Sales People Sometimes Lie or are Completely Misinformed, and that Will Cost You: My RadioShack Horror Story, or the Tale of the $1,280 Smartphone

What's worse than the car shopping experience? Buying a cell phone with contract in the US. When buying from an authorized reseller rather than a carrier owned store, you may unwittingly sign a secondary contractual agreement with the retailer that can last up to 6 months. The sales people may not tell you this. In fact, they may deny it. But in the end, the fine print counts, not the sales associate's word. Some companies stand behind thier sales staff and train them fairly well (Best Buy comes to mind), while other companies take no responsibility for their staff's actions (RadioShack in my case).

I've been reviewing cell phones and smartphones for a decade. I also evaluate carrier coverage, customer service and sales policies. I'm harder to fool than the average customer as a result, and I am aware of the Catch-22's outlined in our Think Twice Before Buying a Cell Phone from an Authorized Retailer article .

Still, RadioShack managed to cost me $1,280 for a single smartphone that doesn't even work properly in my area.

Those of you who've been following us for the past 10 years know that we rarely do exposes or focus on negatives. We don't relentlessly pick on manufacturers, carriers or retailers. That's not our coverage angle. Once in a while we have an experience that's so abysmal or encounter a product that's so bad, it's our job to let you know. And my personal encounter with RadioShack has my blood boiling. It was just that bad.

What went wrong? Watch our video to find out and to learn about the potential pitfalls of buying from an authorized retailer:

And here's the teeny-tiny RadioShack secondary contractual agreement printed on the credit card register receipt: