I am an AT&T customer that uses-- used a rooted G1 from eBay. I called HTC, and they told me the manufacturer warranties on the G1 ended last month.
How likely is it that I could convince someone at the local T-mobile store to help me with a replacement?
I'm assuming not at all likely, but I've read stranger things here on xda. I'm imagining they have the phone's IMEI tied to some grand customer database to show that I'm just some bum with a G1. I do have a friend with T-mobile (and a G1), but if it is tied to the IMEI, they wouldn't just take my phone from her if I paid her?
I'm really not looking forward to buying a whole new phone, but I have accepted that this is probably my only option, so please don't flame too thoroughly.
(I did several searches, but almost none were relevant to AT&T/eBay return combo. Unless I just suck at searching.)
You are right, you have 0 chance of T-Mobile swapping or doing anything at all.
how did it break?
TMobile won't support you unless you bought the phone from them.
I called HTC last week to check on my G1 warranty since TMobile wouldn't support me. I was told (by HTC) that warranty is 15 months. Mine expires next month. Did you give them your S/N to check your warranty?
Though, if it was rooted then your warranty is void. Unless you want to pay for them to fix it for you, don't send it in. I don't know how they know if you rooted or modified anything, but if they find out you will be charged a minimum (triage) fee even if you decide you don't want to pay for actual repairs.
I sent them one that was previously rooted and obviously had been torn apart- no moisture sticker even. Told them I got it that way on Craigslist. Didnt cost me a dime besides shipping (Priority Mail $5) and time. HTC direct rules IMO.
The Triage fee is for them to diagnose it, and is only charged if you are out of warranty, or if it is your fault. The fee also includes return shipping.
I spoke to a rep, and when I gave her the S/N she said it expired on 12.25.9. I'm not sure where she was getting the date considering I bought the phone in May, but it definitely wasn't 15 months. I can't imagine the phone was already 6 months old when I bought it unless it was just sitting in a warehouse somewhere.
I had another idea though. Possibly stupid, but possibly genius, too?
What if I went to T-mo, and bought a phone without a plan. Then switched the motherboards and got a replacement for the broken one. Then I could returned the new one? Is this mad?
Not only is it mad, it would be really obvious what you did since all those void stickers would be removed in the process, as well when found out there would be hell to pay on your end for trying to fraudulantly switch devices like that. As well, the mother board has the serial # on it both physically and electronically, and this can't be changed.
Ah. I guess the good old G1 is going into a drawer somewhere until one day (hopefully) it can be un-bricked.
Since I have to buy a new phone anyway now, would anyone care to throw in their two cents for the Cliq or the X1a as a replacement Android phone under 300 without contract?
You could also get a used G1 off eBay in great condition for about $200. I got mine in perfect like new condition for $200 back in Septemeber, when I was looking they were going typically for about $225-$250 in that condition, but I waited for the best deal(took about a week of watching to get the deal I did). I would assume with the Nexus One coming out and being post X-Mas season, prices are down a bit, but will likely go back up a little come February when tax season starts.
Keep an eye out for a cracked g1 or one with other problems, then re-use the board. I see them on CL for $40-60 regularly (although none right now).
I would talk to HTC and tell them where you bought it and when, it helps if you have the transaction recorded! You should be able to convince them to cover it if you have enough proof. Nothing wrong with using the truth to your advantage.
Depending on where you live, you can find a good number of people selling their G1 on craigslist. I got bored and just did a search now.
$70 w/o battery or cover (sounds sketchy).. $100 in good condition.. $200 unlocked. Seems like the average is $150 around here.
I got mine for 100 brand new shipped from tmobile! The person didn't want it as they got a new phone so you may get lucky and get a brand new one for a real cheap price
I bought a cracked G1 on ebay for ~90USD. I found 2 within 100mi on craigslist, but both were scooped up by someone else within the first hour of being on the list.
I followed the step-by-step guide here to swap the phones' guts and now I have a locked (but not bricked) phone, and a dud.
Maybe I can still fetch a few bucks for the bricked, cracked (screen) phone.
With the Nexus out now I bet quite a few early adopters like me are switching. I got a msg from my buddy today saying once his Nexus arrives the G1 is for sale. He wants $100 for it, pretty average price around here for a working, but not mint, G1
aceo07 said:
TMobile won't support you unless you bought the phone from them.
I called HTC last week to check on my G1 warranty since TMobile wouldn't support me. I was told (by HTC) that warranty is 15 months. Mine expires next month. Did you give them your S/N to check your warranty?
Though, if it was rooted then your warranty is void. Unless you want to pay for them to fix it for you, don't send it in. I don't know how they know if you rooted or modified anything, but if they find out you will be charged a minimum (triage) fee even if you decide you don't want to pay for actual repairs.
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Correction, TMobile will not support you, even if you bought a phone from them.
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.
Back in September I took my phone both to Best Buy and Sprint a week after I got it asking them to take a look at my loose screen. Both places said it's just how it is and didn't even bother taking a look at it.
Flash forward to today I decided to take it in again because of the screen as well as constant GPS, battery, and screen orientation issues. Went to one Sprint store and they said nothing other than that I would have to pay $35. I said no so I went to another Sprint store. At first the second store said they couldnt even touch my phone because I didnt have any insurance. Then a minute later they took it to someone else in the back and they came to the decision that I had software issues and, get this, I had physical damage from opening the screen too hard resulting in it being loose. So after explaining that I was told by them back in September during my 30 days that the screen was supposed to be like that they of course said to go to Best Buy. I knew BB wouldnt do anything but I went anyways and was told I should have got the Black Tie Protection. Went back to the second Sprint store and asked to talk to a manager and the two guys working there said that the manager wasnt there (how convenient). Then I asked what time he would be there today and they replied he wasnt gonna be there today at all (yea ok). So I asked what time he would be there tomorrow or any time this week and one guy just blurted out 10am which seemed like a lie.
Now I know I didnt purchase any insurance from Sprint or BB so them not helping isnt really too surprising but for them to tell me I opened the screen too hard resulting in the screen being loose pissed me off. I'm gonna just try going through the Samsung warranty once I can get my hands on a cheap Sprint phone so I'm not left without anything. Hopefully they can send me a replacement.
Pretty sure all Sprint phones have a 1 year warranty. As far as I know, you get in store service but not the Asurion portion of TEP. Also for some instore stuff they charge $35.
This is what I remember from when I looked into it about a year ago and it seems to fit with your story. I would definitely go after the sprint stores for this one. Make sure you're going to places authorized as repair
http://sprintstorelocator.com/search.aspx Check "Repair centers near me" and search
In the end, they will most likely swap out the phone, and you might have to pay $35. It's worth it. Going through Samsung will likely be impossible and on the odd chance that they will honor a warranty you will have to send it in and wait for a turn around (no phone for 2 weeks).
Good luck!
I'd call support. phone support is generally much better than the idiots in the sprint stores. I never go to a sprint store it's easier and faster to call.
Sprint changed the policy about service on phones that are in warranty but not on a account with the service and repair insurance. They charge you 35 bucks, regardless if you're in warranty or not to fix hardware issues, excluding water damage or board level damage. The 35 includes new screens or a new phone if that's what it takes. If you pay the 4 dollars a month for the service option, you're not charged the 35 dollars.
About the only way you could fix a Epics loose screen would be to just take your board out and put it in another Epic that they have harvested for parts, or just order you a refurbed phone.
The loose screen has to be a design flaw. I had that same issue and got it replaced 2 times because of it. After those two replacements i gave up since every phone was loose like that. Then a few weeks ago my screen began to turn red so I got it replaced under warranty. The phone they gave me didn't have the loose screen. Maybe that issue only applies to the earlier Epics.
I understand paying the 35 bucks but the thing is they are now blaming me for the loose screen that I originally brought up to them. Ill most likey just pay it sometime after christmas they said it would take 3 days
edit: and yea i'm hoping that the newer phones no longer have the problem
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Something I tell my patients families: The squeaky gear gets the grease.
What that means is you need to be the squeaky gear. Best time to go to sprint is when they have a lot of prospective customers in the store and make a lot of noise about non-existent support, poor support, you get the idea, right?
The squeaky gear never has a problem getting what they want to be done....