks for processing from 05/05/06. Your rebate with the submission Id number 71xxxxxx, is currently under review. Once it is no longer being reviewed it will be updated as well. Please allow 2 weeks for the rebate to finish being validated. Status update may be obtained by visiting www.rebatestatus.com.
Or

Server Error in '/' Application.

The resource cannot be found.
Description: HTTP 404. The resource you are looking for (or one of its dependencies) could have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. Please review the following URL and make sure that it is spelled correctly.

Requested Url: /wireless/link.aspx

Or You have reached this page in error.
? If you clicked on a link from another website, please inform them of this error.
? If you typed in a link you received some other way, please make sure you type all the characters in the link. Be sure to type all the characters following the '?' character.


These last two are your website responses to my efforts to check on my rebate. No way in!
Eagerly awaiting your response and thank you in advance.

I am sincerely
xxxxxxxxx
Bordering on litigation.

The response is as follows:
Thank you for the e-mail and I apologize for the confusion. We are currently updating our website and you may not be able to monitor your status online until this process is completed. Sorry for the inconvenience. I took a look at your account and can confirm both rebates were approved and your checks $250 are included in the next check run. Please allow 5-10 business days. The address we have on file is xxxxxxxxxxx, is that right?

Regards,
Doreen Dennis
Office of the President

Well, the rebate came. Go figure?

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Wirefly/Inphonic rebate problems - FIGHT BACK
Apr 8, 2005 4:06AM PDT

I just tried calling today, so don't know if it will be successful, but I've usually had good results by enlisting the aid of the CEO's secretary. For Inphonic, the CEO is David Steinberg and the corporate headquarters phone number is 202-333-0001. Good luck!
Bob

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Inphonic Customer Service Response
Aug 31, 2005 5:23AM PDT

Dear Valued Customer,

We are sorry to hear of your experience. Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction. Please send an e-mail including your original order number to customerinquiry@inphonic.com, and I will personally investigate your situation and ensure that somebody follows up with you.
Thank you for your patience.

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class action
Nov 24, 2005 3:48PM PST

I have confirmed information that the people at http://www.wirefly-rebate.com/ are going to file a class action lawsuit against wirefly inphonic, interested in taking part or at least show your support? visit their website and raise your hand, BTW, no registration required to make a post.

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I GOT MY MONEY BACK TOO
Sep 14, 2006 9:35AM PDT

Yes, calling Steinberg's office (CEO) is the way to go. A woman named Holly made sure my $300 rebate check was FEDEXED to me directly.

But not so fast. This has been going on for months, so they are not as innocent as they claim, dumping on their rebate center as the problem. Glad I got my check but once you scam me, I'm not recommending you. I think they knew EXACTLY what they were doing. Undercut other internet sellers with big rebates and "deals", then make people wait, give up or require you stand on your head facing Mecca and spit bananas in order to qualify....I think they made good on this because they got caught and because they need a good face for Amazon.com. Anyone know whether that went through?

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I am so happy to find the phone #
Sep 26, 2006 2:02AM PDT

Bob,
You will love this. I left a message to the president's office and I told about 20 people who have similar problems to do the same. I think this is the only way they will do something. I would ask every single visitor to give them a call with thier problems. Let's do a "Mahatma Gandhi" way. Satyagrah! meaning fight for the truth without weapons. I hope I will get some response but people give them a call. Fight for it!

Prem

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THIS GUY IS 100% correct. DO NOT BUY FROM WIREFLY
Apr 19, 2005 12:31PM PDT

I had the the same experience. Do not buy from Wirefly!!!!

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It's not just Wirefly, it's all Inphonic companies
Jun 17, 2005 7:59AM PDT

Wirefly is owned by a publicly traded company called Inphonic, which is known as a shady mobile phone merchant.

Because of awareness being brought to it's substandard business practices at Wirefly, Inphonic is using other sites:


www.cellularchoices.net
www.intelenetwireless.com/
YouNeverCall.com
www.a1wireless.com
www.LibertyWireless.com

They probably have a dozen more sites so beware. The best thing to do is go to the service provider directly:

www.cingular.com
www.nextel.com
www.tmobile.com

or use a trusted discount provider like:

www.simplycells.com
www.amazon.com
www.buy.com
www.letstalk.com

Simplycells is usually the lowest priced.

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Simply Cells is a Joke and so is Let's Talk
Jun 22, 2005 3:04PM PDT

If you thought InPhonic was bad, you should stay far away from SimplyCells and Let's Talk. I have ordered phones for my business from them and both times where a nightmare. I guess Buy.com is the way to go.

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careful with buy.com???
Jun 23, 2005 1:26AM PDT

You might want to check out buy.com's "Special Cellular Returns Policy" (link: http://www.buy.com/retail/toc_feature.asp?loc=57851) where you'll see the following header (I added the *s and caps):

"Effective 03-14-05, ****INPHONIC**** is implementing a new policy regarding Returns and Exchanges. This policy will be in effect for any phone, or other wireless device (i.e. Sidekick, PDA)."

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Inphonic Customer Service Response
Aug 31, 2005 5:39AM PDT

Dear Valued Customer,

We are sorry to hear of your experience. Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction. Please send an e-mail including your original order number to customerinquiry@inphonic.com, and I will personally investigate your situation and ensure that somebody follows up with you.
Thank you for your patience.

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You get charged even if it is their mistake?!?!
Oct 31, 2005 10:11PM PST

According to Inphonic's Return/Exchange Policy Update

http://www.buy.com/retail/toc_feature.asp?loc=57851

on Buy.com's website, even cases where "something incorrect about the phone or device that was sent to them (i.e. defective or incorrect)", you will still be charged a $15.00 processing/re-stocking fee for replacement. AMAZING!!!