Database Users

i have to pay for touchscreen problem?

i have had an evo since the day it came out, and about a month and a half ago i dropped it on the ground. the screen shattered, and i didn't have insurance. at the time the sprint guy said it wasn't a big deal, because the cost for repair was about the same either way. i paid about $130 and it was fixed half an hour later.
lately, about a month and a half later, i noticed some weird issues with the touchscreen. it was jumping around as if i had my finger on it when i wasn't touching it. i formatted the sdcard, did a factory reset, wiped everything, and loaded a stock rooted rom on it. it was fine for a couple hours, then i noticed the issues again. random scrolling, opening apps when i wasnt touching the screen, etc. i noticed the Y and G keys are now not working. i downloaded a screen test app that records where you have touched the screen with a white line. while sliding my finger up and down all across the screen, there is a noticeable band running vertically across the general area of the Y and G keys that does not record any touch activity even if i slide my finger there.
i took the phone to a sprint store and showed them. they asked if i had insurance and i said no. they said "well you could get insurance and then have it repaired for $35." i asked "why should i have to pay to have something repaired that i didn't break? the replacement screen is obviously defective." the guy said "well you should have insurance." and i again said "why do i need insurance for something that went bad on its own?" and he said "you had the repair done over 30 days ago so you'll have to pay to have it repaired again."
i have no idea why i should have to pay for repairs for a phone, regardless if i have insurance or not, when i didn't do anything to damage the phone. im going to go to the actual repair store here in chicago, but i doubt theyll say anything different. if they can't repair it for free, im seriously considering switching to a different phone company. this ridiculous service/repair policy along with the horrible battery life (the guy actually asked how my battery life was and tried to sell me an extended battery, and also tried to sell me a case... neither of which i care about), ridiculous $10/month fee, and lack of built-in tethering makes me want to switch back to tmobile which was a great company when i had the G1.
does anyone have any tips they can give me to get this fixed for free? or is that a hopeless idea?
thanks.

When you had the repair done, I'm sure there was a warranty period on the repair itself. Do you have any documentation showing what that timeframe is? It seems to me that if the screen repair warranty is up, you may be stuck paying for the new repair. Have you tried calling sprint with *2 and explaining the situation? I went through a similar situation with the screen developing a large white spot. It took many calls to *2 until somebody was willing to work with me. Try that. If you are not getting the answers you want, hang up and call right back. My persistence worked out eventually, but like I said, it was a time-consuming ordeal. Good luck.

i understand that there was a warranty associated with the last repair, but it still doesn't make any sense to me that a problem i am having with the screen has nothing to do with anything i did. the shattered screen is not the problem (the screen did not get shattered again, which was what the original repair was for). the touchscreen is simply not working properly. am i supposed to get insurance, pay for that each month, and then pay $35 now and again every 45 days if the problem continues? doesn't make much sense to me, but that seems to be how sprint operates. i will take your advice and call *2 after i get turned away at the actual repair facility that i'm on my way to now. thanks for your advice.

Go to another store and show them the problem but do not mention anything about the screen being replaced before, unless they noted your account. Hopefully they could replace it/fix it under warranty

Welcome to Sprint's "screw the customer" routine. Ive dealt with similar issues in the past.
Like others have said, the repair they did should have a warranty to it, just like if you go to get your car fixed, it usually has a 90 day warranty on the fix itself. Go back to where they fixed it, and talk to the manager. Explain your situation, that the repair obviously was faulty.
If that doesnt work, call *2, and ask to speak to account services. Explain your situation to them, how you are not at fault here, and shouldnt be treated this way as a valued customer. Tell them you will cancel your service if they dont help you resolve this issue. When you tell them that, they will bend over backwards to keep you, and hopefully send you a repacement phone.

I would say your best bet is calling *2 several times and trying to get a person who will help. Usually if you bounce around enough you may get lucky. Although, I have noticed that over the last 6 months they have really tightened down and become less willing to make exceptions. But these situations is what the insurance is for. If your phone was defective in the first 30 days, Sprint would repair it or replace it for free regardless of insurance, after that it's on the customer if you don't have insurance, regardless of the issue. If you had insurance right now you could get it replaced free with no deducible. I had a similar problem with my original EVO that I had since launch day last month. The touchscreen would just start clicking in the middle of the screen all on it's down. I have the insurance, so they replaced it with no questions asked. Your situation is sort of like a laptop, they only come with a certain warranty, and then if it breaks after that it's on you to fix it unless you have extra insurance or an extended warranty regardless of why it malfunctioned. I'm not a big fan of extra insurance either, but on a phone it is really worth it. Also, I am pretty sure ALL phone companies have the same sort of policy when it comes to fixing phones, so I doubt going to a different carrier would help you any. If your phone breaks without insurance through any provider after 30 days its coming out of your wallet. I would say, you might as well get the insurance and pay the $35 to get it fixed. That sounds like a good deal to me, because last night I broke the glass on my second evo, and with insurance the deductible to replace the phone is $100... so $35 sounds like a deal to me. If you don't want to do that, the only other option I see is going on eBay and buying a new screen/digitizer for $49 and putting it in yourself.

wmblalock said:
I would say your best bet is calling *2 several times and trying to get a person who will help. Usually if you bounce around enough you may get lucky. Although, I have noticed that over the last 6 months they have really tightened down and become less willing to make exceptions. But these situations is what the insurance is for. If your phone was defective in the first 30 days, Sprint would repair it or replace it for free regardless of insurance, after that it's on the customer if you don't have insurance, regardless of the issue. If you had insurance right now you could get it replaced free with no deducible. I had a similar problem with my original EVO that I had since launch day last month. The touchscreen would just start clicking in the middle of the screen all on it's down. I have the insurance, so they replaced it with no questions asked. Your situation is sort of like a laptop, they only come with a certain warranty, and then if it breaks after that it's on you to fix it unless you have extra insurance or an extended warranty regardless of why it malfunctioned. I'm not a big fan of extra insurance either, but on a phone it is really worth it. Also, I am pretty sure ALL phone companies have the same sort of policy when it comes to fixing phones, so I doubt going to a different carrier would help you any. If your phone breaks without insurance through any provider after 30 days its coming out of your wallet. I would say, you might as well get the insurance and pay the $35 to get it fixed. That sounds like a good deal to me, because last night I broke the glass on my second evo, and with insurance the deductible to replace the phone is $100... so $35 sounds like a deal to me. If you don't want to do that, the only other option I see is going on eBay and buying a new screen/digitizer for $49 and putting it in yourself.
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Under the new Sprint policy revealed here on XDA, isn't a non-TEP screen replacement, or anything else, $35 per job?

Update:
I went to a Sprint repair store (can't go to the original one because I moved across the country). They took the phone to the back room and came out five minutes later. The guy said "the tech said to get that touch screen test app off your phone because it isn't a good representation of what's wrong" ... I said "okay, well that section of the screen is clearly not accepting touch input" and he said to call a 1800 number to do a factory reset (?!) so I left and called that number and it was disconnected. haha.
I called *2, went through a bunch of menus, and it told me to call some 1800 number from a different phone. I got some guy who walked me through a factory reset which of course did not work. He said he would connect me to tech support, who I thought I was already talking to. Told her the problem and that the reset didn't work. She said it was a hardware problem and I said yes, and said I know it isn't her fault but that I didn't think it was fair for me to pay for a defective screen. She said she was making some notes in my account and was going to transfer me to an escalation manager. That person listened to my complaint again which I tried to word in a polite way. I didn't threaten to cancel my account but was ready to say something. I told her I would like to have a replacement phone since this one seems to have issues. She asked if it had been replaced before, I said no. She asked for my mailing address and email and put me on hold for about five to ten minutes. During that time, I got an email outlining my exchange order.
The exchange order notes that I could have to pay $75 to $125 for the replacement as well as some other fees, but she never mentioned anything about me paying at all so I'm prepared to call up and complain again if they try to charge me. I mean, I realize that's a policy but they never mentioned fees on the phone. I mean, i might as well have paid the $35 if I didn't mind fees.
Another thing to note is that when the guy at the store came out of the back room he had the battery cover off my phone and said the sensor showed it had gotten wet. I have never gotten it wet, and he said it was my fault if I kept it in my pocket. I will call and complain again if they charge me for returning a wet phone, because its not my fault if its such a poor design that minor sweat or pocket humidity can make it malfunction! I don't mean to nitpick but come on HTC...

one thing i HATE about calling any tech company getting shifted around to this person then to this person etc etc

wrb123 said:
i have had an evo since the day it came out, and about a month and a half ago i dropped it on the ground. the screen shattered, and i didn't have insurance. at the time the sprint guy said it wasn't a big deal, because the cost for repair was about the same either way. i paid about $130 and it was fixed half an hour later.
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Did you ask them what kind of warranty they provided with the repair?

No, I didn't (and still don't) think it mattered. If I break something, like I did, I expect to pay for it or have insurance cover it. Since I didn't have insurance, I was okay with paying. While I don't expect a repair to last forever, I think it is reasonable to expect the phone be repaired to like-new condition or with a new screen. Then, if I use the phone normally, with or without insurance, I expect the phone to function normally for at least the length of the contract.

Expectations and reality are two different things. Why don't you call the store and ask them how long they warranty their repairs and go from there.
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I don't know what this guy is talking about! First with how much this phone cost why wouldn't you have insurance on it! It only equals 85 bucks for the year way less then the price of a new or used phone even with the 100 you have to pay to get a replacement your still making out good! I jumped in the pool with my phone and even though it still worked I got a replacement for a 100 no hassles! And my screen went hay wire on the replacement and when they couldn't repair it I got another one for free! I dropped my phone and damage the front facing camera took it to the Sprint store and got it fixed for free! So stop being cheap and get insurance
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I am already getting a replacement phone for free, without insurance, if you read the entire thread.
As far as "being cheap" and "just getting insurance" you are citing two incidents where you caused damage to your phone. I agree that you or I should be expected to have insurance to cover damage to our phones that we cause. I am talking about a screen defect (I didn't drop my phone a second time and crack the screen a second time - the screen stopped accepting touch input in a huge area). people should expect more from electronics manufacturers and the phone companies that essentially work with them by accepting and promoting new phones. Electronics used to last, even when they had moving parts. Now we have a generation of people who are fine with devices that frequently go bad and having insurance to cover it. It seems to me Sprint and HTC are the cheap ones, pumping out thousands of the next "iphone killer" with poor batteries, screens, usb ports, etc.

The "issue" you are having with Sprint is that they no longer cover in warranty repairs at no cost. The phone comes with a 1yr warranty thru HTC. If you would like free in warranty repairs call HTC. Good luck with that one by the way. Normally you are responsible for shipping the device to the manufacture and you would be obviously without your phone for the duration of the repair. The manufacture usually inspects the phone much more closely as well. When I worked at another carrier we used to receive photos of corrosion internally of equipment that they determined was not repairable. Even though the external indicators showed no such damage.
If you have TEP $7/month you would receive replacement equipment for in warranty repairs if it can not be repaired by an in store technician. TEP covers all manufacture warranty and non-warranty items in house. If it is board level damage, water damage, lost stolen, or broken beyond repair it will be replaced by asurion for the $100 deductible.
Any warrantied item without insurance will cost $35 for sprint provided repairs. Exception being software updates. If the phone is out of warranty all repairs, software updates, etc will cost $35.

The incident when my phone went on the fritz and was doing the same screen things yours was I got a replacement free of charge!
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My "issue" is also that sprint was providing in warranty repairs for one year when I bought this phone. Now they're trying to change that and then saying "oh just get insurance because its a good idea and would cover this." No. I'm getting a free replacement which is what I deserve. There is another thread that explains this change in policy.

bnick007 said:
The "issue" you are having with Sprint is that they no longer cover in warranty repairs at no cost. The phone comes with a 1yr warranty thru HTC. If you would like free in warranty repairs call HTC. Good luck with that one by the way. Normally you are responsible for shipping the device to the manufacture and you would be obviously without your phone for the duration of the repair. The manufacture usually inspects the phone much more closely as well. When I worked at another carrier we used to receive photos of corrosion internally of equipment that they determined was not repairable. Even though the external indicators showed no such damage.
If you have TEP $7/month you would receive replacement equipment for in warranty repairs if it can not be repaired by an in store technician. TEP covers all manufacture warranty and non-warranty items in house. If it is board level damage, water damage, lost stolen, or broken beyond repair it will be replaced by asurion for the $100 deductible.
Any warrantied item without insurance will cost $35 for sprint provided repairs. Exception being software updates. If the phone is out of warranty all repairs, software updates, etc will cost $35.
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That's a good explanation of what changed. It actually used to be like this way back in the day wth Nextel before the merger - you could get a warranty replacement for free, or you could pay $35 for the convenience of walking into the store and picking it up the same day. I'm not sure when it changed to free warranty repairs but you have to pay more for out of warranty repairs (first it was $35 or $55, depending on what's wrong, then later $99 for dumbphones and $119 for smartphones), but now it's essentially back to how it was to begin with.
Overall, It's probably a better value, and you're probably still better off without insurance. Think about it this way - suppose you keep a phone for 2 years, and it breaks once a year - once under warranty and once out of warranty. With the new plan, that's a total cost of $70 ($35 + $35). With the old plan, the first repair would be covered and the second wouldn't. so that'd be $119. Now obviously, that's a hypothetical, you probably don't need to get it repaired that often. but personally, I find that I generally don't need any repairs until I've owned it for a year or so anyway. So it's better for my purposes, although others might disagree.
Regarding TEP - in the long run you're not saving money unless your phone is lost or stolen, and even then you're out $100 for the deductible. Suppose you're phone is stolen once in the same hypothetical 2 yr period (since after 2 yrs you could get a discounted upgrade): You'll save $449.99 on a new phone at MSRP, but you will have paid $268 in premiums and the deductible. If your phone isn't stolen / water damaged / completely destroyed, you're out $168. I don't know about you, but in the last 11 yrs that I've owned cell phones, I've never had that happen - I've needed repairs, but have never been in a situation when I'd need to place an insurance claim. And the $35 you'll save on a repair with tep is only 5 months' premium - surely nobody needs a repair every 5 months!
The bottom line is that all insurance is a losing proposition in the long run - if it weren't likely that you'd pay more in premiums than you get in claims, insurance companies wouldn't make any money. Personally, i only insure those things that I absolutely can't afford to replace out of pocket - my car, house, health life, etc.
Anyhow, sorry to go on like that, but it's just a topic that's been bouncing around in my head recently.
(and a bit of fair disclosure, I'm a Sprint Nextel employee, but what I write here is purely my personal opinion)

Raheem387 said:
The incident when my phone went on the fritz and was doing the same screen things yours was I got a replacement free of charge!
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Good deal
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Good luck, I have to wonder though if the fight, frustration and possible disappointment is really worth it.

Charging Port Repair Issue- Cheaper than Asurion

For anyone who has a bad charging port like me and dont feel like giving up their 003 Hardware Evo for the new pain in the ass root method. Here is an alternative and its only $60 fix and shipped back to you. I was told shipping to them is on you. I am thinking bout giving them a shot.. Fix Charge Port

i guess i'll ask them if they can fix. that drcellphone place screwed me over. is this them?

Laserbeak43 said:
i guess i'll ask them if they can fix. that drcellphone place screwed me over. is this them?
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This is a know and covered warranty issue. Sprint customer care or your local Service & Repair center will replace your device free of charge and usually within 24 hrs. You will most likely be shipped a hardware versior 004 device with a 2.3 locked bootloader. It doesn't matter if you have TEP or not.

walkingsaltine said:
This is a know and covered warranty issue. Sprint customer care or your local Service & Repair center will replace your device free of charge and usually within 24 hrs. You will most likely be shipped a hardware versior 004 device with a 2.3 locked bootloader. It doesn't matter if you have TEP or not.
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Actually, it depends on the type of damage.
If the solder joints are cleanly broken and the copper pad is intact underneath, it's a known issue and Sprint will replace it.
If the solder joints are mangled and the copped pad is pulled up along with it, then it's customer abuse and is referred to Asurion.

Sunsparc said:
Actually, it depends on the type of damage.
If the solder joints are cleanly broken and the copper pad is intact underneath, it's a known issue and Sprint will replace it.
If the solder joints are mangled and the copped pad is pulled up along with it, then it's customer abuse and is referred to Asurion.
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I have the above issue where the charger is broken off cleanly. However, when I took it to a repair shop they stated that because thecharger had broken off the motherboard, they were not allowed to fix it. When I called Sprint, they told me repeatedly that broken charger ports are user damage. I told them that I read online that people were saying this is a known issue and they told me it was not.
Is this really a known issue, and how could I get them to acknowledge this?
Thanks!

I took mine in to the local repair shop. they charged me $35 and got me a refurb in less than a week.

Sorry to revive an old thread
But has anyone tried to get a Sprint replacement without insurance after the one year warranty period?

Yes...I've had 2 get replaced the same way...first, call sprint ,don't go to a store, don't even bring up the insurance...get to tech support...second, and most important, don't say broke off...all you have to say is the phone is no longer charging...say you've tried other batteries and chargers...lastly, say you've got no transportation to a repair center and demand they send a replacement in mail, they won't want to, but you can keep saying that's the way you want it...my girlfriend just had hers replaced this way couple weeks ago...good luck, no 2 sprint operators will be the same...any problems and just call back and get someone else...

Mine appears to have broken now after a year I don't want a locked boot loader though! I wonder if I yell at them and say this is my second evo with the same issues if they would replace it with a 3d evo....
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My charge port broke a month ago and I have had my Evo over a year. I first called Sprint to tell them that my phone no longer charged and that I had read online that the phone was known to have charge port issues. Rep told me to go to a local Sprint repair shop and they would replace. Went to one shop and they opened it up and said the port came off the mobo (duh) but that they would not replace it (I don't have phone insurance). They never even looked up my account to see that the phone Rep put in my account that it would be replaced. I went to a second Sprint store and they opened it up, saw the port off the mobo, and ordered me a refurb instantly. Cost me $35 (I believe it would have been free if I had insurance).
Not sure if it matters, but the first store I went to was an official Sprint corporate store (they are the ones that bounced me). The second store was a "preferred retailer" and they took care of me quick. First refurb I got had some screen issues. Got a second refurb and it has some light bleed at the far bottom of the screen but I can't even see it with my case on.
Also, the refurb I have now is a 0004 and I had it rooted in less than 10 minutes and put Mik's rom on it.

playya said:
For anyone who has a bad charging port like me and dont feel like giving up their 003 Hardware Evo for the new pain in the ass root method. Here is an alternative and its only $60 fix and shipped back to you. I was told shipping to them is on you. I am thinking bout giving them a shot.. Fix Charge Port
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had mine fixed using Dr.Phonez well half of it it charges now but i can't connect to my laptop to sync my stuff. This sucks.

Don't pay $100 ins for a broken charger port.

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.
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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.
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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.
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+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!
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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.
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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
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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.
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HA ha ha
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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?

[FAQ] Sprint Insurance and Warranty

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.
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I have personally only received a new device from Asurion.

mattykinsx said:
I have personally only received a new device from Asurion.
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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.
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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.
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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!!
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Sunsparc said:
Cleanly off or were the solder joints broken and circuit board peeled like I mentioned?
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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?
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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!
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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!
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When under warranty what?

Sunsparc said:
When under warranty what?
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If no actual cosmetic damages then it will be covered and sprint will exchange the phone.
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novanosis85 said:
If no actual cosmetic damages then it will be covered and sprint will exchange the phone.
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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.
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Oh yeah.... so why was I not charged?
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novanosis85 said:
Oh yeah.... so why was I not charged?
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Depends on the issue, as stated in the bit about the charging port.

Sprint Repair store (Very Troubling)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Same exact thing happened to me. I called Sprint and still no luck. I eventually had a screen problem and the store replaced the phone for me.
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I think that is a prime example of ignorance and lack of care for customers. I have been to many crappy sprint stores who have done similar things. Fortunately I have found a sprint store in my neighborhood who treats their customers with respect and are mostly knowledgeable. Tbh that customer should have escalated it to talk to the manager or just go to another sprint store.
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The repair stores are filled with 1 good person to fix phones and 5 idiots. They all depend on 1 tech to actually fix things, and when they can't, the only solution to their problem is.. uh.. Ill have to have u call Asurion. Idiotttts.

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

So what does TEP actually cover?

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

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

mbaseball3 said:
Ability to get upgrades every 1 year instead of every 2 years. That's about it.
Sent from my EVO
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Seriously?
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DirtyShroomz said:
Seriously?
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Lol, yeah! I envy everyone else here with their success stories. Sprint stores do chit here for their customers! I'm on a 6 line business plan and they say sorry can't help you any time I walk in to a repair center. We been with sprint since a little before Nextel merger; how ever many years ago that was. I have yet to get a phone properly taken care of even with our insurance. I feel that when they see that there is an issue in device and that they should fix, they just point me to asurion. They never help. Feed us excuse after excuse. Anyone in the orange county area of California have good repair center experiences? Won't be surprised if all responses are No!
Sent from my EVO

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

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

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

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