Database Users

(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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Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

my experience trying to return my broken evo [long]

At least my conclusion is that it is broken. If at any point one of you thinks I did something wrong or there is something I can do to fix the issue, feel free to let me know.
I bought my evo sometime last year, I believe around September. I did not purchase sprint's TEP, I was content with the standard warranty and $35 repair fee if the time came. It only took me about two weeks to decide I wanted to root my phone, which I did successfully with unrevoked3. I removed bloatware with titanium backup, used setcpu, etc. and the phone worked great for a long time. I discovered rom manager soon after and tried some roms, including fresh, caulkins, cm6. I stuck with cm612 for a while and I loved it. I always cleared data before a new rom, and once I got used to the clockworkmod interface I used the cache/dalvik clear tools, as well as return the phone to factory specs feature.
Now, for as long as I remember, the phone rebooted itself unexpectedly, although it was very infrequent at first. Until about the beginning of Jan., it rebooted itself only a handful of times. It has progressed to the point where now I can't use it for more than 5 minutes without it rebooting. It will power cycle loop on the evo 4g POST screen, before android even loads. Sometimes, it will do this and stop power cycling, and simply vibrate 5 times and be unresponsive. The only way to stop this loop or the unresponsive state is the take the battery out and re-insert.
I troubleshooted as much as I could, before deciding that the issue was probably hardware related. Using the how to unroot your phone guide <http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=780141> I unrooted the phone successfully (s-on), and loaded the original stock rom just fine. The phone still exhibited the same behavior with the stock software, so I took it to a store in Chicago a few days ago (I live in so. CA but was on vacation in Il). Anyway, I was foolish as I did not run the OTA updates to 3.7 and the tech lady told me it was happening because the phone wasn't updated. OK, my fault, even though that was a bs response.
I messed with it some more, it's still broken. So today I brought the phone to a sprint store here in CA, fully UNrooted, stock rom, updated all system updates. OTA 3.7xx, newest radios, pri, prl, profile. It is acting worse than it ever has before. I dropped the phone off and came back an hour later and the guy tells me that they reset the device and it should work now, and that I shouldn't root it as it voids my warranty. I said, how do you know it's been rooted? He replied with "our guys are really good."
So I took the phone to lunch right next door, fully stock again, and as I am logging into my google account to access the market it reboots itself again. And loops. I take it back to the sprint store and tell them look, its doing the same thing, you have completely reset it, it's not rooted, this is a problem.
Next they tell me they can't get me a replacement phone (for the $35 repair fee) because it has been rooted. I ask them to show me how they know it has been rooted, and he goes OK. He boots up my phone and one of their evos into recovery, and mine scans for the PC36IMG file and finds it. So ok, my bad again, but I say hold on a second. I took my SD card out and give the phone back. I ask them to prove to me that the phone is rooted, they try the same thing again and of course there is no difference between the phones in how they boot to recovery. Basically I press the issue further, the tech gives me some bull**** about how they can tell, if you root the phone EVER it leaves files on the phone forever. I can feel that they are lying to me, and they only know because I [foolishly] left my SD card in it as I dropped it off.
After spending about 30 minutes talking to their representatives and then about ten with the tech behind their repair center glass, he told me my only option is to talk to HTC to try and get a new phone. Mine has been red-flagged at sprint stores now for having been rooted, even though I NEVER GAVE THEM A ROOTED PHONE TO LOOK AT.
If you can't tell, i'm extremely frustrated, as my very expensive phone, on stock software and unrooted is completely useless.
Any opinions/ideas as to if 1) how I can get a replacement phone, or 2) what I have done wrong or what I can do to potentially remedy the phone?
Colin

Wow that sucks man. I know a lot of Sprint reps and almost all of them are rooted and running custom roms. I would delete the img file off of the sdcard and take it to a different Sprint store. It really depends on who you are dealing with, so try taking it to a different Sprint store if you can. If not, try to find a day where that guy isn't working lol. I'm sorry about your luck, but some people are just ridiculous.

Take to a different sprint store with a clean SD card and hope there aren't notes on the account?
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

I was told that my phone has been red flagged, and it will show up as having been rooted at other sprint stores.

cjh6386 said:
I was told that my phone has been red flagged, and it will show up as having been rooted at other sprint stores.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, but you don't know that to actually be the case or just a scare tactic. I still say go to another store and try.
If they start talking about it being flagged on your account for being rooted, your best bet is to play dumb.

cjh6386 said:
I was told that my phone has been red flagged, and it will show up as having been rooted at other sprint stores.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really doubt that, I bet that is more of a scare tactic. Try what the others have said then take it to another store, you'll be fine.

So because your phone had a PC36IMG on your storage card that automatically means its been rooted? That's BS. I would call Sprint and talk to them. I would tell Sprint that you only had the file on your SD card because the phone wouldn't boot and you were trying to fix it since the store wouldn't help (the first store). When calling sprint its all in who you talk to and I always start off as nice as possible.
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G!

zone23 said:
So because your phone had a PC36IMG on your storage card that automatically means its been rooted? That's BS. I would call Sprint and talk to them. I would tell Sprint that you only had the file on your SD card because the phone wouldn't boot and you were trying to fix it since the store wouldn't help (the first store). When calling sprint its all in who you talk to and I always start off as nice as possible.
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G!
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Click to collapse
Agreed, I never had a problem with Sprint CS as long as you are calm, nice and reasonable.....

zone23 said:
So because your phone had a PC36IMG on your storage card that automatically means its been rooted? That's BS. I would call Sprint and talk to them. I would tell Sprint that you only had the file on your SD card because the phone wouldn't boot and you were trying to fix it since the store wouldn't help (the first store). When calling sprint its all in who you talk to and I always start off as nice as possible.
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Like I said, I then removed my SD card and gave the phone back and asked him to show me that it has been rooted. He didnt even try, he just told me that "they know now" and that once you root "there are always files left behind" and they can always tell. I knew it was BS but they weren't giving me an inch. I was indeed very polite the whole time, while also pressing the issue.
I am pretty livid and I am almost to the point where I'd rather cancel my account then give them any more money for service.

cjh6386 said:
Yes. Like I said, I then removed my SD card and gave the phone back and asked him to show me that it has been rooted. He didnt even try, he just told me that "they know now" and that once you root "there are always files left behind" and they can always tell. I knew it was BS but they weren't giving me an inch. I was indeed very polite the whole time, while also pressing the issue.
I am pretty livid and I am almost to the point where I'd rather cancel my account then give them any more money for service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I have told the computer when I first call and its asks why I'm calling I say cancel account. That will get you to someone who can actually do something. No TEP is a real downer in this case. Got another store around?
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G!

@zone
yes, there are several other stores around me with repair centers. They aren't uncommon in orange county.
Another thing I forgot to mention, at the very end of the debate with the repair tech, after he told me "there are always files left behind that we can check" after it has been rooted, I asked him to explain these files to me and if he could show me, he told me no and that "he's not allowed to tell customers that."
LOL. I don't like how the sprint representatives think they can screw with their customers like that.

To expand a little more and how different stores are. I called the store and asked what their policy was on rooted phones. They said as long as it wasn't software they didn't care. So after they couldn't fix the phone (bad ear piece) they ordered another one and told me they could only give me the replacement if I brought mine back in the original unrooted state. So that's what I did. Some of these stores just seem to have some real asses working.
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G!

Of course with all that said I can somewhat understand where the stores are coming from. With all these SBC kernels and overclocking they probably think you damaged the processor. I'm not taking their side I'm just saying there are all kinds of people. The problem with rooting is you could absolutely damage the phone. Again I'm not saying this is the case just looking at it from another prospective that may help you negotiate a replacement phone.
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G!

Not sure if this will work but try rerooting then flash caulkins "format all" then reload a rom then flash new kernel and new radios, without 1.90 pri and nv see if that helps the reboot issue. i'd recommend Azreals stock turbo 3.70 rom. Had a friend with the axact same problem, this fixed it. I also reformatted his sd card while i was at it.

these techs know when a phone has been rooted. and yes they will flag your account for a rooted phone. my advice is to pay the fee they are asking.

Sorry to hear about your visit to the Sprint store...
1. It isn't illegal to root your phone any more. They passed a law not to long ago:
http://www.knowyourcell.com/news/548133/new_law_makes_jailbreaking_and_unlocking_legal.html
2. There is no way to tell if a phone was rooted. They are assuming that because you left the PC36IMG on your SD card. If the technician paid attention and seen you had it set in the off position, but that doesn't prove anything either.
3. Sounds like you got a guy that gets off being a jerk. Not the customer service type of person that Sprint needs working for them. Common sense says if you have the stock firmware back on the phone and it still is acting up, that the phone is defective. Not to endorse fraud, but if you nuked your phone or ran over it with your car and brought the pieces in, you would have been better off then being honest.
4. Your phone should still be under manufacturers warranty since the phone came out June 4th, so no way that have owned an EVO for a year yet.
5. I have found E-mailing to [email protected] seems to get results. Corporate wants to make things right, and they have the power to get things done.
Wish you the best of luck!

@zone
I can see where they are coming from as well. For morality's sake though, I can truthfully say I have never experimented with voltage modifying kernels or SBC kernels, etc. Only a few popular roms.
@ifly
If tomorrow I am still unsuccessful I will try more software options, although I am 95% positive it is a hardware issue. This is coming from a network engineer who is very familiar with hardware systems.
@fixxer
I was perfectly happy to pay them the $35 repair fee in order to get my replacement. I never said that I wouldn't. In fact at one point a sprint representative offered to do that, I said good, that is exactly what I came in for. She came back and said nevermind, I can't because it is rooted.
@weidnerj
Thanks for the link, and it sounds like we are on exactly the same page. Thanks for the contact, I will see what I can do with Dan.
I plan on trying another sprint store tomorrow to see if the phone is actually flagged.

Even if it is flagged I would tell them the phone wasn't rooted and hell I don't even know what that means. I have no idea were the other store even got that idea. Little white lie.
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G!

weidnerj said:
Sorry to hear about your visit to the Sprint store...
1. It isn't illegal to root your phone any more. They passed a law not to long ago:
http://www.knowyourcell.com/news/548133/new_law_makes_jailbreaking_and_unlocking_legal.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rooting still voids your sprint warranty & contract. that law only applies to unlocking phones to work on various gsm networks. jailbreaking isn't technically legal either on iphones.

fixxxer2008 said:
rooting still voids your sprint warranty & contract. that law only applies to unlocking phones to work on various gsm networks. jailbreaking isn't technically legal either on iphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We are adults we know rooting technically void the warranty. It's generally posted at the top of every ROM thread.
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G!

9th exchange, at the very least.

Hello everyone,
I need some advice or suggestions on what to do. The Mytouch 4g, as you all may know, has a lot of problems. I've done many exchanges now, and some of them were done back to back. The first few times, TMO was able to ship express for free, but now they are charging me $9.99 for regular ground shipping even though the phones that I receive are defective. I am very frustrated at this point and have been thinking about canceling all 4 of my lines with them and eating the $800 ETF. What do you guys think I should do?
You may be wondering why I have to exchange it so many times..
Unlike the fellow perfectionists that you guys are, I never exchanged a phone that had a bad screen or squeaking buttons. The first time I exchanged it was because it had two dead pixels, then the power button would no longer work, then there was a ton of dust under the screen to the point where I had trouble seeing the top left corner where my status/notification bar is, then I had wifi and reception problems, then I've had the phone either shut off or reboot on its own.
I've been running into many, many problems - and they are not always the same problem either. After the third phone, all they have been doing is sending out refurbished units that are 'pre-damaged' by the previous user. On top of that, I have to pay for shipping on each phone, plus the Zagg's invisible shield (it's about $23 with labor on installation) that I had on several of the replacement phones. After troubleshooting for hours on end with tech support, I noticed that my battery cover is loose since they had me reboot/remove battery so many times, I ended up buying the gel skin case from TMO yesterday so that the battery cover wouldn't fall off.
I would be glad to take any advice that you guys have at this point. Thank you.
Edit: By the way, I did not have any apps other than opera mini - didn't even update youtube and things like that.

The statistical likelihood of getting 9 defective devices in a row is astronomical. Truly. If you are being honest and these are all really manufacturing defects then you sir are the unluckiest ****er ever and you are never welcome to babysit my kids. I don't really have any advice except to say that if your next problem is software related, try rooting and see if that fixes it. Otherwise I would avoid crosswalks and commercial flight if at all possible. Damn dude. Unlucky...
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

They can offer to give you a different phone all together. Like the g2 or galaxy 4g. Just ask
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

Do this. Call tmobile and tell them the issue with your device. Have them do another warranty exchage, but, instead of getting it shipped, tell them that you really do not want to wait once more to receive another device shipped and that if you can go into a tmo store and pick up a warranty replacement. They shouldn't have a problem telling you yes. Have them call the store so they can tell them you will be going in to get a warranty replacement. This way for sure you wont get a refurbished device. You will be getting a brand new one out of the box. This is the way I did my warranty exchage. They even gave me an extra battery for free.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

I agree with coupetastic-droid and also after your 5th replacement you should get a different phone if u want for ur replacement. Try for a g2 or even a g2x!

coupetastic-droid said:
Do this. Call tmobile and tell them the issue with your device. Have them do another warranty exchage, but, instead of getting it shipped, tell them that you really do not want to wait once more to receive another device shipped and that if you can go into a tmo store and pick up a warranty replacement. They shouldn't have a problem telling you yes. Have them call the store so they can tell them you will be going in to get a warranty replacement. This way for sure you wont get a refurbished device. You will be getting a brand new one out of the box. This is the way I did my warranty exchage. They even gave me an extra battery for free.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried that last time.
They no longer do warranty exchanges in store.

Sfkn2 said:
I tried that last time.
They no longer do warranty exchanges in store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, that courtesy ended with a new policy about 3-4 weeks ago and it can't be overridden.

TJBunch1228 said:
The statistical likelihood of getting 9 defective devices in a row is astronomical. Truly. If you are being honest and these are all really manufacturing defects then you sir are the unluckiest ****er ever and you are never welcome to babysit my kids. I don't really have any advice except to say that if your next problem is software related, try rooting and see if that fixes it. Otherwise I would avoid crosswalks and commercial flight if at all possible. Damn dude. Unlucky...
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TJ you crack me up. I actually went through this guys episode with a mytouch slide, 5 phones under warranty, but they never charged me a dime for shipping. The one and only issue i had with the Mytouch slide was dust under the screen. I can't remember if it was the 3rd or the 4th replacement i got in the mail, but that one came with dust in all four corners. Didn't even insert a SIM card in that phone just took it down to my local Tmobile store and the manager exchanged it for me. After the 5th replacement with dust i decided to sell it and replace it with a MT4G. Well it was all good for a week until my power button failed to work, 1st exchange. They made me pay the 9.99 shipping for that one. Receive the new phone and i notice the display sucks compared to my wife's MT4G. Instead of calling in to tmobile i drive down to the local Tmobile store and i show the manager my predicament ( mind you this is the same guy that was exchanging my Mytouch Slide). Nice guy orders me another MT4G, waived the shipping. 3rd phone arrives a few days later, display is washed out, but i decide to live with it. Figuring that if i exchange it again I'll get another one with the crappy display. F**K me if the power button doesn't work after two weeks. I go back to the Tmobile store and have another chat with the manager, orders me another MT4G and waives the shipping. Manager tells me, "You're the unluckiest man i've seen with a phone", and i said "yes, yes, I am." Last exchange was the charm, good screen, and the power button actually works. I honestly thought i was the only poor bastard that could be this unlucky with phones. I have to show my wife this post, so she doesn't think i'm the unluckiest man alive. You sir have just made my day. If you can i'd go to a local tmobile store and see what they can do for you. Best of luck.

cappyone said:
TJ you crack me up. I actually went through this guys episode with a mytouch slide, 5 phones under warranty, but they never charged me a dime for shipping. The one and only issue i had with the Mytouch slide was dust under the screen. I can't remember if it was the 3rd or the 4th replacement i got in the mail, but that one came with dust in all four corners. Didn't even insert a SIM card in that phone just took it down to my local Tmobile store and the manager exchanged it for me. After the 5th replacement with dust i decided to sell it and replace it with a MT4G. Well it was all good for a week until my power button failed to work, 1st exchange. They made me pay the 9.99 shipping for that one. Receive the new phone and i notice the display sucks compared to my wife's MT4G. Instead of calling in to tmobile i drive down to the local Tmobile store and i show the manager my predicament ( mind you this is the same guy that was exchanging my Mytouch Slide). Nice guy orders me another MT4G, waived the shipping. 3rd phone arrives a few days later, display is washed out, but i decide to live with it. Figuring that if i exchange it again I'll get another one with the crappy display. F**K me if the power button doesn't work after two weeks. I go back to the Tmobile store and have another chat with the manager, orders me another MT4G and waives the shipping. Manager tells me, "You're the unluckiest man i've seen with a phone", and i said "yes, yes, I am." Last exchange was the charm, good screen, and the power button actually works. I honestly thought i was the only poor bastard that could be this unlucky with phones. I have to show my wife this post, so she doesn't think i'm the unluckiest man alive. You sir have just made my day. If you can i'd go to a local tmobile store and see what they can do for you. Best of luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im on my 4th right now. 2 power buttons and 1 with dust under screen. All good displays tho. All within a month and a week of getting it
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

Sfkn2 said:
Hello everyone,
I need some advice or suggestions on what to do. The Mytouch 4g, as you all may know, has a lot of problems. I've done many exchanges now, and some of them were done back to back. The first few times, TMO was able to ship express for free, but now they are charging me $9.99 for regular ground shipping even though the phones that I receive are defective. I am very frustrated at this point and have been thinking about canceling all 4 of my lines with them and eating the $800 ETF. What do you guys think I should do?
You may be wondering why I have to exchange it so many times..
Unlike the fellow perfectionists that you guys are, I never exchanged a phone that had a bad screen or squeaking buttons. The first time I exchanged it was because it had two dead pixels, then the power button would no longer work, then there was a ton of dust under the screen to the point where I had trouble seeing the top left corner where my status/notification bar is, then I had wifi and reception problems, then I've had the phone either shut off or reboot on its own.
I've been running into many, many problems - and they are not always the same problem either. After the third phone, all they have been doing is sending out refurbished units that are 'pre-damaged' by the previous user. On top of that, I have to pay for shipping on each phone, plus the Zagg's invisible shield (it's about $23 with labor on installation) that I had on several of the replacement phones. After troubleshooting for hours on end with tech support, I noticed that my battery cover is loose since they had me reboot/remove battery so many times, I ended up buying the gel skin case from TMO yesterday so that the battery cover wouldn't fall off.
I would be glad to take any advice that you guys have at this point. Thank you.
Edit: By the way, I did not have any apps other than opera mini - didn't even update youtube and things like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, nice 'Lude. I just picked up an 07 Civic Si Sedan on Saturday and I ****ing LOVE it!
2nd, are you running stock Sense or rooted? To be perfectly honest I've found the stock Sense to be much more buggy than the cm7 I've been running for the past 3 or 4 months.
My first phone had random reboots and such and a factory reset seemed to solve the issue, but I'm assuming they had you do that multiple times.
Even if the phone is fresh out of the box, do a factory reset before you use it. It might help, it did for me.
Otherwise check out cm7 or one of the Sense roms around here. Removing all the bloatware actually does wonders for stability. If you really want I can upload a nandroid of my own stock rom with the bloatware removed.

On my 3rd mt4g and I'm about ready to go back to iPhone most androids have to many hardware issues.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

Phateless said:
First of all, nice 'Lude. I just picked up an 07 Civic Si Sedan on Saturday and I ****ing LOVE it!
2nd, are you running stock Sense or rooted? To be perfectly honest I've found the stock Sense to be much more buggy than the cm7 I've been running for the past 3 or 4 months.
My first phone had random reboots and such and a factory reset seemed to solve the issue, but I'm assuming they had you do that multiple times.
Even if the phone is fresh out of the box, do a factory reset before you use it. It might help, it did for me.
Otherwise check out cm7 or one of the Sense roms around here. Removing all the bloatware actually does wonders for stability. If you really want I can upload a nandroid of my own stock rom with the bloatware removed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply.
First of all, yeah.. my Lude is old news. Since then, I've switched to an S2k, but that got stolen. Now I'm in an 06 Evo.
Anyway, back on topic..
The phone is completely stock. This is the FIRST PHONE I've ever owned that I have kept stock - Why? Because I don't want to have to unroot it when I send it in for warranty repairs.

Sfkn2 said:
Thank you for your reply.
First of all, yeah.. my Lude is old news. Since then, I've switched to an S2k, but that got stolen. Now I'm in an 06 Evo.
Anyway, back on topic..
The phone is completely stock. This is the FIRST PHONE I've ever owned that I have kept stock - Why? Because I don't want to have to unroot it when I send it in for warranty repairs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unrooting is as simple as flashing pd15img.zip through hboot. Not that hard.
Definitely try a different rom. As I said I've found cm7 to be much more stable than stock.
Sorry about your car. I never fully got over the 95 GS-R I crashed back in 05. since then I've been driving an ls.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

i got pretty bad luck with my phone. finally got a good one after like 9 exchanges and a month later the power button went out. i called them and they told me i couldnt exchange anymore cause i "had too many problems with the phone." so the rep told me that the only thing they could do left is to exchange my phone for a motorola charm.....i was like wtf why the heck would i want to downgrade my phone, which polly cost more then that piece of **** charm and it doesnt even run android...major downgrade.

Dude. That blows. Hard. I'm sorry to see that you're having so many problems with your phone and I'm glad I don't have the same luck as you. I got mine from eBay and it came in perfect condition. Never had dust under the screen, good screen, no faulty hardware, etc.
But in all seriousness, after 5 phones, I wouldn't keep it. I personally think that it's a great phone, but if I had to take it back 9 times, I'd try something else out. Ask if you can switch. It shouldn't cost you anything as long as the retail price is equivalent or lower than the MyTouch 4g, and if I'm not mistaken, it's one of the higher priced ones (rightfully, so). If you don't hate a keyboard, the G2 might be good for you, but I hear the hinge has problems and knowing your luck, the hinge would break apart upon first use. So maybe the Galaxy S 4g? I know Samsung has great hardware, even if their software is crap, as is their update schedules, but that is easily fixed with custom ROMs.
Either that, or wait and return it completely, if you're still within your return time and keep your upgrade for when the better phones come out, i.e HTC Sensation, etc, and just use something affordable off of eBay or Craigslist. Meh
Just my two cents. Sorry if it didn't help much, but I hope your luck gets better. :/

Update:
My luck has gotten worse. I received another replacement phone on April 15th. A week later, April 22nd, I noticed a dead pixel on my screen.
*Sigh* I have no idea what to do now.

You need to move on to a different device. I've never heard of anyone have so many problems with a device.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

I called in and spoke to technical support. They asked me to bring the phone to a store so that they can fill out a request for warranty exchange form. However, their tone basically implied something like, "It's impossible that you are getting so many broken phones. We need to verify that your phone is really defective before we do another exchange."
I brought it to a store and the retail sales manager had no idea why technical support sent me there, and basically told me to go call customer service again. He did, however, notate that there were a few dead pixels on the screen and that there was no physical, nor was there water damage.
I then called retentions and the supervisor picks up (without any transferring either). I explained to her exactly what happened, and how technical support had sent me into the store. She told me that she has no idea why because they could have filled out the form for warranty exchange over the phone, just like the other exchanges that I have done so far.
She apologized for what happened and said that I qualify for a multiple exchange (sorry if I got the term wrong!). She said that the manufacturer would exchange my Mytouch 4g for a Motorola Charm..
I explained that it would be a MAJOR downgrade. She then submits the form for the exchange and told me that it would be shipped express free of charge.

So you getting another mt4g or the charm? I'm still teipping about them offering you a charm over a mt4g. They are nuts!
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

coupetastic-droid said:
So you getting another mt4g or the charm? I'm still teipping about them offering you a charm over a mt4g. They are nuts!
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another MyTouch4g.. Hopefully the 10th one's the charm!

sprint refused to replace my blown speaker

most posts here are old and i read a couple that said sprint had changed their policy on rooted devices. i took my evo in for a blown speaker and they told me they couldnt work on it cuz its rooted...they just gave me a card 2 call asurion...wth

bartbg323 said:
most posts here are old and i read a couple that said sprint had changed their policy on rooted devices. i took my evo in for a blown speaker and they told me they couldnt work on it cuz its rooted...they just gave me a card 2 call asurion...wth
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless they can prove that your software had something to do with the hardware failure, they have to replace it.
Side note: With all due respect, never take your phone into Sprint rooted.
NO REASON to risk getting tagged as "rooted"

well i didnt unroot beacuse thats what i thought also..speaker doesnt have anythin 2 do with root and because all this gb update locked thing goin on..but the weirdest thing i went 2 put the ringer volume higher and the speaker sounds fine now...the rep gave me the receipt with ROOTED written in the middle but my speaker sounds ok now

bartbg323 said:
well i didnt unroot beacuse thats what i thought also..speaker doesnt have anythin 2 do with root and because all this gb update locked thing goin on..but the weirdest thing i went 2 put the ringer volume higher and the speaker sounds fine now...the rep gave me the receipt with ROOTED written in the middle but my speaker sounds ok now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act
Never should have given them a reason to deny with leaving it rooted though.

mattykinsx said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act
Never should have given them a reason to deny with leaving it rooted though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea your rite...lesson for next time

Sprint Repair M&P states that we are supposed to work on rooted devices. If the cause of the problem is suspected to be from root, then the device is to be RUU'd.
We are not allowed to outright refuse repair any longer. Take it back and remind them of this. If they still refuse, ask for the manager. If the manager refuses, ask to get in contact with their SRSS.

blown speaker
I took mine in for the same reason, rooted. they fixed it, no problem. It depends on what store you go to and the people that work there.

unrooted mine first
I unrooted mine first and then took it in because all my phone calls would start on speakerphone. The guy looked at it and said with a smile, "You haven't changed anything from the day you got it". It had been almost a year. He laughed and then got me a new phone, while talking about how people should unroot before coming in.

I hate stores.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App

Sunsparc said:
Sprint Repair M&P states that we are supposed to work on rooted devices. If the cause of the problem is suspected to be from root, then the device is to be RUU'd.
We are not allowed to outright refuse repair any longer. Take it back and remind them of this. If they still refuse, ask for the manager. If the manager refuses, ask to get in contact with their SRSS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
100% True. As Techs we are suppose to work on rooted devices. If its software related then we go the RUU route.

Fa sho! I have yet to deny a customer with a rooted device. Its really up to the tech if he/she wants to work on the phone or just be lazy. Everyone else here is correct, we aren't really allowed to refuse service anymore. Its not like its difficult to replace a speaker or any thing else either way. I do agree if anyone denies you service get a hold of the manager, if they refuse, get the dm involved if not climb the ladder to the srss.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

dgomez720 said:
Fa sho! I have yet to deny a customer with a rooted device. Its really up to the tech if he/she wants to work on the phone or just be lazy. Everyone else here is correct, we aren't really allowed to refuse service anymore. Its not like its difficult to replace a speaker or any thing else either way. I do agree if anyone denies you service get a hold of the manager, if they refuse, get the dm involved if not climb the ladder to the srss.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know how it is for Corp or other 3rd party companies, but we get commission from repairs such as replacing blown speakers. I don't understand why a tech wouldn't jump at the chance to replace one, unless they're not getting paid extra to do so.

We techs don't get paid extra for repairs. We just get hour hourly pay. I've never refused service on a rooted phone because everyone of my androids has been rooted. I would not tell anyone that it was rooted, or tell them how to do it except to use google and read, and read, and read, and read some more before attempting it.

stillryan said:
We techs don't get paid extra for repairs. We just get hour hourly pay. I've never refused service on a rooted phone because everyone of my androids has been rooted. I would not tell anyone that it was rooted, or tell them how to do it except to use google and read, and read, and read, and read some more before attempting it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess it's just my company that pays commission on repairs then.

thanks every1 for the good info...ill make sure i let them know next time...i guess it was just the store i went 2...the guy i checked in didnt even know what root was so he went back there and asked the tech why they didnt do it and gave me my receipt...but like mentioned earlier its strange because my speaker sounds fine now

If one store doesn't work, the next one will.

I took my replacent EVO to Sprint store because my camera wouldn't focus, they replace the camera and said it's fixed. So I tested on the spot and that repair didn't do ****, and the guys said sorry we cant fix it anymore because you have internal damage,your moisture indicator is partially on. WTF I know I didn't got my phone wet or neer the water or moisture. So I started to get loud and called manager. I talked to manager and he wrote an email to TEP and I got the insurance on the replacement EVO . Next I went to the other Sprint store and they fixed my phone for good (cracked lens was causing miss focus) He also said there is no damage in my phone. WTF? Some of those tech people are ****ing stupid. If you don't know how to fix it don't touch it.

[Q] HTC's Repair Department (ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?)

I had a rooted Evo. A few weeks ago, I began experiencing random reboots, and random unmounts of my SD storage volume. I unrooted completely (with S-ON) to a stock Froyo build. I didn't even install any apps, and the problems still persisted.
So I got myself an RMA and sent the phone into HTC for repair, as it's still under warranty. I had given the phone rep a very detailed description of the issue, and also instructed them NOT TO UPGRADE TO GINGERBREAD. I also included a very visible note in the package instructing them to do the same. I even went as far to detail the issues on another sheet of paper in the package, just for peace of mind.
HTC receives the phone on a Friday afternoon. On Monday, around noon, I receive an e-mail that the phone is on its way back to me, but with no information about the resolution. I called to inquire, only to find out that they couldn't find anything wrong with my phone, and shipped it back unchanged.
I received the phone last Thursday, powered it up, and much to my dismay, those numbskulls upgraded me to Gingerbread!!! So now I can't even root my phone, and restore my app data with Titanium Backup... which I f*ckin' paid for! To make matters worse, as the phone begins to sync my contact/calendar data from Google, the phone reboots.
Way to go HTC... buncha crackerjack a$$hats!!! Your sh!tty repair process cost me:
* a week without my Evo
* $9 to ship my Evo
* Use of Titanium Backup, which I paid for
* Use of my SSH daemon, which I paid for
* Participation in the Swype 3.0 beta program (since I can't uninstall Sprint's stock Swype 2.x app)
* Ability to resize my partitions, and use A2SD. I'll probably need to ditch a few apps now.
* Obvious ability to root and customize my phone to my liking
On top of all this, my phone is still broken, and still covered under a completely useless HTC warranty.
Or.... maybe HTC is this awesome company that would refuse to return a defective product to a customer while it's still under warranty. Therefore, I can only assume the phone was damaged by FedEx... but there's no way I'm opening that can of worms.
So I just technically received a factory-refurbished phone from HTC. It's my same phone, but it went thorugh their Q.A. processes. I guess my best option is to sign up for Sprint's rip-off protection plan at $7 a month, and then pay $100 to have them replace the phone. What a sham!
Anyone got any better ideas?

BigMatza said:
So I just technically received a factory-refurbished phone from HTC. It's my same phone, but it went thorugh their Q.A. processes. I guess my best option is to sign up for Sprint's rip-off protection plan at $7 a month, and then pay $100 to have them replace the phone. What a sham!
Anyone got any better ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Umm you HAD the better idea buddy, the freakin' Sprint protection plan. No it wouldn't have cost you $100 to fix that problem, they would've handed you a new phone with no problem. If the new/refurb phone was busted, they'd have gave you a 3rd phone, no problem.
Unless you lose it, accidentally call Asurion or severely damage the phone, then it'll be $100... or $35 if the screen is busted. Otherwise the $7 per month is all it costs.

Here's the thing not many people know about the insurance. You must sign up for it within two weeks of purchasing the phone. Otherwise, they won't add it. My friend learned that the hard way.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

MicrosoftBug said:
Here's the thing not many people know about the insurance. You must sign up for it within two weeks of purchasing the phone. Otherwise, they won't add it. My friend learned that the hard way.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They open it up from time to time but yes you're right.
Really, there's no good reason to NOT have the insurance.
Oh no! Almost 2 gallons of gasoline a month.

MicrosoftBug said:
Here's the thing not many people know about the insurance. You must sign up for it within two weeks of purchasing the phone. Otherwise, they won't add it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just called, and they let me add it. Woohoo! I told them the truth... that the phone just came back from HTC after repair process, and that the warranty period is almost up.
Unfortunately, none of this is going to bring my root access back any time soon

Noiro said:
Umm you HAD the better idea buddy, the freakin' Sprint protection plan. No it wouldn't have cost you $100 to fix that problem, they would've handed you a new phone with no problem. If the new/refurb phone was busted, they'd have gave you a 3rd phone, no problem.
Unless you lose it, accidentally call Asurion or severely damage the phone, then it'll be $100... or $35 if the screen is busted. Otherwise the $7 per month is all it costs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've walked in and had my screen replaced for free for that little white hot spot that some people have had issues with. Left it with them for a few hours and bam, new screen no charge. Have also walked into a Sprint store to get a replacement battery cover and they just handed me one wrapped in plastic, no questions asked.
I can't imagine why one would ever want to deal with HTC directly, honestly.

Same however, after talking with tech support sprit and htc I kinda knew from past experance they just read a script. So I did not send the phone back instaed reloaded 3.7 stock RUU with old radio rerooted and now it sits on "prof the dead walk" gingerbread rooted stock. I pacitencly await the updates.
good luck

Noiro said:
No it wouldn't have cost you $100 to fix that problem, they would've handed you a new phone with no problem. If the new/refurb phone was busted, they'd have gave you a 3rd phone, no problem.
Unless you lose it, accidentally call Asurion or severely damage the phone, then it'll be $100... or $35 if the screen is busted. Otherwise the $7 per month is all it costs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't realize that part, so I enrolled. Thanks.

BigMatza said:
I just called, and they let me add it. Woohoo! I told them the truth... that the phone just came back from HTC after repair process, and that the warranty period is almost up.
Unfortunately, none of this is going to bring my root access back any time soon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sorry for your loss. It's kinda like a turd wrapped inside a lollipop. You have a working phone, but you can't customize it to your liking. I hope they root GB soon. I am currently rooted running MikG 2.15. I called Sprint yesterday to ***** about the crappy 3G in my area (don't even hit 1Mbit) and they told me to take it to a corporate repair store to have it looked at. I told the lady on the phone it's not an issue with my handset, it's Sprint's crappy network. She then preceded to speak to another tech who informed her that I wasn't running the latest firmware. I assured her I was, it's just I'm rooted but was running the updated 4.24 software. She then told me I still needed to take it to a store before they would send someone to look at the towers. [email protected]&$*... I said FINE. What about me being rooted I asked. She then told me that Sprint doesn't care about rooting anymore. So I take it to a store, where the tech and the manager tell me they can't look at it because it's rooted and my warranty is voided. [email protected]&$?.. So long story short, the tech felt bad for me and wrote some notes asking them to look at the towers. I haven't called today yet to ask them to send someone to the towers, though I am dreading it.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

MicrosoftBug said:
I am sorry for your loss. It's kinda like a turd wrapped inside a lollipop. You have a working phone, but you can't customize it to your liking. I hope they root GB soon. I am currently rooted running MikG 2.15. I called Sprint yesterday to ***** about the crappy 3G in my area (don't even hit 1Mbit) and they told me to take it to a corporate repair store to have it looked at. I told the lady on the phone it's not an issue with my handset, it's Sprint's crappy network. She then preceded to speak to another tech who informed her that I wasn't running the latest firmware. I assured her I was, it's just I'm rooted but was running the updated 4.24 software. She then told me I still needed to take it to a store before they would send someone to look at the towers. [email protected]&$*... I said FINE. What about me being rooted I asked. She then told me that Sprint doesn't care about rooting anymore. So I take it to a store, where the tech and the manager tell me they can't look at it because it's rooted and my warranty is voided. [email protected]&$?.. So long story short, the tech felt bad for me and wrote some notes asking them to look at the towers. I haven't called today yet to ask them to send someone to the towers, though I am dreading it.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be shocked if Sprint actually calls you to report their findings for something like that. Please stop back and let us know if they do!

MicrosoftBug said:
She then told me I still needed to take it to a store before they would send someone to look at the towers. [email protected]&$*... I said FINE. What about me being rooted I asked. She then told me that Sprint doesn't care about rooting anymore. So I take it to a store, where the tech and the manager tell me they can't look at it because it's rooted and my warranty is voided. [email protected]&$
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, sorry man. This was a trap, never... I repeat NEVER trust what a rep says without a 3rd opinion.
Anytime you return a phone, just flash the stock "rooted" ROM onto the phone, freshly wiped with the SD card out of the phone.

Noiro said:
Wow, sorry man. This was a trap, never... I repeat NEVER trust what a rep says without a 3rd opinion.
Anytime you return a phone, just flash the stock "rooted" ROM onto the phone, freshly wiped with the SD card out of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already had to do that with an insurance replacement.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk