Related
Hello everyone, im not one to post much, i bascily find what i need say what i must and im done... I purchased 2 samsung vibrants, made a contract and never been so happy with a phone... A few days after having the phone, i start having issues when trying to make a call... Phone stays in Dialing screen and doesnt go anywhere from there, or goes black, or just drops the call or doesnt make the call at all and goes rightback to the main screen... ALSO!!! text messeges wouldnt go through with a 3g signal full bars... soon after i started having issues with a few programs the sims would give me an error, other aps would get the shakes, freeze, market doesn load , just a black screen... so i called tmobile let them know what was going on.... made us do a reset lost everything on the phones.... waited a few more days same problems again this time we went and got the sim cards changed.... few hours later same thing again... so after we passed the 14 day period to return the phones or what not they gave us a bit of a hassle to have them replaced but they replaced them... Mind you this issues was random and everything happend while having a better then good enough signal... so we get the replacements and a few days later... same issues again... Now my concern is how lucky can i be to get 4.... FOUR!!! not 1... but 4 phones that do the same exact things...
Id like to know how many ppl are having any of these issues besides the gps one... cause tmobile reps keep saying "OH i know "Blank" has this phone and hasnt had any issues at all, we havent recieved many calls about this phone.. " Im sure its Bull but please if any of you have had these issues please post id like to get something done about this cause at this point i love the phone but i cant deal with not being able to use my phone when i want to... Ive taken a few pics of the errors and a video or two but i wanna have something to show inthere face that im not just the only one with this problem and i dont just want a new phone...
My Mytouch 3g 1.2 with cyanogen ran faster, better, and never gave me the issues this phone is giveing me.. its stupid and i dont believe this should be happening...
So please post lol thanks....
p.s.
I know i miss spelled im running late for work and typed in a rush sorry...
RE: Black Screens
It's your phone lagging.
Do you have Facebook or Twitter hooked into your phone.
It's probably updating statuses in the phone app, and that's why it's lagging. When it lags, it starts giving black screens. Happens a lot. If you want to stick with the phone, then some of the knowledgeable modders here can recommend some decent custom ROMs that get rid of much of the lag, and point you in the correct direction.
From what I've read FroYo doesn't fix this issue on Galaxy S phones, though some said the leaked 2.2.1 ROM for the i9k fixes much of it.
RE: Text Messages
T-Mobile's network is pretty bad, I've noticed. I get the failed text messages quite a bit as well.
RE: Shakes and stuff in other apps
See "RE: Black screens" The RFS file system is almost guaranteed to lag any application which accesses the forum, especially if they use a database.
90% of the people here have had the same issues. 80% of them run a custom ROM or Lag Fix, 5% of them are in denial, and 5% of them run such a slimmed down setup that the lag is rare and simply doesn't bother them.
Speaking of which. There are Lag Fixes and Custom ROMs (usually with Lag Fixes integrated in them) that can alleviate much of the Lag. YMMV, however.
HTH.
umm a user error? i wonder how you use your phone..
like when you download apps from the marketplace, do you at the same time to make calls? send texts? or other stuffs while downloading? orr are you multi tasking as lot? web, text, games ? do you even exit on apps ..hmm
and you've been a member since july when the vibrant launched, are you not making this story up? LOL im kidding.. just get a different phone i guess, not a vibrant..
He's past the return period. Read his post.
Phones are cheap I heard...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
My Vibrant doesnt regonize sd card
I rooted my phone the other day and flashed to Nero 3 Team whiskey Rom, ever since then my phone doesn't recognize my external sd card and when i plug it to the PC it only shows internal card can some one help me i posted this twice and no respond hope this one works and thanks to all of you...
tonydatechnyc said:
I rooted my phone the other day and flashed to Nero 3 Team whiskey Rom, ever since then my phone doesn't recognize my external sd card and when i plug it to the PC it only shows internal card can some one help me i posted this twice and no respond hope this one works and thanks to all of you...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check this out, this may be what you need: Internal/External Sdcard Mounting Fix - for all 2.2 roms - *11/20/10*
the SAME EXACT ISSUES WITH ALL PHONES?
Here's what i did before, not to a vibrant, but my g2 when it had a bunch of problems.
After 6 replacements, tmobile told me that they can't trust me anymore. so for this time i went to their store and let them see the problems, they told me they hadn't seen it before (obviously) then i asked if i could TRY OUT another phone in front of them, i took out everything, and put it in the new phone, and same issues.
They told me something was wrong and they'd do something... they went to the back, same back after 10 minutes, and everything was fixed, but they wiped EVERYTHING ON MY PHONE, the sd card etc.
N8ter said:
He's past the return period. Read his post.
Phones are cheap I heard...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read it.. do you realize that it's nnot hard to replace the phone on TMobile? Tmo might even offer him a different phone.. it's called customer service and it's not like he bricked the phone anyway.. even if you bricked it they'd still replace it.. are you that oblivious???
I only had my Vibrant running stock firmware for about 2mins so I do not know about your lag. I am using the latest PepperKake rom with the Voodoo lag fix. I do not have facebook or twitter running. Just my email and a PS3 trophy card. I have not seen any sort of lag or freeze.
Ms_Vibrant said:
I read it.. do you realize that it's nnot hard to replace the phone on TMobile? Tmo might even offer him a different phone.. it's called customer service and it's not like he bricked the phone anyway.. even if you bricked it they'd still replace it.. are you that oblivious???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been through 3 of these phones. I don't need tips from you.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
N8ter was the most helpful with his first post. JL5 fixed alot of the "lag" issues I had, but the only lag I was experiencing was using my exchange (corporate) connector.
Best bet is to flash to JL5 or a custom rom, or if you dont wish to deal with that return the phone and tell TMO what for.
JL5 "Stock" ROM
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=881542
N8ter said:
I've been through 3 of these phones. I don't need tips from you.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
then what's the point of you saying "he's past the return period..?" if you yourself were able to exchange it 3 times? can't he do the same knowing he's got faulty devices?
it's funny how some poster above me could praise you and say you were helpful when you cant even help yourself to make your phone become better and learn to like it, but instead you come in here parading your hate about the vibrant...
ughhh.. rolleyes**
Ms_Vibrant said:
then what's the point of you saying "he's past the return period..?" if you yourself were able to exchange it 3 times? can't he do the same knowing he's got faulty devices?
it's funny how some poster above me could praise you and say you were helpful when you cant even help yourself to make your phone become better and learn to like it, but instead you come in here parading your hate about the vibrant...
ughhh.. rolleyes**
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You told him to get another phone - which I interpret to mean a different phone, because another Vibrant won't fix his issues, obviously. I've gotten two replacements (both were BNIB basically from the factory, since they were backordered when I put the tickets in).
He's past the return period, so his only choice would be to get a different phone, and those aren't cheap.
Furthermore, carriers (T-Mobile included) are always willing to swap the phone out for a different model to save a contract, but they aren't so dumb that they will let any random user get a free upgrade just because they called in *****ing about phone problems and threatened to cancel their contract (when you ETF, they get their subsidy back).
I know what I'm talking about. I've ETF'd from two other carriers in the past 6 months (Sprint and AT&T, due to poor signal issues) and have had all 4.
You can roll your eyes all you want, miss thing who is obviously a fangirl.
Sorry eveyone i lost my password for a while lol... To update you all on this, i ended up going thru 6!!! vibrants all had the same issues.. i didnt wanna root it i loved it as it was but after argueing with tmo, and samsung i didnt get anywhere with them, they only offered to exchange for the charm, HEll no! ...They WOuldnt exchange it for anything else.. so i ended up canceling the contract. It was cheaper to cancel the contract then to buy another phone at full price like they wanted me to.. it was $400 to cancel the contract plus the month, for the family plan... had i purchased two phones the "mytouch 4g" which is what we tried to get, at full price it was running about 900 to almost 1200 for both phones... havent had any issues with the mytouch ... But whats funny is , they now have the same vibrant phone with 4g service and a front facing camera... could it be they knew the vibrant had issues? so went ahead and remade it /fixed the issues instead of a recall. I saw several ppl everytime i went out who had one and actually ASKED them if they had any issues like i was and YES they did...
Basically in a nut shell Eclair is ****. The phone is awesome . Flash a good Rom and everything will be fine.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
that sucks
Guyver96 said:
Hello everyone, im not one to post much, i bascily find what i need say what i must and im done... I purchased 2 samsung vibrants, made a contract and never been so happy with a phone... A few days after having the phone, i start having issues when trying to make a call... Phone stays in Dialing screen and doesnt go anywhere from there, or goes black, or just drops the call or doesnt make the call at all and goes rightback to the main screen... ALSO!!! text messeges wouldnt go through with a 3g signal full bars... soon after i started having issues with a few programs the sims would give me an error, other aps would get the shakes, freeze, market doesn load , just a black screen... so i called tmobile let them know what was going on.... made us do a reset lost everything on the phones.... waited a few more days same problems again this time we went and got the sim cards changed.... few hours later same thing again... so after we passed the 14 day period to return the phones or what not they gave us a bit of a hassle to have them replaced but they replaced them... Mind you this issues was random and everything happend while having a better then good enough signal... so we get the replacements and a few days later... same issues again... Now my concern is how lucky can i be to get 4.... FOUR!!! not 1... but 4 phones that do the same exact things...
Id like to know how many ppl are having any of these issues besides the gps one... cause tmobile reps keep saying "OH i know "Blank" has this phone and hasnt had any issues at all, we havent recieved many calls about this phone.. " Im sure its Bull but please if any of you have had these issues please post id like to get something done about this cause at this point i love the phone but i cant deal with not being able to use my phone when i want to... Ive taken a few pics of the errors and a video or two but i wanna have something to show inthere face that im not just the only one with this problem and i dont just want a new phone...
My Mytouch 3g 1.2 with cyanogen ran faster, better, and never gave me the issues this phone is giveing me.. its stupid and i dont believe this should be happening...
So please post lol thanks....
p.s.
I know i miss spelled im running late for work and typed in a rush sorry...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that suck, r u able to reproduce the problems in front of the salesperson. i have four and all mine seem fine even when they were stock. they're all running cm7 #105 and seem to run without error -gps.
I don't know if anything like this has been posted yet, but I looked and didn't see any similar posts. Yesterday I went to a Sprint repair center to get my phone fixed as I thought it was bricked. I mean it was locked, I couldn't flash, get into recovery, or even factory data reset. I ended up fixing it though which is not important. What is important is the tech who was very cool saw that my phone was rooted. After he determined he couldn't fix it, he said he would replace it. I was thinking about having to pay the $100 insurance deductible but he said no because I still have S-On. So he ordered me another phone with no charge or questions, but I canceled it later that evening as I ended up fixing my own... furthermore, he went into my account and deleted a bunch of notes stating that my phone was rooted. Some punk at Sprint Customer care put those notes in there. The tech said they could tell whether or not we were rooted, and someone took an extra step to notate that, so he deleted all those notes.
Just thought I would pass this on. May be useless information to some, but I found it interesting...
That is a very cool tech. The other person probably doesn't know much about the phone and was educated into believing a rooted user is a bad user who abuses their services.
You should buy that guy a beer.
oohaylima said:
That is a very cool tech. The other person probably doesn't know much about the phone and was educated into believing a rooted user is a bad user who abuses their services.
You should buy that guy a beer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will when he reaches legal age...lol
ROOT and S-ON are not the same thing. The tech who deleted all that stuff was nice, but clearly did not know what he was talking about. S-ON does NOT mean that you are not rooted.
SugarCoatedAngel said:
I don't know if anything like this has been posted yet, but I looked and didn't see any similar posts. Yesterday I went to a Sprint repair center to get my phone fixed as I thought it was bricked. I mean it was locked, I couldn't flash, get into recovery, or even factory data reset. I ended up fixing it though which is not important. What is important is the tech who was very cool saw that my phone was rooted. After he determined he couldn't fix it, he said he would replace it. I was thinking about having to pay the $100 insurance deductible but he said no because I still have S-On. So he ordered me another phone with no charge or questions, but I canceled it later that evening as I ended up fixing my own... furthermore, he went into my account and deleted a bunch of notes stating that my phone was rooted. Some punk at Sprint Customer care put those notes in there. The tech said they could tell whether or not we were rooted, and someone took an extra step to notate that, so he deleted all those notes.
Just thought I would pass this on. May be useless information to some, but I found it interesting...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got to say that your lucky, and I had something similar happen to my with my Evo 4G. But one thing I find strange is that he was able to "delete" the notes that a Sprint Rep placed on your account.
All Ticketing systems are made so no notes can be deleted once they are submitted, plus he wouldn't have been the person who initiated the ticket in the first place. I would double check, I know their systems well and I think its best to know exactly what he did.
I am rooted with S-ON.
Unless you tell them it is rooted Sprint won't know unless a tech gets the phone to power on and sees the superuser.apk.
Wish all reps were like that haha. Everytime I've needed anything from them the techs are always so special. Back with my EVO I remember going in for a replacement before I had rooted it and the tech tried to say I was rooted and they wouldn't do anything because I had launcher pro as my launcher XD so funny I had to explain to him it was an app. But even when I had root as long as it looked stock I haven't had issues with them.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
Hi, uh I started another thread on making sure things got backed up. Which I did properly and everything was good. So today I haven't done anythign and was waiting for the new slim rom to make it's debute hopefully this week sometime as that is the one that appeals to me the most. Anyways, today my phone just got super hot, far hotter than before and it decided to die on me...I think. it shut off and I haven't been able to turn it on. Could this be a side effect of installing twrp/unlocking the bootloader/rooting? Or would it be a defective unit? One concern I had was getting a defective unit so i waited out my 30 days before even considering doing all this. So yea my 30 days from att is up. Would there possibly be a way to get a new phone from att or does anyone have any tricks on getting it back online? I personally think it was an overheating issue, but my phone is now cooled down.
So i went to the att store and of course they won't do anything. They told me to call some number they gave me. If I return it will they know it was boot unlocked and rooted? I can't turn it on at all. Using a power source or connecting to my computer nor my car charger...
blamster said:
Hi, uh I started another thread on making sure things got backed up. Which I did properly and everything was good. So today I haven't done anythign and was waiting for the new slim rom to make it's debute hopefully this week sometime as that is the one that appeals to me the most. Anyways, today my phone just got super hot, far hotter than before and it decided to die on me...I think. it shut off and I haven't been able to turn it on. Could this be a side effect of installing twrp/unlocking the bootloader/rooting? Or would it be a defective unit? One concern I had was getting a defective unit so i waited out my 30 days before even considering doing all this. So yea my 30 days from att is up. Would there possibly be a way to get a new phone from att or does anyone have any tricks on getting it back online? I personally think it was an overheating issue, but my phone is now cooled down.
So i went to the att store and of course they won't do anything. They told me to call some number they gave me. If I return it will they know it was boot unlocked and rooted? I can't turn it on at all. Using a power source or connecting to my computer nor my car charger...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so, im not sure if by return you mean, return for an exchange or simply a return as ATT will probably only send you a reman unit for yours and not allow an actual return. If you havent called them yet, i would recommend it. I have dealt with them many times in the past and one thing that has always shocked me is that they never have asked me about, or even commented on, how rooting or unlocking prevents them from exchanging it. Even during the disclaimer, they have never once said that if the device has been modified they wont allow the exchange.
I say all of this because should they not mention anything like that, and you send it back, im fairly sure you can claim you didnt know and werent told, and they will take care of it. Also, i say this because i personally sent back 3 bricked GS2s and an lg nitro as defective and got my reman units and every single one of them were rooted and such. So, i would feel safe. As long as they dont ask, and you dont lie to them, then there shouldnt be an issue. I wouldnt lie to them, i just dont mention it. AGAIN DO NOT lie to them or attempt to decieve them, i would never encourage that, but if its something they dont ask about, then, it, in my opinion, is not something that they are too concerned with.
cloudraker said:
Ok, so, im not sure if by return you mean, return for an exchange or simply a return as ATT will probably only send you a reman unit for yours and not allow an actual return. If you havent called them yet, i would recommend it. I have dealt with them many times in the past and one thing that has always shocked me is that they never have asked me about, or even commented on, how rooting or unlocking prevents them from exchanging it. Even during the disclaimer, they have never once said that if the device has been modified they wont allow the exchange.
I say all of this because should they not mention anything like that, and you send it back, im fairly sure you can claim you didnt know and werent told, and they will take care of it. Also, i say this because i personally sent back 3 bricked GS2s and an lg nitro as defective and got my reman units and every single one of them were rooted and such. So, i would feel safe. As long as they dont ask, and you dont lie to them, then there shouldnt be an issue. I wouldnt lie to them, i just dont mention it. AGAIN DO NOT lie to them or attempt to decieve them, i would never encourage that, but if its something they dont ask about, then, it, in my opinion, is not something that they are too concerned with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, thanks for the response. Sorry I was in a bit of a panic when I wrote that. But I have called ATT and they didn't ask me or mention in any disclaimer that if it's rooted or unlocked it won't qualify. I didn't mention it and so that does make me feel a lot better. Hasn't been physically damaged or come in contact with water so i'm pretty sure I'm safe. Thanks again.
blamster said:
Okay, thanks for the response. Sorry I was in a bit of a panic when I wrote that. But I have called ATT and they didn't ask me or mention in any disclaimer that if it's rooted or unlocked it won't qualify. I didn't mention it and so that does make me feel a lot better. Hasn't been physically damaged or come in contact with water so i'm pretty sure I'm safe. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They may or may not check when you return the phone. I returned my S3 a few months ago in exchange for a different phone but I forgot to unroot it and uninstall Superuser. The representative at AT&T didn't even turn the phone on. I didn't have anything to hide though, if they told me I couldn't return it because it was rooted then I would have sold it and purchased something else. I think the manufacturer is the one to worry about with these things. LG would definitely know if it were unlocked and they would be able to determine if rooting and unlocking the phone caused the problems you described.
johnbyebye said:
They may or may not check when you return the phone. I returned my S3 a few months ago in exchange for a different phone but I forgot to unroot it and uninstall Superuser. The representative at AT&T didn't even turn the phone on. I didn't have anything to hide though, if they told me I couldn't return it because it was rooted then I would have sold it and purchased something else. I think the manufacturer is the one to worry about with these things. LG would definitely know if it were unlocked and they would be able to determine if rooting and unlocking the phone caused the problems you described.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if they can turn it on I will gladly take it back due to them not accepting. I couldn't turn it on by anymeans, even plugging it in there is no lights to signifying it is receiving power. But i heard this phone had overheating issues in the first wave (or two) so it's probably for the best to get a new one. They are currently mailing me a new one and so I should receive it next week sometime hopefully.
blamster said:
Well if they can turn it on I will gladly take it back due to them not accepting. I couldn't turn it on by anymeans, even plugging it in there is no lights to signifying it is receiving power. But i heard this phone had overheating issues in the first wave (or two) so it's probably for the best to get a new one. They are currently mailing me a new one and so I should receive it next week sometime hopefully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like everything worked out.
im in the same boat as you... completely dead phone. But I did open it to see of the battery pull would work. Do you think that theyll check and refuse my warranty because I opened it? the phone on the outside is NEW. Btw do you have a contract/account with ATT? I bought mine off ebay and used it on tmo...
I have the exact same problem! Totally dead phone that the charging light won't even turn on for. Unfortunately there is a small crack in the bottom left of the phone that was caused months prior so ATT wont give me a new one...
send it for repairs! I had rooted and unlocked mine so ATT didnt cover my warranty, but I only paid 50 bucks for the repairs and now I have my phone back!
Hey guys, so I recently picked up the S4 as I had an upgrade and chose this phone specifically for it's support by developers here on XDA. Strictly due to my own aloofness, and not having checked the forums for a few weeks before walking into the store (fail), I ran the update as it popped up immediately and I figured "why not" (I KNOW, I went full-retard and expected something useful from a Verizon OTA... they screwed me last time with an OTA too ).
Anyway, I still have about ten days before my "Worry-free Guarantee" runs out, and I'm really considering going back and claiming a warranty replacement on my phone in an attempt to receive a non-VRUAME7-equipped phone (as I said, the 16GB versions in stock there didn't have the update initially). If I attempt to claim the phone as defective, do you think I could avoid the $35 restocking fee, considering I'd swap for the exact same model of phone?
I'm not sure what to expect when going back there. Some CSR's seem much more technical than others, so I don't know if I'd be drilled about the issue I'm claiming. Any advice here? Would focusing on a 'bad battery' or 'device overheating' raise any red flags? Should I bring it in drained of battery life? I've kept excellent care of the phone; it's in mint condition without a scratch or blemish, non-rooted, and fully updated.
Even if I have to pay the $35 fee, I would do it for a non-updated phone. I'm just worried that by chance the CSR that gives me my replacement would decide to run the upgrade, as it will pop up immediately. Also, any tips on ensuring I avoid the upgrade until I back up the phone and root it? Just yank out the SIM until it's good to go?
Thanks for any advice you may have. I'm new here so flame me relentlessly for any rules I may have broken . And yes, I know, ultimately I'm complaining about having an S4 (read: kinda being a *****).
I stopped the update by turning off WiFi and data until I had it rooted and ROMed
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda premium
My understanding of the guarantee is that it can be returned for any reason. I can't tell from a quick Google search, but it sounds like you might have a shot at no restocking fee if you're exchanging for the same model.
Given those tidbits, I'd tell them you want to exchange the phone due to reduced functionality after the update, and leave it at that. If they offer to troubleshoot, you can then say "sure, remove the update", which they can't do. I think this approach will give you the best chance of leaving the store with an un-updated phone and no fee. No CSR is going to take the OTA after having to deal with the guy who really hates the update for nonspecific reasons.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda premium
TheJ0hnman said:
My understanding of the guarantee is that it can be returned for any reason. I can't tell from a quick Google search, but it sounds like you might have a shot at no restocking fee if you're exchanging for the same model.
Given those tidbits, I'd tell them you want to exchange the phone due to reduced functionality after the update, and leave it at that. If they offer to troubleshoot, you can then say "sure, remove the update", which they can't do. I think this approach will give you the best chance of leaving the store with an un-updated phone and no fee. No CSR is going to take the OTA after having to deal with the guy who really hates the update for nonspecific reasons.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting point, TheJ0hnman. I think turning window animations to something atrocious will help me have something that seems effed upon a cursory check, as well as some other developer options that undoubtedly make you think "wtf" if you don't know better, like flash on update etc. (wish I could then rehide the developer menu). Do you really think blaming the update would work well? I think I'd rather feign ignorance and say that the update "screwed with everything, battery life and runs slow", and act as if I'm unfamiliar with technical operation of android.
I don't think user error is covered under the 14 day WFG .
Why not keep it simple by saying you just want to swap colors. Whichever is less popular (white?) might have a bigger stock backlog & thus be more likely to have MDK firmware. Then either be bold and ask them not to update OTA, or be in a terrific hurry to get somewhere else and tell them you'll activate and set the phone up yourself.
cantare said:
Why not keep it simple by saying you just want to swap colors. Whichever is less popular (white?) might have a bigger stock backlog & thus be more likely to have MDK firmware. Then either be bold and ask them not to update OTA, or be in a terrific hurry to get somewhere else and tell them you'll activate and set the phone up yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes a lot of sense, cantare. Only thing is I might end up paying the restocking fee. I think I'll try the warranty replacement first. Imagine me going through all this just to get another VRUAME7'd phone!
soad1789 said:
Hey guys, so I recently picked up the S4 as I had an upgrade and chose this phone specifically for it's support by developers here on XDA. Strictly due to my own aloofness, and not having checked the forums for a few weeks before walking into the store (fail), I ran the update as it popped up immediately and I figured "why not" (I KNOW, I went full-retard and expected something useful from a Verizon OTA... they screwed me last time with an OTA too ).
Anyway, I still have about ten days before my "Worry-free Guarantee" runs out, and I'm really considering going back and claiming a warranty replacement on my phone in an attempt to receive a non-VRUAME7-equipped phone (as I said, the 16GB versions in stock there didn't have the update initially). If I attempt to claim the phone as defective, do you think I could avoid the $35 restocking fee, considering I'd swap for the exact same model of phone?
I'm not sure what to expect when going back there. Some CSR's seem much more technical than others, so I don't know if I'd be drilled about the issue I'm claiming. Any advice here? Would focusing on a 'bad battery' or 'device overheating' raise any red flags? Should I bring it in drained of battery life? I've kept excellent care of the phone; it's in mint condition without a scratch or blemish, non-rooted, and fully updated.
Even if I have to pay the $35 fee, I would do it for a non-updated phone. I'm just worried that by chance the CSR that gives me my replacement would decide to run the upgrade, as it will pop up immediately. Also, any tips on ensuring I avoid the upgrade until I back up the phone and root it? Just yank out the SIM until it's good to go?
Thanks for any advice you may have. I'm new here so flame me relentlessly for any rules I may have broken . And yes, I know, ultimately I'm complaining about having an S4 (read: kinda being a *****).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately it's yourself that screwed you. Not the OTA.
Root users know NEVER to take an OTA.
Hi Everyone. I just upgraded to the S4 last Sunday and while I was in the store and they were activating the phone, it started the update. I did not realize that this update locked everything down.
So, I decided that I would wait it out and see when the new update would be cracked. That was a couple days ago and I was having flash withdrawals. This morning I figured I would go to the Verizon store near work and just ask straight up ask if I could return my phone because of the new update....and as soon as the words update came out of my mouth, the girl interrupted me and said "Yes, we are having all kinds of issues with the new update and have replaced phones all weekend. We will get you a new phone".
5 mins later, new phone in hand with MDK software. AND the whole store told me not to take the update that another one is in the works. Can't wait to get home and root this thing and get Andy's Bone Stock ROM running.
anyone know the status on refurbs with the update?
i might have to get mine replaced due to brightness problems on my buttons and curious how well people are doing with the refurbs
kaos2569 said:
Hi Everyone. I just upgraded to the S4 last Sunday and while I was in the store and they were activating the phone, it started the update. I did not realize that this update locked everything down.
So, I decided that I would wait it out and see when the new update would be cracked. That was a couple days ago and I was having flash withdrawals. This morning I figured I would go to the Verizon store near work and just ask straight up ask if I could return my phone because of the new update....and as soon as the words update came out of my mouth, the girl interrupted me and said "Yes, we are having all kinds of issues with the new update and have replaced phones all weekend. We will get you a new phone".
5 mins later, new phone in hand with MDK software. AND the whole store told me not to take the update that another one is in the works. Can't wait to get home and root this thing and get Andy's Bone Stock ROM running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow. I hope I have a similar experience! kaos2569, you got a black 16gig this morning and it was pre-ME7? This truly gives me hope.
Yes, I went to the store, and it was swapped out no problem. I didn't try to scam, or make up anything up. I just said what I posted and she stopped me mid sentence and knew about the update and how it was messing people's phones up and grabbed a brand new pre-updated one.
I just finished up rooting, installed a recovery, and installed Bone Stock. Everything went flawless.
kaos2569 said:
Yes, I went to the store, and it was swapped out no problem. I didn't try to scam, or make up anything up. I just said what I posted and she stopped me mid sentence and knew about the update and how it was messing people's phones up and grabbed a brand new pre-updated one.
I just finished up rooting, installed a recovery, and installed Bone Stock. Everything went flawless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my phone should be here weds, so ill give this a try this weekend. unless the doodoo brown ones come pre-update.
kaos2569 said:
Yes, I went to the store, and it was swapped out no problem. I didn't try to scam, or make up anything up. I just said what I posted and she stopped me mid sentence and knew about the update and how it was messing people's phones up and grabbed a brand new pre-updated one.
I just finished up rooting, installed a recovery, and installed Bone Stock. Everything went flawless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow do I feel sly! My experience was not quite as straightforward as yours, kaos2569, but I pulled it off! I had to convince two CSRs, one who actually also owned an S4 and was clearly no n00b (though he said he had the ME7 update so I guess not an XDA regular). I used one of the update screens in developer options to trick the first lady, who then restarted my phone and had me wait to be seen. While waiting, I went back and turned on developer options again, then turned them off, realizing beforehand that open apps will retain the "screwy" look even with the options off. The guy proceeded to investigate my phone for what must've been 20 minutes. I kept insisting the problem was intermittent and hinting at the possibility that the update played a role in the problem. After some skepticism (he noticed the developer options were off but the menu was available; I played dumb, saying I let a gadget-freak friend look at it for a bit), he finally offered me a free(!) replacement and I took it. I was waiting for a while once he got the new phone out, and was getting nervous that he might've been installing the update. He said "I'm downloading the update now, I'll run through it here to make sure there are no issues" so I immediately told him I had to be somewhere in ten minutes. He handed my phone back to me, I turned it off immediately, pulled the battery, and went home. Pulled the SIM card and booted-- still MDK indeed! Wow. It was a process but it was worth it. Can't wait to get some custom ROMs on this!
I can understand the animosity some people might have over doing something like this, but I was scarred by Verizon for nearly the entirety of the two years I had had my old phone, due to another damn OTA update, which didn't lock me out, but installed Gingerbread and made the phone basically impossible to use (legit, 12 seconds to open the ****** dialer). I just couldn't let Verizon lock me down again without a fight. And I will *SURELY* remember that guy the next time an upgrade comes along.
Thanks again kaos! You gave me the confidence to believe it could be done, and that it wasn't too late!
all i did was take it back within first 14 days... before i did though i went into app settings and disabled all apps including play store so they were not visible in app drawer. i told him it was freezing and soft booting itself after i updated the phone.. then i told him i called in and spoke with a tech n did a factory reset and everything dissappeared including my apps and i cant dl apps since my play store is gone.. he was lookin at it for a bit and was like wow thats weird! i told him the tech said since i was within 14 days he told me to go back to the store and exchange for a new one that wasnt updated.. worked like a charm! i told him not to update it that ill decline it until they come out with a new update n that was it! rooted n installed twrp soon as i got home been flashin every rom on here since! currently on hyperdrive n lovin it!
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
soad1789 said:
Wow do I feel sly! My experience was not quite as straightforward as yours, kaos2569, but I pulled it off! I had to convince two CSRs, one who actually also owned an S4 and was clearly no n00b (though he said he had the ME7 update so I guess not an XDA regular). I used one of the update screens in developer options to trick the first lady, who then restarted my phone and had me wait to be seen. While waiting, I went back and turned on developer options again, then turned them off, realizing beforehand that open apps will retain the "screwy" look even with the options off. The guy proceeded to investigate my phone for what must've been 20 minutes. I kept insisting the problem was intermittent and hinting at the possibility that the update played a role in the problem. After some skepticism (he noticed the developer options were off but the menu was available; I played dumb, saying I let a gadget-freak friend look at it for a bit), he finally offered me a free(!) replacement and I took it. I was waiting for a while once he got the new phone out, and was getting nervous that he might've been installing the update. He said "I'm downloading the update now, I'll run through it here to make sure there are no issues" so I immediately told him I had to be somewhere in ten minutes. He handed my phone back to me, I turned it off immediately, pulled the battery, and went home. Pulled the SIM card and booted-- still MDK indeed! Wow. It was a process but it was worth it. Can't wait to get some custom ROMs on this!
I can understand the animosity some people might have over doing something like this, but I was scarred by Verizon for nearly the entirety of the two years I had had my old phone, due to another damn OTA update, which didn't lock me out, but installed Gingerbread and made the phone basically impossible to use (legit, 12 seconds to open the ****** dialer). I just couldn't let Verizon lock me down again without a fight. And I will *SURELY* remember that guy the next time an upgrade comes along.
Thanks again kaos! You gave me the confidence to believe it could be done, and that it wasn't too late!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And you are proud of this? It's because of people like you returning non defective products that the rest of the consumers have to suffer. tl;dr guess you have a total lack of integrity and morals to just accept your screw up. You sir are a douche bag.
Reading to learn about your device. Crazy, Who would of known.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
zetsumeikuro said:
And you are proud of this? It's because of people like you returning non defective products that the rest of the consumers have to suffer. tl;dr guess you have a total lack of integrity and morals to just accept your screw up. You sir are a douche bag.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hexitnow said:
Reading to learn about your device. Crazy, Who would of known.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You guys are certainly entitled to your opinions, and I really don't disagree. I have egg on my face from the whole event. After all, it was my fumbling that screwed me over in the first place. However, I'm curious as to your feelings about Big Red itself. Like I said, this phone enticed me exactly for it's support by this community, and Verizon obviously realized that if they in turn locked the phone down with an update. What of that?
zetsumeikuro; this device will quickly be determined a Certified Like-New Replacement. I took pristine care of the phone, didn't screw around with the internals at all, and even kept the touchscreen under the manufacturer-issued screen protector the entire time I had the phone. If someone (due to their own bumbling) drops their phone in water, loses it, etc. They will end up with that phone and be very happy with it, unless they expected to luck out on a replacement and receive a pre-ME7 phone as well. I'm sorry, I can't say I see the harm in that, or how any other consumer suffers outright. I could've gotten a replacement within my 14 days for almost any reason. Yes-- I got out of a restocking fee and got a pre-update phone; what if I just paid $35 and got a Droid instead?
hexitnow, absolutely. I goofed up, that's for sure. I could attempt to excuse that by saying how I've been working 65-hour weeks and attempting to orchestrate a move into a new apartment lately, but I'm sure nobody really cares about that. Yes, I was negligent, having read up on the phone in early June thinking our upgrade was sooner than it actually was (and being treated oh-so-rudely by a CSR when we thought our upgrades were available back then), but ultimately it was me being stupid. I believe I learned a lesson here, and you rightly may resent me and people like me for our stupidity, but people make mistakes. This isn't my first or last one, either. Ultimately, it's just a phone update, I screwed nobody in doing what I did except arguably Verizon, who I managed to avoid paying yet another $35 to. I... I just don't feel that bad. I've felt wronged by them at every turn, and honestly I feel worse sticking with them as my carrier then I do taking advantage of my "Worry-free Guarantee" (assuming you don't worry about $35 fees).
Note that I am known to be a "whimsical douchebag", however.
soad1789 said:
You guys are certainly entitled to your opinions, and I really don't disagree. I have egg on my face from the whole event. After all, it was my fumbling that screwed me over in the first place. However, I'm curious as to your feelings about Big Red itself. Like I said, this phone enticed me exactly for it's support by this community, and Verizon obviously realized that if they in turn locked the phone down with an update. What of that?
zetsumeikuro; this device will quickly be determined a Certified Like-New Replacement. I took pristine care of the phone, didn't screw around with the internals at all, and even kept the touchscreen under the manufacturer-issued screen protector the entire time I had the phone. If someone (due to their own bumbling) drops their phone in water, loses it, etc. They will end up with that phone and be very happy with it, unless they expected to luck out on a replacement and receive a pre-ME7 phone as well. I'm sorry, I can't say I see the harm in that, or how any other consumer suffers outright. I could've gotten a replacement within my 14 days for almost any reason. Yes-- I got out of a restocking fee and got a pre-update phone; what if I just paid $35 and got a Droid instead?
hexitnow, absolutely. I goofed up, that's for sure. I could attempt to excuse that by saying how I've been working 65-hour weeks and attempting to orchestrate a move into a new apartment lately, but I'm sure nobody really cares about that. Yes, I was negligent, having read up on the phone in early June thinking our upgrade was sooner than it actually was (and being treated oh-so-rudely by a CSR when we thought our upgrades were available back then), but ultimately it was me being stupid. I believe I learned a lesson here, and you rightly may resent me and people like me for our stupidity, but people make mistakes. This isn't my first or last one, either. Ultimately, it's just a phone update, I screwed nobody in doing what I did except arguably Verizon, who I managed to avoid paying yet another $35 to. I... I just don't feel that bad. I've felt wronged by them at every turn, and honestly I feel worse sticking with them as my carrier then I do taking advantage of my "Worry-free Guarantee" (assuming you don't worry about $35 fees).
Note that I am known to be a "whimsical douchebag", however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't see the harm in falsifying issues with a non defective device? I'm sure Samsung and Verizon will beg to differ. Yeah your device will probably get turned into a CLNR but clearly someone will be taking a hit for the brand new device you got. I mean the whole issue here that you seem to not see is the utter lack of integrity/honesty on your part. You screwing with developer options to make it look like the phone is having intermittent software issues to some untrained CSR. What you did there just reeks of desperation of you not willing to accept a mistake you made. I'm not going to go into the whole Verizon/Sammy locking down the device debacle, as there is the developer edition of the device. I'm not trying to defend Verizon and their ways.. Simply put it I'm disgusted with the lengths/measure you took to get a replacement device.
zetsumeikuro said:
Don't see the harm in falsifying issues with a non defective device? I'm sure Samsung and Verizon will beg to differ. Yeah your device will probably get turned into a CLNR but clearly someone will be taking a hit for the brand new device you got. I mean the whole issue here that you seem to not see is the utter lack of integrity/honesty on your part. You screwing with developer options to make it look like the phone is having intermittent software issues to some untrained CSR. What you did there just reeks of desperation of you not willing to accept a mistake you made. I'm not going to go into the whole Verizon/Sammy locking down the device debacle, as there is the developer edition of the device. I'm not trying to defend Verizon and their ways.. Simply put it I'm disgusted with the lengths/measure you took to get a replacement device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said, you're entitled to your opinions. I could've swapped the phone for any reason, even if I just "didn't like it", as per Verizon's policy. Even if I paid$35 and swapped for an iPhone both Verizon and Samsung would've taken the same "hit". I just managed to avoid the restocking fee. But as you imply, I'm sure Verizon and Samsung will gather in a circle and weep.
They can take that $35 from the device upgrade fees they failed to mention in store. But I'm expected to maintain my full integrity.gotcha.
You sound like my father :laugh:
I've got insurance for my cell phone through my credit card. If it breaks, they'll send me $250 to buy a new one. And my RAZR Maxx is definitely messed up.
The problem is, the problems are intermittent. And for me to make a successful claim, I have to get a technician to look at the phone and write a letter saying it's broken. I had to go through this process a couple of years ago with a Motorola Atrix that was clearly, obviously broken. And the technicians are always like, "what? what do you mean? what good is a letter like that going to do?" No matter how many times I try to explain to them. It's like they think I'm trying to trap them.
Anyway, is there anything short of throwing the phone off the top of my house that I can do to my phone that makes it easy to show to a technician and have him verify there are issues with it? I'd like not to destroy the phone in case my claim is denied. There are other criteria other than just proving phone is broken. And if the claim is denied, I may need to use the phone for a few more months till I can afford to buy a new one.
The phone is rooted. So I can install whatever software that needs the phone to be rooted. And I have asked in the past, rooting the phone does not cancel my insurance. The case is basically the cell phone insurance department doesn't seem very technologically savvy and don't have a lot of clauses you see when cell phone company's are describing cell phone warranties. Then they have other clauses that you would never see in a cell phone warranty.
If you want to know what's wrong with my phone, like occasionally, nothing it can do will it lock onto the GPS satellites, and I'm stuck somewhere trying to navigate my way to some place.. Occasionally it'll pop up on my screen saying "HDMI cable detected" and orient my screen sideways like if the phone were in a dock. It does this even though there's clearly no HDMI cable connected and I have turned HDMI detection off in the settings. Plus, the phone is just god awful slow a lot of times. Trying to use Chrome on the phone, a lot of times it'll hang and eventually I'll get the message "Chrome is not reponding", then I have options like do you want to wait for it, or go ahead and kill it.
levander said:
I've got insurance for my cell phone through my credit card. If it breaks, they'll send me $250 to buy a new one. And my RAZR Maxx is definitely messed up.
The problem is, the problems are intermittent. And for me to make a successful claim, I have to get a technician to look at the phone and write a letter saying it's broken. I had to go through this process a couple of years ago with a Motorola Atrix that was clearly, obviously broken. And the technicians are always like, "what? what do you mean? what good is a letter like that going to do?" No matter how many times I try to explain to them. It's like they think I'm trying to trap them.
Anyway, is there anything short of throwing the phone off the top of my house that I can do to my phone that makes it easy to show to a technician and have him verify there are issues with it? I'd like not to destroy the phone in case my claim is denied. There are other criteria other than just proving phone is broken. And if the claim is denied, I may need to use the phone for a few more months till I can afford to buy a new one.
The phone is rooted. So I can install whatever software that needs the phone to be rooted. And I have asked in the past, rooting the phone does not cancel my insurance. The case is basically the cell phone insurance department doesn't seem very technologically savvy and don't have a lot of clauses you see when cell phone company's are describing cell phone warranties. Then they have other clauses that you would never see in a cell phone warranty.
If you want to know what's wrong with my phone, like occasionally, nothing it can do will it lock onto the GPS satellites, and I'm stuck somewhere trying to navigate my way to some place.. Occasionally it'll pop up on my screen saying "HDMI cable detected" and orient my screen sideways like if the phone were in a dock. It does this even though there's clearly no HDMI cable connected and I have turned HDMI detection off in the settings. Plus, the phone is just god awful slow a lot of times. Trying to use Chrome on the phone, a lot of times it'll hang and eventually I'll get the message "Chrome is not reponding", then I have options like do you want to wait for it, or go ahead and kill it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried returning the phone to bone stock with a stock recovery image and rsd lite? Be fore warned, you will lose root but, you can get it back. Afterwards it will be like a new phone(faster, a lot less buggy and force closes) unless it is truly a hardware issue. I have a motorola xoom that started having serious issues, I went through the whole process, and it was like a completely new tablet when was done, battery life I hadn't seen in over a year, very responsive, it was like I had just unboxed it from the store.
Truthfully the technicians probably DO think you are trying to trap them when you are talking about intermittent problems. Intermittent problems are hard to diagnose with anything unless you can tell them a specific action or pattern of actions that leads up to the problem. I am sure they get a lot of people all the time with "it doesn't work right" claims to try to get money for a new phone.
IMHO it would be worth the shot to see if it legitimately has a goofy problem, or can be easily fixed at home.
Draxin said:
Have you tried returning the phone to bone stock with a stock recovery image and rsd lite?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, thanks Draxin. I've tried restoring to a factory image. And it seems to work okay for a couple of days before small things start back up. A couple of months later, the phone is as flaky as it ever was. It could just be software, that is possible. But it's not like I can go in and fix the software myself or anything. And I think hanging around the internet, looking for tweaks and fixes any more than I already have is really an unreasonable request by the insurance company.
What you say about an easily repeatable pattern, that's what I was hoping to figure out by posting here.
But getting no responses, I think I'm just gonna start my claim and when it gets to the point of proving it's broken, I'm just gonna microwave the phone. Googling all over the Internet that's the only advice people seem to offer.
Basically as it is now, I'm gonna have to pay for a new phone and hope this clumsy phone insurance through my credit card company makes good on my claim. I know I meet the criteria because I've read the policy. It's just the hoops they put you through to prove you meet the criteria that I'm worried about.
levander said:
Yeah, thanks Draxin. I've tried restoring to a factory image. And it seems to work okay for a couple of days before small things start back up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With a full wipe and stock motorola firmware? Or just a factory reset?
Either way wish you the best of luck
Yeah try using rsd to fully restore. I fixed a lot of my problems that way .
Sent from my XT912 using Tapatalk
tydiamond11 said:
Yeah try using rsd to fully restore. I fixed a lot of my problems that way .
Sent from my XT912 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true. It is funny/sad. Spend some time on a site like this and it seems like everybody knows these things. Talk to your friend or the typical consumer of smartphones and it is foreign to them. They feed into the advertising that the newest and greatest will solve all their problems, not realizing they are falling into the same viscous circle. They will actually disbelieve you, cause... well come on, the phone is two years old! "The guy at my carriers store is surprised my phone still works. Sure he got the job two months ago, won't be there five from now and has no idea what a OTG cable is, or a independently powered usb hub but, still he works there.. so he must know what he is talking about! I am sure it has nothing to do with commission of sales!" (that was facetious, by the way)
I am curious how many people have thought that their smartphone was dying or to old because a factory reset didn't work(not talking about you lavender, I don't know what you have done to fix your device( guess I am semi-hijacking your thread)).
Motorola(or any device manufacturer for that matter) isn't going to tell the typical user that a firmware reflash is required to get a couple more years out of their device when they can sell a user (that won't waste the time to Google)another device. Certainly won't advertise it right next to their latest and greatest device. Really how many people outside of the power users or gamers REQUIRE a quad core processor with 1500-1800 mhz, or 2-3 gb of RAM. When typically, it will end up the same way in a years time, depending on how much they use it.
Porn doesn't require those specs!!!
Draxin said:
Very true. It is funny/sad. Spend some time on a site like this and it seems like everybody knows these things. Talk to your friend or the typical consumer of smartphones and it is foreign to them. They feed into the advertising that the newest and greatest will solve all their problems, not realizing they are falling into the same viscous circle. They will actually disbelieve you, cause... well come on, the phone is two years old! "The guy at my carriers store is surprised my phone still works. Sure he got the job two months ago, won't be there five from now and has no idea what a OTG cable is, or a independently powered usb hub but, still he works there.. so he must know what he is talking about! I am sure it has nothing to do with commission of sales!" (that was facetious, by the way)
I am curious how many people have thought that their smartphone was dying or to old because a factory reset didn't work(not talking about you lavender, I don't know what you have done to fix your device( guess I am semi-hijacking your thread)).
Motorola(or any device manufacturer for that matter) isn't going to tell the typical user that a firmware reflash is required to get a couple more years out of their device when they can sell a user (that won't waste the time to Google)another device. Certainly won't advertise it right next to their latest and greatest device. Really how many people outside of the power users or gamers REQUIRE a quad core processor with 1500-1800 mhz, or 2-3 gb of RAM. When typically, it will end up the same way in a years time, depending on how much they use it.
Porn doesn't require those specs!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right. Just the last part is not really relevant to this form by the way.
Sent from my XT912 using Tapatalk