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My EVO now has 2 hair line cracks

So my EVO now has 2 hair line cracks. One to the left of the power button and one under the volume buttons. I stopped at the Sprint store and the tech verified the cracks were not caused by abuse. He notated my account so when I call Sprint customer service they will ship me a new phone. Now I have 2 questions? Will the replacement be a refurb? And in the email they sent about my replacement it states: If im not enrolled in TEP (which im not) it will be $99-$119 depending on device model for wear and tear, physical damage and mechanical or electrical failures not covered by the manufacturer's warranty. Now since the sprint tech at the store verified it was not physical damage or abuse. The device manufacturer's warranty covers mechanical and electrical failures. What are these hair line cracks considered? They are definitly a manufacturer's defect, but like the warranty stated it covers mechanical and electrical failures. I sure hope they dont try to charge me for a defect. I have the Epson rev 002 rooted and I'm loving it. I just dont feel after 2 months I should have these damn cracks.

people have said for hardware they will send your a new one if you raise enough hell but id guess it's going to be a refurb

Sporkman said:
people have said for hardware they will send your a new one if you raise enough hell but id guess it's going to be a refurb
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That's what I was worried about. I hate the fact that I paid all that money and now have a defect but in return they give me a refurb. I guess in some cases a refurb that was examined by a human may be better than off the assembly line?

Refurb if you had TEP it would be new. I had a Touch Pro 2 that cracked and I felt the same way. The guy at the Sprint store told me too bad its cosmetic doesn't effect the performance of the phone.

splink7007 said:
That's what I was worried about. I hate the fact that I paid all that money and now have a defect but in return they give me a refurb. I guess in some cases a refurb that was examined by a human may be better than off the assembly line?
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WOW thats exactly how I felt about the TP2. Lucky for me I had TEP on the Touch Pro as well. So Sprint paid the deductible for me, in that case. I called Sprint from the parking lot of the Sprint store and told them just about everything your posting now. I was very angry but they helped me as best they could.
Really the thing to do is get TEP its worth the money. I think you can add it when you get the refurb.

zone23 said:
Refurb if you had TEP it would be new. I had a Touch Pro 2 that cracked and I felt the same way. The guy at the Sprint store told me too bad its cosmetic doesn't effect the performance of the phone.
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Great, now if your guy said its cosmetic. When they get my defected phone back to sprint will they charge me you think?

splink7007 said:
Great, now if your guy said its cosmetic. When they get my defected phone back to sprint will they charge me you think?
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You know its one of those things you just don't know. That email is probably just a cookie cutter email, copy and paste. If they do you can always call and give them hell maybe they will remove the charges problem is you wont see them until after you activate the phone. I try not to start off mad as hell I work my way too it.

Demand a new phone. I had wifi problems that were due to ****ty hardware construction and I told them I'm not taking a refurb because HTC sucks and the manager gave me a brand new Evo. Had to wait for it to arrive but was worth it. Don't take no for an answer. The Evo refurb I was supposed to get had dust and dirt and scratches on the camera lens. Sprint+HTC can suck it.

FYI on Evo refurb's, the outside case is new, only the guts have been repaired.
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I just got off the phone with Sprints retention dept. I spoke to a sup there who said all the phones that are over 30 days gets replaced with a refurbished phone. I even threatened to cancel he didn't budge.

splink7007 said:
I just got off the phone with Sprints retention dept. I spoke to a sup there who said all the phones that are over 30 days gets replaced with a refurbished phone. I even threatened to cancel he didn't budge.
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Tried that too, thru the office of dan, all they did was to offer to waive my etf (I still have 1 year left), if I give them back the EVO.

The truth on sprints new TEP program

ok, I know we already have a topic about sprints tep changes, but as I read through it I was so tired of reading all these assumptions and people stating incorrect things, so to clear it up. Also remember this may not be regional, I don't know how sprint is rolling it out, at least in the south east (im in NC) its all rolled out as of oct 23rd.
First off im a service and repair technician at a corporate store. We rolled this out on the 23rd (at least in the southeast, idk of other areas around the US)
pricing is still the same, 7$ a month. But now it covers almost everything except liquid damage, board damage, lost and stolen.
So if someone comes in with a completely shattered evo screen (as I saw 3 today), if they have TEP we replace it with a brand new screen, if we don't have one we exchange in store, if we don't have one, we order a replacement. Basically we now cover physical damage in store. The only time we don't is if its board damage, say the phone got ran over, obviously the board is destroyed. But as far as cracked screens, broken hinges etc... its all covered.
ALSO now for people that do not have TEP, before if they had physical damage we would charge them 120$ in store for repair, now its only 35$ to repair say a broken screen (good news!), except thats for every visit, sprint is now not authorizing the 1 year manufacturers warranty in store, so say your blackberry trackball pops out and you don't have TEP you can either pay sprint 35$ or go to blackberry. But the nice thing is its 35$ for ALL repairs, except the liquid, board damage etc..
I just felt the need to post this because I was tired of reading incorrect posts. Hopefully this makes sense, because I typed this in minor frustration lol. But I think this is great (for the customer, I see alot of phones now lol) But its REALLLLY putting value in sprints TEP now
So if any questions please ask away.

Thanks for clearing that up. I am switching to Sprint next week so this news has been welcomed.

good post ! tyvm

no problem. I hope this makes sense, I just went on a quick typing rant and haven't really read over it. But I think this REALLY adds value to TEP and makes it worth it. And to the people who said sprints technicians don't know anything they are worthless. Honestly.. Just because your local store may be bad, or not up to par doesn't mean they all are. At my store we try to be as fair as possible, but when someone comes in every 2 weeks for the same problem for the past 5 months, yeah we may refuse to repair, or notate the account for repeat offenders. But at the store and District I work in, we all do the best (also were the number 1 store for customer service in the District so that may help)

If you don't have insruance, does the phone need to be on your phone line? Lets say i have a phone in my cabinet with a broken screen, could i go and get it fixed for 35$?

For $35 I might just take the case off my EVO and let her run around naked!

Thanks for clearing that up! I live in the South east as well. +1

yes we can repair the phone but it has to be on the account, and active for atleast 30 days.

So I know this is off topic but how do technicians treat Evos with hosed 4g keys cause I want to root and pay $7 for insurance but fear hosing my 4g which I use.
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Great information, thanks. One question though: what if you do have liquid damage and you pay for TEP? What is the repair cost then? What about lost phones? Also, like already mentioned, what about rooted phones? This is insurance after all and not warranty.
I ask because I have Best Buy Black Tie Protection now' but with these changes to TEP I'm thinking about canceling the Best Buy plan and switching to TEP. Thanks for your info.

what about everyday wear and tear i have scratches from dropping my phone a lot on the bottom of the phone can that be fixed for free?

Is their insurance still through Asurion? I went ten years with never losing or damaging a phone and the one time I lost my HTC touch I was charged $100 for a piece of crap that had a busted speaker and a glitchy looking screen. And to top it off the girl at sprint who looked at my phone said the busted speaker wasn't too bad and that the speaker phone still worked fine...
I am not impressed with Sprint's insurance at all.

ok, well if liquid you go through asurion, 100$. Same for lost or stolen. As far as the 4g queston, not sure what you mean by hosed 4g?
and for the question about cosmetic damage, thats the one thing im not 100% sure about, I will have to get more info on that.
And yeah still through asurion. But now the only time you go through them is if;
liquid damage, lost, stolen, board damage.

samrozzi said:
ok, well if liquid you go through asurion, 100$. Same for lost or stolen. As far as the 4g queston, not sure what you mean by hosed 4g?
and for the question about cosmetic damage, thats the one thing im not 100% sure about, I will have to get more info on that.
And yeah still through asurion. But now the only time you go through them is if;
liquid damage, lost, stolen, board damage.
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Hosed 4G means the RSA keys are damaged and it won't authenticate. Each phone has it's own key, so it's not something that could likely be fixed in store.
Would a phone get replaced under that circumstance?

hmm maybe since im not familiar with the term, But we have seen phones with 4g not connecting or not able to establish a connection and sometimes we have to exchange it (which thats covered), but lately we've been pretty good at restoring data to the devices but a pain in the ass, so exchanging is usually easier

i had a small crack on the top right of my phone (next to front camera) for a month now (a drunk drop getting out of the car)
it wasnt a big deal.
well yesterday i was holding my daughter and was taking my evo out of my pocket......it fell on the tile face down.
i picked it up and my screen was shattered but the phone still works.
anyway i went to sprint today and got a new screen put on my phone for free within 40 minutes. i also have the $7/mo insurance plan
best part is i have a CM6 root/rom on my phone and they didnt say a thing.
i have an 003 version and since the new screen was put on, no more light leakage either

I still don't understand why a customer needs to be charged $35 for warranty work though.
Shattered screen? yes
Defect in phone? no...should be a free repair if it's under the 1 year warranty

Well I know now after reading this Im happy I told Bestbuy to shove their insurance and switched back to Sprints !

m4rk0358 said:
I still don't understand why a customer needs to be charged $35 for warranty work though.
Shattered screen? yes
Defect in phone? no...should be a free repair if it's under the 1 year warranty
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Your not. Call the manufacturers, use their warranty and take a month off without a phone.

exactly dirtyshroomz. Because yous till have the 1 year through company. But we will do things like software defects, and basic s/w based things at no charge

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 broken off from motherboard - Sprint won't replace

I've been having issues with my charging port for some time now. I've had intermittent issues where the port would not charge and then today, it finally broke off apparently. The Sprint corporate store said they could not fix it and to call Asurion. I'm sure I have the same issue a lot of Evo users have had in that I'm sure they are going to want to charge me the $100 deductible.
How can they call this physical damage to the phone? Plugging it in is a normal activity and there are plenty of documented cases of the charge port coming loose or breaking.
All I want is for Sprint to replace my Evo so I can be on my way. I'm having nothing but bad luck in my endeavor. Has anybody successfully gotten Sprint to replace their phone without going through Asurion? What did you do or say?

I have the same issue. Your phone is probably covered under manufacturer warranty still. Contact HTC. Takes two weeks.
I haven't sent mine in yet. I purchased a battery charger and spare batteries until I figure out how to live with my phone.
Good luck!
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hgelpke said:
I've been having issues with my charging port for some time now. I've had intermittent issues where the port would not charge and then today, it finally broke off apparently. The Sprint corporate store said they could not fix it and to call Asurion. I'm sure I have the same issue a lot of Evo users have had in that I'm sure they are going to want to charge me the $100 deductible.
How can they call this physical damage to the phone? Plugging it in is a normal activity and there are plenty of documented cases of the charge port coming loose or breaking.
All I want is for Sprint to replace my Evo so I can be on my way. I'm having nothing but bad luck in my endeavor. Has anybody successfully gotten Sprint to replace their phone without going through Asurion? What did you do or say?
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I've heard of Sprint doing that, claiming it's 'physical damage' and and that they refuse to fix it. Asurion, if you have it, is actually quick, you'll have your phone in a day or two. However, you get dinged with the $100 deductible. If you are unsuccessful at getting Sprint to replace it, I gaurantee you that you could find an electronics repair place and have them re-solder the charging port. Supposedly, for someone who knows how to do that type of thing, it's a simple and quick task to do. I'm sure it would be far less than 100 bucks to have it re-soldered. Also, I was reading a thread about this very topic, where someone who did have a lot of electronics experience, said that the solder joints on the charging port are terrible, and a poor overall design to boot.

I wonder... being that any sort of plugging in of a cable puts stress on that charging port, do you suppose that a charging cradle is better or worse for the phone? I'd guess better.....?

FYI- I had the same exact issue and the Sprint Corporate store replaced it for me no questions asked. I wasn't even able to unroot because the battery died.
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Mine broke also and they gave me a new one. But it couldve been that it was during my first month.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

If you don't have tep sprint doesn't care what happens to your phone...they won't replace it.

cbradberry said:
FYI- I had the same exact issue and the Sprint Corporate store replaced it for me no questions asked. I wasn't even able to unroot because the battery died.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same deal for me.my charger port broke while rooted.I just took it to a repair store not the corporate one, they looked at it then pulled up my account information then activated an evo they had behind the counter and I walked out, that easy! Sorry your having problems, if I was you I'd try a different store. I used the store in Tavares, Florida so you can look them up to see exactly what type of store they are. Good luck to ya!

easy answer: its physical damage, if something is broken then it is not covered by warranty. doesnt matter how it happened, if its broke you did it. use asurion.
real answer: its a grey area. sometimes these ports do break off, and while yes technically it is not covered by warranty or esrp, generally if the phone shows no other signs of physical damage a tech will replace the phone for you. keep in mind that the letter of the law states it is not covered though, so if that store choses not to replace it they are properly doing their job. the techs and stores have repair quotas, and exchanging those phones does cost sprint a lot of money.

if the port is just lose it would have been fine, but its its completely off the board its considered physical damage because it could have been from normal wear and tear or you could have used a pair of pliers and pulled it out. you can try htc but its gonna take for ever and you still have to pay for the parts.

sprint fixed mine in jan...no 35.00 charge (i dont have insurance) it broke again this past week. The ordered a replacement phone. Will be here monday...no 35.00 charge.
Guess it just depends

I took mine in the day after it started acting up - not rooted. I just took it to the Sprint store closest to me. I have insurance & was past my 30 days. I told the guy, he didn't even ask questions about it. He filed it through Asurion and told me to come back the next day after 2:00. It didn't cost anything. But then again... he was flirting with me, so that could have something to do with it.
I'd just try another store, I think it depends on who you get behind the counter with stuff like this. And if you know any pretty girls that will go for you - try that. I've had 3 EVOs and didn't pay for any of my replacements.

kellybrf said:
easy answer: its physical damage, if something is broken then it is not covered by warranty. doesnt matter how it happened, if its broke you did it. use asurion.
real answer: its a grey area. sometimes these ports do break off, and while yes technically it is not covered by warranty or esrp, generally if the phone shows no other signs of physical damage a tech will replace the phone for you. keep in mind that the letter of the law states it is not covered though, so if that store choses not to replace it they are properly doing their job. the techs and stores have repair quotas, and exchanging those phones does cost sprint a lot of money.
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Click to collapse
Sorry, but I have to call BS on most of this (not what you are saying, but rather Sprint's policy)
These devices have a 1yr manufacturers warranty. Sprint should take the hardware for the customer and swap it with HTC....so it shouldn't be costing Sprint a dime (except for labor, which is payed for already).
And frankly if Sprint doesn't want to be the middleman for manufacturer swaps then they need to stop putting their name on the hardware.
Its the same issue I have with the different Corporate vs Franchise Sprint stores...seriously, if you put a sign saying "Sprint" on your store, then you should be prepared to represent them 100% by offering the same services. Sometimes its like showing up to a McDonalds and being told that only the real locations have fries.
[/rant]
Sent from my device.

I've had my Evo since launch day and my charge port was having the same issues.
Called HTC about the warranty and they said it would not be covered.
Took it to Sprint and they swapped it out for the $35 fee since the device was still under the manufacturer's warranty period. I think some stores know this is a recurring issue with this phone and are not putting up much of a fuss over replacing them.
My advice, keep trying different stores until you find one that does it.

ramiss said:
Sorry, but I have to call BS on most of this (not what you are saying, but rather Sprint's policy)
These devices have a 1yr manufacturers warranty. Sprint should take the hardware for the customer and swap it with HTC....so it shouldn't be costing Sprint a dime (except for labor, which is payed for already).
And frankly if Sprint doesn't want to be the middleman for manufacturer swaps then they need to stop putting their name on the hardware.
Its the same issue I have with the different Corporate vs Franchise Sprint stores...seriously, if you put a sign saying "Sprint" on your store, then you should be prepared to represent them 100% by offering the same services. Sometimes its like showing up to a McDonalds and being told that only the real locations have fries.
[/rant]
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Click to collapse
Exactly!
DEMAND a repair or exchange.
Sent from my device.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

Call customer service and ask for Account Services. Tell them your situation, and how this IS a manufacturer defect. Tell them you will cancel your account if they dont do anything about it. They will either send you one, or put a note on your account for the store to replace it.
IF by chance that doesnt work, email [email protected]. That's the Executive Offices, the same people you would talk to if you were to file a complaint with the BBB, only this takes a day to respond, not weeks like the BBB.

fix it yourself

i had this same problem. i took it in a week earlier when the port was just wiggly and the store said they couldnt do anything.
a week later the phone wouldnt charge at all. i take the phone and and the tech takes it
he took the port out of the phone and taped it to the reciept and said that the phone was damaged beyond repair.
i ended up calling sprint form the parking lot and found a sprint person who would setup an invoice to send me a new phone and id mail back the broken one. however the tech at the store refused to take the "damaged beyond repiar" tag off my phone.
after 2 hours on the phone and at the store it ended up getting replaced.
i was massively pissed.
tl;dr: try a different store.

sitlet said:
Call customer service and ask for Account Services. Tell them your situation, and how this IS a manufacturer defect. Tell them you will cancel your account if they dont do anything about it. They will either send you one, or put a note on your account for the store to replace it.
IF by chance that doesnt work, email [email protected]. That's the Executive Offices, the same people you would talk to if you were to file a complaint with the BBB, only this takes a day to respond, not weeks like the BBB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a bad mentality to have... Account services will do everything in their power to help resolve your issue, however they have no ability whatsoever to send a replacement device, they will need to contact a store or tech support to have your device fixed/exchanged. If they deem the device unrepairable, you will have to use insurance or go through the manu warranty.

DirtyShroomz said:
What a bad mentality to have...
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Click to collapse
Yes I agree, but sometimes it is unfortunately a last resort that works. :/ But to put this all to rest just try another store and keep trying. Its worked for me and countless others. Some people just dont give two $h!ts about anyone or there problems and wont go above and beyond to help.

T-Mobile Vibrant replacement cost lowered

I found out some info from TMO customer care yesterday that is interesting and worth knowing.
TMO cut the cost to replace a rooted vibrant down to $115 on April 1st, but the insurance still costs $130. So if anyone finds themselves in my situation (totally and utterly bricked in every sense of the word and still rooted) or a similar situation, it would actually be cheaper to just send it in without insurance, even if the damage indicator is red.
However, if they don't get the phone back within 7 days, then the price is still $455 to replace the phone.
This info is for T-Mobile USA. I have no idea if international branches of T-Mobile have adopted the same policy, and I have no idea if this applies to other phones as well (I am just restating what the customer care rep told me.)

So I can crack my screen completely and it will only cost 115 still? Or is that just for rooted devices? Because if you hard-brick the device, TMobile has no way of knowing that it was rooting considering they can't even turn it on.

Also just got mail that the insurance is increasing by $2 to $7.99 but you get free Mobile Security from Asurion included in that....Samsung Vibrant is only included in PLAN D of the insurance which is $130 deductible and a claim limit amount of $1000.

Confused. So hypothetically if I destroy my phone to the point it doesn't even power on, I can call them and send it in to get a refurb one for $115?
Does it apply only if its bricked? If it's broken physically...like screen or something internal, can I still do that?

Mine says LOSS THEFT DAMAGE or MALFUNCTION...Drop in water COVERED..Keypad stop working COVERED..etc etc..

Okay, I can see how my 1st post could have been a little confusing. Here's what you should do if you need to send in your vibrant.
First and foremost, if you CAN flash back to stock, DO IT. That is still the only sure-fire way of not having to pay anything and still get a new/refurbished Vibrant out of it.
Second, T-Mobile will charge you the $115 if they find that the phone has hardware damage (red damage indicator, damaged screen, exc.), but can still be repaired. So, if your phone has a cracked screen, for example, it's a better idea to send it in without insurance because insurance costs $130 plus an additional $8 per month. (NOTE: The FFC mod is an irreversible mod. You have cracked open the phone and therefore T-Mobile considers that "physical damage." You cannot swap out the camera for the stock one and re-paint the camera hole and lens.)
Third, T-Mobile will charge you the $115 if they find that the phone has been rooted or modded in any way in terms of software.
However, the chances of T-Mobile finding anything out about software modification is unlikely. At the T-Mobile processing center, they have some magic way of taking out the internal SD card without triggering the damage indicator. After they have done that, what they are SUPPOSED to do is attempt to find any data on the internal SD card that would reveal whether the phone was rooted or not (working superuser app, exc.). However, this process is long, tedious and boring as hell so what a lot of employees do is just skip the part where they examine the internal SD card and just format the thing without looking at it. To prove it, when I sent in that hard-bricked vibrant, it had a GT-I9000 bootloader on it plus CM7 and numerous ROM.zip files on it. I was not charged anything for that Vibrant.
Moral of the story: Don't buy the insurance for the Samsung Vibrant under any circumstances. Unless it goes down in price (which I seriously doubt it will), it is a complete waste of money. You will save money by going uninsured. Also, don't freak out if your Vibrant has software on it that you can't get rid of for some reason. In all likelihood, T-Mobile won't find anything.
Second moral of the story: DO NOT think that you will only get charged $115 if you choose NOT to send the broken Vibrant back to T-Mobile. They will charge you the ridiculous amount of approximately $455.18.
P.S. If anyone finds out the way that T-Mobile is able to open up the phone without tripping the damage indicator, PLEASE TELL US! If that info gets out, then I will do that FFC mod so fast you won't know what hit you!

I just walked in my tmobil store and told them my phone was messing up. And they sent me a new one. No cost at all to me except for that 8.00. So in my opinion insurance is good. For us if we have the old insurance is fantastic.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App

Do you get a brand new phone as a replacement if you have insurance?

Refurbished, most likely previous phones that were sent in from people like yourself and fixed up.

yah mine was refurbished, but brand spanking new! in my opinion the insurance is the best deal tmobile has!

I actually prefer the refurbished units since they are actually tested and everything should work on it (including GPS, mine locks 8 birds within 3 seconds).

30000 said:
Okay, I can see how my 1st post could have been a little confusing. Here's what you should do if you need to send in your vibrant.
First and foremost, if you CAN flash back to stock, DO IT. That is still the only sure-fire way of not having to pay anything and still get a new/refurbished Vibrant out of it.
Second, T-Mobile will charge you the $115 if they find that the phone has hardware damage (red damage indicator, damaged screen, exc.), but can still be repaired. So, if your phone has a cracked screen, for example, it's a better idea to send it in without insurance because insurance costs $130 plus an additional $8 per month. (NOTE: The FFC mod is an irreversible mod. You have cracked open the phone and therefore T-Mobile considers that "physical damage." You cannot swap out the camera for the stock one and re-paint the camera hole and lens.)
Third, T-Mobile will charge you the $115 if they find that the phone has been rooted or modded in any way in terms of software.
However, the chances of T-Mobile finding anything out about software modification is unlikely. At the T-Mobile processing center, they have some magic way of taking out the internal SD card without triggering the damage indicator. After they have done that, what they are SUPPOSED to do is attempt to find any data on the internal SD card that would reveal whether the phone was rooted or not (working superuser app, exc.). However, this process is long, tedious and boring as hell so what a lot of employees do is just skip the part where they examine the internal SD card and just format the thing without looking at it. To prove it, when I sent in that hard-bricked vibrant, it had a GT-I9000 bootloader on it plus CM7 and numerous ROM.zip files on it. I was not charged anything for that Vibrant.
Moral of the story: Don't buy the insurance for the Samsung Vibrant under any circumstances. Unless it goes down in price (which I seriously doubt it will), it is a complete waste of money. You will save money by going uninsured. Also, don't freak out if your Vibrant has software on it that you can't get rid of for some reason. In all likelihood, T-Mobile won't find anything.
Second moral of the story: DO NOT think that you will only get charged $115 if you choose NOT to send the broken Vibrant back to T-Mobile. They will charge you the ridiculous amount of approximately $455.18.
P.S. If anyone finds out the way that T-Mobile is able to open up the phone without tripping the damage indicator, PLEASE TELL US! If that info gets out, then I will do that FFC mod so fast you won't know what hit you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I didn't get insurance to replace my phone in case of damage via rooting. I got insurance to repalce my phone if I lose it, drop it in water, or if it gets stolen.
Also, what damage indicator are you talking about?

anthonys2r said:
Refurbished, most likely previous phones that were sent in from people like yourself and fixed up.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, I have the insurance but haven't used yet. If you get a refurbished phone after paying deductible then its not with it for me, might just cancel mine
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

SamsungVibrant said:
Also, what damage indicator are you talking about?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's the liquid damage indicator. it's the white square underneath the battery right by the battery connection. it turns red if it gets wet.

VICosPhi said:
Thanks, I have the insurance but haven't used yet. If you get a refurbished phone after paying deductible then its not with it for me, might just cancel mine
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you pay deductible, you get a new phone not refurb. Only time you might get refurb is when you do a warranty exchange. Warranty exchanges are at no cost. Insurance is 7.99 a month but like any insurance, its there in case you need it. You loose, break, get it wet or it gets stolen then you are covered. Just like car insurance, you could pay insurance for years and never use it, but then again if you are in a wreck or it gets stolen, then you are happy u did. Without insurance, you are screwed. Remember warranty is only for a year w/o extended warranty. Insurance extends your warranty for life of phone
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

+1 on what he said!

funeralthirst said:
it's the liquid damage indicator. it's the white square underneath the battery right by the battery connection. it turns red if it gets wet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know about the liquid indicator, but that's not what 30000 was talking about. 30000 was talking about a different damage indicator.
30000 said:
30000 said:
At the T-Mobile processing center, they have some magic way of taking out the internal SD card without triggering the damage indicator.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What damage indicator?

Marvlet said:
If you pay deductible, you get a new phone not refurb. Only time you might get refurb is when you do a warranty exchange. Warranty exchanges are at no cost. Insurance is 7.99 a month but like any insurance, its there in case you need it. You loose, break, get it wet or it gets stolen then you are covered. Just like car insurance, you could pay insurance for years and never use it, but then again if you are in a wreck or it gets stolen, then you are happy u did. Without insurance, you are screwed. Remember warranty is only for a year w/o extended warranty. Insurance extends your warranty for life of phone
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not true, there is a 95% chance that you will get a refurb. All T-mobile reps will tell you that you will either get a refurbished or new device. They will also tell you right after that, that you will most likely get a refurb. I've talked to them for hours and fought with supervisors and such just trying NOT to get a refurb. I know most people think that the refurbished phones are inspected, this is also a load of bs. They are not inspected, they fix the problem that was there and make sure that and ONLY that is fixed. They do not check any other part of the phone.

mugenfiji0327 said:
This is not true, there is a 95% chance that you will get a refurb. All T-mobile reps will tell you that you will either get a refurbished or new device. They will also tell you right after that, that you will most likely get a refurb. I've talked to them for hours and fought with supervisors and such just trying NOT to get a refurb. I know most people think that the refurbished phones are inspected, this is also a load of bs. They are not inspected, they fix the problem that was there and make sure that and ONLY that is fixed. They do not check any other part of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Insurance and warranty exchange are 2 different things. With warranty exchange its new or refurb, cant guarantee one or the other. Most times its refurb. With insurance which is NOT thru T-mobile but thru Assurion, when you file a claim and pay the deductible, you get a new phone.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Marvlet said:
Insurance and warranty exchange are 2 different things. With warranty exchange its new or refurb, cant guarantee one or the other. Most times its refurb. With insurance which is NOT thru T-mobile but thru Assurion, when you file a claim and pay the deductible, you get a new phone.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope failed again. I will call Asurion right now and go through the process of having my phone replaced and record it just to prove it to you if you would like me to. They do not send out new products man, I know this for a fact. Think about it man, if they sent out new devices everytime someone called in for a problem, none of the companies involved would make any money on that phone which is what they want, MONEY. That includes T-mobile, Asurion and Samsung. Every electronics store I have ever bought from uses them as their insurance program. Best Buy,Verizon,T-Mobile etc. Every time I've had something replaced through any of those companys it has and ALWAYS WILL BE a refurb. I work for Verizon and guess what, everytime someone comes in for us to call Asurion for them or even if they call themselves they still get a REFURB. I used to work for Best Buy and on top of that I worked in the Geek Squad for Best Buy and did most of the insurance claims when people came through. Guess what, all of my customers got REFURBS. I'm done arguing with you and I think I have made my point.