Has anyone done a warranty exchange with an unlocked bootloader? For example:
Your headphone jack develops issues and you're pretty sure it's a hardware problem with the connector as noted in this thread. You have an unlocked bootloader so the text "UNLOCKED" is shown every time you boot, but otherwise stock 4.5.91. You are beyond your 30 day exchange period.
You send the phone in for a warranty exchange, and since it's a hardware issue Motorola does one of the following:
1. Says, "Everything is cool, we know you unlocked the bootloader but can see this is an obvious hardware issue and will give you an exchange."
2. Says, "You unlocked the bootloader and voided your warranty. You owe us $500."
3. Replaces the phone without noticing.
Would flashing the stock 4.5.91 SBF to remove the "UNLOCKED" notice change anything?
This is all purely hypothetical, of course.
I have no idea what checks Motorola goes through when they receive a device under warranty but, for me personally, I just accept that I forfeited my warranty when I unlocked my BL. I know it doesn't seem fair for the consumer to have this mentality but until they decide to offer us the unlocks officially we have to play by their rules.
stewartsoda said:
Has anyone done a warranty exchange with an unlocked bootloader? For example:
Your headphone jack develops issues and you're pretty sure it's a hardware problem with the connector as noted in this thread. You have an unlocked bootloader so the text "UNLOCKED" is shown every time you boot, but otherwise stock 4.5.91. You are beyond your 30 day exchange period.
You send the phone in for a warranty exchange, and since it's a hardware issue Motorola does one of the following:
1. Says, "Everything is cool, we know you unlocked the bootloader but can see this is an obvious hardware issue and will give you an exchange."
2. Says, "You unlocked the bootloader and voided your warranty. You owe us $500."
3. Replaces the phone without noticing.
Would flashing the stock 4.5.91 SBF to remove the "UNLOCKED" notice change anything?
This is all purely hypothetical, of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let us know when you find out.
I voided my warranty and your mum.
stewartsoda said:
Has anyone done a warranty exchange with an unlocked bootloader? For example:
Your headphone jack develops issues and you're pretty sure it's a hardware problem with the connector as noted in this thread. You have an unlocked bootloader so the text "UNLOCKED" is shown every time you boot, but otherwise stock 4.5.91. You are beyond your 30 day exchange period.
You send the phone in for a warranty exchange, and since it's a hardware issue Motorola does one of the following:
1. Says, "Everything is cool, we know you unlocked the bootloader but can see this is an obvious hardware issue and will give you an exchange."
2. Says, "You unlocked the bootloader and voided your warranty. You owe us $500."
3. Replaces the phone without noticing.
Would flashing the stock 4.5.91 SBF to remove the "UNLOCKED" notice change anything?
This is all purely hypothetical, of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, here in canada with Bell, if you have a software problem you're in deep sh*t...
If it's a hardware problem, they fix it or they give you another atrix ^^
Your welcome
In Singapore, sent in an Atrix with a hardware problem, (Atrix will not start up)
They fixed it and returned it back to me with the bootloader still unlocked.
(They returned it to stock, but OEM fuse shows it is unlocked)
Really though, pray or go on your lucky day!
stewartsoda said:
Would flashing the stock 4.5.91 SBF to remove the "UNLOCKED" notice change anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing to a FroYo SBF can either remove the text or brick your phone.
If you updated to Gingerbread officially (OTA) than it would brick your phone
Well I actually just got off the phone with AT&T and I'm getting a replacement phone because the vibrate motor (don't want to call it a vibrator ) in this one is broken or something. She said they only charge the big fee if there's water damage or severe cracks, etc. I mentioned that I had modified the phone in various Android-ish ways and she said it doesn't matter because they flash it to stock before they do anything with it...But AFAIK there's no way to relock the bootloader for us Atrix owners. Hopefully they can do something we don't know about, or I'm screwed. I imagine they have plenty of ways to get it back to stock. No where on AT&T's terms for warranty exchanges does it say anything about getting the fee for something other than water damage/extreme physical damage/etc.
EDIT: I got online with another ATT rep, because I was freaking out. I told him about the unlocked bootloader and he said "Yes, that will be a problem". When I read that, pants had been pooped. I was glad that I found out so I could perhaps cancel the exchange, but mad that I was basically stuck with this broken phone now...Then he said he talked to a supervisor, and he told him that google recently required manufacturer's to take any phone regardless of any modifications that had been made to it in spirit of open source. So I confirmed numerous times that the unlock won't be a problem. And as long as there's no water damage (circle on back is still white) or extreme physical damage, you should get the replacement without any fee.
At the very least, if anything were to arise, I feel I have reason to argue now that I've confirmed this in so many ways... Hope this helps you all!
guys, just use the SBF to flash to stock. it *should* remove the "unlocked" text on boot. I HIGHLY doubt they will go into that much trouble to try to see if your bootloader is unlocked or not.
andy2na said:
guys, just use the SBF to flash to stock. it *should* remove the "unlocked" text on boot. I HIGHLY doubt they will go into that much trouble to try to see if your bootloader is unlocked or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also highly doubt that they would check but I'm not willing to risk $500 on that doubt.
I might have hypothetically fixed the headphone jack on my own anyway. But I still think that inquiring minds would want to know the answer to this: Can a software modification release Motorola from honoring warranty claims based on hardware issues?
stewartsoda said:
I also highly doubt that they would check but I'm not willing to risk $500 on that doubt.
I might have hypothetically fixed the headphone jack on my own anyway. But I still think that inquiring minds would want to know the answer to this: Can a software modification release Motorola from honoring warranty claims based on hardware issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fastboot oem unlock.
Iphone > galaxy s 2.
@thebeardedchild - So did you actually replace the phone through ATT warranty and they didnt charge you any money.
I replaced mine through at&t not a single charge was given to me. Bootloader was unlocked and had stock gingerbread.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
defnow said:
I replaced mine through at&t not a single charge was given to me. Bootloader was unlocked and had stock gingerbread.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And it said "unlocked" at the top left during boot and everything? Just trying to clarify whether you tried to hide it or not or left it as obvious as it normally would...
If you did hide it, what did you do? I've been confused as to whether you SBF flash or what. I'm scared of bricking this phone before I send it back haha.
@hjd17, I haven't sent it in yet, the replacement hasn't arrived. The poster I quoted has had success though, so that should answer your question!
Hi all,
But why don't you all put stock rom with rsd? If you do this the label "unlocked" Goes
away. Just download the stock rom from xda in the thread under the Android development and push it with rsd, no worries i've done it lot of times....
stewartsoda said:
...
I might have hypothetically fixed the headphone jack on my own anyway. But I still think that inquiring minds would want to know the answer to this: Can a software modification release Motorola from honoring warranty claims based on hardware issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IF Moto was going to hold you to this, then I would expect them to win unless you could show the product was broken day one.
In reality, it is not worth it for companies to play this game. Easier just to fix and get on with life.
They could make it easy for all (and collect some cash) by adding a "un hard-bricking" fee.
Unlocked boot-loader and running a non-OEM ROM.
My device's LCD appeared to have burn-in, went to AT&T and he gave me grief because he noticed the launcher was not stock and the background was different (Really?) So I kindly returned the launcher to Blur and changed the background to something else.
They replaced my device on-site.
I have unlocked bootloader, and am trying to return it to stock. RSD lite won't show my device...
here is more info on my drama: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=17571581#post17571581
any idea how to proceed with flashing the OEM .sbf when RSD lite will not recognize the device? thanks...
Related
So I have a Question. I unlocked my bootloader following the HTCdev.com Website and when doing so there was a warning saying that in Unlocking it I MAY void my warranty. I have followed Xboarders instructions to completly Relock the bootloader and boot completly back to stock. If anything goes wrong with my phone via Warranty issues(Such as the screen stops working or a button stops working and there is no Physical damage) will t-mobile warranty the phone without charging me the crazy restocking fee. Has anyone done this before on a different phone. I know on my older galaxy S phone I could but there wasnt the bootloader issue. Thanks for any advice.
Pretty sure that HTC/T-Mo won't charge you because its a hardware fail that could've happened regardless if you unlocked your bootloader
Sent from my HTC Amaze 4G using XDA App
Do you know the best way to confirm this?
Shawnkanan said:
Do you know the best way to confirm this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call them.
these companies work together. If htc knows that someone voided their warranty through the htc dev method, t-mo and asurion prolly know it as well. It doesnt matter if you call them saying "i lost my phone", "someone stole it", "it flew up to the moon", etc - they already know its warranty no longer exist... simple
This isn't directed only at the OP so please don't take offense, but this question has come up so many times, and no one seems to actually be using their brain to come up with a real answer. Since my brain apparently still functions, let me set this straight.
First of all, warranty and insurance are different things. If you pay for the insurance through T-Mobile (which is through Assurion) then it shouldn't matter whether you void your warranty. You would still be covered either way. That's why you pay extra for it.
Second, HTC states that you MAY void your warranty. Which means the warranty still exists, but that if you have a problem with your phone and send it in for warranty repair or replacement and they feel that your issue was caused by unlocking the bootloader and doing something stupid (like bricking it by trying to flash an incompatible radio or something) then they can choose to not honor the warranty.
You guys really need to stop worrying so much.
Also of note, there is currently no way to get back to 100% stock after unlocking the bootloader. You can relock it, but it will say 'relocked' instead of 'locked' indicating that you messed with it. Plus I assume HTC keeps a record of the unique identifier codes that were submitted for an unlock code.
Hopefully this clears things up. You're welcome.
^^^^^^^^^^What he said.
MAY is the operative word.
my rezound is unlocke and rooted. my ear piece speaker make really bad cracking noise. if i unroot the phone, can i have warranty replacement? or will there be a problem?
Well
No one has an answer to this. You will not know you have a problem until months and months. If months from now you get a charge for a unit, because you voided the warranty and then sent it in for warranty exchange, only then will you know.
There just simply hasn't been enough time since HTC released the unlock, people unlocked (I still have NOT for this very reason), and then people started trying to turn in unlocked phones to Verizon.
if u can use asurion u would be fine... they take them back no matter if they are unlocked or not
oh.. well...
if u have no other choice i say re-lock and try it
even when you re lock it, it says that it is relocked, thus showing that it was once rooted, so it helps but it isn't 100%, I would just put the stock RUU on the phone, so stock ROM, recovery, and then re-lock bootloader as suggested and give it a try.
I think you will be ok, but dont take my word.
andybones said:
even when you re lock it, it says that it is relocked, thus showing that it was once rooted, so it helps but it isn't 100%, I would just put the stock RUU on the phone, so stock ROM, recovery, and then re-lock bootloader as suggested and give it a try.
I think you will be ok, but dont take my word.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 this should work unless they really check for it and know to lock for it saying unlocked
Call tech support and profit. I've gotten two replacements which are worse than the original... But I got them none the less! Both are going back to Verizon lololol.
I have seen many people say unlocking voids the warranty, but they are all lying. On HTC DEV it says unlocking MAY void you warranty. I think if the device is re-locked and has the stock ROM installed there shouldn't be any issues.
FWIW, and don't take it as 100%, I know a guy in the warranty department that told me as long as it can be flashed to stock when they hook it up and it works, they don't care about root or unlocking. People have even received phones already unlocked.
06stang said:
FWIW, and don't take it as 100%, I know a guy in the warranty department that told me as long as it can be flashed to stock when they hook it up and it works, they don't care about root or unlocking. People have even received phones already unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd bet that's it. At least for a physical defect. Unless HTC decides to go evil. But I doubt it.
So I was recently thinking about how much I wanted to root my phone, but was afraid of losing my warranty. Which got me thinking about the fact that HTC seems to offer a warranty for the One. Would this mean I would be able to ship my phone for a replacement to HTC if something went wrong and they wouldn't care if I unlocked the bootloader? Anybody have any experience in this department?
vitallish said:
So I was recently thinking about how much I wanted to root my phone, but was afraid of losing my warranty. Which got me thinking about the fact that HTC seems to offer a warranty for the One. Would this mean I would be able to ship my phone for a replacement to HTC if something went wrong and they wouldn't care if I unlocked the bootloader? Anybody have any experience in this department?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most people who send their phones in to HTC for warranty replacement of hardware don't have any issues. They usually fix the hardware and send it back with no questions asked. If it is software related you may run into issues. Now there is a chance they will not replace your hardware and void your warranty for unlocked bootloader but from what I have read from users that have done this with previous devices they normally replace and ship.
vitallish said:
So I was recently thinking about how much I wanted to root my phone, but was afraid of losing my warranty. Which got me thinking about the fact that HTC seems to offer a warranty for the One. Would this mean I would be able to ship my phone for a replacement to HTC if something went wrong and they wouldn't care if I unlocked the bootloader? Anybody have any experience in this department?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROOTING DOES NOT VOID WARRANTY
If you BRICK your device due to something you installed, HTC will probably not cover it, if your screen goes bad, or wifi quits working, or anything else NOT caused by dropping it or getting it wet, AT&T or HTC will cover you.
AT&T's warranty department is the reason I buy phones from them rather than a manufacturer directly.
Something goes wrong, I call At&T, they ship me a new device and a mailing label to send them back my broken one. Takes a couple of days. HTC fixes your device and it can take a couple of weeks.
again ROOTING a phone is NOT a valid reason to deny a warranty claim.
gunnyman said:
ROOTING DOES NOT VOID WARRANTY
....clipped text...
again ROOTING a phone is NOT a valid reason to deny a warranty claim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting was never mentioned here. Unlocking your bootloader is different, and yes, it could allow them to deny you the warranty claim.
In the end, just because they can doesn't imply that they will deny you.
Almost all instances I've heard of including warranty replacement ended happily for the user. I would argue that even though HTC's replacement process takes a longer time, they're more likely to replace the phone without question.
AT&T = Faster replacements
HTC = Higher success rate if you have really hacked up the device
gflare said:
Rooting was never mentioned here. Unlocking your bootloader is different, and yes, it could allow them to deny you the warranty claim.
In the end, just because they can doesn't imply that they will deny you.
Almost all instances I've heard of including warranty replacement ended happily for the user. I would argue that even though HTC's replacement process takes a longer time, they're more likely to replace the phone without question.
AT&T = Faster replacements
HTC = Higher success rate if you have really hacked up the device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OP mentioned rooting in his first sentence.
I wanted it out there that rooting in itself doesn't void a warranty.
Because we can root by unlocking our bootloaders doesn't mean that an exploit won't be found that roots without doing so.
We've said the same thing now we're just arguing semantics.
gunnyman said:
The OP mentioned rooting in his first sentence.
I wanted it out there that rooting in itself doesn't void a warranty.
Because we can root by unlocking our bootloaders doesn't mean that an exploit won't be found that roots without doing so.
We've said the same thing now we're just arguing semantics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doh, so true. Completely missed that in the first sentence too, thanks for pointing it out. :highfive:
Thanks a lot for clearing all that up. I apologize for the initial confusion with my first sentence, as you guys pointed out, it's the bootloader unlock that actually voids the warranty. My fears have been quelled and I'm very excited to take full control of this notification light.
I searched and couldn't find a clear answer to my question:
I bought an AT&T HTC One off CL and want to flash the international ROM, however, I am afraid of voiding my warranty...
1) is there any way to restore htc one back to its "locked" state after unlocking, from what I understand it is only possible to change it to "relocked"
2) Does the "relocked" status imply voided warranty? has anyone dealt with AT&T in the past?
I have seen my share of smartphones failing, including my international S3 failing into its 14th month so would really like to keep the warranty intact
Unlocking the bootloader does not necessarily void your warranty in the U.S. But it will probably make your claim a little more difficult. HTC has, in the past, honored warranty when the fault was clearly not the users fault. For example, if your power button gets stuck in the down position and can't be raised. At this time, there is no way to get the phone to show LOCKED again instead of RELOCKED. Now if HTC gets your phone and determines the issue was caused by the user, they will still replace it but charge you for the parts. You will probably have more luck working with AT&T reps in your warranty claim because they aren't trained on how to tell if your phone is unlocked/rooted as long as you aren't obvious about it.
Sent from my Galaxy S4
ledocbio said:
I searched and couldn't find a clear answer to my question:
I bought an AT&T HTC One off CL and want to flash the international ROM, however, I am afraid of voiding my warranty...
1) is there any way to restore htc one back to its "locked" state after unlocking, from what I understand it is only possible to change it to "relocked"
2) Does the "relocked" status imply voided warranty? has anyone dealt with AT&T in the past?
I have seen my share of smartphones failing, including my international S3 failing into its 14th month so would really like to keep the warranty intact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AHEM: /Taps mic....
Simply unlocking your bootloader isn't an automatic voiding of a warranty.
I am doing a warranty return myself and the terms I agreed to were the phone must not be physically damaged, or water damaged.
Also HTC THEMSELVES will repair a phone UNDER WARRANTY with a HARDWARE DEFECT despite having an unlocked bootloader.
I have never in my several years of dealing with AT&T had a warranty refused because I rooted my phone.
/drops mic
Until we get S-off (which is coming soon) the bootloader cannot be made to say "LOCKED" once it has been unlocked.
Sorry for the double post, but thought of one more thing. I had to get my phone warranty swapped for dead pixels. The AT&T reps I dealt with in person tried to convince me that my device wasn't covered because, like you, I bought the phone from an individual. They said warranty are not tranferrable and only belong to the person who bought the phone. This is not true. Warranty is on the device and provided by HTC, not AT&T. They are simply acting as an intermediary to facilitate the exchange. I had a whole lot less trouble dealing with the phone support folks in getting it swapped.
Sent from my Galaxy S4
unremarked said:
Sorry for the double post, but thought of one more thing. I had to get my phone warranty swapped for dead pixels. The AT&T reps I dealt with in person tried to convince me that my device wasn't covered because, like you, I bought the phone from an individual. They said warranty are not tranferrable and only belong to the person who bought the phone. This is not true. Warranty is on the device and provided by HTC, not AT&T. They are simply acting as an intermediary to facilitate the exchange. I had a whole lot less trouble dealing with the phone support folks in getting it swapped.
Sent from my Galaxy S4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that piece of information, MOST HELPFUL!
Any idea if there will be a different unlock tool for s-off our if I can unlock and just wait for s-off?
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
If past exploits are any indication you're going to need root to gain s-off so go ahead and unlock.
So my One is having issues charging, something is up with the USB port. Called TMO and they sent me a replacement phone and a return label. I'm rooted and my bootloader was unlocked (voiding my warranty apparently). So I went to re-lock the bootloader and it was successful HOWEVER now it states in the bootloader that it's been re-locked and tampered. Any way to make it seem as if it was never unlocked? Am I going to have to worry about them not accepting my device? Am I totally screwed here?
rahduke said:
So my One is having issues charging, something is up with the USB port. Called TMO and they sent me a replacement phone and a return label. I'm rooted and my bootloader was unlocked (voiding my warranty apparently). So I went to re-lock the bootloader and it was successful HOWEVER now it states in the bootloader that it's been re-locked and tampered. Any way to make it seem as if it was never unlocked? Am I going to have to worry about them not accepting my device? Am I totally screwed here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All is good my friend, follow one of the guides on this forum to gain s -off and from there you can relock it and make it look like a brand new phone.
You should be fine....
rahduke said:
So my One is having issues charging, something is up with the USB port. Called TMO and they sent me a replacement phone and a return label. I'm rooted and my bootloader was unlocked (voiding my warranty apparently). So I went to re-lock the bootloader and it was successful HOWEVER now it states in the bootloader that it's been re-locked and tampered. Any way to make it seem as if it was never unlocked? Am I going to have to worry about them not accepting my device? Am I totally screwed here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sent my one in for a hardware issue and they didnt even mention it. From what i understand, you only void you warranty if something "you" did caused the problem. If it is defective, that is not your fault, an unlocked boot loader would not cause your hardware to fail. I think there are even laws in place (in the US and other countries) that says companies must prove that something you did broke the phone, although it would probably have to go to court if you wanted to fight it. I dont think you should have anything to worry about. Let us know what happend for people in the future with the same worries.
---------- Post added at 03:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:44 AM ----------
adezd00 said:
I sent my one in for a hardware issue and they didnt even mention it. From what i understand, you only void you warranty if something "you" did caused the problem. If it is defective, that is not your fault, an unlocked boot loader would not cause your hardware to fail. I think there are even laws in place (in the US and other countries) that says companies must prove that something you did broke the phone, although it would probably have to go to court if you wanted to fight it. I dont think you should have anything to worry about. Let us know what happend for people in the future with the same worries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also to add to that... If they didnt ask you anything about it, then you didn't lie or hide anything from them. The worse they could do is slap you with an out of warranty fee, i think its around $130.00.
please ask for help in the help section, not here
Moved to Q&A forum