Database Users

G1 Warranty

At first I wasn't going to post this but decided to go ahead and share this. I know everyone knows about getting the warranty exchange through the insurance with T-Mobile. Well I dropped my phone this morning and it wouldn't come back on. I called T-Mobile up and was going to go through the insurance, but decided to call up some local T-Mobile stores and see what they could do. I called one store and asked if they had any G1's in stock and they said they did then told them I already talked to customer service and wanted to see if they could exchange out the phone due to me dropping it and it won't come on. They told me that was physical damage and that would have to go through there insurance. Then I called another store and told them the same thing except I said I woke up this morning and the phone wouldn't turn on. They told me to come in and they would change it out with a new one. So instead of going through the insurance and waiting a couple days I was able to get a new one an hour after I broke mine. I'm sorry but I love my phone to much to go a couple days without it even though I have another cell phone. So the point to all this is if you play dumb and you got a brick or just a broke phone you should be able to go to the store and exchange it out. I know it won't work if your not a T-Mo customer. But that was so much easier than having to wait then ship your old one back. And oh yea I've had it since Nov. so I wan't in any grace period. Time to reroot tonight.

I have a legitimate problem with my phone and a medical reason within the family that requires cell phones 24/7 (long story). At any rate, not only has every T-Mo store in town refused to do an exchange (citing policy), T-Mo customer service has been a real pain in the ass about the whole exchange.
No offense, but cheating the system like this is probably the reason that T-Mo instituted the mail exchange policy in the first place. It's acts like that makes it more difficult on people trying to do the right thing.
I don't think your advice is wise, I don't think it's something you should share around here. And I certainly don't think it's something to boast about.

First off I ain't boasting about it. I'm not cheating the system. I called up customer service first and told them my situation. And I asked them if I was able to call a local store and see if they could do it. She told me to give it a shot. I gave it a shot and it worked. Its an option to try and I shared it. So now quit your crying.

Then I called another store and told them the same thing except I said I woke up this morning and the phone wouldn't turn on.
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That's called lying.
That makes you a liar.
They told you it had to be done by insurance, but you cheated the system.
And if you didn't think it was wrong, why were you reluctant to post about it ?
I'll hold my morals over yours any day of the week.

Hey it's not lying. I just didn't disclose all the info. And plus when I called customer service the noted my account with it saying I dropped it. And guess what they had to pull my account up when I exchanged it. Go ahead and tell everyone in the brick thread that there morals are wrong to. Cause all those people that got bricks had to lie because warranty won't cover rooted phones with custom roms. Way to be the moral police your a stand up guy. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight.

wow
blueheeler... your really arguing over a story... haha. ITS NOT THAT SERIOUS! People do things differently, so let the man tell his story, you dont agree with it, but you dont have to come at the guy like xda nominated you as the moral police lol.
If the issue is a moral issue, we are all guilty, every person who roots and roms their phones, werent supposed to, but we did, so if you look at it from your perspective your just as guilty as the next man.

You don't get it and probably never will.
It's your choice to be unethical. Fine.
Karma's a *****.

cire253 said:
blueheeler... your really arguing over a story... haha. ITS NOT THAT SERIOUS! People do things differently, so let the man tell his story, you dont agree with it, but you dont have to come at the guy like xda nominated you as the moral police lol.
If the issue is a moral issue, we are all guilty, every person who roots and roms their phones, werent supposed to, but we did, so if you look at it from your perspective your just as guilty as the next man.
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Thank you.

cire253 said:
blueheeler... your really arguing over a story... haha. ITS NOT THAT SERIOUS! People do things differently, so let the man tell his story, you dont agree with it, but you dont have to come at the guy like xda nominated you as the moral police lol.
If the issue is a moral issue, we are all guilty, every person who roots and roms their phones, werent supposed to, but we did, so if you look at it from your perspective your just as guilty as the next man.
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True enough.
Hadn't thought about that.
Apologies.

(Help) Taking phone in for repairs

I'm taking my phone in for some repairs on some buttons soon and I wanted to know what I should change before I go so they won't get pissy about it being rooted

I just sent mine into Samsung today, i just odin'd back to complete stock a week ago cause official froyo is soon and i didnt want to start fresh with froyo, and i knew i was going to be sending my phone in so i'd recommend odin back to stock so they dont claim that you've voided your warranty.
-D3luSi0n4L

Being a technician, I personally wouldn't care, but some guys/girls are by the books, so it's up to you. If it was me, just make it look stock. If you're only going in for replacement buttons they more than likely won't look at the software information. I know I don't

Odin back to DI18,better safe than sorry...Once they void your warranty,that is it,in your file.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

flawlessbmxr said:
Being a technician, I personally wouldn't care, but some guys/girls are by the books, so it's up to you. If it was me, just make it look stock. If you're only going in for replacement buttons they more than likely won't look at the software information. I know I don't
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Being a tech, if you had a customer come in w a purple line across bittom of screen, maybe 2 pixels tall, would you try to write it off as 'cosmetic' and offer a tep customer a fix for 35 bux... even though tep is free or insurance... nothing between...? Just got a new phone frm the manager after a tech said that... kind of a **** move, don't you think?
On topic, odin to di18... like our fine tech here said, most don't care. My sales girl said the techs rooted everyoe in the stores phones... idunno, do you guys even look for that unless the phoneis bricked? Seems a waste of your time...

Where can I get the .tar to odin back to 2.1? I cant find it anywhere

Seanc13 said:
Where can I get the .tar to odin back to 2.1? I cant find it anywhere
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I believe you're looking for this thread.

Thanks
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

I dropped my Epic last week, and got a very small crack in the glass digitizer through the Sprint logo at the top of the screen. Wasn't even touching the SuperAmoled screen, just the glass. The phone worked perfectly, including the touchscreen, and you couldn't even see the screen crack unless looking in direct light.
Took it into my local Sprint store to get the screen replaced for free under the new TEP Policy. A hour later, when i returned, they said they couldn't fix it, because "there was things wrong with the phone that couldn't be fixed".
I stated that the only damage was to the glass digitizer, and thought they could just pop it out, and replace it really quick. Well, my 'knowledgeable' Sprint technician, said he didn't even know what a "digitizer" was, and that "there was hardware inside the phone that wasn't functioning".
So they gave me a BRAND NEW refurbished phone, WITH a 90 DAY SAMSUNG WARRANTY. Lol wtf? He said he had never even seen a refurbished phone that came with a warranty before. But my new Epic, is much better than my old epic. The screen has absolutely no wobble, and the keys don't crackle and crunch when typing!
I didn't even bother to restore my phone to stock. It was running DK28 along with all the other things I flashed onto the phone. I'm thinking they tried to plug the phone into their computer to diagnose for system problems, and since my phone was running a custom leaked build, their computer probably gave a error making them think it had a software issue.
I'm pretty sure about 99% of the sprint technicians in the store had absolutely no idea what rooting even was. After I got my new Epic, the technician asked if I wanted my contacts transfered from my old phone to my new phone. He was surprised when I said that my new phone would automatically get my contacts from my google account. LOL

I think I'm just gonna take it in the way it is, I took my hero in a while back before I got my epic and it was rooted and customized to hell and back, the tech walks out and goes, custom rom? I said yea he goes ok, flash it back to stock, update this and that, and flash back to this and the problem will be solved, didn't even blink an eye at the thought of it being rooted. I had another rep ask me how I rooted my stuff and I sent him here becuase my phone was so much faster and smoother than his stock

ungovernable1977 said:
Being a tech, if you had a customer come in w a purple line across bittom of screen, maybe 2 pixels tall, would you try to write it off as 'cosmetic' and offer a tep customer a fix for 35 bux... even though tep is free or insurance... nothing between...? Just got a new phone frm the manager after a tech said that... kind of a **** move, don't you think?
On topic, odin to di18... like our fine tech here said, most don't care. My sales girl said the techs rooted everyoe in the stores phones... idunno, do you guys even look for that unless the phoneis bricked? Seems a waste of your time...
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I would have done it as manufacturing defect. As long as the glass part of the screen wasn't damaged. Basically ordering you a new one. And the $35 is for ppl with no insurance. So if you had no insurance with this situation, sprint policy states I have to charge you 35 for the new phone which I see it covering shipping if anything to and from the warehouse.
And to everyone busting on sprint techs im one of the few that actually know rooting, digitizers, etc. The training the techs go thru is for 5 year olds. Its stupid as hell. I take no offense to what's being said but yea, other techs are sstuuppiiddd
Sent from my MysteriousGingerbread

ungovernable1977 said:
Being a tech, if you had a customer come in w a purple line across bittom of screen, maybe 2 pixels tall, would you try to write it off as 'cosmetic' and offer a tep customer a fix for 35 bux... even though tep is free or insurance... nothing between...? Just got a new phone frm the manager after a tech said that... kind of a **** move, don't you think?
On topic, odin to di18... like our fine tech here said, most don't care. My sales girl said the techs rooted everyoe in the stores phones... idunno, do you guys even look for that unless the phoneis bricked? Seems a waste of your time...
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It should have been fixed. We get phones in all the time that have issues like that; and I'm sorry, some techs will look at it like a cosmetic issue, but at the same time, I look at it as, "Would I want it fixed if it were my phone?" And yes, I would. So I would have replaced the screen.

flawlessbmxr said:
And to everyone busting on sprint techs im one of the few that actually know rooting, digitizers, etc. The training the techs go thru is for 5 year olds. Its stupid as hell. I take no offense to what's being said but yea, other techs are sstuuppiiddd
Sent from my MysteriousGingerbread
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I'm by no means hating on all technicians, I'm just saying that majority of ones I've encountered have little to no experience with anything "technical" about the phones they are selling. I don't expect that every Sprint technician will KNOW each and every phone inside and out, but when a technician is gonna ACT like they know everything.....
Back on topic though, I think its generally a good idea to flash back to stock or AT LEAST back up your phone, and wipe it before going to sprint for a repair. They asked that I unlock and remove the pattern password on my phone before I left it, and since my phone wasn't wiped, all of my accounts and stuff were open still.

[Q] why does my 3g suck so bad!?

i cant fix it for the life of me.
ive tried the viper rom, midNIGHT rom, and ive tried a few others.
ive even flashed the data service governor remover by itself to no avail.
any help?
i wouldnt mind if we had 4g in detroit but we dont

Froyo source came out
Wait a few hours everything is gonna be perfect almost
Maybe
Try the roms that are gonna be runnig on the official froyo release
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

ksmullins88 said:
i cant fix it for the life of me.
ive tried the viper rom, midNIGHT rom, and ive tried a few others.
ive even flashed the data service governor remover by itself to no avail.
any help?
i wouldnt mind if we had 4g in detroit but we dont
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Look at my post #21 here, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=953425&page=3 and click the picture. That's how sucky my 3G is.
I am going to try the official release, and if that doesn't fix it, it's time for a new phone. I'm hoping it is the phone cause I hate to leave Sprint cause I have a great plan. Keeping my fingers crossed that I DONT have to go through all of this.
Could be just a bad Epic. Who knows.
I dont think any ROM will fix it unless it's an official ROM. I have Bonsai, and it is still crap. Was crap before as well.

1) Did she take out her retainer?? (now I wanna listen to dead kennedys... )
2) mustang guy, your data is seriously low, I would go to a sprint store and get them to side by side with you, I bet you just need a new phone... and tell em your business will crumble if you have to wait 3-5 days for a replacement, they may give you a new one. Couldnt hurt to try.
3)OP, you were born in 1988?? I hope thats not what I think it means... and same goes for you, flash to DI18 if youre not there yet, go make em prove its normal... if you have TEP that is... its what its there for.

ungovernable1977 said:
1) Did she take out her retainer?? (now I wanna listen to dead kennedys... )
2) mustang guy, your data is seriously low, I would go to a sprint store and get them to side by side with you, I bet you just need a new phone... and tell em your business will crumble if you have to wait 3-5 days for a replacement, they may give you a new one. Couldnt hurt to try.
3)OP, you were born in 1988?? I hope thats not what I think it means... and same goes for you, flash to DI18 if youre not there yet, go make em prove its normal... if you have TEP that is... its what its there for.
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That was my next option. I really need a side by side comparison. I dont have any experience with Sprint giving anyone new phones, but I got mine at Best Buy in September. Actually about 5 months ago to the day. I didn't get the insurance on it and obviously 30 days is up. However (dont have the box in front of me) there should be a warranty on the phone in general.
I think though before I go in, i'll need to flash it totally stock with the new release next week. Then if the problem persists, i'll go in. I assume there is no way in hell they'll swap my phone with DK28 and Bonsai on top right this moment.

Take your phone to the store I had the same problem and they gave me a new phone

inimitableac said:
Take your phone to the store I had the same problem and they gave me a new phone
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Did you have a ROM installed? I assume Sprint will look at this before swapping a phone. And seeing how it was purchased at Best Buy would Sprint even swap it?

Definately flash to stock first, then do the factory reset in settings, tell em you thought it may fix it. Act dumb. Actually you may want to post a thread in Q&A about returns... see what the many sprint techs in this forum think. If you dont have TEP, the 7 dollar a month insurance/repair deal.... call *2 NOW and put it on, you wont be able to claim on it for a week or so, but once you have it, everything but replacing lost/stolen is free, lost stolen go thru the insurance side. But they will fix anything functionality wise. Right now, they MIGHT charge you 35 bux to fix, but fixing an epic can only go a couple ways... they dont fix em. they will pull your mobo out and put it in a new epic, like a brain transplant, or, if that is bad, replace the whole thing. Being this sounds like the latter, this would be more expensive... so yeah...get TEP if you dont have it... its really a smart investment on a 500 dollar phone. Plus, I hear they have more physical fails lately than they did at launch... but that may just be heresay. Good luck, and what was he 88 about?????
And ive read (all over XDA) the BBuy warranty is crap anyways, wait times like repairs on a 360.... let sprint do it for 7 bux a month.

Good thought on the TEP. Had no idea you could just add it at any time. With Best Buy warranty you have to add it with-in 30 days.
But i'll give the stock thing a try with the release next week, and if that doesn't work, i'll resort to the $7 TEP. There is no use in keeping a $500 phone that gets data like a old school modem back in the 90s. This is not what I paid for.
Scratch that. I found this on Sprints site... How to Enroll:
Customers are eligible for enrollment within 30 days of activation or upgrade of a device. Contact 1-800-584-3666 to have it added to your account.
Damn!

lame... sorry... Yeah I would try stock next week, then take it in, Sprint may take pity on you, just tell them you will ask SamsungJohn to help you if they cant hahaha! But seriously, if it comes down to it, ask him... never know. Sometimes I think BB does not emphasize the importance of TEP, in an effort to sell their own inferior service. They tell you they will fix ANYTHING... well so does sprint, plus its in Sprint's interest to keep you as a customer, as you could say oh well, ETF out and sign on with VZW...post something in the Q&A about it directed at sprint TECHS in the title... ive read some of em give really good advice... its like a secret password for the tech to hook you up. No, not really, but kind of... if you approach them right, they will usually try to help. Could also tell them youre a postal worker, and you really need to get back to work...?

You can add TEP anytime at a corporate store outside of your first 30-days, you just have to pay a one-time $35 inspection fee.
If you have a backup Sprint phone to use, you can always go thru Samsung warranty support for free (just have to mail your phone to them).

Its not you, its sprint's ****ty network.

BrianFX said:
You can add TEP anytime at a corporate store outside of your first 30-days, you just have to pay a one-time $35 inspection fee.
If you have a backup Sprint phone to use, you can always go thru Samsung warranty support for free (just have to mail your phone to them).
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What do you mean by corporate store? Just a sprint brick and mortar store? And you are sure of this with the $35?
I have a Treo 700p I could use if it goes to Samsung.
Almost seems better to just send the phone off, cause I see no point in paying $35 just for them to go...Well, looks like there is no damage, yadda yadda, then send it off.
If it was replaced on the spot in a week or so after the TEP it would be fine. But if I have to SEND it off, I might as well go the other route and NOT pay the $35 and use the Treo for now.

quickstang said:
What do you mean by corporate store? Just a sprint brick and mortar store?
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Corporate store meaning owned by Sprint Corp, not an affiliate Sprint store. Basically any Sprint store where they do warranty exchanges in-house.
And you are sure of this with the $35?
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100% sure. $35 for a non-TEP fix/replacement. The store rep recommended the Samsung mail-in route if I didn't need a quick turnaround as you're more likely to get a new phone.
I have a few small bugs with my Epic (screen/slider wobbles, touchscreen response is horrible during a call, keyboard misses key-presses when typing). I can live with all 3, but will likely do a Samsung direct warranty exchange before my 12-months is up.

We all say the DARNEDEST things...

After some of the posts in this thread I thought I would add some rules:
1) No name calling
2) No racial slur's (the society we live in places heavy weight on these)
3) Keep it clean and have fun
I am actively watching this thread. I will update rules as needed for this thread.
I did change the title so that way everyone feels they can post here. So please sprint reps and customers feel free to post your funny stories.
I thought it would be kinda fun and funny at the same time to start a thread about some the funny stuff sprint reps tell us. Feel free to post any funny story you have about you experience with sprint. I am not doing this to be mean just had the idea after my experience with a sprint rep today. Think of it as the TV show "KIDS SAY THE DARNEDEST THINGS"
So here is mine:
Today I had to go to the sprint story to exchange mine and my wife's epic and while there the sprint rep said, "I think its stupid to update your phone. I think whatever OS was on the phone when you bought it is what you should run on it." I replied "well that would be like running windows 98 on a computer that can run windows 7." He replied "Well you have to pay for that update. If someone is going to update their phone then they should have to pay for it." So I replied "fine then running 2.1 would be like running windows 7 without any service packs or updates to it to fix known bugs and problems. It all comes down to customer service and providing the best software and product you can." After that he just started stammering and walked away. He didn't come over to me the rest of the hour I was in the store. He just occasionally glared at me. It was hilarious.
Please have fun it would be fun I think to compile our stories in one place instead of spread all over the place.

I think the oil that came in your car when you bought it is the same oil you should use for the life of your car.

mykie242 said:
I think the oil that came in your car when you bought it is the same oil you should use for the life of your car.
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hilarious....

My experience was when i first got my epic it came with dg27 on it and di18 was the newest software. I went back in the next day and he was there and I asked him why my phone wont update itself from dg27 to di18. He said that I was on the newest software release and I told him to get his phone out and check. he did and he was on di18. So then he grabbed my phone and said this is how you do it. He went into updates and.clicked on update prl and handed the phone back to.me and said, "here you go sir all done". I said you have to be joking right? He honestly had no clue what he was doing. He has no business working there.
Sent From My Evo Killer!

MedicStuder and Musclehead- both hilarious stories. I had a similar experience while speaking with a Sprint customer service rep on the phone. These people really have no idea what they are talking about or what they are doing. I would be supremely frustrated with my phone if it weren't for XDA

I had an occasion where I was trying to get a replacement for my touch pro 1. I called up sprint proclaiming that it was getting hotter than a skillet on the side of my face and that the battery felt smoldering. Well the lady said there wasn't a whole lot she could do but they were required to have me visit a repair store.
So I go to a store that does repairs to be greeted by a technician and told him my story. He says "it doesn't feel hot to me" as soon as I hand him my phone. He turned to walk to the back and dropped my phone cracking the screen lol. So the manager comes over saying we can fix that don't worry. I said that wasnt what I was there for and explained. He ends up giving me a brand new touch pro 2 in the box.
Well when I get home there's a package on my doorstep so I'm like wtf is this. I open it up to see another touch pro 2. The rep on the phone sent one even though she told me to go to the repair store lol

nadcicle said:
Well when I get home there's a package on my doorstep so I'm like wtf is this. I open it up to see another touch pro 2. The rep on the phone sent one even though she told me to go to the repair store lol
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Bahahaa ebayyy
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

nadcicle said:
I had an occasion where I was trying to get a replacement for my touch pro 1. I called up sprint proclaiming that it was getting hotter than a skillet on the side of my face and that the battery felt smoldering. Well the lady said there wasn't a whole lot she could do but they were required to have me visit a repair store.
So I go to a store that does repairs to be greeted by a technician and told him my story. He says "it doesn't feel hot to me" as soon as I hand him my phone. He turned to walk to the back and dropped my phone cracking the screen lol. So the manager comes over saying we can fix that don't worry. I said that wasnt what I was there for and explained. He ends up giving me a brand new touch pro 2 in the box.
Well when I get home there's a package on my doorstep so I'm like wtf is this. I open it up to see another touch pro 2. The rep on the phone sent one even though she told me to go to the repair store lol
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This isn't the first time I've heard of something similar to this. I had a friend that was in the process of moving when they ordered a new phone. They had given them the new address and they double checked everything and the phone was shipped. Well when it didn't show up when it was supposed to they ended up sending a second phone. That one showed up and then when she got back into town the next day there was also a phone waiting for her there. She tried to get info so she could ship the second phone back but it seemed like a hassle for Sprint so she ended up keeping both of them.

musclehead84 said:
My experience was when i first got my epic it came with dg27 on it and di18 was the newest software. I went back in the next day and he was there and I asked him why my phone wont update itself from dg27 to di18. He said that I was on the newest software release and I told him to get his phone out and check. he did and he was on di18. So then he grabbed my phone and said this is how you do it. He went into updates and.clicked on update prl and handed the phone back to.me and said, "here you go sir all done". I said you have to be joking right? He honestly had no clue what he was doing. He has no business working there.
Sent From My Evo Killer!
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I'm not gonna lie, I normally do this when people come into the store raising their voice demanding the world trying to make the rest of my reps feel inferior. Sadly, this actually works with 90% of the customers I deal with. Just proving that having a smart phone does not make for a smart person.

notoriouspyro said:
I'm not gonna lie, I normally do this when people come into the store raising their voice demanding the world trying to make the rest of my reps feel inferior. Sadly, this actually works with 90% of the customers I deal with. Just proving that having a smart phone does not make for a smart person.
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True true. Just fyi I was calm and cooperative during my experience. I find its not worth raising my blood pressure over a phone.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Went to a retail store yesterday. I got asked if o need help. I said no but my gf epic got the ota 2.2 update and now her camera is broken. He said that im the 6th person that mentioned this. I asked when its going to get patched up. He said, I dont think they will but just do a hard reset to fix it. I just smiled and left.

Yeah I was calm to till he updated my prl. Lol
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

I went into a sprint corp. store and asked a rep. "can I haz my gingerburgrz for me epic?", he replied "I just do sales and returns now".
/end story

Just before coming to android I had a blackberry tour and was having terrible reception issues with it, after talking to several reps I got transfered to another and the first thing out of her mouth was "cell phones are not intended for use in houses and cars and if I wanted perfect reception just step outside and use my phone!" Lol, in the end it ended up being issues with the towers in our area.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App

When I noticed my htc hero was getting dust under the screen and it got unbearable enough to take it back, one sprint rep looked at it and agreed to give me a new one, then showed his coworker who then examined it and told me that those were dead pixels, not dust, and that all phones get them and to avoid getting them I should charge my phone with it powered down... needless to say I was speechless. He was extremely rude as well as dumb.

nutswillkillme said:
When I noticed my htc hero was getting dust under the screen and it got unbearable enough to take it back, one sprint rep looked at it and agreed to give me a new one, then showed his coworker who then examined it and told me that those were dead pixels, not dust, and that all phones get them and to avoid getting them I should charge my phone with it powered down... needless to say I was speechless. He was extremely rude as well as dumb.
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omg! thats too much! guess we need to check the dunce hats at the door when we get there.

my wife's intercept received the OTA (froyo) and it broke her data.. causing lockups similar to the moment's plague..
(we did NOT have TEP.. still don't).. i called CS told them that i went into stock recovery and did a factory restore and it still isn't working properly, he handed me off to level 2 tech support. THAT guy proceeded to argue with me that my problem was with Samsung and not with Sprint. "After all, your warranty is from Samsung so you need to take it up with them".. i tell him that it was Sprint's update that broke the damn phone and that Sprint needs to fix it. He still stands by his "take it up with Samsung" spiel so i ask him "If I go purchase a brand new Ford at a Ford dealership and need an engine replaced under warranty, do you suggest that I drive my car to the factory in Detroit or take it back to the dealership ?" after some stammering he told me to take it to the local repair center but they would charge me $35 for the repair. I tell him that's unacceptable and he agrees to credit my account for the $35. I STILL tell him that it's not right and that i shouldn't have to pay anything to fix something that their software update broke and by this time, i'm fuming pissed and request to speak with HIS supervisor.. This guy asks what's going on (after almost 2 hrs on the phone so far) I tell him the whole story and he agrees to put the equipment protection on our account for 30 days, credit our account the cost of the equipment protection (so it's free) and tells me this way, I won't have to pay at the repair center. Then he says "You know that you'll have to go through 3 defective phones to get a different phone right ?" (I already knew this but played dumb)..
Then after a week and a half of playing 'return the bad phone' we finally got my wife the transform LMFAO

Rounsy222 said:
omg! thats too much! guess we need to check the dunce hats at the door when we get there.
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Omg! is right. How come we can all understand how things work and or should work but the people selling the items don't? (Scratches head). I knew this thread would be a fun one but wow just wow...lol
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

lol
Hell, Samsung is just as bad. I called them last night about adding memory to my laptop and he told me sir the laptop you have is at its max with 4gb of ram and i knew that my laptop could be upgraded to 8gb. Where do SPRINT and SAMSUNG find these people? My 6 year old son know more about the stuff they sell than these jerk off CS rep's...

MedicStuder said:
Omg! is right. How come we can all understand how things work and or should work but the people selling the items don't? (Scratches head). I knew this thread would be a fun one but wow just wow...lol
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
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Not every Sprint Rep is dumb.
I work at Sprint >_>

Sprint Repair store (Very Troubling)

I just want to get a bead on what is going on here.
I was window Shopping in the Sprint store this morning & a guy had an OG EVO with a faulty charge port.
Before I go on, note the following:
1.I'm not sure of what insurance plan he had (it could be either TEP+Asu, or just Asurion) so this is where I need your help in clarification. But he definitely has insurance.
2. This particular Sprint Store has the Repair Center.
3. I didn't see a repair tech chime in on the conversation. (Odd as usually the repair techs themselves tell you what can or can't be done. Duties & Policies change so you never know here.)
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He explained this issue to the floor reps & the floor rep told him that they would have to refer him to Asurion ($100+) & get the phone repaired or possibly replaced that way as he claimed it was physical damage.
This customer was no newb (assuming, sounded like he had a clue & a goal anyway) to how this works & explained that he knew this was a common issue as at least two people he knew of, had that same issue with the charge port failing. He did not mention their experience on getting this issue resolved. He called it a defect & it wasn't from him abusing or dropping the phone, which he happily showed in great condition. (I agreed, silently).
They talked back & forth- in small circles getting to this:
The Floor Rep (who sounded very sure of this) said there was nothing this Sprint store could do, they couldn't fix or get him a new/refurb phone because it was technically still considered physical damage.
This went back & forth for about 10 more minutes & the customer was pissed. (Didn't curse or get childish) but he was disgusted that we would have to pay $100 for a manufacturer defect & that the Sprint "repair" center couldn't help him.
He rode on this wave of anger & promptly asked to cancel his service with Sprint. The floor rep easily complied to start the process. (Me thinking: WTF Idiot rep, get the manager!) I face-palmed after that & I left while they were going over the termination.
Now my question/s:
Was the rep right about what they couldn't do for that time of damage/defect? Was this the result because the customer lacking the TEP portion of his insurance?
Are some repair centers more capable than others for this type of damage?
Has some portions of coverage been removed recently aside from the "rarely charged for" $35 screen repairs?
Question for Sprint employees/ former employees: What options can you use to deter a customer from leaving in a situation like that? I feel the rep could've at least put up an inch of a fight to assist in a situation like that or request aid from a manager.
Excuse any spelling or editing errors.

I'm gonna go on a limb here and say that the sprint rep just wanted to show him who the boss was. I've never had any problems with the tech stores here repairing anything from broken screens to broken power buttons. Unless you bring your phone in two pieces or has been physically damaged they should warranty it out.

IMHO
The rep, IMHO, was incorrect for arguing with the customer over what was physical or man. defect. Being a Sprint TC, we are usually asked to go out and inspect the device, open it up and see whether the soldering points are intact or not. you can spot the difference rather quickly when it comes to defect or physical. The rep should have either gotten a TC involved or better yet a manager involved immediately. Most customers, and i mean that with all due respect to both parties, would much rather hear the reasoning from someone who is supposed to know what they are talking about. for some reason customers that i talk to seem to leave in a happier mood after speaking with me over the issue. I have had to step in during a heated discussion between a rep and a customer over issues like this, and I'm not even a lead, just a simple TC. Personally, I think it tends to sound a little more official from the person hired to actually WORK on the devices rather than hear from someone who simply sells it. We spend more time on our job opening them open and inspecting them, just like the reps spend their time selling customers on the device. just my opinion, I'm not looking to start a feud by any means

your response sounds more like a regular store experience for me..

Hypeo said:
I'm gonna go on a limb here and say that the sprint rep just wanted to show him who the boss was. I've never had any problems with the tech stores here repairing anything from broken screens to broken power buttons. Unless you bring your phone in two pieces or has been physically damaged they should warranty it out.
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Yeah same here, I never had an experience like that. But it's been since the HTC Hero (2 years ago) that I've flexed my TEP. At this very store.
And then the sight of this floor rep allowing a current subscriber to leave without any counter-action. (IMHO: is worse than some random would be customer leaving). You don't have to be in retentions to save a subscriber.
I always have the golden rule of try trice (with different reps/stores) before deeming a crap policy as fact. But this guy was understandably baffled at how useless his experience was that led up to him cancelling.
dgomez720 said:
The rep should have either gotten a TC involved or better yet a manager involved immediately. Most customers, and i mean that with all due respect to both parties, would much rather hear the reasoning from someone who is supposed to know what they are talking about.
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Exactly. When he 1st came in explaining his visit, I thought he would log & direct him a TC.

dgomez720 said:
The rep, IMHO, was incorrect for arguing with the customer over what was physical or man. defect. Being a Sprint TC, we are usually asked to go out and inspect the device, open it up and see whether the soldering points are intact or not. you can spot the difference rather quickly when it comes to defect or physical. The rep should have either gotten a TC involved or better yet a manager involved immediately. Most customers, and i mean that with all due respect to both parties, would much rather hear the reasoning from someone who is supposed to know what they are talking about. for some reason customers that i talk to seem to leave in a happier mood after speaking with me over the issue. I have had to step in during a heated discussion between a rep and a customer over issues like this, and I'm not even a lead, just a simple TC. Personally, I think it tends to sound a little more official from the person hired to actually WORK on the devices rather than hear from someone who simply sells it. We spend more time on our job opening them open and inspecting them, just like the reps spend their time selling customers on the device. just my opinion, I'm not looking to start a feud by any means
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I agree with you, as a customer it does sound more official to hear the response from the person who is paid to actually work on the devices. A lot of people view salespeople as just that, salespeople. Someone to sell you something that you probably don't want or need, not someone to fix something that you have already bought and need repaired.
However, from a customer's point of view, he also may be arguing over the fact that it is for things like this in which he bought the insurance to begin with. If I'm spending $8 per month for God knows how long, the last thing I want to hear is "No, we won't repair your phone." In that case, Sprint could really do a better job of educating its customers as to what the insurance really covers. Most people view it as the equivalent of the add-on service plan that you can get at Best Buy or everywhere else, which basically will get your device fixed or replaced (or some money back) if your device fails after the manufacturer's warranty runs out. Apparently that isn't the case with TEP, however that's not how the salespeople sell it. I was in a Sprint store last month with my Dad upgrading his phone, and the sales rep offered it to us by saying "If anything goes wrong with your phone, bring it in and we'll repair it."
He had to backpedal when I started asking him questions about fixing water damage and extreme gross physical neglect...
BigJohn

Same exact thing happened to me. I called Sprint and still no luck. I eventually had a screen problem and the store replaced the phone for me.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

I think that is a prime example of ignorance and lack of care for customers. I have been to many crappy sprint stores who have done similar things. Fortunately I have found a sprint store in my neighborhood who treats their customers with respect and are mostly knowledgeable. Tbh that customer should have escalated it to talk to the manager or just go to another sprint store.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

The repair stores are filled with 1 good person to fix phones and 5 idiots. They all depend on 1 tech to actually fix things, and when they can't, the only solution to their problem is.. uh.. Ill have to have u call Asurion. Idiotttts.

This is exactly why the reps in my store immediately hand off any problem phones to a tech. They ask qualifying questions but never argue with the customer. It's up to the tech to determine what's wrong with the phone, and if necessary, "argue" with the customer.
I always explain TEP with a car analogy. You pay an insurance premium on your car in order to carry coverage. If you wreck your car, you pay a deductible and have it fixed.
Evo charging port is a very sensitive issue. I've had some that are obvious physical damage yet the customer still argues and calls me a liar.

So what does TEP actually cover?

cmsjr123 said:
So what does TEP actually cover?
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Ability to get upgrades every 1 year instead of every 2 years. That's about it.
Sent from my EVO

I find that going to an authorized retailer with a repair center works better, I went to a sprint store and they wanted me too buy this or that, battery, etc... Went to a reseller and they replaced my uninsured phone for $35, under faulty USB charger. Also try to go on days they aren't slammed with customers so they can give you the proper attention..

mbaseball3 said:
Ability to get upgrades every 1 year instead of every 2 years. That's about it.
Sent from my EVO
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Seriously?
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium

DirtyShroomz said:
Seriously?
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium
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Lol, yeah! I envy everyone else here with their success stories. Sprint stores do chit here for their customers! I'm on a 6 line business plan and they say sorry can't help you any time I walk in to a repair center. We been with sprint since a little before Nextel merger; how ever many years ago that was. I have yet to get a phone properly taken care of even with our insurance. I feel that when they see that there is an issue in device and that they should fix, they just point me to asurion. They never help. Feed us excuse after excuse. Anyone in the orange county area of California have good repair center experiences? Won't be surprised if all responses are No!
Sent from my EVO

mbaseball3 said:
Ability to get upgrades every 1 year instead of every 2 years. That's about it.
Sent from my EVO
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Umm, absolutely not.

Hmmm
I've had my share of issues with the Sprint store where I live. Almost from the time I got the phone I was having issues with it and all they were willing to was a factory reset. They actually let me sit in the store for over an hour (with my two year old son) the last time I went. After we were both tired of sitting I got up and asked the tech about it. He told me "Oh yeah, well the screen is locked and I couldn't get into it" I was floored and pissed off. Someone could have asked me considering I told them I would wait. After that I decided it was time for me to figure it all out on my own.

mskeys2xx3 said:
I've had my share of issues with the Sprint store where I live. Almost from the time I got the phone I was having issues with it and all they were willing to was a factory reset. They actually let me sit in the store for over an hour (with my two year old son) the last time I went. After we were both tired of sitting I got up and asked the tech about it. He told me "Oh yeah, well the screen is locked and I couldn't get into it" I was floored and pissed off. Someone could have asked me considering I told them I would wait. After that I decided it was time for me to figure it all out on my own.
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Wow
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

mskeys2xx3 said:
I've had my share of issues with the Sprint store where I live. Almost from the time I got the phone I was having issues with it and all they were willing to was a factory reset. They actually let me sit in the store for over an hour (with my two year old son) the last time I went. After we were both tired of sitting I got up and asked the tech about it. He told me "Oh yeah, well the screen is locked and I couldn't get into it" I was floored and pissed off. Someone could have asked me considering I told them I would wait. After that I decided it was time for me to figure it all out on my own.
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We have data preservation sheets for that, which all customers are required to sign. It includes a place to draw your pattern lock or write down any other codes.

Well it would have been nice if someone had asked/told me that when they took my phone. I like just stop talking and give me my phone back before I am unable to control this urge to punch you in the face.