Metro customer ignores red flags, gets scammed
Sometimes you can learn from others' mistakes. A Reddit subscriber made a major blunder when he opened a brand new account at Metro as he violated the first rule of thumb that wireless customers need to follow when making a purchase inside a retail store. Never pay cash. Reddit subscriber u/Pristine_Cable_3435 was looking to open a new account when he stepped into a Metro store and was helped by a rep named Harry.
Red flags abound. Harry told the potential new customer that Metro was running a "limited-time secret promotion," which should have been the first clue that something was amiss. Most legitimate deals offered by wireless firms are not "secret." Harry told our hero that he could get a brand-new phone with unlimited data for $60 per month. But Harry then tossed out a surprise. Not only did the new subscriber have to pay $150 to cover the cost of the phone, activation, and the first month of service, he was told that the payment had to be made in cash only "to secure the promo."
That demand should have been the last straw and at that point, the potential new Metro customer should have headed straight for the door. Instead, he said to himself, "Okay, maybe that’s just how they do it." So he handed over the cash and walked out of the store with a phone. He writes that he even felt good about the transaction. But when a month passed and he tried to pay his bill, the Reddit subscriber was stunned to find out that Metro had no record that his account existed.
Calling Metro's customer service, the results were the same. No such account existed. Digging deeper, the "victim" discovered that the phone he was given was a refurbished handset and the receipt he walked out of the store with was a fake. Returning to the Metro store where he encountered Harry the rep, he found out that Harry no longer worked at the store. The manager also confirmed that no such promotion was ever offered by Metro.
At the end of the day, the store manager said there was nothing that could be done for the victim who spent $150 for one month of service and a refurbished phone. However, he did learn a lesson. "That’s when it hit me," the victim said, "I’d been scammed. It’s a lesson I won’t forget: if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
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