It was time to replace my old cell phone, as it was literally falling apart on me. It seems the battery had exploded, causing the back of the case to crack, and the screen began to separate from the main case.
Sooo... I got on-line to Best Buy's website and began looking around for a comparable replacement. I began an on-line chat with James F. from Best Buy. When he first began the chat, it said, "Hello, my name is [insert name here], how can I help you?" Having worked in tech support myself, I found that little glitch rather amusing, because I've had funny mishaps like that myself.
James was extremely helpful in answering my questions. I explained to him the problem with my old phone, that I needed to find a replacement, and that I wanted to keep the same phone number. He assured me that as long as I decided to remain with the same service provider, xferring the phone number over from the old phone to the new one would be no trouble at all. He provided some links to a couple of different cell phone models I could look over and compare. He was very helpful.
After looking at some of those links, I decided to head over to the Jordan Landing Best Buy store and purchase one.
Shortly after I entered the store, I was greeted by Elissa. Her customer service skills were TOP NOTCH! She helped me select a new phone, and I decided upon the Galaxy A11.
The phone is a little bit wider, and considerably longer than my old, Motorolla go-phone, but Elissa allowed me to check it out to make sure it felt comfortable, and wanted to make sure I would be happy with my purchase. At no time did I feel pressured. She answered all my questions. She also sold me a screen protector and installed it for me.
Elissa's co-worker, Craig, transferred the data from my old phone onto the new one. Also explained to me that I could turn my old phone in at the customer service desk for recycling.
The A11 has 32 gigs of built-in memory, plus the option to install additional memory. It has a front and rear camera. The main camera has multiple lenses you may select from. The phone features sms texting, internet browsing, voice mail, GPS, speakerphone, email, the works. The larger screen is actually quite nice, as the icons and text are much easier to read compared to my old phone. Also, the apps seem to load much quicker as well.
This phone features a small pad on the rear for fingerprint authentication. After the phone is initially powered on and I'm logged in with the pin number, so long as the power remains on, all I need to do to access the phone is simply tap my left or right index finger on the back of the phone and it will allow me in. Much quicker than having to enter the passcode every single time I want to use it. I really like that feature!
The phone comes with a cable that connects from the phone to a standard USB port on my computer, making it very easy to transfer my data, photos, and music files to and from the phone. Because it comes with the USB cable, and my car has a USB port, I can easily plug the phone into my car and have the music play over my car stereo, and... as far as I know, I can charge the phone in my car as well, via the USB port. (Phone also comes with an AC power module so you can connect the USB cable to it to run it off of, or charge from standard AC power.) Battery life is about 40-ish hours. Not bad.
Sure there are other phones out there which have a lot more features, but they also cost much, much more. I think, for the amount of features you get with this particular phone, it's a great choice. The phone may seem a bit large, but it still fits nicely in my jeans front pocket, I can operate it with one hand.
I've had this phone for a week now, and so far, I really like it.
On previous visits to Best Buy, the customer service has been hit and miss, but on this particular visit, Elissa and Craig NAILED IT!!! They know what customer service is, and how it should be! They were outstanding! I left the store a very satisfied customer.