[Vision2020] customer service

[Jennifer McFarland]

 Here is my latest customer service experience:

Yesterday, my cell phone battery started to swell and get extremely hot (I
was not talking on it at the time, which I only mention because I know my
dad reads this sometimes and he'd probably comment derisively).  When I
opened it, I saw the screen had gone black and that I couldn't make calls or
do anything with it at all.  So, I took it into Inland Cellular, where I
purchased it and where I have my service.  Kelly (I think that's her name),
looked at it and worked with it for a while.  She checked her computer and
sadly told me that it was outside of the warrantee dates and that I'd likely
have to buy a new phone.  Since I'm still a few months away from my contract
expiring, this would mean purchasing one at full price (most being upwards
of $175).  Then she told me to hold on a minute.  She went to the back of
the store and returned with a phone that was the same make and model as mine
and told me that someone had turned it into the shop to be recycled but that
it was still in good working order.  Kelly said that since it was a "turn
in," I could have it for free!  She said she didn't know how long it would
last, but that it would probably take me through until my service contract
was due to be renewed and I could get a new phone with the renewal discount.
Free!  She immediately activated the "new" phone, and I was on my way.

That's not the only impressive thing about Inland Cellular.  When you do
switch to a new phone, whether your service is through IC or not, you can
take your old phone to them and they will reprogram them for donation to
Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse.  I strongly encourage anyone having
an old cell phone sitting around to bring it to IC (I've given them three
over the years).  

I don't know a whole lot about whether Inland Cellular is truly a local
business or if it is an affiliate or subsidiary of a major cell company, but
I do know that they've always greeted me with a smile, know my name, and
have bent over backwards to make sure they have given me excellent service.
While friends of mine pay more or less for service through Verizon,
Cingular, or other major-name franchises, I'll stick with Inland Cellular.  

Way to go Inland Cellular!

--Jennifer  


PIO Jennifer L. McFarland
Latah County Sheriff's Office
Public Information Officer
PO Box 8068
Moscow, Idaho 83843
(208) 882-2216
Fax (208) 883-2281

Truth is the summit of being; justice is the application of it to affairs.
***Ralph Waldo Emerson