Recently, we started getting flyers and other messages from Boost Mobile. Apparently, the company is moving to a 5G network soon and neither of our current phones will be supported on it. On one hand, I was bummed. Aside from a storage shortage, I was happy with my daily driver, our “house phone” of two years, the LG Tribute Empire. On the other hand, I wasn’t gonna say no to a new phone!
Ultimately, I chose the Motorola G Fast as our new house phone. I had been eyeing it for a long time, so I was beyond excited for it to arrive…but it never showed up.
The Buying Process
Since we weren’t sure how much time we had before the network switch, we decided to replace both of our phones right away.
My dad chose Boost Mobile’s new flagship phone, the Celero 5G, to replace his old phone. Although it was a steal at its pre-sale price of $49, we couldn’t afford to buy a second one. Instead, we decided to go the BoostUp! installment plan route again. That way, we would only have to pay a few dollars upfront.
The BoostUp! prices had gone up slightly from when we had used the program to buy the Tribute Empire. Only six of the available phones were within our budget. Of those, the Motorola G Fast had the best reviews and the lowest monthly payment ($7 for 18 months). The overall cost was $141, with a down payment of $15 ($24.16 with taxes).
The Nightmare Begins
Boost Mobile provided a FedEx tracking number for the G Fast so I could see when it was coming. It was supposed to be delivered on Wednesday—I had ordered it on Sunday—between 10:15 AM and 2:30 PM. I tracked the phone all weekend, watching it travel from Indiana to Orlando.
Finally Wednesday came. The phone was “out for delivery” according to FedEx’s website. We sat around all morning, waiting with bated breath for a knock to sound or the doorbell to ring. When 2 PM rolled around with no package, I got nervous. When 3 PM came and went without a package, I got worried. When FedEx’s website reported that the package had been delivered at 12:19 PM, I got pissed.
How could it have been delivered without us noticing? My parents and I had been sitting in the dining area eating lunch at the alleged delivery time and we didn’t hear a peep. I downloaded the proof of delivery PDF, but since a signature hadn’t been required at delivery—and how stupid is that?—it didn’t contain any useful information.
Kicking Into Overdrive
We went hunting for clues about what had happened to the phone. First, we checked the mailbox to see if the package had ended up there. Sometimes UPS and FedEx hand things off to the postal service for the last leg of its journey. Nope. It wasn’t there.
Next, we checked with our neighbors. It’s very easy to mix up the addresses around here. We frequently have to redirect DoorDash delivery people to the right place, so FedEx could have accidentally delivered our phone to the wrong apartment too. Nobody had seen the package. Or so they said. Those jerks could have easily nabbed the package or lied about having it just to spite us. It’s happened before.
Nevertheless, my dad continued to ask around. The head maintenance person suggested that we go to the complex’s main office and ask them to review the security cameras to see when and where FedEx had delivered the phone. My dad did that. The office manager called us back later that afternoon to tell us that the cameras hadn’t shown any FedEx trucks near our place between the promised hours, including the alleged delivery time.
Assuming that the office manager wasn’t just saying stuff to get us out of her face—and I have no reason to distrust her—this information killed the theory that the package had been stolen. How could someone steal something that hadn’t been delivered?
Wading Through Red Tape
Our next move was to contact FedEx. A customer service representative said that they would launch an investigation into the situation. We answered a bunch of questions about what our apartment complex looks like and gave them contact info for the follow up. We waited two days; they never called. When we called them back, the rep promised us information by the end of the day. That didn’t happen.
Then we called Boost Mobile. We didn’t expect them to replace the phone, but we wanted to make them aware of the situation and see if there was anything else to be done. The rep suggested that we file a police report. That’s it. She wouldn’t tell us if the phone had been activated or if Boost Mobile could prevent it from being activated. Thankfully, the phones don’t ship pre-registered, or we would’ve had to worry about identity theft.
A few days later, we tried FedEx again. Their automated system reported that the investigation had been completed—with zero information about what they had or hadn’t discovered. Furthermore, the recording advised us to file a claim to declare the package lost. So I did. I gave them details about the phone itself and uploaded a copy of the receipt to prove its value. An automatic response came back: they would contact us via email with their verdict.
About a week later, we got a follow-up email. It reiterated that FedEx was investigating the situation and that they would update us again in 14 days. It didn’t take that long. An email arrived the next day: our claim had been denied. They further advised that we take things up with the shipper (aka Boost Mobile). Clearly, we had reached a dead end.
Conclusion
It’s been a month since we ordered the Motorola G Fast and we still don’t have it. FedEx maintains that they delivered the phone—where, I have no idea—and Boost Mobile sides with FedEx. That leaves us owing roughly $120 for a phone that we never received. On top of that, we still have to buy another phone to replace the Tribute Empire, which will add another $60−$80 to the tally. It sucks.
We only have two cards left to play:
- We could check with Boost Mobile’s parent company. They sent a letter in the mail telling us that we could contact them if we have any questions about the contract. There’s a slim chance that they might be able to do something.
- We could file that police report. I don’t have much faith in this route either. We don’t know that the phone was stolen, and even if it were, the incident happened so long ago that any evidence is probably gone. Plus, I can’t see the cops going door to door to find anything less than an iPhone.
I’m still praying that this situation will be resolved positively. Maybe FedEx will show up with the phone one day, having simply misplaced it. At the very least, I would like to know where FedEx actually delivered the phone. Eh, I can dream.