Related
I've been having issues with my charging port for some time now. I've had intermittent issues where the port would not charge and then today, it finally broke off apparently. The Sprint corporate store said they could not fix it and to call Asurion. I'm sure I have the same issue a lot of Evo users have had in that I'm sure they are going to want to charge me the $100 deductible.
How can they call this physical damage to the phone? Plugging it in is a normal activity and there are plenty of documented cases of the charge port coming loose or breaking.
All I want is for Sprint to replace my Evo so I can be on my way. I'm having nothing but bad luck in my endeavor. Has anybody successfully gotten Sprint to replace their phone without going through Asurion? What did you do or say?
I have the same issue. Your phone is probably covered under manufacturer warranty still. Contact HTC. Takes two weeks.
I haven't sent mine in yet. I purchased a battery charger and spare batteries until I figure out how to live with my phone.
Good luck!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
hgelpke said:
I've been having issues with my charging port for some time now. I've had intermittent issues where the port would not charge and then today, it finally broke off apparently. The Sprint corporate store said they could not fix it and to call Asurion. I'm sure I have the same issue a lot of Evo users have had in that I'm sure they are going to want to charge me the $100 deductible.
How can they call this physical damage to the phone? Plugging it in is a normal activity and there are plenty of documented cases of the charge port coming loose or breaking.
All I want is for Sprint to replace my Evo so I can be on my way. I'm having nothing but bad luck in my endeavor. Has anybody successfully gotten Sprint to replace their phone without going through Asurion? What did you do or say?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard of Sprint doing that, claiming it's 'physical damage' and and that they refuse to fix it. Asurion, if you have it, is actually quick, you'll have your phone in a day or two. However, you get dinged with the $100 deductible. If you are unsuccessful at getting Sprint to replace it, I gaurantee you that you could find an electronics repair place and have them re-solder the charging port. Supposedly, for someone who knows how to do that type of thing, it's a simple and quick task to do. I'm sure it would be far less than 100 bucks to have it re-soldered. Also, I was reading a thread about this very topic, where someone who did have a lot of electronics experience, said that the solder joints on the charging port are terrible, and a poor overall design to boot.
I wonder... being that any sort of plugging in of a cable puts stress on that charging port, do you suppose that a charging cradle is better or worse for the phone? I'd guess better.....?
FYI- I had the same exact issue and the Sprint Corporate store replaced it for me no questions asked. I wasn't even able to unroot because the battery died.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Mine broke also and they gave me a new one. But it couldve been that it was during my first month.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
If you don't have tep sprint doesn't care what happens to your phone...they won't replace it.
cbradberry said:
FYI- I had the same exact issue and the Sprint Corporate store replaced it for me no questions asked. I wasn't even able to unroot because the battery died.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same deal for me.my charger port broke while rooted.I just took it to a repair store not the corporate one, they looked at it then pulled up my account information then activated an evo they had behind the counter and I walked out, that easy! Sorry your having problems, if I was you I'd try a different store. I used the store in Tavares, Florida so you can look them up to see exactly what type of store they are. Good luck to ya!
easy answer: its physical damage, if something is broken then it is not covered by warranty. doesnt matter how it happened, if its broke you did it. use asurion.
real answer: its a grey area. sometimes these ports do break off, and while yes technically it is not covered by warranty or esrp, generally if the phone shows no other signs of physical damage a tech will replace the phone for you. keep in mind that the letter of the law states it is not covered though, so if that store choses not to replace it they are properly doing their job. the techs and stores have repair quotas, and exchanging those phones does cost sprint a lot of money.
if the port is just lose it would have been fine, but its its completely off the board its considered physical damage because it could have been from normal wear and tear or you could have used a pair of pliers and pulled it out. you can try htc but its gonna take for ever and you still have to pay for the parts.
sprint fixed mine in jan...no 35.00 charge (i dont have insurance) it broke again this past week. The ordered a replacement phone. Will be here monday...no 35.00 charge.
Guess it just depends
I took mine in the day after it started acting up - not rooted. I just took it to the Sprint store closest to me. I have insurance & was past my 30 days. I told the guy, he didn't even ask questions about it. He filed it through Asurion and told me to come back the next day after 2:00. It didn't cost anything. But then again... he was flirting with me, so that could have something to do with it.
I'd just try another store, I think it depends on who you get behind the counter with stuff like this. And if you know any pretty girls that will go for you - try that. I've had 3 EVOs and didn't pay for any of my replacements.
kellybrf said:
easy answer: its physical damage, if something is broken then it is not covered by warranty. doesnt matter how it happened, if its broke you did it. use asurion.
real answer: its a grey area. sometimes these ports do break off, and while yes technically it is not covered by warranty or esrp, generally if the phone shows no other signs of physical damage a tech will replace the phone for you. keep in mind that the letter of the law states it is not covered though, so if that store choses not to replace it they are properly doing their job. the techs and stores have repair quotas, and exchanging those phones does cost sprint a lot of money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, but I have to call BS on most of this (not what you are saying, but rather Sprint's policy)
These devices have a 1yr manufacturers warranty. Sprint should take the hardware for the customer and swap it with HTC....so it shouldn't be costing Sprint a dime (except for labor, which is payed for already).
And frankly if Sprint doesn't want to be the middleman for manufacturer swaps then they need to stop putting their name on the hardware.
Its the same issue I have with the different Corporate vs Franchise Sprint stores...seriously, if you put a sign saying "Sprint" on your store, then you should be prepared to represent them 100% by offering the same services. Sometimes its like showing up to a McDonalds and being told that only the real locations have fries.
[/rant]
Sent from my device.
I've had my Evo since launch day and my charge port was having the same issues.
Called HTC about the warranty and they said it would not be covered.
Took it to Sprint and they swapped it out for the $35 fee since the device was still under the manufacturer's warranty period. I think some stores know this is a recurring issue with this phone and are not putting up much of a fuss over replacing them.
My advice, keep trying different stores until you find one that does it.
ramiss said:
Sorry, but I have to call BS on most of this (not what you are saying, but rather Sprint's policy)
These devices have a 1yr manufacturers warranty. Sprint should take the hardware for the customer and swap it with HTC....so it shouldn't be costing Sprint a dime (except for labor, which is payed for already).
And frankly if Sprint doesn't want to be the middleman for manufacturer swaps then they need to stop putting their name on the hardware.
Its the same issue I have with the different Corporate vs Franchise Sprint stores...seriously, if you put a sign saying "Sprint" on your store, then you should be prepared to represent them 100% by offering the same services. Sometimes its like showing up to a McDonalds and being told that only the real locations have fries.
[/rant]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly!
DEMAND a repair or exchange.
Sent from my device.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Call customer service and ask for Account Services. Tell them your situation, and how this IS a manufacturer defect. Tell them you will cancel your account if they dont do anything about it. They will either send you one, or put a note on your account for the store to replace it.
IF by chance that doesnt work, email [email protected]. That's the Executive Offices, the same people you would talk to if you were to file a complaint with the BBB, only this takes a day to respond, not weeks like the BBB.
fix it yourself
i had this same problem. i took it in a week earlier when the port was just wiggly and the store said they couldnt do anything.
a week later the phone wouldnt charge at all. i take the phone and and the tech takes it
he took the port out of the phone and taped it to the reciept and said that the phone was damaged beyond repair.
i ended up calling sprint form the parking lot and found a sprint person who would setup an invoice to send me a new phone and id mail back the broken one. however the tech at the store refused to take the "damaged beyond repiar" tag off my phone.
after 2 hours on the phone and at the store it ended up getting replaced.
i was massively pissed.
tl;dr: try a different store.
sitlet said:
Call customer service and ask for Account Services. Tell them your situation, and how this IS a manufacturer defect. Tell them you will cancel your account if they dont do anything about it. They will either send you one, or put a note on your account for the store to replace it.
IF by chance that doesnt work, email [email protected]. That's the Executive Offices, the same people you would talk to if you were to file a complaint with the BBB, only this takes a day to respond, not weeks like the BBB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a bad mentality to have... Account services will do everything in their power to help resolve your issue, however they have no ability whatsoever to send a replacement device, they will need to contact a store or tech support to have your device fixed/exchanged. If they deem the device unrepairable, you will have to use insurance or go through the manu warranty.
DirtyShroomz said:
What a bad mentality to have...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I agree, but sometimes it is unfortunately a last resort that works. :/ But to put this all to rest just try another store and keep trying. Its worked for me and countless others. Some people just dont give two $h!ts about anyone or there problems and wont go above and beyond to help.
From what i have read, a broken microusb port on an evo from tripping over it or dropping while charging is common. I have also read that in the past, customers with this problem have been denied repair or replacement by sprint. As of now, the most current instruction given to sprint employees is to give a replacement phone. I am getting my new evo on thursday. similar experiences with sprint support?
My wife and I both had issues with this on our first phones within a couple of months of getting them launch weekend. Sprint acknowledged that it was a problem and promptly replaced them, albeit with refurbished phones.
The refurbishment must have worked, though, since neither of us has had any charging problems since.
[edit]
Well, until today, that is. I think I broke it myself this time, though.
[/edit]
This is what I absolutely hate about sprint, they cannot get their sh1t straight. One store will do it, another wont. Thats ridiculous.
Anyway, the usb port breaking IS a hardware failure, and IS covered under the 1 year warranty. If a sprint store gives you crap about it, call *2 and talk to Account Services, tell them you will cancel your account if they dont fulfill the warranty.
Yeah the insurance only covers software problems like the phone won't even turn on same Thing happened to me it broke Sprint denied me and I had to go to a phone repair shop paying $118 but one time my phone didn't turn on because the heat fried it (summer time) and they replaced it.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Mine works great, I love it!
Yeah the insurance only covers software problems like the phone won't even turn on
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, insurance is for lost, stolen, or broken (by you, i.e. you drop in toilet or run over with a car). Anything else that YOU didn't do to the phone is considered a manufacturer defect, and is covered by the warranty. I hate to say it, but you got screwed, you should have gotten it fixed for free.
I'm having the same issue right now. I've had my phone for 10 months and the USB port went defective a few weeks ago. I have to wiggle the cord around to get it to charge and sometimes it will and sometimes it won't.
I'm trying to get my phone back to stock because i used Simple Root v.1 when it came out last year.
This thread says i can just flash a stock signed rom, but my phone says "S-off" even though i never used unREVoked forever. Do i just flash the rom anyway?
My first Evo had the same problem within the the first 4 months. I purchased it and launch and found out that it was a hardware defect but could not go through all the hastle of getting it fixed. I would have been phone-less for too long so I ended up paying 35 to the local repair spore and got a new phone. I have yet to run into the same problem with the replacement phone. I wonder if I could get the 35 refunded to me because I do have chat logs where representatives said it was a defect.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
My first launch day EVO broke 2 months in. One sprint store told me I would have to call the insurance and so I went to another sprint store and for $35 got a replacment.
No consistency!!
Well when I asked sprint if they could fix it they said damages like that would be through your one year warranty with HTC and would have to pay deductible.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
You need to run a ruu my guess is your rooting process installed the ENG bootloader and that is why it still says s-off
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
It depends on how the charging port is detached from the board. If the solder joints are left intact, it's a manufacturer defect and is actually a known issue in the Sprint system.
If the solder joints are damaged or "torn", then it's customer abuse and an insurance claim will have to be filed.
Would the loud speaker being muffled be considered a defect? I have a speaker problem and charger problem. Sprint was telling me $39 to fix it, which sadly is cheaper than I can do it since you have to buy about 6 speakers online
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Steve325 said:
Would the loud speaker being muffled be considered a defect? I have a speaker problem and charger problem. Sprint was telling me $39 to fix it, which sadly is cheaper than I can do it since you have to buy about 6 speakers online
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
anyone have any ideas? I was going to try another sprint store tomorrow. If I brought it in, should I unroot it first?
Steve325 said:
anyone have any ideas? I was going to try another sprint store tomorrow. If I brought it in, should I unroot it first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely unroot it. Lady at my local Sprint store got all uppity with me because she saw CM7 on mine. x_x
I went in with mine rooted and all. The guy actually was pretty into the phone being rooted lol. Asked me what time I was using etc. Charge port was broken, ordered me a new (refurbished) phone, sent me on my way lol.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
I believe I posted this in another thread, but can't remember.
It depends on how the port is damaged. If it just pulls completely loose from the board, solder joints intact, then it's a known issue. Replacement will be given through S&R.
If the solder joints are broken or the charging pins are bent, it's considered customer abuse and an insurance claim will have to be filed.
The ports cannot be replaced in a service center. I work in an ASC & the service centers do not solder anything back on to the board so replacement is the only option.
I went into sprint last week because my charging port broke and I couldn't charge my phone. To my surprise they said that it's not a defect or hardware problem and that I would have to claim it on my ins and pay the $100. Well with the 3D coming out soon and me being such a tight A*% with my money, that $100 wasn't going to cut it. So I figured out a way to get a New Refurb phone from Sprint for only $45.
Here's what I did
I called around to some local cell phone repair places here in DFW area. I found this shop in Fort Worth that would replace it for $45. I took it in to get repaired and was told that when the charger port broke it pulled the sync strip off the board. Which means my phone will charge now just fine but I won't be able to sync it up with my pc again. Noway i could live with that.
I know enough about the evo and the hardware to know that the mic is soldered onto the board and that it cannot just be replaced at the Sprint store. Sooooo! I bet you know where I'm going with this? Your right!! I blew out my mic on purpose. How I did this is very easy and truly undetectable. All I did was blow air from my air compressor in the mic hole, maybe 5-10secs. I then opened the voice recorder to make sure it was out,It was.
I took it back to Sprint and told them my mic wasn't working. he said that's a real common problem with Evos. he began to tell me that they repair it and give them 10 mins. I knew they couldn't do it on site. 5 mins later he comes from the back and tells me that the mic was soldered on the board and they have to replace it, which I knew. 2days later Sprint text me and I picked up my new evo for $45.
The bad thing is that you'll have to use your blue tooth or headphones to make calls until the new phone comes in.
we shall not discuss insurance fraud here
cracker0309 said:
I went into sprint last week because my charging port broke and I couldn't charge my phone. To my surprise they said that it's not a defect or hardware problem and that I would have to claim it on my ins and pay the $100. Well with the 3D coming out soon and me being such a tight A*% with my money, that $100 wasn't going to cut it. So I figured out a way to get a New Refurb phone from Sprint for only $45.
Here's what I did
I called around to some local cell phone repair places here in DFW area. I found this shop in Fort Worth that would replace it for $45. I took it in to get repaired and was told that when the charger port broke it pulled the sync strip off the board. Which means my phone will charge now just fine but I won't be able to sync it up with my pc again. Noway i could live with that.
I know enough about the evo and the hardware to know that the mic is soldered onto the board and that it cannot just be replaced at the Sprint store. Sooooo! I bet you know where I'm going with this? Your right!! I blew out my mic on purpose. How I did this is very easy and truly undetectable. All I did was blow air from my air compressor in the mic hole, maybe 5-10secs. I then opened the voice recorder to make sure it was out,It was.
I took it back to Sprint and told them my mic wasn't working. he said that's a real common problem with Evos. he began to tell me that they repair it and give them 10 mins. I knew they couldn't do it on site. 5 mins later he comes from the back and tells me that the mic was soldered on the board and they have to replace it, which I knew. 2days later Sprint text me and I picked up my new evo for $45.
The bad thing is that you'll have to use your blue tooth or headphones to make calls until the new phone comes in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
instead of being a dipster like the OP let me give you all some actual advice.
First my Background
X-Corporate sprint employee
Close ties with management, techs, and sales reps at retail locations.
Charging port failure on the EVO 4G is a known issue, there the corporate store should know this, if for some reason they are stupid, which can and will happen, politely inform them of this, if your not getting anywhere with the rep, politely ask to speak with management to look into this.
if your charging port is broken due to normal use, and not you plugging it in and swinging it around your head like a lasso, you will be covered, even without T.E.P. insurance plan (and unless they changed policy its covered even after the 1 year warranty on the phone)
As a cautionary note, if you bring your phone in to a corporate store, and they take your phone to the techs, and see your phone is damaged beyond repair, it will be flagged and notated in the system as such, and even if you go out and do some crazy stuff like this guy, and bring it back, they will Pull up your device in E-Ticket and see that its DBR and will not fix it anyway.
So guys, if you have this issue, do the smart thing, and handle the issue politely as you cannot expect every rep to know everything.
I wasn't asked for any of my info from Sprint to flag. I was just asked what the problem was and then it was taken to the back. The TECH not REP was the one that came and spoke to me and explained to me what the problem was. He stated himself that he thinks the ports should be covered due to the fact it does happen so often and that the port isn't connected securly enough to the board with the proper temp grade solder.
Is what I did morally right? NO!! But Sprint and other cell phone companies screw over the consumer everyday, but that's ok! So when the consumer finally gets over on the corporation its sooooo BAD!!
In no way is this ins fraud because Asurion was never involved. This was under hardware warranty and being my phone was bought in Jan I really don't think me or anyone else should have to fork out more money for something that's only 5 months old.
2 wrongs dont make a right, and they don't need to ask you for any info other than to just scan your phone.
and I never said that it happened to you, I said it could and properly should happen.
not to mention the solution to the problem was so easy, you just were to lazy or inept to handle it properly.
also, yes, it was still fraud
and now the phone may get refurbed without the original problem being addressed.
If the charging port is pulled clean from the board, solder joints intact, then it's covered under the known issue.
If the solder joints are broken and circuit board is peeled, it's damaged beyond repair.
Unfortunately in our store right now we have no RECON phones so we are swapping with new in box since they are also backordered...mildly frustrating!
Ur story is awesome. I think the 116 dollars a year should be the deductible. I know there are always people that take advantage of the system. I have done it before but I also thinks it sucks for the real problems we get screwed out of with deductibles on top of monthly premium charges.
They should consider your premium as the deductible unless its more than once a year. I can understand water damage or lost/stolen. I just don't think physical problems should be cause for deductible.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Sunsparc said:
If the charging port is pulled clean from the board, solder joints intact, then it's covered under the known issue.
If the solder joints are broken and circuit board is peeled, it's damaged beyond repair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
The "damaged beyond repair" can be argued as long as there's no obvious signs of abuse and if cust. service gets involved, we both know that we're ordering a replacement for the customer.
Nice!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
They replaced mine for same problem for free. U were just getting dicked around and in turn u went to make trouble for no reason. You did fraud and wasted ur time and money.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
For fun I recently repaired an Evo 4g that had it's USB port violently removed / peeled away. Definitely not worth the time, but it was a fun after-work project!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1110886
Great fraud
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Who cares, insurance fraud or not. It's not insurance fraud if you not playing $7/mo for insurance in the first place. They should have just fixed it the first time he was in the store. Most of the people (techs) I've dealt with in the Sprint stores are complete idiots that won't even read Sprint's policies on Sprint.com. :|
I can tell you the store I worked at, all of our techs had 4+ years experience, knew everything, and made sure we knew what we needed to know as well.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fraud
yes its still fraud.
Alanmw86 said:
I can tell you the store I worked at, all of our techs had 4+ years experience, knew everything, and made sure we knew what we needed to know as well.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fraud
yes its still fraud.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HA ha ha
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Sprint EVO Replacement
I have been a customer of Sprint 12+ years and my experience with repair/replace of devices seems pretty typical. Some repair centers have treated me fine and one other consistently work at screwing me over. As with all new devices, there are manufacturer issues which have nothing to do with the user (bad screens, charging ports, non-functioning buttons etc.). As a corporate customer I always had a rep that would take care of an issue even if the local operation couldn't/wouldn't. I have not abused their staff nor have I abused my equipment in any way, I still have a perfect functioning Samsung i300, PPC6600 and Touch (Don't ask why I keep them around, I don't know). Each one of these needed some repair over the 2+ years I had them activated. Sprint has had many repairs centers around Metro Atlanta over the years, closing or consolidating and re-opening them from time to time. It has been my experience that you have to avoid some repair centers, those that take your device out back and come back to you withing 10 minutes with the "Wet" battery story - I have never had any of my devices ever get water or moisture on them except one and I willingly paid the deductible for that one. Recently I had the not charging issue on my EVO purchased June 4, 2010, 9+ months. Because I had to take it to the local/nearest repair center which I had problems with in the past I was apprehensive but confident I had done nothing wrong or abused the device. The tech took it out back, came back 45 minutes later and informed me that I had abused the charging port on the device and that it had come unsolder-ed and would have to go through Assurance to replace it, to which I asked her to show me. I insisted that was a defect as opposed to abuse and got nowhere. It took some insistence that I believed I should not have to pay ANY deductible. She ask her superior and was granted a one time exception to their policy to replace my (Abused, according to her) device. I have since then gone to what was my local Sprint store with my son for a new phone. This store, near our mall had closed and the independent repair center a half mile away had taken over the Sprint space. I recognized an employee who had previously worked in that store for Sprint and we stuck up the conversation about my recent repair and the trouble I had. He informed me that Sprint was well aware of the charging port issue and if I had brought it there there wouldn't have been any problem replacing it at all. He checked my device and discovered that the battery had become over heated and swollen, most likely due to the charging port problems. He ordered a new one at no charge as Sprint was aware of this also.
Moral of the story, sometimes you may have drive to a different repair center or take unscrupulous measures or insistence to get a problem resolved with big companies who aren't able or willing to do the right thing on their own, Sprint being no exception.
This charging port issue, which mine phone has, is another reason I'm leery about getting another HTC phone. I think the quality of their phones is highly overrated.
Everyone keeps saying that the broken charger port is a known issue with Sprint, but I recently did not have any success from this angle.
I took my phone to a local Sprint repair store and the tech opened the phone and said my charger port had came off the motherboard. It looked like a clean solder break to me, and he said he wasn't allowed to fix it and it wasn't covered.
I then called customer service and they also said it would not be covered by warranty. I mentioned that this is supposed to be a known issue with HTC EVOs and they said it wasn't. I spoke with her supervisor, and she also insisted that it was not a known issue. I then spoke with another supervisor who insisted this wasn't a known issue.
Is there something that I'm doing wrong? How can I get them to acknowledge this?
I see a lot of misinformation being thrown around, so I'll just compile this little FAQ on how everything actually works. Feel free to point out anything I've left or any mistakes you think I may have made.
Q: What exactly is "Sprint insurance"?
A: Sprint TEP insurance is a combination of two things, ESRP and ERP. ESRP stands for Equipment Service and Repair Plan. ERP stands for Equipment Replacement Plan.
Q: So what's the difference?
A: ESRP is anything in a Sprint repair location. Including but not limited to part replacement, software updates, and advanced exchanges. Anything software related (such as updates, resets, etc) are always free. If you do not have ESRP or the full TEP, you may be charged $35 to replace a part or exchange the device.
ERP is everything else outside of that, which is handled by Asurion. This includes lost/stolen, liquid damaged, and physically damaged beyond repair. Depending on the type of device, there would be a $50 or $100 deductible to replace it. Usually, the replacement device is overnighted to you.
Q: So about the Evo and it's charging port, what is that covered under?
A: It depends. The technician would have to take it apart and look at it. If the charge port is broken cleanly free from the board, it's a known issue and can be replaced free of charge, even without TEP/ESRP. If the solder joints appear damaged and circuit board is peeled, it is not covered in-store and you would be referred to Asurion for ERP.
Q: Cracked screen?
A: No longer covered under ESRP, as per policy. Referred to Asurion. Sometimes a one-time courtesy screen replacement can be done, but the ESRP/TEP rules also apply in terms of a $35 charge.
Q: But what about warranty?
A: Warranty only applies to one thing in terms of Sprint: Batteries. 1 year after the initial activation of the device, a defective battery may be exchanged. After that one year, the system will not populate a replacement battery. As far as anything else with the actual device, the manufacturer warranty is not honored. If you think your problem would be covered under the warranty, you would have to contact the manufacturer, not Sprint.
Q: I'm paying $7 (soon $8) a month for insurance, why should I have to pay a deductible to get a replacement?
A: It works the same way as car insurance. If you damage your car, they don't just fix it or total it without a deductible. You're getting a "like new" device, for at least half (in terms of the Evo) of the original price. It doesn't matter what price you initially paid for it, you're not paying for a new one. Some times new ones do come, consider yourself lucky if so.
Q: Why does one store tell you one thing, then another store tell you another?
A: Every store is different. Each is bound by policy, called Methods & Procedues. However, there is some flexibility underneath that. Depending on the situation, it also may depend on who exactly you speak to in the store. From my experience, it happens most often with customer care/tech support and corporate retail locations. 3rd party dealers (preferred/co-branded/etc) have a lot stricter guidelines and therefore cannot operate with as much flexibility.
The one thing customers hate the most is the "run around" feeling. I cannot count the numerous times that a customer has called into Care to be told one thing, only to be told no in my store because we simply cannot do that. One good example is "Sure, just go into that store and they'll give you a brand new Evo out of the box". 1. Our store simply cannot do that, at all, period. 2. Care cannot see that the phone is clearly wet, but the expectation has been set that the customer is getting a brand new phone, so we get a bad score.
Again, this is just a FAQ to clear up any misconceptions. This is not pointed at anyone in general, I just hate when people spout off about things they don't understand.
Thanks for the info. This answered a few questions I had been wondering about.
totally, thank you very much
Sunsparc said:
A: It works the same way as car insurance. If you damage your car, they don't just fix it or total it without a deductible. You're getting a "like new" device, for at least half (in terms of the Evo) of the original price. It doesn't matter what price you initially paid for it, you're not paying for a new one. Some times new ones do come, consider yourself lucky if so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have personally only received a new device from Asurion.
mattykinsx said:
I have personally only received a new device from Asurion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are very lucky then as me and almost everybody I know or have read about got refurbs. Some appeared to have been taken in and then reissued without any repairs having been made. Let's hope your luck holds out.
I hope they ship an unopened, in box, hardware 004 model to me. I cracked the screen 10 ways to Sunday the day before yesterday, and I filed an Asurion claim. Funny thing is, I called and my early upgrade was successful, but after paying $100, I am asking myself, do I really want the EVO 3D? Maybe if I get $150 from the buyback program.......neh......who knows.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Thanks for the info... Makes me really wonder if it is worth it as you can get a used phone for $200 or so. So if on average you dont use this every year, just better to save the 7-8 a month and the 100 deductible and get a used one as seems you can just get a referb anyway.
ALWAYS treated good with the stores..
faithful customer for 13 years..
wi11ie
My Sprint store opened my phone and the charging port was clearly off the board. They told me I'd have to go through Asurion for a replacement.
Had to pay for screen repair 4 months in (sunspots) $35
My 3G borked 3 weeks ago and ordered a replacement $35.
The replacement came in (refurb) with the same sunspot in the same place (appx). Ordered another replacement, checked two days later, no order made....tech in store made another order, came in two days later with the same defect. Rep gave me a NIB 004 on the spot.
After paying $70 for repairs, I ended up ahead by $14 and a brand new phone for the trouble. Now if I had done something out of the normal 'repair' options, a different story all together on cost.
nyne7lac said:
My Sprint store opened my phone and the charging port was clearly off the board. They told me I'd have to go through Asurion for a replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cleanly off or were the solder joints broken and circuit board peeled like I mentioned?
Received my replacement from Asurion today. It is brand new, in the box, with all the accessories. And it still has 2.2 Froyo!!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Sunsparc said:
Cleanly off or were the solder joints broken and circuit board peeled like I mentioned?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure. The guy opened the phone and the port fell out. He didn't examine it, he just put the phone back together and said I'd have to go through my insurance. The guy didn't seem very helpful and was borderline rude, not the usual friendly sprint rep/tech. He didn't even look up my account info or anything. he just assumed I had insurance (which I do)
That was back in Alabama. I'm in Iowa now...do you think I should try the store here?
nyne7lac said:
Not sure. The guy opened the phone and the port fell out. He didn't examine it, he just put the phone back together and said I'd have to go through my insurance. The guy didn't seem very helpful and was borderline rude, not the usual friendly sprint rep/tech. He didn't even look up my account info or anything. he just assumed I had insurance (which I do)
That was back in Alabama. I'm in Iowa now...do you think I should try the store here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I would definitely try. Worst case scenario, you have to do what's already been said. No harm in trying again.
You are mistaken. When under warranty they will replace it. If they don't it will be 1 phone call away to corporate!
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
novanosis85 said:
You are mistaken. When under warranty they will replace it. If they don't it will be 1 phone call away to corporate!
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When under warranty what?
Sunsparc said:
When under warranty what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If no actual cosmetic damages then it will be covered and sprint will exchange the phone.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
novanosis85 said:
If no actual cosmetic damages then it will be covered and sprint will exchange the phone.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I said, warranty has nothing to do with it. Sure, Sprint will exchange the phone, but the $35 applies if you don't have insurance. Lost/stolen, liquid and physical damage aside.
Sunsparc said:
Like I said, warranty has nothing to do with it. Sure, Sprint will exchange the phone, but the $35 applies if you don't have insurance. Lost/stolen, liquid and physical damage aside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah.... so why was I not charged?
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
novanosis85 said:
Oh yeah.... so why was I not charged?
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the issue, as stated in the bit about the charging port.
Just to give people a heads up that need their EVO's exchanged via service centers or replaced via insurance. For the past few days ALL replacement Evo's that I've had come in have been flashed to the new OTA prior to shipping. There may be instances where some service centers may have some 2.2 Evo's on hand (not likely) but for the most part expect to get a 2.3 Evo if you need to have yours replaced.
got mine replaced and got in Wednesday still had 2.3
sent from my back pocket using an EVO
2.2 sorry type o
sent from my back pocket using an EVO
Just got a replacement EVO,with 2.2 yesterday...actually a replacement for my replacement EVO..
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
todah09 said:
Just got a replacement EVO,with 2.2 yesterday...actually a replacement for my replacement EVO..
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the refurb date on yours. The ones I'm getting in are no more than a week old.
The biggest complaint about Sprint I could have is that they run everything through insurance. Verizon (who I left to get Evo) would replace your phone with no deductible if it was a defect. IE: not charging, something not working properly etc etc. There basically could be no water damage and the phone had to be less than a year old. I pay for insurance for other reasons, such as loss, theft, drop a brick on it and such.
You guys have the same experience? Just trying to see if its the two stores I've went to that "look" at the phone and say if you want a new one do it through insurance.
i have two repair centers here next to me who always replace my phone for free, as long as there's no water damage, r u sure u r visiting repair centers?
A repair center near me was going to replace my phone for free sure to a speaker defect. No insurance needed. Same for others I've talked to. A long as it is a defect in the phone then they will replace it for free.
Where the phones activated? If so that's why it was 2.3
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
david914 said:
i have two repair centers here next to me who always replace my phone for free, as long as there's no water damage, r u sure u r visiting repair centers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea for some reason they do nothing but want to send it via insurance and charge me $100 for a refurb. Glad somebody is having luck out there
Mantle107 said:
Yea for some reason they do nothing but want to send it via insurance and charge me $100 for a refurb. Glad somebody is having luck out there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only time we replace phones is if there are main board issues, everything else we repair in house. Main board issues are cover under the exchange program and we order the exchange right away. If it's shattered screens or water damage the we check to see if the customer is eligible for an upgrade so we can present the customer with options (upgrade or insurance). If they want to file a claim we walk them through it.
PM me where you live and I'll see if I can't track down a decent service center.
Lokifish Marz said:
The only time we replace phones is if there are main board issues, everything else we repair in house. Main board issues are cover under the exchange program and we order the exchange right away. If it's shattered screens or water damage the we check to see if the customer is eligible for an upgrade so we can present the customer with options (upgrade or insurance). If they want to file a claim we walk them through it.
PM me where you live and I'll see if I can't track down a decent service center.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for the solid info. I'll shoot you a message later after I get out of this meeting. Again, much appreciated.
It's usually pretty cut and dry if you take it to a Sprint Service/Repair Center. If there is physical damage then it will go through Insurance. Hardware defect it is swapped free of charge. They have the option to repair some physical damage...... If you take it anywhere else they will insurance it for the $100 or send you to a Sprint Service/Repair Center. We'll they should remind you, but usually don't.
I have never had to pay a single claim except for when I lost my phone.
I went to a Sprint Repair center once to have my screen swapped (I have the white spots that are a manufacturer defect) and they told me I would have to go through insurance. I haven't tried a different Service/Repair center yet. Know of any good ones in the Miami, Fl area?