Motorola Mobiles: Disaster Unleashed! Buyers Beware. That is what this review is all about!
I own a Motorola G32 mobile handset. It was purchased in Dec-2023. A week or so back, it developed significant issues. Its signal reception on both SIMs went ka-put. Suffice it to say that I did all necessary troubleshooting to verify that it could not be handled at my end. I did shut-down, hard reboot, network settings reset and factory reset. I checked the SIMs in another mobile. They worked in other mobiles. It was clear that the problem was with signal receiver on my G32 handset. Simply put, the handset conked out. What is a handset if there is signal reception and I can’t receive / make calls?
The interesting part is that my spouse also had problems with his Motorola E7 Power handset a while back. His handset also conked out during warranty period. It went in to a rebooting loop. That time, they replaced his handset.
My point is that we have 2 handsets. Both failed during warranty period. What does that tell us?
• Bad quality of handsets and components
• Lack of robustness in the handsets
• 100% failure rate(2 out of 2 handsets failed)
• Probably low quality and cheap components as both handsets did not even last the warranty period.
Anyway, I surrendered the handset at the service centre. They validated the issue is the same, as I reported. They said they will replace the motherboard. Interestingly, for my spouse, they replaced the handset but for me, they can only repair the motherboard. I suspect they will use a refurbished or cannibalised motherboard which may not even have the full features of G32 handset. I won’t even know until I know what to look for! This is how Motorola appears to function. Very shady methods and practices!
The handling of devices at service centres is well known. So, no guarantee that I get my handset in good order without scratches or other problems that may crop up later. Also, no guarantee on the quality of components being replaced. It is well known that for electronic devices, if they are opened up once, they are as good as done because more problems will most certainly crop up. I am sure the experiences of each one of us, validates it.
So, I refused motherboard replacement and told them to –
• either replace the handset or
• refund my amount or
• keep the handset and I will mark it as a loss.
They were not willing to go with replacement or refund but were happy to keep the handset. I am at a loss for words! I can’t believe this is the famous Motorola, once known for its great quality and customer service! I am also shocked that this is a Lenovo brand! Lenovo’s own customer service for its Lenovo brand is excellent but apparently, it does not extend to Motorola! How low has Motorola fallen!
It is really strange that Motorola is a brand of Lenovo. The latter has exceptional service but Motorola is the worst. So, I asked for an escalation. They put me to someone by name Mr.Gunasheelan Paneer. He came on to the call, all smug, all knowing, all powerful but unable to create an exception to supposed policy. In simple words, he just echoed his subordinate’s version. He could not satisfactorily answer questions such as how my spouse’s handset was replaced but mine can’t be replaced. He also gave a rhetoric assurance that there won’t be scratches or any other problems with handset later, as if he is personally going to handle the handset. Of course, that is not the case.
The worst part is that the man had no empathy or customer sensitivity. He did not care for the customer and it was clear he wanted to get out of the call fast. In fact, he did not even try to make an attempt to resolve the issue! If you are not going to contribute or bring to the table in an escalation, then what exactly is the purpose of your role? He did not even get it that customer has been managing without a handset for a week or so and using her 11.6" tablet for calls. He simply did not care.
The lame duck excuse he gave was policy. That is funny because policy is never a straight-jacket. It always has room for genuine exceptions but this man did not even want to try to help. If policy was a straight-jacket, then humans won’t be needed - a bot will suffice. I should know as my spouse works in a Senior Management role in a leading multinational bank and he deals with special cases.
The sad part is that I bought this mobile because it is from Lenovo and my earlier handset was a Lenovo K10 Note which gave me excellent service. However, Motorola is the worst. There is no real customer service. Their management is thoroughly disconnected from customers. They sit in their ivory castles taking their exorbitant pay cheques at the expense of suffering of customers! When the customer emails them, they do not even bother to acknowledge them! My spouse recommended this handset and now he regrets it badly for having recommended it.
I have requested a call back from their Managing Director. I want to see if he will pay attention to the Voice of Customer(VoC) and feedback. These guys talk big about voice of customer, feedback and customer service but it is all a sham and hum-bug! It is just hog wash! The taste of the pudding is in the eating! They do not walk the talk! To them, it is just fancy corporate talk!
When you research the internet, you will find a multitude of complaints about Motorola handsets. The thing with Motorola is they do not even acknowledge the lapses and seriousness of the issues. The only other well-known brand that has similar issues is Samsung! What can you expect from a team that is sub-standard and recruited to perform in this manner? We are longstanding loyal customers of Lenovo but with Motorola, out faith and trust has been severely breached! It is the worst possible company.
The saddest part is that once a time, Motorola stood tall as a pioneer, innovator and a synonym for quality and customer service! Now all that is gone! What remains is but a shell! The way they go about working with customers is a total abuse of trust! I believe that things are clearly falling apart at Motorola and apparently, no one is bothered, as is normally the case in today’s corporate world. Only selfishness reins and of course, pay cheques! The attitude appears to be - it is enough that I get my salary - so what do I care how the company does. If things go south, I can always jump to another company. Customer feedback is never taken seriously. On the other hand, it is trivialised.
Hence, this review. It is our hope that other customers will read this review and take their decisions with full knowledge of all the issues with Motorola brand - bad parts, bad quality, lack of robustness, poor customer service, arrogant and apathetic management team. You might want to think again before you buy Motorola!