John Coogan

1431 Tremont St #3 Boston, MA 02120 Phone: (617) 855-5646 E-Mail: coogan.johna@gmail.com Web: JACoogan.com

3/13/2012 RadioShack Corporation 197 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, MA 02115 (617) 536-4773 To Whom It May Concern: The RadioShack store located at 197 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 (herein referred to as "The Store") has proven extremely difficult and has led me to seek your help in resolving this dispute. When purchasing a new iPhone last November, the sales representative lied to me and told me that I should upgrade from AppleCare to AppleCare+ because it would cover theft as well as damage. Last week, I had my phone stolen while doing community service in Ecuador on an Alternative Spring Break and replacing the phone has been impossible. I have repeatedly told them that I am happy to pay the fees normally associated with a replacement phone ($170 deductible & $10 per month since November, or $220 total), but they refuse to acknowledge their mistake. I'm a big fan of Apple, and in hindsight it makes sense that they don't offer theft insurance, but at the time, I was excited about the new phone and chose to believe what the sales rep was telling me over reading through the fine print. The worst part is that when I went into the store to explain the situation, every sales rep I spoke to had to Google AppleCare+ to check their theft coverage policy (meaning they still don't know what it covers). The problem with not knowing about what your selling is that it leads customers to buy less, not more, than they need. Had the rep merely said, "AppleCare+ only covers damage" I would have looked into theft insurance and purchased that service from Verizon. Since the sales rep only gets a commission on what is sold that day, they have no incentive to up-sell monthly services (like Verizon's theft protection) but a huge incentive to up-sell one-time fees like AppleCare+. The most frustrating aspect of this is that, properly informed, I would have gladly purchased both services. My phone serves so many crucial purposes for me I spare no expense to avoid situations like these. The employees in the store seem genuinely to have their hands tied, but the District Manager; Veronica Hallisey (1-877-668-1820) has full control to rectify this situation. She understands that her employee was in the wrong and yet insists on taking days at a time just to "check with her Verizon rep". I feel that I am being entirely reasonable (and have offered to even split the cost of the new device with the store), but have gotten nowhere. I ask that you do whatever you can to resolve help me resolve this issue quickly and efficiently. Your time and effort on my behalf are deeply appreciated. Sincerely,

John Coogan

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Complaint Overview

Complaint Overview
IDENTIFICATION
Complaint ID: 8953420 Complaint Type: Business Complaint Date Filed: 3/13/2012 4:14 PM BBB Ft. Worth Texas (Fort Worth, TX) 101 Summit Ave., Ste. 707 Dispute Center: Fort Worth, TX 76102-5978 Email: Web: www.fortworth.bbb.org

CONSUMER INFORMATION
Date Filed: Sal: First Name: Middle Name: Last Name: Suffix: Address: 1431 Tremont St. #3 Boston Massachusetts 02120 UNITED STATES Daytime Phone: Evening Phone: Fax: Email: coogan.johna@gmail.com 6178555646 Coogan 3/13/2012 Mr. John

BUSINESS INFORMATION
Business ID: Name: Address: City: 0052110001 RADIO SHACK CORPORATION 300 RADIO SHACK CIR CF4-240 FORT WORTH

State/County: TX Zip/Postal Code: Business Phone Number: 76102 (800) 843-7422

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Complaint Data

Overview | Complaint | Messages | Action | History |

Complaint ID 8953420

Complaint Data
PROBLEM
Nature of Complaint: Sales Issues - A sales presentation that misrepresents the service Problem: When purchasing a new iPhone last November, the sales representative lied to me and told me that I should upgrade from AppleCare to AppleCare+ because it would cover theft as well as damage. Last week, I had my phone stolen while doing community service in Ecuador on an Alternative Spring Break and replacing the phone has been impossible. I have repeatedly told them that I am happy to pay the fees normally associated with a replacement phone ($170 deductible & $10 per month since November, or $220 total), but they refuse to acknowledge their mistake. I'm a big fan of Apple, and in hindsight it makes sense that they don't offer theft insurance, but at the time, I was excited about the new phone and chose to believe what the sales rep was telling me over reading through the fine print. The worst part is that when I went into the store to explain the situation, every sales rep I spoke to had to Google AppleCare+ to check their theft coverage policy (meaning they STILL don't know what it covers). The problem with not knowing about what your selling is that it leads customers to buy LESS, not more, than they need. Had the rep merely said "AppleCare+ only covers damage" I would have looked into theft insurance and purchased that service from Verizon. Since the sales rep only gets a commission on what is sold that day, they have no incentive to up-sell monthly services (like Verizon's theft protection) but a huge incentive to up-sell one-time fees like AppleCare+. The most frustrating aspect of this is that, properly informed, I would have gladly purchased BOTH services. My phone serves so many crucial purposes for me I spare no expense to avoid situations like these. The employees in the store seem genuinely to have their hands tied, but the District Manager, Veronica Hallisey (1-877-668-1820) has full control to rectify this situation. She understands that her employee was in the wrong and yet insists on taking days at a time just to "check with her Verizon rep". I feel that I am being entirely reasonable but have continually received the worst customer service of my life. Sincerely, John Coogan

DESIRED OUTCOME
Desired Settlement: Replacement Desired Outcome: I would like RadioShack to give me a replacement iPhone 4S (Black 16GB), like my previous purchase. In exchange, I am happy to pay RadioShack up to $220 since I would have had to bear this expense in the situation I expected.

COMPLAINT BACKGROUND
1. Product/Service Purchased: 2. Model Number: 3. Contract, Account, or Policy #: 4. Order #: 5. Purchase Date: 6. Date Problem First Occurred: iPhone 4S, Black, 16GB A1387 John Coogan @ 197 Mass Ave, Boston, 02115 Ticket: 11036 11/7/2011 3/10/2012

Dates you complained to the company/organization 7. First Date: 8. Second Date: 9. Third Date: 10. Payment Made: 11. Payment Method: Name of Sales Person 13. First Name: 15. Last Name: 17. Purchase Price: 18. Disputed Amount: Cynthia Burges $316.61 $220.00 3/10/2012 3/12/2012 3/13/2012 In Full Credit Card

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View Complaint Message

BBB Ft. Worth Texas 101 Summit Ave., Ste. 707 Fort Worth, TX 76102-5978 Phone: (817)332-7585 | Fax: (817)882-0566 info@fwbbb.org

03/13/2012

John Coogan 1431 Tremont St. #3 Boston MA 02120

Dear John Coogan : This message is in regard to your complaint submitted on 3/13/2012 4:14:57 PM against RADIO SHACK CORPORATION. Your complaint was assigned ID 8953420. A copy of your complaint was transmitted to the company and when a reply is received it will be forwarded to you, You may check the status of your complaint at any time by calling our automated system at 817-332-7585. Keep in mind that your complaint whether in whole or in part may be posted for the public to see. If your response is posted for the public to see, they may use it to form an opinion about the consumer who filed the complaint more than the company on whom the complaint was filed.

Regards, Vicky Ruff

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