Amp’d screws kid out of $100

Back when we were 13, we saved our money for over a year so we could buy our first electric guitar. It wasn’t the easiest of years, as we couldn’t do the things all of our friends were doing; if we spent money with them, we wouldn’t have enough for the instrument. So we skimped and saved, and eventually brought the guitar home with us. It served us well for the next four years — until we bought another one — and we still have it in the closet today. Now, how do you think we would have felt if the guitar suddenly stopped working after six months, and there wasn’t a repairman in the country that could repair it? Devastated, right? That’s surely how 13-year-old Dalton Garcia felt when his newly-bought Amp’d Mobile phone was shut off on July 31.

The worst part is that Dalton bought the phone because it included a $100 rebate, which essentially made the phone free. So, as a responsible consumer would, he filled out the forms immediately after returning home after his purchase and sent them in to Amp’d. For months, the only status update was that the rebate was processing. That is, until Dalton received a text message on July 24 saying that his service would be shut off on the 31st.

Of course, there has been no word on the rebate — and we don’t expect there will ever be one. Amp’d has announced no plans to refund customers’ money, and we just don’t see it happening. Last we heard, they only had $9,000 left in cash, and that was a week before shutdown. Yes, they are selling/have sold their assets, but that is going toward paying off their numerous creditors.

Poor Dalton. All he has now is a hunk of scrap plastic and spare parts.

[CBS 13] via [Consumerist]