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Radio Shack and Sprint don't want to exchange my phone!

My EVO has screen separation issue. I brought it to Radio Shack. The manager acted as if there's nothing wrong with my phone and told me to bring it to a Sprint store. I brought it to Sprint and they said the same thing. The rep also said that if I really want it replaced that I should go through the insurance route in which I have to pay a hundred bucks for replacement. Any suggestion on what to do next?

Tell sprint you like the droid x and will be returning your phone and canceling their service.

jewelbaluyut said:
My EVO has screen separation issue. I brought it to Radio Shack. The manager acted as if there's nothing wrong with my phone and told me to bring it to a Sprint store. I brought it to Sprint and they said the same thing. The rep also said that if I really want it replaced that I should go through the insurance route in which I have to pay a hundred bucks for replacement. Any suggestion on what to do next?
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This is what you make of your first post?
I am sure we are missing some of the story. Where did you buy it from and why would the store you didn't buy it from replace it?
My rep at RS has not seen my phone and I said it had some minor and I mean minor light leak. She offered already to replace it without question once she gets some in.
Call Sprint Customer Service and ask them what they would do with the situation. They can best help you.

I'm not sure about radio shack policy and if you get the 30-day sprint guarantee when you buy through radio shack or what.
But the phone is under warranty at a minimum of 30 days and you should be able to get a BRAND NEW not refurbished replacement in that time. Considering HTC acknowledged it as a problem with the device, you're entitled to a replacement.
Here's what you do, go into radio shack or sprint (not sure who will actually replace your phone, probably radio shack)
Anyway, while you're there call the radio shack/sprint tech support/help line (this will probably work best for sprint). While in the store, explain the situation to the tech support rep and then hand the phone over to the sprint rep who said you can't get a replacement.
I've done this before (not with sprint but with verizon) and they said it happens all the time (local store reps giving problems about exchanges and what not)
That's one reason I bought through the sprint store instead of somewhere else (like radio shack or best buy) - because I'm more comfortable dealing with sprint about those issues than one of those entities
I'm going tomorrow to the sprint store to show them the light leak and get a replacement, if they say no for any reason there's going to be a problem (i called and they said something about repair center) - I definitely don't want a refurbished one considering I paid for a brand new one.

did you treat your phone like crap and now its all scratched looking like crap and your claiming that you want a new phone because of the separation issue that really isnt all that bad.. as a radio shack manager id prolly tell you no also.. yeah, guessing there is more to the story than what you are saying... how but some pics of the phone with the separation issue without actually trying to pry it open even more!! im not accusing you of anything just saying as a manager there are times to say no and if a dude try replacing a phone that he treated like crap then id say no

Sorry about my not so detailed post. I guess because I was furious when I was writing it. Anyway, I got the phone from Radio Shack.

Like my previous phones I treat my EVO like a baby. It looks as good as new except for the light leakage.

Radio Shack exchanged mine yesterday with the screen deportation issue and all. I just had to reserve one.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

chrsosnds said:
Radio Shack exchanged mine yesterday with the screen deportation issue and all. I just had to reserve one.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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Your screen got deported? That sounds worse than screen separation. How are you able to use your phone without a screen?

jewelbaluyut said:
My EVO has screen separation issue. I brought it to Radio Shack. The manager acted as if there's nothing wrong with my phone and told me to bring it to a Sprint store. I brought it to Sprint and they said the same thing. The rep also said that if I really want it replaced that I should go through the insurance route in which I have to pay a hundred bucks for replacement. Any suggestion on what to do next?
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Go to a different store. Or if you are still under the original 30 days cancel it. And don't complain about things that some people will consider cosmetic. Tell them you don't get 4G where you use your phone most.

I'll probably just return it to this particular Radio Shack store and get a refund. It's my first time to purchase a phone from Radio Shack. I will never do business with them again because they didn't treat me well. Even the RS guys who posted in this thread doesn't appear to be friendly. That's just my opinion though.

I had the exact same situation... bought it from RS, tried to return it to the RS with similar issues, and they told me they have none in stock and can't really replace it in a reasonable time frame and suggested I try a sprint repair center. I went there, and they told me they can't do anything under 30 days if not bought from sprint. They said that RS is required to replace the phone with a new one if it's within 30 days and if they are out of stock, they have to put you at the top of the list for the backorder. If they don't comply, they told me to report the store to sprint. Hope that helps!

blix1337 said:
I had the exact same situation... bought it from RS, tried to return it to the RS with similar issues, and they told me they have none in stock and can't really replace it in a reasonable time frame and suggested I try a sprint repair center. I went there, and they told me they can't do anything under 30 days if not bought from sprint. They said that RS is required to replace the phone with a new one if it's within 30 days and if they are out of stock, they have to put you at the top of the list for the backorder. If they don't comply, they told me to report the store to sprint. Hope that helps!
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I called Sprint and told them about my issues with the phone, and the rep went ahead and called up the Radio Shack where I got my EVO from, and pushed my name to the top of their waiting list. So whenever my store gets more EVO's in, they will be giving me a call to come pick it up. My 30 days are almost up, but even if this happens to go past the 30 days, the Sprint rep says I just need to call her back and they will go ahead and reimburse or sort out whatever needs to be sorted out. Sprint has been incredibly helpful, and this particular rep has been consistently following up with me and keeping in close contact with me, Sprint corporate, and the Radio Shack store. She has been nothing short of amazing.
By far, this is the best customer service experience I have ever had. Period.

Call the your Radio Shack district office. The shift manager at mine was a tool and didnt know what to even do. I called district and was immediately told is I will getting a new evo within 7 days (which is today!). This was after radio shack sent me to sprint and then sprint sent me back. Radio shack honors the sprint 30 day policy, a lot of employees just don't want to do the work. My story is a bit longer but you just need the district office part.
-rip
Sent from my HTC Evo 4G

I just had this problem with a sprint store telling me they were not allowed to exchange evo's they admitted they had them in stock but were only for new customers. I called Sprints retention department, long story short the store manager was called by the agent and instructed to replace my phone with a new one.
I bought a phone from radio shack once while I was with AT&T will never do again, had to exchange phone for a broken charger port and they insisted they where not able exchange phones (LG NEON) or accept returns the Radio Shack manager then deleted all my internet and text messaging plan from my account. Thankfully an ATT Corporate store manager saw this and felt so bad about how I was treated they gave me a phone from there inventory.

prjkthack said:
I called Sprint and told them about my issues with the phone, and the rep went ahead and called up the Radio Shack where I got my EVO from, and pushed my name to the top of their waiting list. So whenever my store gets more EVO's in, they will be giving me a call to come pick it up. My 30 days are almost up, but even if this happens to go past the 30 days, the Sprint rep says I just need to call her back and they will go ahead and reimburse or sort out whatever needs to be sorted out. Sprint has been incredibly helpful, and this particular rep has been consistently following up with me and keeping in close contact with me, Sprint corporate, and the Radio Shack store. She has been nothing short of amazing.
By far, this is the best customer service experience I have ever had. Period.
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As one of the posters I've read from another thread says, "Have them put that in writing." Not the exact quote but you get my drift.

jewelbaluyut said:
My EVO has screen separation issue. I brought it to Radio Shack. The manager acted as if there's nothing wrong with my phone and told me to bring it to a Sprint store. I brought it to Sprint and they said the same thing. The rep also said that if I really want it replaced that I should go through the insurance route in which I have to pay a hundred bucks for replacement. Any suggestion on what to do next?
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$100 Bucks? the insurance says $50, they're ripping you off.

the fee for a smart phone like the evo is $100 not $50.

I'm a Radioshack manager and I can tell you they can and should swap you phones for that issue. They don't tell you this, but they can swap phones up to 90 days without any type of insurance. It's a part of the regular return policy. They would just rather you not do it, but will to keep customers happy. Assuming the manager running the store isn't a jackass. In which case, take it up with the district office. A defect is a defect and should be taken care of, regardless of what type of product it is.

Tell sprint you like the droid x and will be returning your phone and canceling their service.
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+1
Anyway, while you're there call the radio shack/sprint tech support/help line (this will probably work best for sprint). While in the store, explain the situation to the tech support rep and then hand the phone over to the sprint rep who said you can't get a replacement.
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+1
did you treat your phone like crap and now its all scratched looking like crap and your claiming that you want a new phone because of the separation issue that really isnt all that bad.. as a radio shack manager id prolly tell you no also.. yeah, guessing there is more to the story than what you are saying... how but some pics of the phone with the separation issue without actually trying to pry it open even more!! im not accusing you of anything just saying as a manager there are times to say no and if a dude try replacing a phone that he treated like crap then id say no
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irrelevant. the phone has screen separation issue, warrants replacement whether op decided to baby his their phone or not.
Do no claim insurance, do got get it repaired. do not get a refurbished phone. you entitled to a new replacment with 30 days. if they won't replace it, threaten to cancel your service.

nothing here move along

deleted , move along

TLTR !!!!!

I read it. Sorry to hear about your EVO man.
I got my EVO through Craigslist new in box because all the Sprint stores in my area who had them in stock wouldn't sell them to people not adding a new line of service. (Which is another story in and of itself)
When I brought it in to Sprint to activate they let me add insurance and told me that I'd still be covered under warranty for a year. I would be steamed if I was in your shoes too.
Thankfully I have a HW revision 0003 and my EVO hasn't yet to display any of the known issues.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/13/htc-evo-suffering-from-glass-separation-issues/

Just a short while ago I worked as a CSR for AT&T. Your friend got really lucky because 99.9% of the time a broken iPhone, even with a known issue, means you're SOL. In my experience, Sprint is much more flexible.

I mean you guys have any suggestions for me at this point? I know its just a phone and all but damn. i posted this on sprint forums, androidforums.com,xda, ppcgeeks, and of course my phone calls and visits to the repair center at MACOM

You bought the $7 plan for this very reason-- a more-than-likely behaviorally caused ding. (yes I read your post, but look at this from someone else's point of view. You had/used the phone how long before you saw this?)
Pony up the deductable and get a new phone. You realize you're costing yourself way more than $100 in grief and wasted time?
Lastly, just in case this is a defect and a recall is issued, keep your documentation on your calls to CS, claim filed, and out of pocket money. At that point you should be able to recoup your deductible among other things.

illogic6 said:
Just a short while ago I worked as a CSR for AT&T. Your friend got really lucky because 99.9% of the time a broken iPhone, even with a known issue, means you're SOL. In my experience, Sprint is much more flexible.
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Sure, bro. Sure.

00_MACKIE_00 said:
Ok, this is going to be a long post, full of detailed information regarding my purchase of an Evo. I will be posting this on every forum I am a member of and there are alot that I post on.
A buddy of mine contacted me to tell me he had bought an Evo on launch day from Best Buy. He activated it on 6/6/2010 from a Best Buy in Kentucky. He was told " The Evo has push to talk". Well he later found out that it did not in fact have push to talk and he needed that feature for his Sprint business account. He was outside his 30 day "happiness" window so he had to buy a different phone. He decided to put his Evo on Ebay and sell it to try and get some of his money back for his Evo purchase. He let me know he listed it on Ebay and provided me a link to it. I ended up winning the auction on 8/15/2010. I received the phone on 8/21 and received original box, original everything. Even had a cover. Phone looked and smelled BRAND new. I quickly called Sprint to activate it and within 10 min I was sporting my new Evo. Added my insurance/repair $7 dollar fee like I do with all my phones.
All was fine until 9/5/2010, I noticed on the bottom left of the screen over the home button, the screen appears lifted and a little dust had gotten under it. Ok no big deal to me at this point. I do keep my phones in mint condition but I was just going to monitor this situation. 13 days later is when I called Sprint asking for an explanation. I called the customer service line and explained the situation with the phone. They immediately started blaming me for it. I guess maybe they thought I used a screwdriver and lifted the screen, who knows. The girl told me she was in Charlotte, NC and that she had never heard of a screen separating from the adhesive and to go to the repair center.
On 9/17/2010, I went to MACOM here in Florida. A nice gentleman greeted me at the repair window and asked how he could help me. I said well I called customer service and explained to them that the phone screen seemed to be coming up and to pay you a visit so you could investigate. 4 screws later my Evo was in several pieces and then put back together. He asked me where I got the phone so I told him. He looked up my account and said "you’re inside your 30 day window according to the calendar here and you should go home and call customer service back". I told him I had no intention of being given a brand new phone. To me , that would be dishonest and I live by being honest and I teach my kids to be honest to people regardless of the situation. He handed me his business card, said call Sprint and call me back if you have problems. Seems he was trying to push me into a brand new Evo. I lay no blame on this guy; he was trying to do the right thing. He told me he could have it replaced but it would be a refurbished phone which I am ok with.
I arrive home on 9/17 from MACOM and about 7pm I start making some phone calls. I have been upfront with Sprint about the terms of my purchase. The first lady I spoke to said she understood my issue and that she would get someone on the phone to help me after we talked 10 minutes or so. She asked if I minded being put on hold and I said absolutely not. I waited for about 7 or 8 minutes or so and another lady got on the phone from a different department. I had a really hard time understanding what her name was, who she was with, etc etc due to the heavy accent. From what I could understand, she was from advanced exchange it sounded like. She asked for my telephone #, verified my pin and all that good stuff and asks me the reason for the call. I then had to go into the WHOLE story again. 10 minutes later she asked me where I bought the phone. I said I bought it off Ebay from a SPRINT customer, not some random power seller. She then told me well there is nothing she could do and that was there anything else she could do for me. I said I guess not and told her to have a lovely weekend. She then said I could always file a claim with Assurion and pay a $100 deductible for this obvious defect.
After speaking to my wife, I felt I needed to call back. Around 8:30pm or so I called back to customer service and once again explained the situation. I asked her over and over to tell me if I had done something wrong, or this was somehow my fault. She completely denied any knowledge of a screen separation issue and proceeded to tell me she was going to talk to her supervisor about it and placed me on hold. She came back on the line in short time and asked if it would be ok if I received a call back. I said ok and told the lady to have a nice evening. About 45 minutes or so later my phone rings. I go to answer it using the slider and because my screen is acting funny due to part of it being lifted, somehow the call was dropped and she left a voicemail and her name and phone number. I immediately called back off my house phone and received her voicemail. I left a message and asked that she call me right away. I have not received another phone call.
Remembering the conversation with MACOM, I woke up on 9/18, loaded up the kids and drove on over. The same gentleman was there again. He remembered me from the night before. I told him I had called customer service and had gotten nowhere. The tune quickly changed from ordering a refurbished phone to having to call his district manager but however the district manager was off and on his motorcycle for the day and it would be evening before he could have a chance to talk to him and it would be next week before he could get back to me. He was very nice and polite and told me to have a good rest of the weekend and he would get in touch with me.
Now that I have laid out the facts, I am now going to state my opinion on this. First off, Sprint denying the screen separation is a joke within itself. Searching on Google using the search criteria "evo screen separation" shows 6,700,00 results found. How could people not know about it that work for Sprint? The repair guy at MACOM had heard about it, but nobody else? How is that even possible? My next complaint is about the way I purchased it. If I was not tempted by all the Sprint commercials about the EVO and not being able to actually find one in Florida, I would not have had to go buy one of Ebay. I bought it from a valid Sprint customer not some guy on Ebay looking to make a few bucks. Sprint still should honor my purchase and either fix my phone or give me one that works, isn't that what I pay the TEP for?. I guess anyone who is buying either a barely used or brand new phone off Ebay should just stop doing it now before you run into a situation like what I am dealing with. I am a premier customer with Sprint; I have 3 lines as well so I consider myself an important customer. Plus it helps in the years I have had service, I have never missed a payment, been late, or anything. Sprint should not allow you to buy a phone from anywhere and activate it successfully if they do not want to honor an obvious manufacturing defect. This will not cost any money for Sprint to replace my phone because I am sure it would be sent back to HTC as a defect. I am not editing this post until there is a resolution so that the public sees what I have had to deal with. Once Sprint provides a resolution, I will then have this post removed and I will once again be a happy Sprint customer.
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I've had better luck. I was once placed in this exact situation. Brought my phone into Sprint to have it repair the lifting of screen. In-house techs repaired it, no questions asked (or blaming). One hour later, they called me back and issued me a new one, as their investigation determines hardware version 0002 was a manufature defect. Perhaps it's all based on locations, reps, your attitude towards them, etc. Where I'm from everyone one's laid back, reps are always friendly and don't really have to put up with too much of people's ****, because non really gives them **** to begin with. They even accept rooted phones too, where as I read that many other users have to unroot before bringing their phone into Sprint for replacement/repair.
If you don't mind paying a deductable ($100 max), call into customer service and request a replacement.
And to the dude who was previously on AT&T with iPhone, sure buddy. SURRRREEE. If you EVER had service with them, you of all people should know that AT&T & Apple will put you through hell. I should know, that's why I dropped AT&T & the iPhone 2G.

illogic6 said:
I read it. Sorry to hear about your EVO man.
I got my EVO through Craigslist new in box because all the Sprint stores in my area who had them in stock wouldn't sell them to people not adding a new line of service. (Which is another story in and of itself)
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That is actually illegal, they have to sell it to you, I actually did the same and had to mention that it is illegal to not sell it, after mentioning that they budged and sold it to me.
Back on your situation with your EVO, I would recommend posting on consumerist as that is more their territory. They have the phone numbers for executive customer support also, they WILL fix your issue ASAP. http://consumerist.com/2007/05/sprint-sets-up-consumerist-reader-executive-customer-service-hotline.html

tbh, I feel no simpathy since you being "honest" has nothing to do with the situation. You didn't steal the phone, the phone was defective therefore it's not like you were doing anything wrong. You should of returned it and gotten a replacement. There's been hundreds if not thousands of people that have done the same with the screen lifting issue.
Also if you didn't know before, google is based on keywords, it doesn't take the phrase and search for it. About 5million of those results were for the word "evo", other million were for "screen", and so on. Out of those results, only about 20-30 were for the evo issue. I've been doing SEO for a long time, so when it comes to google I know what I'm talking about.
Also sprint doesn't care if you took it apart, or if it came apart by itself, because they will tell you in the end to return it because of the issue. They know people do it, and it's perfectly okay, since you're not "cheating" anyone. The 30 day thing is made for a reason, it's not made for you to screw them over. Also the insurance that you put on the phone is made for a reason.
Either you're not telling the whole story, or you were too ignorant to return the phone.

Btw, side note for you. Check out the app TiKL for push to talk on your EVO.
sent from VooDooPhone

As a Sprint retention supersvisor, let me ask you something which I would have asked you if you were on my call. What makes you think SPRINT is responsible for a phone your purchased from somebody on Ebay wether it be a Sprint customer or not? You are LUCKY they even allow you to use TEP on a phone that was not purchased from them. Now, here's what we can do, make a claim, pay the $100 and have it replaced or go back to the store and speak with the idiot that told you to call in.
Let me put it in perspective for you, when your car breaks you take it to the mechanic right? You don't just call Ford and they fix it over the phone or send you out a new truck to your home. There is NOTHING someone over the phone can do, the repair center has to do it all, granted most the time they send you something over the phone or break policy it's to shut the customer up and get rid of them. The store has to fix it, if they can't fix it, make a claim for you through the warranty or asurion. I really don't understand why this is so hard to understand. And please don't take this the wrong way it is not an attack on you personally, but it is definitely an attack on what should be common sense.

6ixtynin9 said:
I've had better luck. I was once placed in this exact situation. Brought my phone into Sprint to have it repair the lifting of screen. In-house techs repaired it, no questions asked (or blaming). One hour later, they called me back and issued me a new one, as their investigation determines hardware version 0002 was a manufature defect. Perhaps it's all based on locations, reps, your attitude towards them, etc. Where I'm from everyone one's laid back, reps are always friendly and don't really have to put up with too much of people's ****, because non really gives them **** to begin with. They even accept rooted phones too, where as I read that many other users have to unroot before bringing their phone into Sprint for replacement/repair.
If you don't mind paying a deductable ($100 max), call into customer service and request a replacement.
And to the dude who was previously on AT&T with iPhone, sure buddy. SURRRREEE. If you EVER had service with them, you of all people should know that AT&T & Apple will put you through hell. I should know, that's why I dropped AT&T & the iPhone 2G.
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That is what he said, with AT&T you're **** out of luck

Can I use an unactivated Epic 4g?

Search wasn't working for me so I am going to try my luck with a new topic
My Epic broke a few weeks ago and was denied warranty service, so I suspended my phone service and I will replace my broken screen myself with one from another unit. Assuming Samsung wiped my device during their diagnostics test and my phone would require activation upon boot, will I be able to use my phone without cellular data/voice until I decide to resume my service?
I've read up that the G1s and Droids can be used unactivated by touching the screen corners and I have a link that says the Fascinate can be used with a dialer code (http://androidforums.com/fascinate-tips-tricks/171348-bypass-fascinate-activation-screen.html)
Would any of those work?
Pic of the broken sAMOLED:
http://tibwolf.smugmug.com/photos/1090857987_wGDm8-XL.jpg

Assuming I'm understanding your question right, the answer should be yes. Sprint sent me a replacement phone when mine was just SUCKING BATTERY. I "switched" the activation from one phone to the other a call to Sprint. When the service was switched, I turned the old phone back on, and it worked on wifi only (no cell or data connection). I'm assuming that signing back in to the market via my Gmail account would have worked fine, but I can't tell for absolutely certain as I didn't actually try it. SHOULD work though. If someone has a more concrete answer, that'd be great.

Why not pay the $35 at a sprint store for repair? We have to do these and evo's often.
And on topic yes market and email etc work on wifi without being activated.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

You should be able to. I was using my hero as an mp3 player for a little while after I got my epic. The only problem I ran into was I couldn't sign into the android market on my hero if I was using the same gmail address on my epic
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Sprint fixed my strewn for free. They actually gabe me a new phone at the store since they didn't have the parts. I called and made an appointment but they don't know what happened to my part
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

I don't have TEP so the Sprint store wanted nothing to do with me.
I bought a replacement shell with screen on ebay for $35 so I will repair it myself. Samsung wanted $150 to repair it and every single Samsung rep I've talked to on the phone said that their warranty never covers a broken screen under any circumstances.
Hopefully I can make sure I have a working phone before I go off to bootcamp
Thanks for the input guys

tibwolf said:
I don't have TEP so the Sprint store wanted nothing to do with me.
I bought a replacement shell with screen on ebay for $35 so I will repair it myself. Samsung wanted $150 to repair it and every single Samsung rep I've talked to on the phone said that their warranty never covers a broken screen under any circumstances.
Hopefully I can make sure I have a working phone before I go off to bootcamp
Thanks for the input guys
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Since you already bought the screen, this isn't really necessary, but I work at Sprint and with TEP it is a free repair. Without it is $35. I promise! In another thread someone argued that this was not true, but it surely is. I'd be happy to take a pic of an eticket for someone without tep and it clearly shows the $35 charge populated for cracked/damaged screen.

I should mention I didn't purchase any insurance on the phone at all ($71.76 a month after all fees and taxes)
The manager at the Sprint store I went to, which also happens to be the only store in the area authorized for repairs, said that TEP would have been $35 out of pocket, and regular insurance would be $100. Once I said I had no insurance he pointed to a phone and said it was Samsung's problem

tibwolf said:
I should mention I didn't purchase any insurance on the phone at all ($71.76 a month after all fees and taxes)
The manager at the Sprint store I went to, which also happens to be the only store in the area authorized for repairs, said that TEP would have been $35 out of pocket, and regular insurance would be $100. Once I said I had no insurance he pointed to a phone and said it was Samsung's problem
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If they are corporate or preferred then they are seriously misinformed. The insurance is only for lost/stolen, liquid, or device is in 3 or more pieces. All housing/screen other than that is covered for free if you have TEP or ESRP, but if you only have ERP or NOTHING, then its $35 charge with the option to add tep after the repair or replacement.
I'd complain if they are a corporate or preferred store. If that's the case they are basically saying that they didn't feel like dealing with you, or they have not been properly trained on the new policies.

tibwolf I'm in the same situation as you ... can you tell me how it went? How difficult was it to actually replace it? I couldn't find instructions on the web.

I had my Epic for over two weeks before I activated it and it worked fine as everything but a phone. There were no tricks involved at all - I even did the Google setup so I could access the market, Gmail, etc.

I got mine @ the Bestbuy mobile store. The rep there said that Android based phones have to be actived to be used and that was the reason I couldn't play with a real one before purchasing. He would let me play with a Blackberry though.

Overstew said:
I got mine @ the Bestbuy mobile store. The rep there said that Android based phones have to be actived to be used and that was the reason I couldn't play with a real one before purchasing. He would let me play with a Blackberry though.
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For him to say "android" based phones have to be activated is false. i had my htc hero without being activated and performed a factory reset and i just walked through the setup with wifi and I could do everything on the phone except the phone. When i bought my epic 4g, It was not activated yet I turned it on and messed around with it.
I hope this helps you out!
p.s - i dunno if this matters but both phones had been previously activated but were unactivated through sprint.
Sincerely,
D3luSi0n4L

I can confirm that you can sprint does repair cracked screens for $35 ( I also smashed mine with no (none of any kind) insurance. You can also use your phone through wifi by skipping activation.

You can bring it to sprint even if you have no account with them?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

ramsestut said:
If they are corporate or preferred then they are seriously misinformed. The insurance is only for lost/stolen, liquid, or device is in 3 or more pieces. All housing/screen other than that is covered for free if you have TEP or ESRP, but if you only have ERP or NOTHING, then its $35 charge with the option to add tep after the repair or replacement.
I'd complain if they are a corporate or preferred store. If that's the case they are basically saying that they didn't feel like dealing with you, or they have not been properly trained on the new policies.
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^This. There was a recent policy change and this is now the policy. If it is repairable, the repair is free with insurance or $35 without. If it is non-repairable, water damaged, or stolen, then you can get a replacement under insurance and nothing without insurance.

Overstew said:
I got mine @ the Bestbuy mobile store. The rep there said that Android based phones have to be actived to be used and that was the reason I couldn't play with a real one before purchasing. He would let me play with a Blackberry though.
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I had a Best Buy guy tell me the same thing and I had to correct him. Best Buy in my area doesnt know much about the phones they sell. I had my Epic for awhile and never had it activated, but I could use it on wifi for everything other than calls. I finally decided to acitvate it and switched back and forth for some time, flipping between my Evo and Epic. Both worked over Wifi, and still functioned without wifi, when not activated on Sprint. Same with my old Hero.

DiGi760 said:
^This. There was a recent policy change and this is now the policy. If it is repairable, the repair is free with insurance or $35 without. If it is non-repairable, water damaged, or stolen, then you can get a replacement under insurance and nothing without insurance.
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Does this include parts? Also what kind of things can they replace? The bezel around my screen on the sides has hairline scratches that kinda bug me, I wouldn't mind paying $35 it they'd completely replace it. Please let me know asap!
Thanks!
D3luSi0n4L

I need some guidance with best buy woes...

Ok, so I was told that if I bought the best buy insurance that they would replace my phone on the spot no questions asked.
Well... my phone broke (usb is not recognized by any computer, so I think the processor is f*ed).
I took the phone to best buy and they they told me they had to send it in for repair. I was pissed. I then had to pay $150 for a loaner phone, not even an evo phone.
25 days later the phone comes back. They phone is still not fixed.
Now I am livid at this point. The manager is gone from the store so I am dealing with the peons. They said they called the manager and they want to send it in again for repair.
I told them that I followed the process / procedure and it did not work. I asked for them to replace it and they will not.
I told them I know they have power to overide things and replace the phone.
They still will not do so.
I NEED HELP. What do I do? Does anyone have anyone I can contact?
God, this pisses me off. Thank in advance for the help.

Ill tell you this....i had the same deal. Best buy told me the same ****, so I went to the sprint store and after looking at it they told me I would receive a refurbished one in the mail. Cool....its better than paying a deposit especially since I don't have TEP. Now....
3 days ago my usb port went all shaky on me. Took it to the sprint store again still without TEP. This time they replaced it with a brand new one even though it had that new camera (another story). Forget best buy. Manufacture warrantys can protect you.
Two things to take from this....best buys insurance sucks and the sprint store is a good option even without tep. Im waiting on open enrollment for TEP now because I done believe the third time will be a charm. Hopes this helps.
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Welcome to Best Buy's crap warranties. Same thing happened with my Droid. The Mic went dead, they sent it out for 2 weeks, came back with the "Speaker" replaced. The Mic still didn't work. Sent out again, took 4 weeks to finally fix the Mic. I got tired of waiting and got my Evo. The Mobile manager would do nothing. Said you have to wait for 4 failed repairs to get a replacement. I reported them to the state attorney generals office. Get the word out to everyone not to buy these **** plans. I wouldn't take one of these plans for free at this point.

david279 said:
Ill tell you this....i had the same deal. Best buy told me the same ****, so I went to the sprint store and after looking at it they told me I would receive a refurbished one in the mail. Cool....its better than paying a deposit especially since I don't have TEP. Now....
3 days ago my usb port went all shaky on me. Took it to the sprint store again still without TEP. This time they replaced it with a brand new one even though it had that new camera (another story). Forget best buy. Manufacture warrantys can protect you.
Two things to take from this....best buys insurance sucks and the sprint store is a good option even without tep. Im waiting on open enrollment for TEP now because I done believe the third time will be a charm. Hopes this helps.
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Do you happen to know if this was a corporate sprint store, or a franchise sprint store like 'mobile lifestyle' that just deals sprint? I've not heard of a franchise store doing anything like that, but if one did I'd like to know. Maybe it just depends on the franchise, too.
In any case, yes - it's usually better to take problems like that to the corporate stores. Extended warranties from the likes of Best Buy and Radioshack are seldom worth it on phones (tvs and other electronics are another story, though).

It was a regular sprint store with in house techs to work on phones.

I have my brother's Evo on my account with mine and it's at BB for it's second try at fixing the boot loop. I told him he should have just paid the $35 at the Sprint store for a new one. I'll be cancelling that coverage at Best Buy and seeing if I can switch to the TEP at Sprint.

Awsome, I took your advice and went to the sprint store.
I paid $35 and got a new phone, no questions asked.
A small price for me to pay for making a bad decision at best buy.
Never will shop there again.

Good job man!!!!
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Last time I shopped at Best Buy they pulled that magazine scam on me. I started realizing that every month I would have a charge on my bank account about some magazine but never had the time to check on it. A year later I took the time and realized it was Best Buy who signed me up for it when I had paid for my purchase with my card.
If you google Best Buy scams you'll find a lot of horror stories with warranties and magazine scams.

I worked at Best buy for a long time part time. They (Sales Reps) mis-represent the warranty ALL THE TIME. It works the way its supposed to (according to the pamphlet no one reads), but not the way they present it.......("If it breaks we replace"). I've been screamed on too many times to count.
Nothing you can do until the General Manager comes back or if you deal with a Assistant store manager with some balls. Good luck

Go back to Best Buy with a friend and pretend to buy a phone, when they try to sell you on the best buy insurance video tape it and then you have proof that they lied about their insurance plan and force them to replace your phone.

Apex i ITR said:
I worked at Best buy for a long time part time. They (Sales Reps) mis-represent the warranty ALL THE TIME. It works the way its supposed to (according to the pamphlet no one reads), but not the way they present it.......("If it breaks we replace"). I've been screamed on too many times to count.
Nothing you can do until the General Manager comes back or if you deal with a Assistant store manager with some balls. Good luck
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Yep... even though they do not work in commission they still have a hard time explaining to leadership why the service plan does not sell, and then when it sells its all based on lies.
to OP: the reason why they won't just exchange the phone on the spot its because it hits its revenue: you see, when the phone is authorized for exchange by the service center, the insurance company that backs up the plan refunds the retail price of the phone to the department but when they do it 'on the spot' basically the department has to eat 100% of the retail cost because they cannot send the phone for repairs (even if under warranty) and for the new phone that you are getting. The store might sent the phone back to the manufacturer but the store wont get full credit for the retail price on the device.
The best thing you can do is either locate the original associate that helped you and request the manager from the department or even the store manager and confront the associate in front of the manager OR call customer relations and see if they can help you as they can force the hand of the store manager and allow you to get a new device.

cruise350 said:
Go back to Best Buy with a friend and pretend to buy a phone, when they try to sell you on the best buy insurance video tape it and then you have proof that they lied about their insurance plan and force them to replace your phone.
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Hell, I would do that but instead of videotaping it I would just wait for the associate to say that they replace it on the spot and then whip out my busted EVO and say "OK then buddy, replace my busted EVO".

My phone stopped reading the SD card and charging. I have a wall charger for batteries thank god. Took 19 days for them to say yes your phone is broke and you can have a new one. This completed my warranty so I have opt back into the BB warrant again. I said not now. They asked me a total of three times.
The first phone call I made was to Sprint to get their insurance.
....scam me once.
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Now that you got a repair from Sprint, cancel your black tie "protection" and get the TEP. Costs $2 less per month and it's a much better plan. That's what I just had to do with my Evo to get a replacement screen because the touch sensor was all screwed up and it had a white spot in the middle of it.
Best Buy manager wouldn't do anything, so I had him call and cancel for me and told him I'd be getting Sprint's plan. Maybe I'll even blog about it.
Sent from my phone with the geebees

afazel said:
Now that you got a repair from Sprint, cancel your black tie "protection" and get the TEP. Costs $2 less per month and it's a much better plan. That's what I just had to do with my Evo to get a replacement screen because the touch sensor was all screwed up and it had a white spot in the middle of it.
Best Buy manager wouldn't do anything, so I had him call and cancel for me and told him I'd be getting Sprint's plan. Maybe I'll even blog about it.
Sent from my phone with the geebees
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Please blog about it, Best Buy is pretty evil and I see way too many people get f'ed over by their scams.

You'd be surprised how many times the customer service number will over ride the store.
Best buy isn't evil. Actually on the outside looking in and on the inside looking out I can honestly say for such a large chain they are pretty decent. Its hard to satisfy everyone. What gets everyone riled up is the way the service plan is sold and the unwillingness to help (in some cases) after its put to the test.
I've also seen customers try to scam the system as well so it goes both ways.
If you know what you are getting into and don't listen to the sales people that are put under TREMENDOUS pressure to sell the service plans (More important then the prduct itself). Then there are no surprises.

Ok well I have best buy insurance. Havent had a problem yet. But wouldnt it be better to copy all your sd card on to the computer. Erase your sd card. Then drop it in the toilet. They cover water damage right? Then the'll be no way they can fix it and they have to give you a new one the same day right? Good idea??
Evo - Myn 2.2 RLS 3 - Clockwork - HBoot .76

r.storm85 said:
Ok well I have best buy insurance. Havent had a problem yet. But wouldnt it be better to copy all your sd card on to the computer. Erase your sd card. Then drop it in the toilet. They cover water damage right? Then the'll be no way they can fix it and they have to give you a new one the same day right? Good idea??
Evo - Myn 2.2 RLS 3 - Clockwork - HBoot .76
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Ummmm....last i checked they don't cover water damage only tep from sprint does

cruise350 said:
Go back to Best Buy with a friend and pretend to buy a phone, when they try to sell you on the best buy insurance video tape it and then you have proof that they lied about their insurance plan and force them to replace your phone.
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As much as they deserve this and i would love to do this too i think its considered black mail or coersion isn't it?

Sprints great customer servie

Today I took my wifes shift in for repair and they couldn't fix it so I said ok replace it. He then tells me we have to mail you on. Now this is after talking to a super on the call in that told me to go to this corp. Store. He told me there where no shifts in the store, and out was policy to mail them I called, bs and he got mad. Said I had to leave cuz I asked to see this policy on paper. He couldn't find it, I asked how a corp. Store doesn't go by the same sprint policy as every other one, he says we aren't sprint lmao, I said it says sprint on the sign and your shirt so why not. Then he grabbed my elbow like he was going to walk me out and when I jerked my arm away he about **** his pants and his friend came running out. I said wtf you going to do back up. I then went out and reported it all to sprint and the bbb. This was all done in front of my 3 year old daughter. What a joke.
And you still read it

Grabbed your elbow? Let some fool grab mine at the store, he will quickly find himself on the ground.
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You should have filed a report for assault with the police
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mario9702 said:
You should have filed a report for assault with the police
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+1 doesn't sound like you where being disorderly
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nattiboy2326 said:
Today I took my wifes shift in for repair and they couldn't fix it so I said ok replace it. He then tells me we have to mail you on. Now this is after talking to a super on the call in that told me to go to this corp. Store. He told me there where no shifts in the store, and out was policy to mail them I called, bs and he got mad. Said I had to leave cuz I asked to see this policy on paper. He couldn't find it, I asked how a corp. Store doesn't go by the same sprint policy as every other one, he says we aren't sprint lmao, I said it says sprint on the sign and your shirt so why not. Then he grabbed my elbow like he was going to walk me out and when I jerked my arm away he about **** his pants and his friend came running out. I said wtf you going to do back up. I then went out and reported it all to sprint and the bbb. This was all done in front of my 3 year old daughter. What a joke.
And you still read it
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Was there any other witness then your dougther? You should made a police report and send it to the corporation to fire those idiots pretending to be a sprint employee.
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There's two sides to every story. I Btw, if a store doesn't have the parts they are ordered so you sitting at the store calling bs on people shows how uninformed you are.
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nattiboy2326 said:
Today I took my wifes shift in for repair and they couldn't fix it so I said ok replace it. He then tells me we have to mail you on. Now this is after talking to a super on the call in that told me to go to this corp. Store. He told me there where no shifts in the store, and out was policy to mail them I called, bs and he got mad. Said I had to leave cuz I asked to see this policy on paper. He couldn't find it, I asked how a corp. Store doesn't go by the same sprint policy as every other one, he says we aren't sprint lmao, I said it says sprint on the sign and your shirt so why not. Then he grabbed my elbow like he was going to walk me out and when I jerked my arm away he about **** his pants and his friend came running out. I said wtf you going to do back up. I then went out and reported it all to sprint and the bbb. This was all done in front of my 3 year old daughter. What a joke.
And you still read it
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Sounds to me if what you say is true than this particular manager is a tool. Putting his hand on you was a mistake unless it was self-defense.
Bad thing that I have found over the years is that Sprint phone customer service and the Sprint stores don't do things the same way. I don't go to the store for anything unless I have to. They seem to be more restricted and uninformed compared to the reps I chat with on the phone (of course there are a few store reps that are good ones, just seem hard to find). No way are the stores on the same page as the phone center. Luckily, I have a dedicated rep who takes care of my needs (if I can ever get him to freakin answer me back on anything).

I worked for sprint in a call center, and I can't tell you how many times I got calls from customers about how the people in the sprint stores screwed them over. Sprint is really wanting to turn around their customer service and probably have in call centers but they need to go thru each store and clean house. Almost everyone I talked to had been treated like crap or been flat out lied to by folks in sprint stores. I managed to get 2 store managers and a couple of other folks fired for what they did to customers. It's pretty bad when you get 2 totally different stories from the same company, because the right hand don't know what the left hand is doing.
who cares what this says anyways

There was about 6 other people at the store waiting on repairer 2 right next to me I was talking to
And you still read it

First and foremost sorry for the brutal assault he caused you mentally and physically. People we have to remember we are all human beings, and phone reps dont have to put up with face to face conflicts. Some people just aren't build for confrontation. I've never had issues with sprint reps at the stores, but than again I tactfully argue with them, so the blood pressure doesn't rise.

nattiboy2326 said:
There was about 6 other people at the store waiting on repairer 2 right next to me I was talking to
And you still read it
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Well there you go, he was under pressure, you started quoting the philosophy's of sprint. He couldn't handle unknown information and retreated, like we all do at times.

nattiboy2326 said:
Today I took my wifes shift in for repair and they couldn't fix it so I said ok replace it. He then tells me we have to mail you on. Now this is after talking to a super on the call in that told me to go to this corp. Store. He told me there where no shifts in the store, and out was policy to mail them I called, bs and he got mad. Said I had to leave cuz I asked to see this policy on paper. He couldn't find it, I asked how a corp. Store doesn't go by the same sprint policy as every other one, he says we aren't sprint lmao, I said it says sprint on the sign and your shirt so why not. Then he grabbed my elbow like he was going to walk me out and when I jerked my arm away he about **** his pants and his friend came running out. I said wtf you going to do back up. I then went out and reported it all to sprint and the bbb. This was all done in front of my 3 year old daughter. What a joke.
And you still read it
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If you call Sprint, they'll probably be more than willing to help you and compensate if you tell them this story. Also, usually Sprint just mails you a new phone and you mail back your current phone. Strange that they didn't implement that process.

AdriVelazquez said:
If you call Sprint, they'll probably be more than willing to help you and compensate if you tell them this story. Also, usually Sprint just mails you a new phone and you mail back your current phone. Strange that they didn't implement that process.
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Strange? He stated in his post, that they could mail and he called bs... So what are you on about?

Here is my theory on what really went down. So you're in line, you said you had ur 3yr old daughter waiting, and I'm sure she was without a doubt quiet in line. You started getting mad at the rep for not pleasing your needs, kid probably started whinning. Some person in line was probably wishing they had duct tape for your kid. The rep couldn't take it anymore and was trying to escort you out. Usually that type of grab is to escort..

c-had2001 said:
I worked for sprint in a call center, and I can't tell you how many times I got calls from customers about how the people in the sprint stores screwed them over. Sprint is really wanting to turn around their customer service and probably have in call centers but they need to go thru each store and clean house. Almost everyone I talked to had been treated like crap or been flat out lied to by folks in sprint stores. I managed to get 2 store managers and a couple of other folks fired for what they did to customers. It's pretty bad when you get 2 totally different stories from the same company, because the right hand don't know what the left hand is doing.
who cares what this says anyways
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It would be impossible for Sprint to effectively go to each store an "clean house" for several reasons:
1. There area too many stores. Each store that gets "cleaned" will hire new
people. Those people will need to be cleaned. The process would never end.
2. You have too many "Sprint" stores, that masquerade as a Sprint store, but
are privately owned and operated. They even wear Sprint shirts, have
Sprint signs, and Sprint Business cards.
3. The "House Cleaner" is also a person, and they are "Sprint Employees" and
would occasionally also need to be cleaned, as they would fail to follow the
rules and do their job.
There are too many Sprint Employees, at call centers, corporate stores, and repair centers. The larger Sprint gets, the worse it gets.
Any attempt at cleaning house would in effect be Sprintocide. (Think of it like Genoicide, with Sprint Employees being the effected class.)

AdriVelazquez said:
If you call Sprint, they'll probably be more than willing to help you and compensate if you tell them this story. Also, usually Sprint just mails you a new phone and you mail back your current phone. Strange that they didn't implement that process.
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It says right in the OPS post that the CSR offered to mail him one... It sounds like he did not want the process implemented.

I think we can all agree my theory of what really happened, is true..

anthonyandrews said:
It would be impossible for Sprint to effectively go to each store an "clean house" for several reasons:
1. There area too many stores. Each store that gets "cleaned" will hire new
people. Those people will need to be cleaned. The process would never end.
2. You have too many "Sprint" stores, that masquerade as a Sprint store, but
are privately owned and operated. They even wear Sprint shirts, have
Sprint signs, and Sprint Business cards.
3. The "House Cleaner" is also a person, and they are "Sprint Employees" and
would occasionally also need to be cleaned, as they would fail to follow the
rules and do their job.
There are too many Sprint Employees, at call centers, corporate stores, and repair centers. The larger Sprint gets, the worse it gets.
Any attempt at cleaning house would in effect be Sprintocide. (Think of it like Genoicide, with Sprint Employees being the effected class.)
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Click to collapse
I know your right, but it seems pretty counter productive to try to change your public image of customer support and service, if you have asshats running and operating your stores. It's the same bad press if its someone on the phone or someone in the store. I tend to think they may have to many "authorized" sprint retailers and those folks really don't give a crap about anything. Its just sad that when you work for sprint in a call center they pretty much let you give the customer just about anything they want to make them happy, and they don't allow you to be rude or disrespectful to anyone no matter how much they threaten you or how bad they cuss you out. All I was saying is they need to do something about the stores because they aren't helping their image at all.

They offered you help... Sometimes i get my replacements in the mail and sometimes i get them on the spot....either way the guy was trying to do his job and never denied the service for which you pay.
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gab2012 said:
They offered you help... Sometimes i get my replacements in the mail and sometimes i get them on the spot....either way the guy was trying to do his job and never denied the service for which you pay.
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Ding ding ding
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