Database Users

If your replacement phone comes without battery/sdcard/back cover... it's a REFURB

My original phone was broken (when I bought it). When they sent me a new one, it came in a cardboard box, no battery, no sdcard, no battery cover.
Called in to make sure it's new... "well to tell you the truth sir, it's reconditioned like-new.... no we can't replace it, because the phone that you sent to us was used, so we had to send you a used one.... I'm sorry sir, theres nothing we can do."
buyer beware...

thats usually how it works, especially with a phone in such high demand

except that Verizon policy states that if you're within your 30 period, you can replace your phone with a BRAND NEW one
I've decided that if customer support won't send me a new one, there's nothing stopping me from just going around them. Since I'm still within 30 days, I'm going to simply return my phone for a refund of my purchase price, and order a new one.

DroidXChat said:
except that Verizon policy states that if you're within your 30 period, you can replace your phone with a BRAND NEW one
I've decided that if customer support won't send me a new one, there's nothing stopping me from just going around them. Since I'm still within 30 days, I'm going to simply return my phone for a refund of my purchase price, and order a new one.
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that would work but what will you do when you hit the 31st day and you have problems then you will have to take the refurb.

That is not necessarily true. O had to have my droid 1 replaced 3 times 2 of the 3 were brand new phone in return boxes according to the verizon rep I spoke to.
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tmmedic20 said:
That is not necessarily true. O had to have my droid 1 replaced 3 times 2 of the 3 were brand new phone in return boxes according to the verizon rep I spoke to.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
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i can always trust a verizon rep just like i trust a used car sales man

pima said:
that would work but what will you do when you hit the 31st day and you have problems then you will have to take the refurb.
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or I can get a phone that has no problems.... just because you say "what will you do when" doesn't mean its something that's going to happen

My point is that when you send your xbox 360 in for repair they either repair it or send you a refurb and i bet you plug it in and play it. This is the same with phones so why is it a big deal if it works?
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pima said:
My point is that when you send your xbox 360 in for repair they either repair it or send you a refurb and i bet you plug it in and play it. This is the same with phones so why is it a big deal if it works?
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I would agree after 30 days. But before it you should get a new replacement device not a like new device.

I'd just tell them that the phone they sent you was BROKEN so since you paid for a NEW phone you want a new phone.
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TBH sometimes if you describe the loophole you described to the person you're talking to, they will help you out.
I've literally told customer service reps for various things I've owned that I can simply do that, and they usually oblige.

Very true; i started having issues with my droid and customer service informed me that i would have to put up money for the replacement device. After they received the failed device they would credit my account.
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There are two type of replacements for the x only within 30 days. First would be a wfg which would come with charger etc. and would be back ordered. The second would be only the phone and for a doa which you had they are new searching the esn shows no other activation s. This one is only for the x atm.
I'm a vzw tech btw and have no reason to lie

I went round and round about this with them. You are getting new ones in the little white boxes without the battery (for now)

I'm not sure it's "refurb" providers send phones without the bact etc to help avoid people calling in pretending their phone broke and then selling one and keeping the other. I know you aren't doing that, but I'm sure that plays a part it why they do it like that.

xmunk said:
There are two type of replacements for the x only within 30 days. First would be a wfg which would come with charger etc. and would be back ordered. The second would be only the phone and for a doa which you had they are new searching the esn shows no other activation s. This one is only for the x atm.
I'm a vzw tech btw and have no reason to lie
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yeah there are usually no refurbs around when a phone first comes out. so they set aside news ones to send out in the refurb cardboard box. saves them money of all the accessories w/ shipping, u keeping them, etc.\
i bet the phone is new.

Refurbished evo

I have a battery charging usb dock problem so Sprint order me a refurbished evo but I would like to keep mine is that possible
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No, you'll have 14 days to send in your old one or be charged full price.

Ok so I have no choice so I have to take a used refurbished phone that's messed up
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When I was an Apple iPhone guy, I had a refurbished phone and it was better than a new phone. What makes you think the refurbished Evo will be "messed up"? In my experience refurbs get a better QA than new phones.

me refurb has been solid and not even screen is lifted at all

I gotten refurbished phones and everytime something is wrong usually the usb charging port Im scared of getting the new hardware and doing the root again and mess up the phone I have had my evo since launch day
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chazglenn3 said:
When I was an Apple iPhone guy, I had a refurbished phone and it was better than a new phone. What makes you think the refurbished Evo will be "messed up"? In my experience refurbs get a better QA than new phones.
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not always, i received like 2 BB as a replacements till i call Asurion and complaint about how bad are both phones, then the rep apologize with me about this problems and the i received a brand new BB, that was mi own experience

I had a Hero replaced, they sent me a f**ked up one. Amazingly, I was pissed (who would have thought???). I told them to give me a new phone. They did without hesitation.

So how can I make them give me a new one instead of a refurbished one
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ttieder said:
So how can I make them give me a new one instead of a refurbished one
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You can't. You warranty states after 30 days from purchase, they will replace defects with a refurbished phone. There is nothing you can do about it. If your refurb has problems, take it back to sprint and they should give you another one.

ttieder said:
So how can I make them give me a new one instead of a refurbished one
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Stop fretting about the refurbished phone. I have gotten many refurbished phones from the Sprint store and they've always looked brand new. If you get the refurb and there is a problem with it then let them know when you get it and they'll take care of you.

derekwilkinson said:
I had a Hero replaced, they sent me a f**ked up one. Amazingly, I was pissed (who would have thought???). I told them to give me a new phone. They did without hesitation.
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how can u tell the difference between a refurbished and new phone? do they send a refurbished phone without the temporary screen protector and no box etc? I need to get my evo replaced also, and I'd prefer getting a new phone since I am paying monthly for insurance, I feel its my right to get a new un-refurbished) phone if I want a new phone, even if i have to play phone-tag and send the refurbished phone they send me, back to them. I just would like to know how to tell if they are sending me a new one or refurbished. tia.

Refurbished ones usually don't come in a box like the new ones Idk about the evo cause I didn't get it yet but I agree with you if I'm paying insurance they should give a new one not a used one that didn't work right before
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doubledrake20 said:
how can u tell the difference between a refurbished and new phone? do they send a refurbished phone without the temporary screen protector and no box etc? I need to get my evo replaced also, and I'd prefer getting a new phone since I am paying monthly for insurance, I feel its my right to get a new un-refurbished) phone if I want a new phone, even if i have to play phone-tag and send the refurbished phone they send me, back to them. I just would like to know how to tell if they are sending me a new one or refurbished. tia.
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I just received a refurb last friday for my launch day EVO and it was not in full working order. The Home button would not illuminate and the menu light was faded. I was pissed. I'm receiving my 2nd refurb today and if its messed up I'll be requesting a new one. Most of the time in the past my refurbs have been on point. Only once did I receive 2 bad BB and demanded a new one and they sent me one.
As for as receiving the package DD, the EVO refurb came in a small general Sprint box that looks like one they send all refurbs in. All replacements either via Sprint or Ausrion will be refurbs. Remember if you are inside your 1 year warrenty which all EVO owners are Sprint will replace it, unless of course you smashed or lost it.
BTW my refurb was a HW 0003. Same as my launch day one. I'm really curious if the 0004 version has a better screen like some say.

Interesting. My launch day Evo is HW 002. I have had the screen replaced due to dust under the glass in the upper left corner, and the camera lens cover replaced because I cracked it. Otherwise, the phone works great!

verks said:
Remember if you are inside your 1 year warrenty which all EVO owners are Sprint will replace it, unless of course you smashed or lost it.
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As of Oct. 23rd, this is no longer true.

entropism said:
As of Oct. 23rd, this is no longer true.
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If they bought it before that date, it is true.
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They try to replace with a refurbished phone
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how can u tell the difference between a refurbished and new phone?
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If its a refurb, it will have a date sticker under the battery, and if you hit ##786#, The Refurbished Status will have a data under it. If its new, it will say Not available.
do they send a refurbished phone without the temporary screen protector and no box etc?
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it will have a small rectangular box and have the temp screen protector.
and I'd prefer getting a new phone since I am paying monthly for insurance, I feel its my right to get a new un-refurbished) phone if I want a new phone,
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No. The phone you have now is NOT new, its used, therefore you wont get a new one back. You have 30 days to replace your phone with a new one, after that its considered used. And no, its not your "right" to get a new phone. If you get in a car accident, your car insurance company doesnt give you a new car. They fix the one you have with reproduction (refurbished) parts.
I just would like to know how to tell if they are sending me a new one or refurbished.
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There is no way to tell until you get the phone.

Just got my refurbished evo hardware 003 the screen is different from 002 but it has serious screen separation and light leakage volume buttons are loose and so is kickstand is loose
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Who gets mad about having to get your first evo phone replaced by a refurb?

How many of you get pretty mad when you spent 400 to 250 on your evo and it was brand new outta the box and you babied it and then you had the light bleed or b spot effect on your screen 3 or 4 months later and when you take your phone in they swap it out calling it a new one thats a refurb kinda wish they give you a brand new one that had all the issues fixed dont you for the amount you paid for?
what do you guys think?

I buy my phones from bestbuy and use their insurance so if my phone messes up then they just replace it with brand new one. They don't use referbs. Just fyi for later buys. They also have buy back program. So basically when I upgrade next Jan they will be paying me for my next phone.

Papa Smurf151 said:
I buy my phones from bestbuy and use their insurance so if my phone messes up then they just replace it with brand new one. They don't use referbs. Just fyi for later buys. They also have buy back program. So basically when I upgrade next Jan they will be paying me for my next phone.
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nice i heard about that better deal then sprints

reaper24 said:
nice i heard about that better deal then sprints
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Much better. Plus with buy back bestbuy will give me like 40-50% of original($650) after a year when my upgrade comes up. Only bad thing is they don't replace phone if its list it stolen

not all ways true last phone i had they never replaced it just wanted to keep sending it out and have it fixed and handing me a pos loaner

my first evo started to restart randomly, first thing the sprint rep did was do a hard reset and format the sd. I had a feeling that would not fix it and in fact the problem only got worse. When I took my EVO back the second time, they ordered me a "new" phone. The next week I was able to go pick it up. Soon as i got home i noticed 4 b-spots 3 of them are horribly distracting. Im procrastinating going back to the store cuz i am tired of the run around every time i go in. One thing that is weird to me is that i supposedly have hardware version 4. shouldnt the b spots be fixed by now on this version?

therealjimshady said:
my first evo started to restart randomly, first thing the sprint rep did was do a hard reset and format the sd. I had a feeling that would not fix it and in fact the problem only got worse. When I took my EVO back the second time, they ordered me a "new" phone. The next week I was able to go pick it up. Soon as i got home i noticed 4 b-spots 3 of them are horribly distracting. Im procrastinating going back to the store cuz i am tired of the run around every time i go in. One thing that is weird to me is that i supposedly have hardware version 4. shouldnt the b spots be fixed by now on this version?
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Only Novatek screens exhibit the "b spots", and H/W 0004 has been using Novatek screens along with Epson. So some unlucky 0004 owners have the crappy LCD panels.

assurion
I bought my evo around christmas, I was in a bad accident feb 1st that thrashed my phone, I placed a order with assurion and it took them three weeks to get my phone because it was on" back order", so I assumed the phone was gonna be new but when I went to activate it on sprint.com in the description of the phone said "refurb unit" which means I waited three weeks for a refurbished phone paid a $100 insurance fee and the the phone came with a scratch out the box!!! thanks assurion

I'll order replacement parts and fix it myself, if possible.

it was brand new outta the box
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3 or 4 months later
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Keywords: WAS new, broke 3-4 MONTHS later.
Yes, I completely agree that it sucks getting a refurb. But the truth is, your phone is NOT NEW ANYMORE. It's 3-4 months old, making it USED. Sprint should NOT have to give you a brand new phone to replace your USED one.
That being said though, I have had a few bad refurb evo's. But, I just take it back to sprint store, or call CS. I explain that while I understand I will get a refurb, the phone should be in good physical and working condition, as my last phone was. Then they either give me another refurb, or a new model for the inconvenience.

I don't mind as long as it works and I've had no problems with mine. I too am normally nervous about refurbs, only because I've had bad - and numerous - refurb issues with electronics. But as long as it works I couldn't care less.
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If it works being the big word. I had Horrible luck with verizon refurbs...
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Papa Smurf151 said:
I buy my phones from bestbuy and use their insurance so if my phone messes up then they just replace it with brand new one. They don't use referbs. Just fyi for later buys. They also have buy back program. So basically when I upgrade next Jan they will be paying me for my next phone.
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I don't know what planet you're from but that's never the case with Best Buy. They will ALWAYS try to repair your phones which means sending it in for 2 weeks while you get stuck with a crappy loaner for the mean time. If it is not repairable, then they'll provide you with a new unit as long as they don't have something that has been returned to them in working condition.
Sprint will at least attempt to fix your phone on the spot so you're not wasting so much time and then send you a refurb (some times new devices).
I have recently had bad experiences with Sprints refurbs but kept exchanging it until I was 100% happy (3rd try) with no questions asked.
BTW, Best Buy's insurance is $10 a month, while Sprint's is $7 (30% less). Also, BB's insurance DOES NOT cover lost/stolen phones (not even if paying $100 deductible), Sprint does.
Done...

I talked to the manager at the sprint location I did my warranty swap at and told him I only wanted a new evo. Explained my side, waiting in line on opening day, etc., etc. and he agreed. So there are other ways....even at Sprint.
Sent on the go from my HTC EVO

He was nice, because he certainly doesn't have to.
Personally, I don't care if I'm the 5th owner of this phone as long as it is flawless cosmetically and functioning as it should.

akarol said:
He was nice, because he certainly doesn't have to.
Personally, I don't care if I'm the 5th owner of this phone as long as it is flawless cosmetically and functioning as it should.
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Likewise..
My last replacement was a refurb with a cracked case and a weird bright spot on the screen.
I called 15 minutes after opening the box and Asurion promptly sent me a brand new one.

I wanted a brand new one too and Asurion could not guarantee it. I got a refurb and often wonder if it has been better than my original would have been. I had my original 3 weeks and cracked the screen

Getting a brand new EVO from Asurion

My Evo was stolen while at a restaurant so I filed a claim with Asurion, paid my deductible and they sent me a refurb. When I got the refurb I noticed and indention in the screen kinda like someone took a safety pin and pressed really hard on the screen. The screen also has lines running through it. I also noticed the speaker for the earpiece looked like sh*t and the charging port didn't work very good. I called asurion and the tech went through his tests and told me to do a few things. One of them was to take the battery out and press the power button for 15 seconds. He said this will reset some settings on the motherboard and could fix the USB port problem. I thought he was full of it, but it actually worked. Obviously the rest of the stuff is cosmetic and he couldn't fix it, so he offered me a brand new one free of charge. Of course I feel like if you are paying for insurance this is what you should get in the first place, but I understand why they refurbish them and send those first. I can't wait to get my brand new one. I can tell everyone who reads this that the TEP price is well worth it to me. Asurion is definitely living up to their end of the agreement and that is all I can ask for. To me it is well worth the $7 a month on my bill to get the great service I got after having something as devastating as having my EVO stolen from me.

imho you got lucky with a new evo 99.99999% of the time they will only send out refurbs over and over and over .. still grats on the new evo . i see your in springfield,oh what restaurant was you at so i know not to set mine down lol

I jacked up my USB port plugging my evo into a computer I built and stupid me hooked up the external USB ports on the motherboard wrong. Needless to say it fried the USB port. The phone thought it was charging whenever the battery was at 90 or more. Below that it drained extremely fast. Battery would not charge in phone at all. Even if it said it did. I claimed insurance on it (sprint here saw I had rooted by the s-off which I was too lazy to turn on thinking its just hardware so they wouldnt look) Placed the order for the replacement, it said phone was back ordered. 3 days go by and I see a tracking number. Phone gets here and its brand new. With new SD Card Charger Booklet Battery all in the unopened brand new evo box. On top of it kept the old sd card, battery, and charger. Basically for $100 deductible I would say Asurion is worth it. I got all that PLUS a brand new evo.

I haven't had to use the insurance yet, but I'm glad I have it, especially after reading about the good things you guys just posted. I've read threads on here where people say 'but I don't have the insurance' and I say to myself 'wtf? Why wouldn't you pay $7 for some piece of mind?'
We're comin from a pure power source.

Yeah service is great. Just got my brand spanking new Evo replacement just this week as well hardware version 004 retail package. Man this 004 built is noticeably better than my launch day 003.

CheesyNutz said:
imho you got lucky with a new evo 99.99999% of the time they will only send out refurbs over and over and over .. still grats on the new evo . i see your in springfield,oh what restaurant was you at so i know not to set mine down lol
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I was at O'Charley's. Bad part is I left it at one of the round tables up in the bar area while I went to the bathroom. I had my brother and a friend with me and they never saw it leave the table. I don't know how. I came back from the bathroom and it was gone. It is MY fault for leaving it sit on the table, but I thought well it's only a couple minutes and no one will steal it with these guys sitting here. They have some shady looking waiters and I would almost bet $ one of them walked by and just snagged it up without anyone noticing. Oh well that one had the 4G keys borked in it cause I used Clockwork recovery to do my first nandroid and restored to it which messed up my RSA keys. At least now I have Wimax when I travel to Columbus.

Dropped my phone in water, got a refurbed from Asurion. The replacement was defective, so I called back and requested a brand new device. The rep told me they didn't give new phones. I wan bummed out, but went ahead with another refurbed. (They were 5-7 days back ordered at the time) A week later my phone arrived and it was a brand-spankin' new EVO in the box and everything! If you ask nicely and aren't a douche, you get help.

I've had to get three new EVOs from Asurion (long story) ... all three were brand new in box. All three were also backordered, but only once did it take the full 7 days they estimated.

My brother dropped his phone in water as well, called sprint about getting it replaced, got a brand new evo in the mail the next day.
Sent from MIUI IS BETTER THAN YOURS

Asurion
My evo has gone thru 3 repairs from sprint and still the phone is not working. Defective after the performed repairs on a defective screen. I have only had my evo for about 1 1/2 months. Called asurion and they told me that they would send me a replacement, but they cant guarantee a new device. But they did mention that the evos are in back order. So the supervisor said there is a possibility that i receive a new one. I hope i get a new one because my phone is in mint condition. If i don't i'm going to call them and give them hell. Trust.

Just got my new evo build number 0004. Way better than my old evo. I had to fight with them to get my way
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My wife and I both lost our Evos boating. I filled for both at the same time. Mine said backordered and arrived brand new. Hers was a white model, in stock, and arrived a refirb. Never had an issue with Asurion and will always keep insurance!
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I also lost mine while boating this past weekend. Called and was told it was on backorder and could be 7-10 days. Got an email next day that it was shipped and received it the following day. Not positive if it is brand new but it definitely looks like it. Other than having to pay for a new one after my old one took a swim, no complaints here.

I got a new one from Asurion a few weeks ago off the bat without having to ask for one. Lucky me, I guess.

[Q] Dead Atrix, Fight For New One or "Refurb"?

I bought my Atrix Feb 22 the day it came out. 1 month and 2 weeks later I sent a text message, went to check the phone 20 mins later and it was powered off. Never powered on since (tried everything to fix it). Not rooted, 100% stock with few apps, never dropped, huge Otterbox case and screen protector. I bought it from RadioShack, they said I had to talk to AT&T and that they wouldn't give me a new phone cause its after 30 days.
Anyway, AT&T sent me a refurb...or a used phone...or whatever it is. Well it has some defects of its own. I don't want to run around switching them phone after phone until I get one that works correctly. If I complain do you think I will get a new phone? Would I go to RadioShack or AT&T for that? And lastly, does anyone know what kind of phone I received from them, used, repaired, etc?
My refurb phone does this weird thing at startup, like it wants the lights to turn on but they dont. Also the bottom lights come on when they want and the green message light does as well. Otherwise the phone works fine it appears. Only had it for a day.

I went through this with verizon recently. The best you will get is a refurb. It really sucks because you are most likely never going to get a phone that works.

you can try motorola support, they might ask you to send the phone for repairs though.

If you replace the phone 3 times you can choose a new one oev.
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the above post is correct, i did that last year and finally they sent me the better version of the phone i had, and it was new not refurb.

So I need to go through 3 Refurb phones, or 1 New phone and 2 refurb phones?
This is my first refurb after my original new one died. While this phone works, it just doesnt seem to be godly like my original one was. It has restarted a few times, camera app froze, lights at the bottom do what they want, all things my original phone never did.

Sell it on Ebay, get a Nexus S.

Talked to ATT for what seems like the 12th time and they will send me another refurb. I asked the tech how many refurbs do I have to go through before I get a new one and he said he had never herd of anyone getting new phones for their problems. Any comments regarding this?

TareX said:
Sell it on Ebay, get a Nexus S.
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Thanks for your insight.
Generally, ATT is a pain about giving away new phones. I don't think there is a cut and dry way of getting a new phone, but some people get lucky and others don't. Honestly... most refurbs are alright though. Nothing to get too fussy about unless there is actually something wrong with it. It is agitating though.

Well there is something wrong with this refurb. But if I get another refurb that is defective I honestly should get a new phone. Maybe if it had been a few months I would be ok with a refurb but the phone is a month and a half!