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To get to the point, people DON'T UPDATE YOUR VIBRANTS and T-MOBILE HANDLES THE ISSUE HORRIBLY! Obviously this is not a universal problem, but if you do happen to be one of the lucky ones that bricks their phone with the update there is no saving it (at least with the help of T-mobile).
I just got off of the phone with tech support and they were less than helpful. After the regular punching in numbers, talking to two different people, and trying to re-boots that everyone with half a brain have tried, they informed me that they would replace the phone but I had to PAY for shipping. While I realize this is a normal policy when it comes to random malfunctions, which may or may not have been the users fault, this is absolutely ridiculous when the problem is 100% their fault. Seriously, T-mobile ships a top of the line phone that has some major flaws and inactivated software (media hub), then breaks the phone with it's official update, and somehow this is MY responsibility to pay to get fixed? The rep even asked if I at this point wanted to add insurance so next time I wouldn't have to pay for shipping and if I wanted to pay extra for expedited shipping! They were trying to make an add-on sale while fixing an issue THEY caused!
That's not even the end of it, because I was so irritated they sent me to a "loyalty specialist" (who sounded like a used car salesman). He rambled on about how he would waive the shipping fee (he made it sound like he just saved my first born child). I told him I appreciated that but it didn't fix the fact that T-Mobile was not handling the issue well. When a large number of phones break from an issue originating from the provider they should either 1) have re-furbished phones (or even set aside new phones if necessary) to replace these broken phones as they come up or 2) offer free over night shipping of the replacement phone. He told me that these options were too expensive for T-Mobile, and that if I like I could sign up for either of their two insurance plans, as they would allow me to do an in-store replacement (he later noted that one of them was only available within the first 14 days of owning the phone...). I couldn't believe they were trying to another add-on sale! The best part being, I later called around to all my local T-Mobile owned stores and none of them have the Vibrant available for in-store replacement (and never have).
So the Cliff-Notes of my rant:
1) DON'T UPDATE YOUR VIBRANT
2) If you did brick your phone, make sure to complain and they should refund the ridiculous shipping charge
3) If you don't own a Vibrant and are thinking about it consider the following (Don't let it stop you, just consider it):
- Still on 2.1, when Nexus One has been on 2.2 for months (and the Galaxy S 2.2 official ROM has been leaked so it does exist in some form.) => Meaning updates are super scarce and extremely late.
- T-Mobile is selling a good phone with many flaws, and their first attempt to fix it bricked many phones (do a google search I am not the only one).
- While it may be better than other companies, T-Mobiles customer service is FAR from flawless
P.S. My phone was completely stock (so please don't mention how I did this with a lag fix, etc.). I waited at least 15 mins before I pulled the battery, before which I had noted the T-Mobile sound starting without the animation (seems like a timing issue or something). And finally, I realize this is a duplicate post to many others but I want people to find this info (not be at the bottom of a really long thread) to get the word out how T-Mobile deals with their errors.
I hate when people mess with their phones then get angry at a company for "breaking" their phone. Im running stock rom with root and also got bricked, but, I manned up and knew I was in the wrong and accepted what happened. I didn't put the blame on TMo, because completely untouched vibrants that I was aware of had no issues with this OTA. If you added functionality to it after the fact that it wasn't originally on there before when you initially purchased it; then its YOUR fault that it bricked, NOT T-mobiles. Take some responsibility and stop crying.
Had the same problem but this is a pretty fix using Odin.
If you install an update from an OTA T-Mobile should be held responsible
I don't know about you guys but when you have been a customer for 10+ years, T-Mobile will pretty much suck your balls.
Either way, if you guys rooted it, then that takes the fault from T-Mobile to you. You changed the phone. The update was designed for a pristine un-edited Samsung Vibrant, if you changed anything in the system by rooting or flashing it is your fault for changing the equation. T-Mobile is NOT at fault for your actions.
Yeah why warranty the phone when you can just ODIN and fix it yourself? Do a xda search. If you're gonna use xda to complain at least use it to solve your own problems as well. Unless your phone is hardware locked it is 100 % fixable.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
starkiller86 said:
I hate when people mess with their phones then get angry at a company for "breaking" their phone. Im running stock rom with root and also got bricked, but, I manned up and knew I was in the wrong and accepted what happened. I didn't put the blame on TMo, because completely untouched vibrants that I was aware of had no issues with this OTA. If you added functionality to it after the fact that it wasn't originally on there before when you initially purchased it; then its YOUR fault that it bricked, NOT T-mobiles. Take some responsibility and stop crying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
P.S. My phone was completely stock (so please don't mention how I did this with a lag fix, etc.). I waited at least 15 mins before I pulled the battery, before which I had noted the T-Mobile sound starting without the animation (seems like a timing issue or something). And finally, I realize this is a duplicate post to many others but I want people to find this info (not be at the bottom of a really long thread) to get the word out how T-Mobile deals with their errors
Did you not read that part?
I bricked two stock Vibrants with the update. The second one failed during Mini-Kies update and was hardware locked.
It is a known issue according to the Tech guy that I spoke to while getting my replacement.
First phone wouldn't power on after failure, second phone was hardware locked so un-fixable.
No, no.
This happened to me, I had a rooted phone I had uninstalled the inflight internet, etc on it and hadn't overclocked or anything like that. Phone kills itself. I went to the tmo store and they only make you pay for shipping if you take the overnight option.
PROTIP - DON'T ASK FOR EXTRA SPEEDY SHIPPING AND THEY'LL PAY FOR IT.
so i guess we are just SOL for the data on the phone? I just lost an entire vacation of pictures. I had not had a chance to root this phone either. this is ****ing awesome.
dechire said:
so i guess we are just SOL for the data on the phone? I just lost an entire vacation of pictures. I had not had a chance to root this phone either. this is ****ing awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess this is just an example of "store your pictures on the external SD card"
Then if you brick it you can still get your pictures back ....
watcher64 said:
I guess this is just an example of "store your pictures on the external SD card"
Then if you brick it you can still get your pictures back ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Word. That's one of the first things I did when I got the phone and was playing with the features. Switched it from phone storage to memory card.
Sorry to hear you lost photos.
Protip: Pay the damn overnight shipping fee...it'll be deducted from your bill (flex pay) which makes it free: )
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Here is the business side
If I am T mobile every time some person has a problem and I offered free shipping, the Every moron would be shipping the device back for Any problem. Way way costly, so that is not going to happen. If you Really believe the phone is factory defective then, pay the shipping and move on. If you messed with it at all then the burden to resolve is yours and be honest about that. Remember the reason people are in here is to customize the phone and improve it. Like the XDA mantra sez.......... It is not just the result... but the journey....
Like one of the other posts stated:
If you rooted it, then that takes the fault from T-Mobile to you. You changed the phone. The update was designed for a pristine un-edited Samsung Vibrant, if you changed anything in the system by rooting or flashing it is your fault for changing the equation. T-Mobile is NOT at fault for your actions.
Gr8gorilla said:
First phone wouldn't power on after failure, second phone was hardware locked so un-fixable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a hardware lock fix now, you really should flash that before you do anything else. Yeah, you run the risk of bricking with the hardware unlock, but it's probably a safer bet than flashing away.
dechire said:
so i guess we are just SOL for the data on the phone? I just lost an entire vacation of pictures. I had not had a chance to root this phone either. this is ****ing awesome.
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Click to collapse
If you Odin it with the JI6 update, you might still be able to get a working system out of it. Worth a shot to see if you can get it without having to flash to stock first (which will wipe).
With all the time you spent with tech support, you could have found the thread that delineates how to fix your phone and update through odin. Its very easy and, frankly why be on a developers forum when you are not willing to tinker around a bit.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
dechire said:
so i guess we are just SOL for the data on the phone? I just lost an entire vacation of pictures. I had not had a chance to root this phone either. this is ****ing awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as the phone still powers on you can still use ADB Pull and save the data from the /sdcard folder. This update isn't a totally bricking the phone (at least it didn't mine) just making the display and inputs not work. To quote Billy Crystal: "He's only MOSTLY dead"
Odin was really simple to reflash the stock ROM and then I was able to do a nandroid restore from there.
The T-Mobile OTA update left my phone only booting to the vibrant screen, but it was a pretty simple fix with Odin. The hardest part was getting the proper drivers installed in windows!
Mini kies wouldnt even let me update,so I rooted and flashed bionix 1.8,works great.**** tmo.
Fyi to the people with hardware lock. I did the update on my gf's phone which was hardware locked and it failed. The phone would only boot to the vibrant screen. The good news is the ota update unlocks the hardware because her phone is able to get into recovery and download mode even thought the update failed. The point is don't worry if ota fail on you because you can just use odin to fix it since it unlocks the download mode.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
mr2t32 said:
Fyi to the people with hardware lock. I did the update on my gf's phone which was hardware locked and it failed. The phone would only boot to the vibrant screen. The good news is the ota update unlocks the hardware because her phone is able to get into recovery and download mode even thought the update failed. The point is don't worry if ota fail on you because you can just use odin to fix it since it unlocks the download mode.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the update even gets that far...
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.
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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.
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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/gals,
Just thought I would share this with everyone. Best Buy has a new policy with their warranty for phones (at least the ones by me do).
You no longer have to ship your phone in for service. All you do is go to the store, tell them your problem, they ship a new phone (the last couple I had replaced arrived in less than 36 hours), and you bring your phone in when the new/re-manufactured one arrives.
This is great if you have a problem where your current phone still works. You don't have to dig out an old phone, or rent a POS loaner phone from BBY, but you can still do all of those things if your phone is unusable.
Like I said just though I would share this info. I think BBY keeps making their protection policies better and better.
Hope this has helped someone!
I will put this to the test this weekend!!! Good find!!!
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
FattySparks said:
Hey guys/gals,
Just thought I would share this with everyone. Best Buy has a new policy with their warranty for phones (at least the ones by me do).
You no longer have to ship your phone in for service. All you do is go to the store, tell them your problem, they ship a new phone (the last couple I had replaced arrived in less than 36 hours), and you bring your phone in when the new/re-manufactured one arrives.
This is great if you have a problem where your current phone still works. You don't have to dig out an old phone, or rent a POS loaner phone from BBY, but you can still do all of those things if your phone is unusable.
Like I said just though I would share this info. I think BBY keeps making their protection policies better and better.
Hope this has helped someone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what they did for me when I needed a replacement about six months ago.
They did not offer it to me until I spoke with the manager because i didn't want to be without a phone for a few days or use one of their loaner phones.
Sent from my EVO LTE rocking Sense 5!
about time they changed it, I canx my 3x black ties just because of this
Best buy insurance, ftw. I will never buy another phone anywhere else. Im on my 3rd lte and i got the lte free because they had no more 3d's. They ask basic questions about what happened and then ship it out. I got my last replacement in 2 days. Took it in on a Monday at 7pm and got my replacement on Wednesday at 7pm.
Awesome. I love black tie (bb). I had to replace due to malfunctions and no questions or hassles in fact the reason I signed up for black tie was the guy indicated I would never have to send anything in and that I would get a new replacement directly from the store which they did. I even had the guy write and confirm that on my sales receipt because I didn't believe him.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
Thank you all for the info. I won't be going to Sprint stores anymore. BB sounds like the way to go now. Back when I worked there it definitely wasn't but a lot has changed since then. Good to know.
My EVO has developed a problem where I'm getting all sorts of crazy noise on the screen. Definitely a hardware problem as it even has problems with the HTC logo on boot. I'm currently S-OFF with the latest CM release installed. Do I need to unroot and restore back to Sense before I take the phone into Best Buy, or do they not care?
Thanks for the help and all the useful info!!
pdlboy said:
My EVO has developed a problem where I'm getting all sorts of crazy noise on the screen. Definitely a hardware problem as it even has problems with the HTC logo on boot. I'm currently S-OFF with the latest CM release installed. Do I need to unroot and restore back to Sense before I take the phone into Best Buy, or do they not care?
Thanks for the help and all the useful info!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would at least flash a stock rom and splash screen before taking it in. Other than that, my local store doesn't care about root.
FattySparks said:
I would at least flash a stock rom and splash screen before taking it in. Other than that, my local store doesn't care about root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When i took my last one in i had viper on it but i was taking it in because the screen was crushed. It was still usable thougg and he was sittin there going through the different venom options just amazed. Then i told him i just wanted to erase the data and internal storage and he was amazed by twrp too lmao. He didn't give half a sht.
youdug said:
When i took my last one in i had viper on it but i was taking it in because the screen was crushed. It was still usable thougg and he was sittin there going through the different venom options just amazed. Then i told him i just wanted to erase the data and internal storage and he was amazed by twrp too lmao. He didn't give half a sht.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, my store is the same way, but I doubt every store is the same. To be safe I would backup, flash a stock rom, bring it in and show them the problem, then recover until your "new" phone gets in and the re-flash a stock rom when you bring it back.
I doubt they'd care, but this should cover your a$$ either way.
FattySparks said:
Yeah, my store is the same way, but I doubt every store is the same. To be safe I would backup, flash a stock rom, bring it in and show them the problem, then recover until your "new" phone gets in and the re-flash a stock rom when you bring it back.
I doubt they'd care, but this should cover your a$$ either way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best buy covers software though right? So why would it matter? There's nothing saying they don't cover rooted devices. I even asked the manager when i got my 3d and he said if i bricked it I'm covered. So why flash back to stock? Unless youre having issues that could be rom/kernel related of course.. then youll obviously want to flash to something else to make sure its not the rom and then go back to stock to show them its happeneing on there also.
youdug said:
Best buy covers software though right? So why would it matter? There's nothing saying they don't cover rooted devices. I even asked the manager when i got my 3d and he said if i bricked it I'm covered. So why flash back to stock? Unless youre having issues that could be rom/kernel related of course.. then youll obviously want to flash to something else to make sure its not the rom and then go back to stock to show them its happeneing on there also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because it is better to be safe than sorry. If you read the terms and conditions, they don't list software as covered. They could deny coverage if they wanted to. Every store is not the same, but if you hand them a phone that is obviously not stock, there is more of a chance of them questioning it. I don't think they would, but it takes me 2 minutes to flash back to stock, so I'd rather avoid a potential headache. I'm getting a "new" phone anyway, so what do I care if I leave cm10 on my old one. Plus, it's a good way to wipe your phone.
Personally, if I were a store employee and someone brought me a "bricked" phone that I could prove was rooted, I wouldn't cover them. If you bricked your phone, that's your fault. Best Buy or any other business shouldn't subsidize your hobby, because you didn't know what you were doing. That makes the development community look bad. Now if it were a problem that was obviously not caused by root, I would look the other way.
I'm currently in this situation where my screen is cracked. I too was wondering if I needed to unroot before I had them ship the phone out for repair. What stock ROM does everyone suggest?
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
I'm using Sharkie's right now as my daily. It flashes with the new TWRP. One of the other ones that I tried wouldn't flash.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
FattySparks said:
Because it is better to be safe than sorry. If you read the terms and conditions, they don't list software as covered. They could deny coverage if they wanted to. Every store is not the same, but if you hand them a phone that is obviously not stock, there is more of a chance of them questioning it. I don't think they would, but it takes me 2 minutes to flash back to stock, so I'd rather avoid a potential headache. I'm getting a "new" phone anyway, so what do I care if I leave cm10 on my old one. Plus, it's a good way to wipe your phone.
Personally, if I were a store employee and someone brought me a "bricked" phone that I could prove was rooted, I wouldn't cover them. If you bricked your phone, that's your fault. Best Buy or any other business shouldn't subsidize your hobby, because you didn't know what you were doing. That makes the development community look bad. Now if it were a problem that was obviously not caused by root, I would look the other way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see where you are coming from but A. You wouldn't have the power to set a company wide policy B. You would have to account for all the phones sold with the protection plan being quoted "for any reason at all" C. As low hourly wage employee you wouldn't care
Nice to know :thumbup:
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
RulingCzar said:
I see where you are coming from but A. You wouldn't have the power to set a company wide policy B. You would have to account for all the phones sold with the protection plan being quoted "for any reason at all" C. As low hourly wage employee you wouldn't care
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure he was posting from the perspective of someone who *could* set company wide policy FWIW.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
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
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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.
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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 *****).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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hexitnow said:
Reading to learn about your device. Crazy, Who would of known.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
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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.
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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.
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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:
So I'm sending in my phone already to get the screen fixed, which broke by some weird accident. But I have unlocked, rooted and all that jazz. I know HTC is going to wipe my phone when they get it, but do you think I'd have any issue because I have modified the recovery? I restored back to the stock rom with nothing installed except SuperSU. I could understand if I had a problem with the hardware in the phone itself, but they should have no reason not to fix my broken screen which has nothing to do with firmware or unlocking. I've already reset the phone myself which has no personal information. I haven't even set up my google account on it.
I think reports have been mixed on whether HTC honors the screen replacement warranty on modded phones (bootloader unlocked, etc). Return the device to as close to stock as possible, and hope for the best is probably all you can do.
One person on here has mentioned that while the "regular" device warranty mentions that modding the phone may void the warranty; the "add-on" screen replacement warranty does not make any mention of this. So that may be an point of argument in your favor.
I will HOPE as hard as I can. Might have to shell out $200 at the local repair shop. It would bother me though if it was rejected and all I want fixed is the screen, they have no buisness messing with my phone other than testing to make sure the screen works.
HTC will fix the screen either way, the warranty question just determines whether they charge you or not. I think the charge is $250 if the warranty is not honored. So not much more than your local shop is going to charge. Plus, I think taking the phone apart is tricky, so I'd probably trust HTC to do it more than a local vendor. I've seen some real hack jobs on the One X (which is polycarbonate not metal, but similarly difficult to disassemble) by random repair shops. Although of course the quality of workmanship by repair shops will vary, and I'm sure there are plenty of good ones out there.
HTC is refusing to replace my screen even though I flashed the stock ATT RUU back on the device. They claim that they can't test the Screen panel after it's been replaced because "security is off" on the device. I called them out on it and they have been going back and forth with the engineering department and repairs and still claim that because the security is off they can't replace the screen because they can't test it. But if I pay $290 they'll replace the main board as well. I even had to agree to try a partial repair and still no.
isn't the diagnostic tool a dialer pad code they enter?
I been on hold for 45minutes now waiting to talk to someone...
absalonprieto said:
HTC is refusing to replace my screen even though I flashed the stock ATT RUU back on the device. They claim that they can't test the Screen panel after it's been replaced because "security is off" on the device. I called them out on it and they have been going back and forth with the engineering department and repairs and still claim that because the security is off they can't replace the screen because they can't test it. But if I pay $290 they'll replace the main board as well. I even had to agree to try a partial repair and still no.
isn't the diagnostic tool a dialer pad code they enter?
I been on hold for 45minutes now waiting to talk to someone...
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any update on what happened bro?
i heard that if you tell them the screen was cracked due to physical damage and clearly no software installed on the phone had any impact on the screen cracking they would fix it... im currently on a fuzz not sure what to do, i cracked my screen earlier today =(
Just a word of advice and I know everyone is different but I always wait until my devices are out of warranty before I do any modding. That's just me because I don't have the time to deal with the stuff you're going through. Anyway this is the first devise that I’ve not wanted to start modding right after I got it. Yes, it’s that good IMO.
Good luck I hope you get it resolved without too much expense.
HRodMusic said:
any update on what happened bro?
i heard that if you tell them the screen was cracked due to physical damage and clearly no software installed on the phone had any impact on the screen cracking they would fix it... im currently on a fuzz not sure what to do, i cracked my screen earlier today =(
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still refused to fix it, they refused to give me a credible answer just that because security was disabled from the device they couldn't do it.
I would say make sure you enable S-Off and are back to an offical Rom, that might improve your chances of getting it partially repaired.
I flat out told them, I didn't like their lack of transparency and would be putting the phone on craigslist and buying any other device that wasn't HTC.
a bit petty but made me feel better.
Just to chime in here and share my experience. My display became messed up either through being damaged internally, or having the data cable come loose, etc. No cracks or any visible external damage at all. Anyway, phone was unlocked, rooted, running a custom ROM, and S-Off. Since the phone was less than six months old I shipped it back to HTC for replacement under warranty. Before I shipped the original I returned it to stock via RUU and re-locked the bootloader, but left it S-Off. HTC has just shipped me back a replacement without any hassle at all. Total cost to me was $19 for expedited shipping. I should point out that other than the ugly display my phone was functional - touch screen and all. But it does seem from my experience that HTC will still honor the warranty on modified devices if the failure is clearly hardware related, as mine was. BTW, I unlocked through HTC, so they could have checked if they wanted to.
I might try resetting security and sending it back again. I did a rather half added job last time. I was worried about the replacement option because that might have generated a charge to my credit card. Did you have to put a credit card on hold?
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
So, I received my phone back yesterday, and couldn't help but notice a huge crack going from top to bottom of the phone. This crack wasn't there before , Originally the screen had been badly scratched. I tried to open a ticket again to replace, and they say that due to "negligent use" (Bootloader unlocked/Security OFF) my phone is now fully out of warranty. I told them this is ridiculous, I'm not asking for a new phone; I just want my screen repaired under HTC Advantage, and need this escalated. Hoping to get a call from a manager today. I'm very unhappy with HTC.
This seems like a magnuson moss act violation. Thoughts?
absalonprieto said:
I might try resetting security and sending it back again. I did a rather half added job last time. I was worried about the replacement option because that might have generated a charge to my credit card. Did you have to put a credit card on hold?
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
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I did not have to put a credit card on hold because I shipped them my device first and have just done without for a week or so. I think you only have to make a credit card deposit if they ship you a device first.
absalonprieto said:
So, I received my phone back yesterday, and couldn't help but notice a huge crack going from top to bottom of the phone. This crack wasn't there before , Originally the screen had been badly scratched. I tried to open a ticket again to replace, and they say that due to "negligent use" (Bootloader unlocked/Security OFF) my phone is now fully out of warranty. I told them this is ridiculous, I'm not asking for a new phone; I just want my screen repaired under HTC Advantage, and need this escalated. Hoping to get a call from a manager today. I'm very unhappy with HTC.
This seems like a magnuson moss act violation. Thoughts?
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Click to collapse
More discussion about the screen warranty here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2767547&page=14
Of particular interest is Post #139, which says the HTC rep claims S-off prevents access to the video calibration tool (sounds kinda made-up to me). Then later in Post #146, HTC appears to backpedal a bit, and offer the free replacement if the customer agrees to take "full responsibility" if there are issues with the motherboard later.
Thought I was going to have to use HTC Advantage today when I dropped my phone on my hardwood floor. It landed perfect on the screen and made an awful smacking sound. I just sat there in disbelief scared to pick it up. When I did everything was A-OK.
Hope you get this straighten out. Good luck.