Database Users

[Q] Warranty Exchange w/ T-Mobile

So I had to go through warranty exchange with Customer Care since my volume rocker and bezel are loosening. I am past the 14-day exchange window so the stores will not do anything for me. One thing I was insistent on is that I did not want a refurbished unit (the device is less than 30-days old, why should I accept a refurbished unit?). The customer care associate was pretty insistent himself in telling me that he cannot request a new unit for me, however it is a "great possibility" that I would receive a new unit due to the phone being pretty new. I reluctantly agreed to have the replacement shipped to me, since they refused to let me do an in-store exchange.
Has anyone gone through this with their Vibrant? I'm looking to find people who have received warranty replacements from Customer Care, if anyone has gotten a new or a refurbed unit. Bottom line, I will not accept a refurbished unit. I figured worse comes to worse, I will send the refurbed one back and continue to ***** with them over the phone.
I'm flipping pissed too, because it was just so unnoticeable during the first 14-days, and then it inherently got worse with normal use. So now I'm feeling stuck. I do not know if the rep was telling me it will "likely" be a new unit just to get me to stop complaining, or if it's really true.

I'm with you - I wouldn't accept a refurbished unit either. However, since you are out of your 14-days (I assume you don't live in California) I don't think there is much you can do.
How long have you been a T-Mobile customer? The best bet to have issues resolved is always contact retention department. Not only are the employees there more knowledgeable, but based on your tenure with T-Mo, they often will do things for you other reps won't.

How far out of 14 days are you? I would take your box and everything back to the store you got it at and talk to the manager. Just be super nice about it and ask them to see if they can exchange it for you. Sometimes they can make exceptions, I know at my store we do.

I have exchanged phones in the past that were referbs and they come in pristine condition. They are practically brand new and have zero blemishes.
Don't worry about it.
Question though...
What do you mean the bezel is coming loose. I noticed that on the left side of the phone the bezel does not seem to be on correctly like the right side it might just be my eyes though. I hear a lot of squeaking from it though kinda annoying.
My volume button was loose out of the box feels cheap as hell when pressing it but it does not really bother me too much.
Samsungs build quality on the vibrant is very poor.

PathogenX said:
Samsungs build quality on the vibrant is very poor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is perfect. I am quite impressed with the build quality and iPhone4 fanatics who have looked at it have been impressed with it. Their quality control may be poor, but when you get a good one, its terrific.

speoples20 said:
How far out of 14 days are you? I would take your box and everything back to the store you got it at and talk to the manager. Just be super nice about it and ask them to see if they can exchange it for you. Sometimes they can make exceptions, I know at my store we do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone was purchased on launch day, so tomorrow will mark 30-days.
Unfortunately, I already tried returning my phone to the store. They wouldn't take it. They offered to call customer care to send me a refurb, which I declined. Worst part is, I can't try again because I am out of the area where it was purchased (we are on a family plan, the account holder is in Georgia, I'm in New Jersey, and I was on vacation there when we attempted the exchange this past week.) I do have the receipt though and can try at a different store, but I doubt a different store will want to inherit my problem.

DarkAgent said:
I'm with you - I wouldn't accept a refurbished unit either. However, since you are out of your 14-days (I assume you don't live in California) I don't think there is much you can do.
How long have you been a T-Mobile customer? The best bet to have issues resolved is always contact retention department. Not only are the employees there more knowledgeable, but based on your tenure with T-Mo, they often will do things for you other reps won't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We've had T-Mobile since 2002 or 2003, whatever year they first took over Voicestream. If this replacement is a refurb, I will be contacting the retention department.

PathogenX said:
Question though...
What do you mean the bezel is coming loose. I noticed that on the left side of the phone the bezel does not seem to be on correctly like the right side it might just be my eyes though. I hear a lot of squeaking from it though kinda annoying.
My volume button was loose out of the box feels cheap as hell when pressing it but it does not really bother me too much.
Samsungs build quality on the vibrant is very poor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that is what is happening to mine, and it's a defect. The bezel is loose and creaks when held. Also, the volume rocker rattles around in the phone.
I've played with the store display units, as well as another Vibrant we had purchased on our family account, and it has none of these issues. They are solidly built. So it's obvious that some of batches weren't properly assembled.

At my T-Mobile location my rep was having problems with her Vibrant and decided to try to tough it out. She did some master resets and didn't exchange within 14 days. She received a refurb from T-Mo.
As a manager I've gotten to the point where refurbs no longer bother me. Most of the time the refurbs come back in excellent condition, especially now that we're doing the certified open box program where people can buy COB phones.

Honestly if you put a refurb and a new vibrant side by side you couldn't tell the difference. If they hadn't said anything you wouldn't have known. Besides it comes with the same 1 year manufactures warranty so its still covered.

Did you purchase the phone at full price or as a subsidy? If at full price you have 30 days to exchange at store.

mesajoejoe said:
Did you purchase the phone at full price or as a subsidy? If at full price you have 30 days to exchange at store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a subsidy.
I know refurbs are supposed to be just as good or even better, but I've never had any luck with anything refurbished. Anything with a screen has always had hairline scratches. Either that or it's very obviously been used with lots of normal wear and tear and marks/scuffs.

MMcCraryNJ said:
Yes, that is what is happening to mine, and it's a defect. The bezel is loose and creaks when held. Also, the volume rocker rattles around in the phone.
I've played with the store display units, as well as another Vibrant we had purchased on our family account, and it has none of these issues. They are solidly built. So it's obvious that some of batches weren't properly assembled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's disappointing to hear... =/
It doesn't bother me too much I would have just perfected a more solid feeling phone.
Besides they charge you $10 to ship it out to you.
I would much rather save those 10 bucks and if the phone has some real issues I will return it. I also don't want to go through the headache of finding all my apps and redownloading them and getting my phone back to the way it previously was. Meh. I will stick with a few creaks here and there.
If you do however decide on doing this please tell us your experience with the referb phone. I am interested.

You whine too much. Who cares what it is. As long as you get a device that is new or refurbed, you won't even be able to tell the difference. Just enjoy your phone. And also, customer retention won't do anything as far as your problem.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

i just recently got a refurb from tmobile and it looks brand new have not had any problems it looks brand new like if it was never used

deviusdragger said:
You whine too much. Who cares what it is. As long as you get a device that is new or refurbed, you won't even be able to tell the difference. Just enjoy your phone. And also, customer retention won't do anything as far as your problem.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, but I don't think I'm being unreasonable in requesting a new 500 dollar item when the one I just purchased was defective. Sure, 6 months down the line, something happens, give me a refurb. That's reasonable because the value of your purchase declines with time and with your own use. 30 days old is brand spanking new, and I should get the same if something is wrong with it.

I have one getting delivered to me today. I've been with T-mobile for close to ten years and they overnight shipped it for free to me. Mine is having an issue when charging where the usb cord is very loose. They rep said I would get a new or like new item but I will also be returning it if it not new. My phone is only 20 days old and I don't trust refurbished units enough when mine is only 20 days old. The loose card is making it so if the phone is not in the right position it won't charge

MMcCraryNJ said:
Sorry, but I don't think I'm being unreasonable in requesting a new 500 dollar item when the one I just purchased was defective. Sure, 6 months down the line, something happens, give me a refurb. That's reasonable because the value of your purchase declines with time and with your own use. 30 days old is brand spanking new, and I should get the same if something is wrong with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL
i thought you bought your phone subsidized?

MMcCraryNJ said:
Sorry, but I don't think I'm being unreasonable in requesting a new 500 dollar item when the one I just purchased was defective. Sure, 6 months down the line, something happens, give me a refurb. That's reasonable because the value of your purchase declines with time and with your own use. 30 days old is brand spanking new, and I should get the same if something is wrong with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your window for a new replacement is 14 days.

I just got a replacement unit from T-Mobile and frankly I have no idea how to tell whether it is new or refurbished. Is there a way to tell? I really don't care if it is refurbished as long as it looks like new and works properly (aside from GPS and compass of course), but I am really curious how you guys are able to tell whether the replacement unit you got is new or not.

[Q] Best way to prep for return?

So I'll be taking this unit back to Staples soon (before the 14 days) for a few reasons, and I was wondering what the best way to clean this thing was? I'm rooted, so I will have to unroot. I changed the wpasupplicant file and added some Transformer widgets/wallpapers, should I remove those too? Or should i just press the side reset button? If you have ever returned one please let me know what you think I should do. Thanks, always appreciate the help.

cdkizzle said:
So I'll be taking this unit back to Staples soon (before the 14 days) for a few reasons, and I was wondering what the best way to clean this thing was? I'm rooted, so I will have to unroot. I changed the wpasupplicant file and added some Transformer widgets/wallpapers, should I remove those too? Or should i just press the side reset button? If you have ever returned one please let me know what you think I should do. Thanks, always appreciate the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unroot and restore. Should be good to go.

Alright sounds good. If they don't let me check fornthis bezel lift right in the store I think Ill just wait for the Sammy 10.1 or just put the money towards a new laptop.
I think the device is great, really not many complaints, but after a bit of use and reflection I think I need a laptop more. Maybe ill buy this Acer again once all the fancy Tegra 3 devices come out and this has gone down a bit. It rrpeally is a great tablet IMO.

Im a staples easy tech. we do returns all the time. just an fyi. if your store is anything like mine. we dont care what condition its in. or what software is on it. if you bring it in. its in the box. its within 14 days, and you have the receipt or proof of purchase. we dont care. we ship it back anyway. we return laptops, desktops, and tablets and dont even bother to turn them on. we mark them as returned and put them in the back for shipment. so you should have no worries.

gh123man said:
Im a staples easy tech. we do returns all the time. just an fyi. if your store is anything like mine. we dont care what condition its in. or what software is on it. if you bring it in. its in the box. its within 14 days, and you have the receipt or proof of purchase. we dont care. we ship it back anyway. we return laptops, desktops, and tablets and dont even bother to turn them on. we mark them as returned and put them in the back for shipment. so you should have no worries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here i work at staples as a easy tech as well.. In my store we just make sure the serial numbers match nd if they do u have the reciept and box we take it back within 14 days.. we end up playing with it ourselves sometimes =] Lol free testing haha but yeah

I am a manager at a staples and while we do not check for root status we do... at my store... check the condition of the unit, that it powers on, and that all the accessories are in the box. If it is physically damaged it is not returned. This is store policy. Anyone here found to be in violation of policy will be written up... if enough times they are not asked back. We like our good sales numbers and weed out the bad apples effectively. Honestly I think it is a shame our own employees talk down about their stores. Anyways you will not have any issues returning it with the root status.
On a lighter note we have not had many returns from the acer... mostly the xoom with the chief complaints involving price and the lack of a functioning micro sd card slot. I am personally waiting for the Toshiba! Keep an eye out!

fredderf81 said:
I am a manager at a staples and while we do not check for root status we do... at my store... check the condition of the unit, that it powers on, and that all the accessories are in the box. If it is physically damaged it is not returned. This is store policy. Anyone here found to be in violation of policy will be written up... if enough times they are not asked back. We like our good sales numbers and weed out the bad apples effectively. Honestly I think it is a shame our own employees talk down about their stores. Anyways you will not have any issues returning it with the root status.
On a lighter note we have not had many returns from the acer... mostly the xoom with the chief complaints involving price and the lack of a functioning micro sd card slot. I am personally waiting for the Toshiba! Keep an eye out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol if your talking about mine and the other staples workers comments.. Then i think you took it the wrong way buddy.. We're not talking down the stores we're just saying ovcourse the OP know's no store will take a return back for a damaged item so we don't even have to put that point out there its clear to everybody.. Other than that nobody here posted anything to downgrade the staples brand it self.. Anyways since your a manager whats the release date on the Samsung and the Toshiba? And which ones.. Cuz my GM told me before but i totally forgot.. So i wanna know so i can maybe return my acer and wait for the toshiba or samsung..

Done this two times now due to wifi and sleep mode issues, so I am a veteran
1. Use Astro to delete the sdcard (internal space), since a LOT of your data will be there and people tend to forget about this space. A reset does NOT clean this space. Astro deletes the content, but not the actual parent directory (it can't) so the device is not "harmed".
2. Reset the device to stock (in setting options) and reboot.
The A500 should reboot and be in set-up mode, just as when you first started out of box.

[Q] Just picked up xoom at Best Buy. Think it might be used?

Hello everyone,
I was just wondering if my supposedly new zoom I just purchased from Best Buy was actually new or a return. It started up like it was new with all the setup stuff. What seemed kind of funny was when a went into my user defined dictionary there was all kinds of foul words in it like it had been used before. also it had software on it that didn't seem like it would come with a new device. Software like Craps, Blacjack, US presidents Trivia, Vampire Trivia just to name a few. Was I sold a used Xoom as New. Thanks for any help.
Keith

My Xoom case was sealed. The Xoom itself was in plastic i hade to take off. And none of the apps you mention was on mine. I have the Wifi Xoom, maybe things is different on the 3g Xoom.
I would consider taking it back.

When you got it, was the seal on the box broken? Did it have the protective film on the screen? If it wasn't like this video when you opened it, I'd say so. And also, was it advertised as completely new, or new condition?

Thanks for Quick reply. I actually never had the box in my hands. I had them put a Zagg screen protector on it. Sales person took it in back room came out with screen protector on it. I think they tried to pull a fast one on me. Some of the words in the user dictionary were f**king bit*h a**hole amoung others.

kbell8653 said:
Thanks for Quick reply. I actually never had the box in my hands. I had them put a Zagg screen protector on it. Sales person took it in back room came out with screen protector on it. I think they tried to pull a fast one on me. Some of the words in the user dictionary were f**king bit*h a**hole amoung others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes....the games installed were a dead giveaway....they sold you a used one, not even reconditioned, because then they would have wiped the data. Someone returned one for whatever reason, and when they took it in back to put the ZAGG on it, they made the swap for some reason.
I would not even bother with dealing with the sales people...take it straight to the manager and raise holy hell. Say your kid had used it for school, found that language in the dictionary...permanently scarred.......going to sue...blah blah. You will come out with a new one and a case AND a giftcard.

Thanks for the help taking back as soon as they open today. I will raise hell with them. This was way out of line. Those salesmen should be fired!

I also have to get all my personal data off here before I return it what a big waste of time.

kbell8653 said:
I also have to get all my personal data off here before I return it what a big waste of time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be careful not to wipe any of the stuff that was already on there.

I would either get a new one or keep the one you got with benefits as some money back or free accessories.
A returned device should always be sold at a lower price and the customer has to be informed that the unit is a returned one.

On a funny side, tell them you are like Jackie Chan you don't curse and don't use guns, and you felt awfully offended by the words specially when your kids are insulting you because they are too smart for that tablet and found the dictionary before you.
Just sayin....
hope you get some goodies.

definitely a used one. maybe a demo one with salesteam. Great advice by folks above.
I used to bought one Samsung Galaxy Tab from Queens Mall Center the Srpnt Sales booth .
It was the last one but the sales person spinning his head(seriously, he spins his head to show definite yes to my question "whether it is a new one") promising that is a new/unopened one.
And guess what?
When I open Samsung Galaxy for the first time, there was one video in the device shooting the booth manager talking to customer (shooting from the manager's back).
I took it back, and show them the video. (strongest evidence I ever had and no dispute whatsoever).
And as a result of being disgusted, I just returned Samsung Galaxy and not planning to buy anyone from sprint for a while.

Take it back!
i had some isues with 3 xooms that google books were not working as youtube icon.
Well after i research the solution of my problem thanks XDA. i went to buy a new one.
Well the sales person at best buy offered me a new one on a seal box for regular price... and also had offered me an opem item while he said he had opened by mistake idk if it was return or not.
Well he offered me return item for $519.00 so i went for it. i got a girft card back for my remaining balance... abotu $70. i got my self a Motorola case $39.99 and i still have some balance on my gift card.
Until then i havent got any problems with it. was clean though.. like new..
Like peple had mention above you should be able to bring it up to Manager and come out with some freebies and some discounts.. good luck!

make sure you tell the manager it is illegal to sell used items as new. tell them you want COMPLETE satisfaction and a reasonable compensation for your time wasted, aggregation caused by their store and to help restore your trust in best buy. remember that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. so stay calm, polite but firm and you could walk out with a major win.

I'd skip going to the store all together and write a scathing, but well worded letter to Best Buy corporate including the store number and all the pertinent information. Tell them you and your son were deeply offended by the words found in the dictionary. Make up some scenario where you were typing in a recipe for fudge in a text message and the dictionary suggested "****" as an alternative.
I've been in a few of these situations and have always found that going directly to corporate yields the best results. Do some Google searching or gather some intel at at the Best Buy in question and find out who the regional manager is. This is the information age and people's contact information isn't hard to get. Get people above the retail level involved and heads will roll, especially in the corporate structure where back stabbery and employees screwing eachother over is common place.
EDIT: Threatening legitimate lawsuits is a definite attention getter, and your case seems quite legitimate.

Can't you just match the serial number on the box with the one in the Xoom to verify if it was swapped?
Definitely go in and speak to a store manager. Threaten to call the BBB and while you're at it try and secure an OTG cable.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

gqstatus0685 said:
Can't you just match the serial number on the box with the one in the Xoom to verify if it was swapped?
Definitely go in and speak to a store manager. Threaten to call the BBB and while you're at it try and secure an OTG cable.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, snatch a free otg cable from them while your at it. It will save you a headache later on... plus you deserve it, I'd be pissed.
I'd be even more pissed if i was that Samsung dude up there.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

I'd take it back and demand some sort of compensation. You're most certainly not the first user.
Mine was an open-box return, but it was flawless as far as I could tell and they gave me $50 bucks off. At least tell them you want some accessories or a BB gift card or something.

jase33 said:
make sure you tell the manager it is illegal to sell used items as new. tell them you want COMPLETE satisfaction and a reasonable compensation for your time wasted, aggregation caused by their store and to help restore your trust in best buy. remember that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. so stay calm, polite but firm and you could walk out with a major win.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would also advise, while saying this do not start taking your pants off. This did not work well for me after following this posters advice.

so what happened?

Check the serial number on the receipt vs the xoom. Tale tale sign.

5 Returned Transformers..

I've been watching this device for a few days now. I've wanted a tablet but can't really rationalize the actual need for it.
I went to Fry's Electronics today in Anaheim, Ca. only to find that their 'STOCK' consisted on 5 opened box 32GB Transformers. No keyboards in stock (Odd) and no 16GBs in stock.
The fact that people are returning them left and right around here has me worried. Granted, the um...indiginous population isn't exactly up to speed with things like roads, traffic laws or lights, or VCRs but hey, someone is buying them bringing them back.
I'm going to wait before I buy one now. I can't seem to get a straight answer on whether or not Google Docs works, if you can edit within the app or the browser.
I assume no one uses these things for business or practical use. Just as toys.
I fought for 2 days to GIVE AWAY 600 bucks for the tablet and keyboard, and fate keeps kicking me down...for good reason I assume.
It's a waste of money, no purpose and no practical application in the business world?
Have I stirred anyone up..wake up!

VoXHTC said:
I'm going to wait before I buy one now. I can't seem to get a straight answer on whether or not Google Docs works, if you can edit within the app or the browser.
I assume no one uses these things for business or practical use. Just as toys. Which is why I haven't gotten answer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except that you did get an answer in your thread here.
Regards,
Dave

Ahh I forgot about that thread.
Well, I edited my OP. Does it not concern anyone that these things are breaking left and right, sleep of death, touchscreens failing...
Unless you're a power user, (not an apple user since it requires basic knowledge of software and the freedom to do what you want to with your purchase of 500 bucks) you're up **** creek without a paddle.
It's almost like people are buying them just to return them...

VoXHTC said:
Ahh I forgot about that thread.
Well, I edited my OP. Does it not concern anyone that these things are breaking left and right, sleep of death, touchscreens failing...
Unless you're a power user, (not an apple user since it requires basic knowledge of software and the freedom to do what you want to with your purchase of 500 bucks) you're up **** creek without a paddle.
It's almost like people are buying them just to return them...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries here..
I *did* have a keyboard doc that 'died' in the sense that the battery stopped charging. Sent it back to Amazon and then ordered a new one.
The TF tablet itself has been flawless. Asus has been doing a great job of keeping the firmware updated - and now has Android 3.1 slated to come out sometime today - so i'm not concerned about any "Day 1" sw issues such as SOD etc.
I haven't experienced any sw issues, but even if I had - it'd be hard to complain too much as quickly as Asus is jumping on these things.
The returns - especially because they're all 32GB - may just be people that placed multiple orders and now they need to return them. They may realize that all they need is 16GB and when their 16GB finally came in they returned the 32GB.
If Fry's is still selling them then I sure as hell would hope that they didn't have any defects.

Seems like the Transformer is not for you. I am very happy with mine. A little light bleed, but less than on the iPad or my Dell 24 inch monitors.
If you can't handle the current state of Honeycomb and apps then get an iPad2 and be happy.
FWIW, I got my transformer at Fry's, a 32 GB unit, with the factory seals intact. I was really surprised they had it in stock.

Light Bleed doesn't really concern me, as that is just "way it is" with phones/tablets.
As far as the current state of honeycomb, it's fine. Your comment is irrevelevent. I'm pro android.
Apple is complete and utter fail. i thought that was clear in my snide remark towards them.. (Apply fangirlz)
The issue with the transformer is the HARDWARE IS FAILING...not the OS. Android rocks.
Android apps rock.
Update today? You say?

Fry's worries me. I returned my first Transformer to Fry's because it was defective, one side of the LCD panel had separated from the glass, there was a inch wide gap the backlighting was visible through and you could push on the glass and see it bending. It was most clearly defective and I showed them the defect. The cashier even took the tablet to someone else and showed them.
Then she comes back, enters "Unwanted" in the computer, and puts a discounted price sticker on it, like they do with a return that was not defective.
So someone is going to get that defective unit.
I did get a second Transformer from Fry's and this one was fine. I'm sure there is a chance something could go wrong with this, but I think it has a one year warranty and I know I'll probably be buying some quad core super tablet a year from now anyway.

just buy a frickin ipad2. If you want a transformer, buy one. If you need to ask, its not for you.

cochese135 said:
just buy a frickin ipad2. If you want a transformer, buy one. If you need to ask, its not for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL. Applefangirlsyndromestrikesatwill.
Are you evolved?

Ravynmagi said:
Fry's worries me. I returned my first Transformer to Fry's because it was defective, one side of the LCD panel had separated from the glass, there was a inch wide gap the backlighting was visible through and you could push on the glass and see it bending. It was most clearly defective and I showed them the defect. The cashier even took the tablet to someone else and showed them.
Then she comes back, enters "Unwanted" in the computer, and puts a discounted price sticker on it, like they do with a return that was not defective.
So someone is going to get that defective unit.
I did get a second Transformer from Fry's and this one was fine. I'm sure there is a chance something could go wrong with this, but I think it has a one year warranty and I know I'll probably be buying some quad core super tablet a year from now anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is how Fry's works.
I bet those five returned Transformers were trashed all to hell, boxed back up to sold again. Only giving a 30 dollar discount on them for being open boxed lol.
It's scary for sure. No one seems to have any new ones anywhere.
Out stock? returned or busted, back ordered.. Sounds like Asus has some work to do.

cochese135 said:
just buy a frickin ipad2. If you want a transformer, buy one. If you need to ask, its not for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he said. I decided to get the tranaformer the day it was announced, sure enough I've been extremely happy with both using it for school and play.
Sent from my Transformer TF101

Go to a forum for any other device. Don't care which one--Apple, HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, Toshiba, Motorola, Samsung, etc., etc.--and you'll find just as many reports of issues. This has been discussed ad nauseum on every forum: negative comments far outweigh positive comments. People ***** far more often than they praise.
If you went by what's reported in forums like this one, you'd never buy ANY product. Of course, some vendors do censor their forums pretty heavily, and so if you go to, say, the official Apple forum, you might not find as many complaints. But that's only because they've been deleted and the user very possibly blocked.

Some of the returns you are seeing could be people who have light bleed issues. I see a lot of threads of people complaining about light bleed. I have light bleed but it isn't debilitating enough for me to make the effort in returning it.(In fact, I don't notice it all unless I'm in a pitch dark room and my screen is on max brightness -- a situation that I'm never in) Though some people here have said that they have been through multiple returns hoping for that perfectly lit screen. Also, some people don't like the build quality (which isn't great) but it's not noticeable with a case.
My tablet has not broken down and I use it extensively. (bought it very close to release date) My Xoom lasted 3 days on light use before it started having screen issues.
You can wait for a better tablet but I use mine a lot for reading and media purposes. Obviously, it depends on the individual on how they will use their tablet. I actually get stuff done with mine (read text/pdf's/spreadsheets and watch lectures/webinars/recorded meetings). It's just like a more portable/convenient computer so if you just watch videos and surf the net at home then you're obviously not going to get stuff done on a tablet either. But, if you are work-oriented type of person then you can definitely find use in this. To say that it is worthless for people like me is a bit ridiculous.
That said, for an excel monkey like me, the current excel apps aren't good enough for me to use my TF over my thinkpad. But, it is still great for viewing and small editing purposes.

VoXHTC said:
This is how Fry's works.
I bet those five returned Transformers were trashed all to hell, boxed back up to sold again. Only giving a 30 dollar discount on them for being open boxed lol.
It's scary for sure. No one seems to have any new ones anywhere.
Out stock? returned or busted, back ordered.. Sounds like Asus has some work to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BestBuy currently has the 16gb in stock
You can check for availability at nowinstock net
Amazon had it in stock for 1hr yesterday. I bought one for $399

VoXHTC said:
LOL. Applefangirlsyndromestrikesatwill.
Are you evolved?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't take comments the wrong way. People are justtired of the "should I buy it" question and "I'm returning mine because...". You just happen to be the 1000th person with this topic so you got the same replies other before have gotten. My advise, go to the store and spend about an hour trying all the tablets: xoom, Acer, Playbook, and TF. Then make a decision. If you need opinions, best to look at old post then to ask to get an idea of what people think. At the end of the day, only your opinion matters more to you.
EEE Pad Transformer sent this

Haha... one of those open box at the Fry's in Anaheim is one I returned. There was moderate to severe light bleed almost all the way around the screen which was unacceptable to me. Just like someone else already said... the employee tagged it for resale as an opened item and said to me "there's nothing wrong with it". Yeah...

For what it's worth Asus consistently gets high marks on the reliability of it's laptops and are ranked even higher than Apple in that regard. Of course, thats not a tablet, but it shows that in the past Asus products have been reliable. When you're buying a $399 product that has barely any margin you can't expect a whole lot in the way of high priced materials, but that doesn't mean that it won't last. Since all of these units will be outdated in a year or two, and since most people on this forum seem to be early adapters who buy the next great item regularly, I can't see the longevity being a problem for most.

I never purchase anything over 50 bucks at Frys aka swep meet. All they do is re package it and put it back on the shelf.

Yeah when I was keeping an eyes out for stock at my local Fry's (3 stores total).
When one store had it as in stock I kinda waited (not knowing if it was a returned or not. Keep checking and when all 3 stores showed in stock I knew they probably got new shipments in. When I went to the one near me they had 4 new in stock.

well, i'm going on tf #3. 2 returned for defects. i really don't know why i'm even trying a third.
both had speaker balance issues. one had severe bleeding - way more than #1 did. #1 had the frame separation issue and slight bleeding, both of which weren't there on day 1.
hell, i was so sure i wasn't coming back to tf that i sold my dock and skin for $150.
so hopefully #3 will be the one i can finally settle with. i can deal with the speaker balance issue and just a bit of bleed, i'm sure the bleed is a technical limitation.

Returning GT 10.1 !

So i received the tablet today from amazon. Upon arrival i noticed the really poor job of packing on amazon's part. The box was a cheap thing box with not type of padding like bubble wrap or packing peanuts. My question is who in their right mind decided to ship a $500 item under such poor conditions. I've bought books on amazon with better packing than this! So i open the boxes and take out the tablet and attempt to power it on. No Dice! In every unboxing that i have seen online the reviewer was able to power on the tablet no power. So i think to myself, ok let me plug this in so i plug it in and press the power button and i see the galaxy tab 10.1 screen so you would think hooray right? Wrong! it immediately changed to to this weird battery power off screen and it was a cycle it would come on the turn off on and of etc.. so i think leave it plugged in for a half hour. i come back to find the tablet doing the same thing over and over and over again. At this point i'm fed up! so i call samsung and they could offer me no better solution but to leave it plugged in two hours straight and attempt to power it on again... really? so i do as i was told and still no cigar. So i realized that there is not much to do but send it back to amazon in the A.M great now i have to deal with then :/ Oh well i guess i'm getting an Ipad2. I am not a fanboy heck im not a fan oh most apple products but come on a $500 dollar product only to arrive DOA doesnt fly. Over all the tab looked nice its really sleek thin and light but i wasnt all that thrilled with the plastic back for $500 i prefer something a little bit more durable like real metal not faux brushed metal. At the end of the day i don't know who is to blame. Amazon for thier poor packaging or samsung for a poor product i feel that i will be much easier to just go into an apple store pick an ipad up and if i have any problems i can just go back to the store in order to return instead of dealing with two companies with mediocre customer service. When i drop that much money on something i expect it to work point blank.

Why not just pick one up at BB? No shipping involved

May be a bad unit? You can call back amazon and ask them to send a replacement. Ok you had a bad experience but this can happen to any device. If you don't want to deal with online, you can always buy from local best buy store.
If you have already decided to buy the ipad, then good luck.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

Since when does Amazon have mediocre customer service? I have nothing but great things to say about Amazon. So you got a faulty product. They'll ship out a replacement and overnight it to you.

When you spend that much money, get it at a local store so ups or amazon or who even doesn't ship it like crap. Sounds like you are just angry you can't simply walk into a local store and exchange it for one of thousands of other perfectly built units...
Lesson learned.

yeah i would of picked it up at BB if it wasn't so cheap on amazon. I live in chicago so Taxes is 10% and out of 500 thats about $50 so its $550 it total. And since im a student i get free amazon prime so i get next day shipping for $4 and amazon doesnt charge taxes so its$504 in total the difference is a pretty big chunk of change in my opinion. I don't know i really want the fastes possible solution because i have a trip coming up so ill talk to amazon tomorrow to see what they can do.

tonyurquiza said:
So i received the tablet today from amazon. Upon arrival i noticed the really poor job of packing on amazon's part. The box was a cheap thing box with not type of padding like bubble wrap or packing peanuts. My question is who in their right mind decided to ship a $500 item under such poor conditions. I've bought books on amazon with better packing than this! So i open the boxes and take out the tablet and attempt to power it on. No Dice! In every unboxing that i have seen online the reviewer was able to power on the tablet no power. So i think to myself, ok let me plug this in so i plug it in and press the power button and i see the galaxy tab 10.1 screen so you would think hooray right? Wrong! it immediately changed to to this weird battery power off screen and it was a cycle it would come on the turn off on and of etc.. so i think leave it plugged in for a half hour. i come back to find the tablet doing the same thing over and over and over again. At this point i'm fed up! so i call samsung and they could offer me no better solution but to leave it plugged in two hours straight and attempt to power it on again... really? so i do as i was told and still no cigar. So i realized that there is not much to do but send it back to amazon in the A.M great now i have to deal with then :/ Oh well i guess i'm getting an Ipad2. I am not a fanboy heck im not a fan oh most apple products but come on a $500 dollar product only to arrive DOA doesnt fly. Over all the tab looked nice its really sleek thin and light but i wasnt all that thrilled with the plastic back for $500 i prefer something a little bit more durable like real metal not faux brushed metal. At the end of the day i don't know who is to blame. Amazon for thier poor packaging or samsung for a poor product i feel that i will be much easier to just go into an apple store pick an ipad up and if i have any problems i can just go back to the store in order to return instead of dealing with two companies with mediocre customer service. When i drop that much money on something i expect it to work point blank.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? return the tablet and go get yourself a ipad. Troll

Hmmhh... Fanboy starts trolling
sent from my Desire...

dazz87 said:
Really? return the tablet and go get yourself a ipad. Troll
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lololol troll?! Well I don't see how im a troll? I mean why would I get a gt in the first place?! I mean this forum is great but then you have people like this who are quick to cry troll. Your quick to judge I didn't even resolve my issue before you open your mouth. I just said I wanted an ipad because I actually used one and ita flawless not gonna lie it feels sturdier os is stable and tons of apps and accessories but I love the Android os and the fact you get to customize it more then IOS. I know honeycomb is practically a beta and unfinished os but I don't mind I know great things are in store for it like windows phone I got it before the nodo update knowing its gonna be a great platform and look now here comes mango to make it a heavy hitter. So so call me a troll I think all the major os,s are great and I give everything a chance.
FYI I talked to Amazon and im giving this tab another shot turns out their chat support runs rings around their phone support. So troll on that!

tonyurquiza said:
lololol troll?! Well I don't see how im a troll? I mean why would I get a gt in the first place?! I mean this forum is great but then you have people like this who are quick to cry troll. Your quick to judge I didn't even resolve my issue before you open your mouth. I just said I wanted an ipad because I actually used one and ita flawless not gonna lie it feels sturdier os is stable and tons of apps and accessories but I love the Android os and the fact you get to customize it more then IOS. I know honeycomb is practically a beta and unfinished os but I don't mind I know great things are in store for it like windows phone I got it before the nodo update knowing its gonna be a great platform and look now here comes mango to make it a heavy hitter. So so call me a troll I think all the major os,s are great and I give everything a chance.
FYI I talked to Amazon and im giving this tab another shot turns out their chat support runs rings around their phone support. So troll on that!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think the legit truth is that you had 3x bad luck. A. terrible packer, B. non working product, C. a complete noob phone support 1st day worker.

I've been an Amazon prime customer for years. Put a request in online for someone to call you. You get a call from their Customer Service in minutes, and they will resolve the issue immediately. I have done this numerous times, and is also why I'm willing to pay 70 dollars a year for Prime.

You know. It sounds to me like what we actually have here is a guy who was too impatient to hold the button down for the 5 seconds required to start the boot up process.
Try it yourself with your tab. First shut it down. Next press the button for a second. What happens? Nothing, black screen. Do this repeatedly, each time just press the on button for less than a second.
Now get fed up and plug it in. What do you see? The battery icon for a little while then nothing. Press the on button for a second. What do you see? The battery icon which goes away after a little while.
So, OP. If you still have the unit, try holding the on button down for 10 seconds and see what happens. If not, Amazon customer service will be happy to accept it as a return. But please, don't bad rap Amazon or Samsung for this problem until you make sure the problem is not yours.

I had the same problem. In my case it was because the battery was totally drained. After charging for 15 minutes it started up just fine and has worked fine ever since. As for Amazon's packaging, the interior of the Tab's box is so well protected, and the box is so light the packaging isn't a problem.

MisterEdF said:
I had the same problem. In my case it was because the battery was totally drained. After charging for 15 minutes it started up just fine and has worked fine ever since. As for Amazon's packaging, the interior of the Tab's box is so well protected, and the box is so light the packaging isn't a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he stated he did as the samsung rep told him and charged it for 2 hours......so it wasnt the battery

tonyurquiza said:
I am not a fanboy heck im not a fan oh most apple products but come on a $500 dollar product only to arrive DOA doesnt fly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be fair, any product of any value will have "some" chance of being DOA. Being DOA doesn't mean it was dead when it left the Samsung factory or Amazon warehouse as it could have died en route (most likely cause as you mentioned the lack of packaging).
tonyurquiza said:
Over all the tab looked nice its really sleek thin and light but i wasnt all that thrilled with the plastic back for $500 i prefer something a little bit more durable like real metal not faux brushed metal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many people said the same thing about the flimsy looking back of the Samsung Galaxy S II. However, I saw this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErXqnQKs-tA and it just goes to show that Samsung really do know how to design products. Although materials may feel lightweight and cheap, I'm fairly sure they'd be robust and reliable. After all, Samsung would incur the cost via warranty repairs if they made it poorer quality so it's probably cheaper for Samsung to use high quality material.
Overall, I do think it is strange for Amazon to provide no packaging protection for an item like this. At the very least, complain to Amazon, they might give you a goodwill gesture coupon/voucher or part refund for the hassle.

Wish some of you immature members would stop calling the OP a troll. No evidence of that. He is just angry and disappointed with the tab. Anyone else who is disappointed should watch out, since we have immature members on this forum that call people trolls out of the blue. Just if I would call those that do just simple minded FanBoys.

you don't even have to call Amazon, just go into your account, choose returns, and choose replacement. They will ship you a new tab overnight (if its currently in stock) And print out a label and drop the old one off at UPS/fedex/usps, whatever carrier they choose.
I get a minimum of 5-10 packages a month from amazon, ive been a Prime member for 3 years at least. Ive seen super expensive items come with the worst packing ever, and some of the cheap items, super secure. I'm not exactly sure why some things are packed better than others. You can go into your account and rate the packaging job on every item you order from them. Anytime something gets damaged I go ahead and do that.

tonyurquiza said:
So i received the tablet today from amazon. Upon arrival i noticed the really poor job of packing on amazon's part. The box was a cheap thing box with not type of padding like bubble wrap or packing peanuts. My question is who in their right mind decided to ship a $500 item under such poor conditions. I've bought books on amazon with better packing than this! So i open the boxes and take out the tablet and attempt to power it on. No Dice! In every unboxing that i have seen online the reviewer was able to power on the tablet no power. So i think to myself, ok let me plug this in so i plug it in and press the power button and i see the galaxy tab 10.1 screen so you would think hooray right? Wrong! it immediately changed to to this weird battery power off screen and it was a cycle it would come on the turn off on and of etc.. so i think leave it plugged in for a half hour. i come back to find the tablet doing the same thing over and over and over again. At this point i'm fed up! so i call samsung and they could offer me no better solution but to leave it plugged in two hours straight and attempt to power it on again... really? so i do as i was told and still no cigar. So i realized that there is not much to do but send it back to amazon in the A.M great now i have to deal with then :/ Oh well i guess i'm getting an Ipad2. I am not a fanboy heck im not a fan oh most apple products but come on a $500 dollar product only to arrive DOA doesnt fly. Over all the tab looked nice its really sleek thin and light but i wasnt all that thrilled with the plastic back for $500 i prefer something a little bit more durable like real metal not faux brushed metal. At the end of the day i don't know who is to blame. Amazon for thier poor packaging or samsung for a poor product i feel that i will be much easier to just go into an apple store pick an ipad up and if i have any problems i can just go back to the store in order to return instead of dealing with two companies with mediocre customer service. When i drop that much money on something i expect it to work point blank.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to let you know, your keyboard does have a spacebar and a period key.

brobits said:
Just to let you know, your keyboard does have a spacebar and a period key.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to let you know, if you actually read his post you'd see he's used both just fine.

Why buy it from BB and pay tax and have 14-day instead of 30-day return policy.