I thought I was about to join "the community". Placed an order for an N810 through nokiausa.com. on Tuesday, using the coupon code to get it for $373.15, supposedly with 2-day shipping. Somewhere in the on-line process it seems the transaction was passed from nokiausa.com to something called "LetsTalk.com". Whatever.

No such luck.

Today, on Thursday morning, I got an e-mail saying I needed to get in touch to provide more information to complete the process. So much for two-day shipping. I was sort of expecting and hoping to receive it today.

I was instructed not to "reply" to the e-mail, but they supplied another e-mail address and a phone number. I sent a reply to the address they provided, didn't get a response in a few hours, so I tried to call. Can't connect with the cell phone, Verizon Wireless won't connect with the number, the error recording doesn't say why. Odd.

So, I have to call from my desk at work, which is awkward at best. I get through quickly, and the lady on the other end seems pleasant enough. She asks me to confirm my name and billing address over the phone, which I do. Then she wants the phone number of the bank the credit card is associated with, off the back of the card. Never had that happen before, and I've made MAJOR purchases- diamond jewelry worth thousands- with no problem... but whatever. I'm put on hold while she presumably calls my bank.

Five minutes later I'm starting to get a little annoyed about this, but she comes back on the line and says my billing address and credit card have been verified. Fine. I figure we're good-to-go now.

Again, no such luck.

She starts with this odd little preamble that she's going to have to ask me a series of personal questions, things like places I've lived and worked, and we need to start out with my Social Security number.

No.

When she got that response, she said they would settle for just the last four digits of my Social Security number, but they had to have answers for their list of questions.

I'm not buying a house here, I'm not asking them for credit, and I'm sure not going to fill out a questionnaire over the phone just to get them to take my money. I have NEVER been asked to do this sort of thing just to make a purchase.

She insisted that it was company policy, and they could not complete the order unless I complied.

I canceled the order.

Sorry, but this is just outrageous. There is no way on earth I'm playing this game just to make a simple purchase, and I'm now having serious second thoughts about ever purchasing anything with the Nokia name on it, from anyone.

What the heck do they think they're doing? Nobody else that I might buy this from is going to want to play these games. I've even bought ACCESSORIES for this thing, and now I'm not at all sure I want one.. at ANY price.

Don't know how things work in Finland, Nokia, but we don't have to fill out questionnaires just to buy things in the US. Might want to look to that.

There have been many posts here on this subject.

These are solely LetsTalk's policies. I don't agree with them, either, but they seem committed to them...

Sorry if it's duplicated. Not having actually owned one, I haven't gotten very familiar with the forums yet. Guess I may not, now.

They can be as "committed" to their policies as they like. It's my policy not to comply with theirs.. and it's my money.

I guess what I'd like to know is how closely this "policy" is associated with/coming from Nokia. It may influence whether I buy their products at all.

This has been discussed previously, and yes, many people do find it completely ridiculous.

Let's Talk isn't Nokia. Indeed, from the Let's Talk web site:
EDIT: I'm slooooow.

Let'sTalk is simply an order fulfillment center. They set their own policies.

The policy is not only misapplied in this case, it could be considered illegal in some places.

Here is the exact quote from the policy page at letstalk

The n810 is a standalone piece of hardware.. would they demand a credit check to buy a handsfree kit?

Thanks... but Nokia is at least complicit in using the service. They can't avoid responsibility for it just because it's another company- it's the company they chose to handle this on their behalf, and thus to represent them.

I'm not making any long-term decisions about this today, I'm still angry.

I agree. I'm sure there is some contract made between Lets Talk and Nokia to be authorized reseller... and it is also Nokia's responsibility to check (read:audit) their resellers actions and procedures.

I think the "credit check" procedure is required in case of phone sales with service contracts, but phones without service, or Internet Tablets, should not need any of that.

Maybe Let's Talk doesn't know that N8x0 is not a phone...

Texrat: Can you escalate that to anyone in Nokia who can do something about this?

Sorry, Mara, I am far too removed from that process.

And you raise a good point: I agree it appears Let'sTalk does not understand the tablets. They do seem to be misapplying policy.

More than "some contract", and more than an "authorized reseller", this is where the nokiausa.com website directs you, automatically, in order to purchase from Nokia.

That would normally indicate a very close corporate relationship, and IMHO makes it very hard to imagine that they'd be ignorant of this obnoxious "policy".