Database Users

HTC are Utter Rubbish! edited - because I may have upset some users..

Sorry to say that I recently went from a wizard (which I've had for 18 months) to a hermes...disappointed doesn't even begin to describe my experience.
I had the 'brick' as I've come to call it, 3 days and already it's deceased.
Started getting the 'phantom taps' and now no TS at all.
Rebooted a dozen times and it just wont get past the screen alignment...in fact if you sit and watch it does it itself!
I even know what the issue is as it's been reported in the past but you'd think HTC would've sorted it by now.
HTC are palming off shonky goods as cutting edge.....really disapointed.

Did you flash a custom ROM onto it? Is it a hardware problem? In any case, it's covered by a warranty, you probably just got a defective unit. IMO, the upgrade from my wizard to hermes was a HUGE difference in performance and I'd never go back.

hardware related
Its hardware related....as the device gets warm (probably room temperature!) the screen expands and the TS membrane is pinched. All kinds of fun ensues!
There's no warranty on it..so it wont be going back.
Chalk another one up to experience.

if you have no warranty then you prob didn't pay much and you prob didn't get a new unit, and you prob didn't even get from a reputable place....so buyer beware...if the deal was to good to be true it prob was and did you ever think to ask yourself why the unit was for sale in the first place.

Assume a lot dontcha
It's brand new...from a friend who upgraded almost immediately to a HTC Touch.
You are correct though - didn't cost me a bean - shame my wizard's already gone....
oh..and while you're at it...get off yer high horse!
Assuming that I'm a dumb hick who'll buy anything that's cheap is a bit insulting..

Andy Phillips said:
It's brand new...from a friend who upgraded almost immediately to a HTC Touch.
You are correct though - didn't cost me a bean - shame my wizard's already gone....
oh..and while you're at it...get off yer high horse!
Assuming that I'm a dumb hick who'll buy anything that's cheap is a bit insulting..
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If it's brand new from a friend, why not have him simply return the unit as defective??? Besides, just because you aren't the original buyer doesn't mean there is no warranty...

I have both a Wizard and a Hermes. Apart from the Wizard feeling like it is more rugged when it's in your hand, the Hermes is superior in every other way. And when you load WM6 onto the Hermes, it just blows the Wizard away completely.
If you know enough about this device to know that the innards are "expanding" and that something is being pinched by this, it sounds like you've taken it apart.
You're clearly not telling us the whole story in any case. If you ever want real advice for fixing your Hermes instead of just venting and not telling us what you've done to it to cause these problems, a lot of people here will be happy to help you.
BTW, I've found that doing a soft reset after charging it does a lot for any heat problems if this is truly the only problem you're having.

...several screen alignment "fixes" available on this website...

Lay off the guy
Look folks, the 'phantom tap' is a known and documented hardware issue with Hermes and has nothing to do with where/how/when/why the unit was acquired, nor for how much. Wise up (and shut up if you don't know what you're talking about).
To the OP: Don't give up so easily. In my experience HTC tracks the warranty by serial number. Call them and insist on an RMA. I was successful in getting one fixed free of charge. And guess what... I bought it on ebaY, and the warranty seal had been broken!
Btw, it's not the touch screen. Been there, replaced it, didn't fix it.

Thanks vp3G
vp3G said:
Look folks, the 'phantom tap' is a known and documented hardware issue with Hermes and has nothing to do with where/how/when/why the unit was acquired, nor for how much. Wise up (and shut up if you don't know what you're talking about).
To the OP: Don't give up so easily. In my experience HTC tracks the warranty by serial number. Call them and insist on an RMA. I was successful in getting one fixed free of charge. And guess what... I bought it on ebaY, and the warranty seal had been broken!
Btw, it's not the touch screen. Been there, replaced it, didn't fix it.
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Thanks for that man!
As it turns out the device was still under warranty and it's been returned...just waiting for it to come back!
Funnily enough when I had it the first time, the rom I put on it was your 'Black Satin'! Nice ROM, particularly the file explorer replacement!
Personally I didn't see much in the way of difference between the hermes and the wizard....but I did have it only for three days.
When I get it back I and test it out a bit more, I will gladly eat my words if it out performs the old wizard.
Anyway, I wasn't slating the hermes in itself..many of my friends have one p )..it was HTC themselves for still selling devices to consumers with a known fault.
Andy.

Andy Phillips said:
Sorry to say that I recently went from a wizard (which I've had for 18 months) to a hermes...disappointed doesn't even begin to describe my experience.
I had the 'brick' as I've come to call it, 3 days and already it's deceased.
Started getting the 'phantom taps' and now no TS at all.
Rebooted a dozen times and it just wont get past the screen alignment...in fact if you sit and watch it does it itself!
I even know what the issue is as it's been reported in the past but you'd think HTC would've sorted it by now.
HTC are palming off shonky goods as cutting edge.....really disapointed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One dud BMW doesn't make BMW's bad cars. You got a dud, plain and simple. Return it for one that works.
HTC has impressed me, especially lately as they are trying to "redesign" the interface for windows mobile to make it actually usable.

BMWs are incredibly bad cars for the price they are sold for.

Andy Phillips said:
As it turns out the device was still under warranty and it's been returned...just waiting for it to come back!
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Click to collapse
Well..... imagine that...
Funnily enough when I had it the first time, the rom I put on it was your 'Black Satin'! Nice ROM, particularly the file explorer replacement!
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Click to collapse
Thanks, but I can't take credit for Black Satin... that's JasJamming's ROM...
Personally I didn't see much in the way of difference between the hermes and the wizard....but I did have it only for three days.
When I get it back I and test it out a bit more, I will gladly eat my words if it out performs the old wizard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope you're hungry...
Anyway, I wasn't slating the hermes in itself..many of my friends have one p )..it was HTC themselves for still selling devices to consumers with a known fault.
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It's a valid gripe, IMO. The problem you experienced is certainly 'hush-hush' with them.

@vp3G
aaah....I thought it was your rom because of the nifty splash screens!
I was considering getting a kaiser but I think I will play it safe and wait until it's been 'in the field' for a while...
See you later,
Andy.

'Patchy' backlight - what happen?

I've noticed recently the backlight on my HD2 seems to have suffered some sort of malfunction or something. Might be a bit of a strong way of describing it perhaps.
Basically imagine if you have a blank white screen/image showing on the phone, there's a couple of bits on it that always stay in the same place where the brightness is not the same as the rest. I'm certain it's only been like this recently but no idea why.
You can only really notice it with very pale or bits of white on the screen but am wondering:
1 - if anyone else has this,
2 - how it's happened,
3 - anything I can do about it,
In particular if it's a fault with the phone (as I'm certain the phone has never been knocked and it definitely has never been dropped or pressed hard etc), is this something I could get done under warrantee.
If it is, can I get it fixed on warrantee even with no receipt since I bought it on Ebay? Every single HD2 is still in its warrantee period so I hope they could do.
Thanks!

I have the same, they advised me to contact support, but i kinda neglected it for the time being.
I have the same kind of spot in the middle of my screen, i only really see it when the screen is white, annoying tho :/
I dont like the idea of having to send the phone out and missing it for a few weeks :'(

I had the same problem on my device so I called HTC and they picked it up, repaired it and sent it back. Well they sorted out this particular problem (by replacing the LCD panel) but, alas, created few more. The buttons were not placed properly, the body was damaged and etc. So Angry and Disappointed Me called them up and they picked it up again. This time they replaced the whole unit (the actual body if I am not mistaken) and sent it back. Finally I was glad to have my phone back after two weeks.
Funny enough most of the HTC employees that I spoke to had very poor English. And I spoke with quiet a few of them. Luckily I am talented at mimicking broken English and didn't have much problem getting my message across. I'd imagine for most people it should be very difficult to explain their problem and arrange repairs.

Thanks for the replies.
Is it possible to do this without a sales receipt and still not have to pay? I don't think I should have to pay since it's not very old at all but I can't prove it's actually my phone I guess.
Did you just contact them via the XDA website or something?

I got the same issue. Most annoying when reading long emails or articles. I thought about sending it in for repair but I have voided my warranty already and don't want to be missing my hd2 for a couple weeks and get hit with a massive bill. I think it has something to do with the layers in the LCD not being completely flat. But I havent got that far in my explorations of this phone, maybe I will on my next trip.

You should contact HTC support by calling at the number for your country that you can find from the HTC website.
They can do everything with the phone's serial no. At least that's how it worked for my Kaiser I got on ebay too when I had a prob with it.

meegulthwarp said:
I thought about sending it in for repair but I have voided my warranty already.
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Hmmm, good point. I have a custom rom on it so mine probably would be void too right? If I change it back to the original rom it should be ok though presumably?
Thanks anyway - glad this is not me.

I am also seeing this on my HD2. It is very faint and only really noticeable on white screens. Once you know it is there though you can't help but keep looking for it
To be honest I can put up with it as most of the time you can't actually see it, for example I can't see it now due to the keyboard being up.
I'd be interested to know if anyone in the UK sends their phone off for repair as I might do the same. I can't be without my phone though, it would be like loosing my arm!

NickT said:
I am also seeing this on my HD2. It is very faint and only really noticeable on white screens. Once you know it is there though you can't help but keep looking for it
To be honest I can put up with it as most of the time you can't actually see it, for example I can't see it now due to the keyboard being up.
I'd be interested to know if anyone in the UK sends their phone off for repair as I might do the same. I can't be without my phone though, it would be like loosing my arm!
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I have sent mine. Post 3 above ^^^

AF241 said:
I have sent mine. Post 3 above ^^^
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Ah yes, so you did. Sorry I was looking at the flag on your profile not your location
I have a small crack on the glass of my HD2 as well between the bottom of the phone and the power / end call key. It looks like a small hair stuck under the button Not sure if they would replace the glass for me as well if I sent it off?
I got my phone from O2 so I'm wondering if I'd have to go to O2 for repair or direct to HTC, maybe I could do both
Anyway, for now I think I'll refrain from sending it off unless it really starts annoying me. A bit of a pain though

I've emailed HTC as well to ask about this.....

Trackball Screwy

Yesterday afternoon the trackball on my N1 stopped working. it'll scroll everywhere but left. Nothing obviously wrong with it, just wont go. thought i'd give it a minute, push and play with it, see if something gives, but no dice. This morning I called HTC, no questions about bootloader which should not affect a hardware issue anyway. Having a replacement sent today.
Now I'll send this phone back, and they will assumably examine and test it. I would agree with any non-hardware issues being rejected due to unlocked bootloader, however if they contact me and say they will not cover the trackball because of this, I will bite the bullet and pay for the repair or replacement, and won't even be pissy about it. I'm just curious what HTC will do, being as this is obviously a hardware issue which unlocking cannot affect.

Seems 50/50 whether they will cover it or not really.

i had a h/w issue and an unlocked bootloader and they still charged me $55 for a replacement
good luck

As of yesterday my trackball has started being annoying, has trouble scrolling downwards, though is not completely broken. I am reluctant to do an exchange, because mine is a special import and has an unlocked bootloader.
Do you have the number for US HTC anyway?

Daswolven said:
Yesterday afternoon the trackball on my N1 stopped working. it'll scroll everywhere but left. Nothing obviously wrong with it, just wont go. thought i'd give it a minute, push and play with it, see if something gives, but no dice. This morning I called HTC, no questions about bootloader which should not affect a hardware issue anyway. Having a replacement sent today.
Now I'll send this phone back, and they will assumably examine and test it. I would agree with any non-hardware issues being rejected due to unlocked bootloader, however if they contact me and say they will not cover the trackball because of this, I will bite the bullet and pay for the repair or replacement, and won't even be pissy about it. I'm just curious what HTC will do, being as this is obviously a hardware issue which unlocking cannot affect.
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How long did you have the phone before it got to this point? Also were you careful with the phone or (trying to find the words) a little wreckless? Just curious..

liam.lah said:
As of yesterday my trackball has started being annoying, has trouble scrolling downwards, though is not completely broken. I am reluctant to do an exchange, because mine is a special import and has an unlocked bootloader.
Do you have the number for US HTC anyway?
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Click to collapse
1-888-216-4736
Nexus One specific hotline. They're nice people.

ChillRays said:
How long did you have the phone before it got to this point? Also were you careful with the phone or (trying to find the words) a little wreckless? Just curious..
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you must be an HTC insider...
this shouldn't matter it's covered for a year, no matter how he uses the trackball

zachthemaster said:
you must be an HTC insider...
this shouldn't matter it's covered for a year, no matter how he uses the trackball
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Click to collapse
no just curious because I myself am looking into buying this phone. I don't want to repeat someone else's mistakes (if there are any mistakes at all). Not related to this but i've heard plenty of times where someone has said "if I was a little more careful, this wouldn't have happend". I'm trying to find a bunch of those situations so I don't fall for them. Thats it..

ChillRays said:
no just curious because I myself am looking into buying this phone. I don't want to repeat someone else's mistakes (if there are any mistakes at all). Not related to this but i've heard plenty of times where someone has said "if I was a little more careful, this wouldn't have happend". I'm trying to find a bunch of those situations so I don't fall for them. Thats it..
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Click to collapse
oh well im a hard user of the trackball and its fine. what other things do you wanna know? ive had three of these so im a pro haha

Thanks for the number.
I can't help but wonder if me using "trackball wakeup" has contributed to this, I hope not, because it is damn handy to use.

liam.lah said:
Thanks for the number.
I can't help but wonder if me using "trackball wakeup" has contributed to this, I hope not, because it is damn handy to use.
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i have that as well on cyanogen 506. honestly it should be fine.
if it sticks, clean the ball with a very miniscule amount of alcohol, it'll break the dirt down and youll be good to go. or just dont think about it everytime you touch it (i used to be that way and now im better off. ha)
oh and a friendly tip.
EVERYTIME you're done using the TB, WIPE IT ON YOUR SHIRT or something cloth. thats the best way to clean it. up and down on your shirt. side to side even too

zachthemaster said:
oh well im a hard user of the trackball and its fine. what other things do you wanna know? ive had three of these so im a pro haha
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Needless to say I think i've heard every problem you could possibly have with this phone happen. From the screen cracking from a 1 foot drop to the camera app not working, to this post. However, I'm going with the n1 anyway. I'm sure that for every bad nexus one, theres 1,999 good ones. Anyway the only thing I need help with is finding a good case that will prevent damage because I have been known for dropping my phone alot.
My friends have told me to go with the "seidio innocase II" and others have said get a crystal silicone case. What do you recommend?

ChillRays said:
Needless to say I think i've heard every problem you could possibly have with this phone happen. From the screen cracking from a 1 foot drop to the camera app not working, to this post. However, I'm going with the n1 anyway. I'm sure that for every bad nexus one, theres 1,999 good ones. Anyway the only thing I need help with is finding a good case that will prevent damage because I have been known for dropping my phone alot.
My friends have told me to go with the "seidio innocase II" and others have said get a crystal silicone case. What do you recommend?
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Click to collapse
i just use the included neoprene case and a lot of careful handling. why dont you waltz over to cases and accessories!
but really the neoprene case is just enough for me because i like the naked look and feel of the phone. plus the case was free!

zachthemaster said:
i just use the included neoprene case and a lot of careful handling. why dont you waltz over to cases and accessories!
but really the neoprene case is just enough for me because i like the naked look and feel of the phone. plus the case was free!
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Yeah I've seen those. I tried to get one from ebay and one went for 40 dollars. Screw it, i'll get the free one that comes with the phone. I just hope that offers enough protection. I will check out the cases and accessories. Thanks master =)

ChillRays said:
Yeah I've seen those. I tried to get one from ebay and one went for 40 dollars. Screw it, i'll get the free one that comes with the phone. I just hope that offers enough protection. I will check out the cases and accessories. Thanks master =)
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no problem man. it definitely offers enough protection. but thats my personal use, i handle the thing like a new born so if thats any indication then ya. if you're gonna drop it... dont. haha

ChillRays said:
How long did you have the phone before it got to this point? Also were you careful with the phone or (trying to find the words) a little wreckless? Just curious..
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Click to collapse
I've had it since release. I ordered it about 30 minutes after the google.com/phone site was up and running. I am always careful with my devices, and use cases and protectors. My phone has never been dropped or mishandled. By way of example, I also got my G1 on release day, and when i got my nexus I was able to sell it on Ebay for $250 with a review about the immaculate condition of the phone he had received. He said it looked like it just came out of the original box.
I hold babies with less precision and attention.

Easy fix
I had the same problem but mine wouldn't scroll down. After getting the run-around on the phone from HTC, I tried to fix it myself. It took less than 10 seconds.
Just grab the ball using your finger nails or something similar, and twist the ball a little bit. it'll loosen up built up dirt and oil on the sensors, and viola! You should be able to scroll again. If not, then you need a replacement.

miketuesday said:
I had the same problem but mine wouldn't scroll down. After getting the run-around on the phone from HTC, I tried to fix it myself. It took less than 10 seconds.
Just grab the ball using your finger nails or something similar, and twist the ball a little bit. it'll loosen up built up dirt and oil on the sensors, and viola! You should be able to scroll again. If not, then you need a replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know, I would try this if the replacement hadn't been delivered to my doorstep like 5 minutes ago. Downside = I suppose I will need to run stock for a few weeks in case they refuse to accept the return because of the bootloader. Will make me appreciate devs all the more.
UPDATE: AAARRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! I AM RESTORING MY BEAUTIFUL PHONE TO STOCK STATE! OMFGPLSGODWHYISTHISHAPPENINGTOME! WILL BE RUNNING STOCK FOR A WEEK OR SO AFTER. HUGE CAN OF SUCK.
Update: okay, so this isn't that bad. Sigh.

Warranty policy issue with digitizer

I have been having these random reboots for a long time with my WM 6.5, even before using Android and I decided to finally send it to repair since it's under warranty after resetting it. But here's the thing, unrelated to these symptoms, the phone dropped once and the digitizer cracked. Not so bad, it's just one line in he middle and you can hardly see it if you look at a certain angle, otherwise the touch and lcd react fine. I am afraid the repair team will try to blame the random reboots on the crack. How do you think I should approach them with this as I know they can find any excuse to make me pay. I haven't told them about the crack yet, during the phone support the tech guy noted Booting Failure (sometimes it fails to boot up even and have to remove battery for 10min) in the description. The pick up is next week.

they are twats mate, ive had so much trouble with them ,4 weeks with my phone coz they want me to pay for a screen fault. Only thing you can try is say it got damaged on the way to them, I wanted to send mine in a box, but they told me a jiffy bag!so easily damaged..

OrionCarl said:
they are twats mate, ive had so much trouble with them ,4 weeks with my phone coz they want me to pay for a screen fault. Only thing you can try is say it got damaged on the way to them, I wanted to send mine in a box, but they told me a jiffy bag!so easily damaged..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what was the problem with yours originally?

screen fault....do a search for HTC customer service, wont find many good ones..

OrionCarl said:
screen fault....do a search for HTC customer service, wont find many good ones..
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Click to collapse
well to be fair, your problem is related to the screen itself. But I can understand your frustration. I called them today and they said they can't guaranty anything they have to look at the device first so I am going to write a letter explaining the situation hoping it will be taken into account.

dont expect them to be curtious, best of luck!

HD2 for $70?

Guy has a HD2 with the MIUI ROM and says the SD card slot isn't working and the screen is sometimes unresponsive. I figured probably just wipe it all and start over until he told me he recently took it apart and decided it was too complicated for him to deal with so he slapped it all back together. He seems to know what he's talking about quite a bit. Is it even worth me getting it for $70 or is this a joke. What do you guys think?

HD2 screens tend to get unresponsive after a while of use. It seems some connectors of the digitizer run underneath the Red Dial hardware button. Eventually though, all HD2 screens will die. The digitzer can be replaced, but it is quite difficult to do apparantly. Also, digitizers are like 70$. So no, I do not recommend you buying that phone. You would only have to spend more money to get it fixed (that is, if you could even fix it).

Agreed. Too troublesome to replace the digitizer. Will end up running you as much as if you bought a fully functioning used HD2.

anseio said:
Agreed. Too troublesome to replace the digitizer. Will end up running you as much as if you bought a fully functioning used HD2.
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Click to collapse
I agree, only if you're not a techy skilled guy!

Thanks guys! I was willing to take it on but not after he pulled it apart. I've repaired a few phones before but one thing I hate is if it's previously been tinkered with. That's just a no no. You all are right, that $70 could nearly double and at that point I would have been better off getting another one. I really appreciate it.

quickbird144 said:
Thanks guys! I was willing to take it on but not after he pulled it apart. I've repaired a few phones before but one thing I hate is if it's previously been tinkered with. That's just a no no. You all are right, that $70 could nearly double and at that point I would have been better off getting another one. I really appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And the digitizer on the HD2 is particular awful to change out. One of the main versions of it require heating it in an oven and prying it apart. Not exactly what I'm willing to do, in any case, unless the phone and parts are free.

hd2 70$ !!
sent u a pm !! !

I'd be willing to pay $70 for the working mainboard.

enigma1nz said:
I'd be willing to pay $70 for the working mainboard.
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he doesnt want to sell it !!
i pm'ed him and he told me so !! !!
mods pls close this thread ! !!

think you have to bake the phone in an oven to melt the glue to change the screen

no owen, lol. it's quite easy to do, at least it was on my diamond, who has the same assembly. a little hair drier is just what the doctor ordered...

change the screen take tons of works!

Yeah I ended up passing on it guys. I didn't have the phone in possession, was just getting advice while I was thinking of purchasing it. From what I understand, it's quite a bit of work replacing that screen, but a simple hair dryer like rape_artist stated would work, or a heat gun.