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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.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Good luck, I have to wonder though if the fight, frustration and possible disappointment is really worth it.
Search wasn't working for me so I am going to try my luck with a new topic
My Epic broke a few weeks ago and was denied warranty service, so I suspended my phone service and I will replace my broken screen myself with one from another unit. Assuming Samsung wiped my device during their diagnostics test and my phone would require activation upon boot, will I be able to use my phone without cellular data/voice until I decide to resume my service?
I've read up that the G1s and Droids can be used unactivated by touching the screen corners and I have a link that says the Fascinate can be used with a dialer code (http://androidforums.com/fascinate-tips-tricks/171348-bypass-fascinate-activation-screen.html)
Would any of those work?
Pic of the broken sAMOLED:
http://tibwolf.smugmug.com/photos/1090857987_wGDm8-XL.jpg
Assuming I'm understanding your question right, the answer should be yes. Sprint sent me a replacement phone when mine was just SUCKING BATTERY. I "switched" the activation from one phone to the other a call to Sprint. When the service was switched, I turned the old phone back on, and it worked on wifi only (no cell or data connection). I'm assuming that signing back in to the market via my Gmail account would have worked fine, but I can't tell for absolutely certain as I didn't actually try it. SHOULD work though. If someone has a more concrete answer, that'd be great.
Why not pay the $35 at a sprint store for repair? We have to do these and evo's often.
And on topic yes market and email etc work on wifi without being activated.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
You should be able to. I was using my hero as an mp3 player for a little while after I got my epic. The only problem I ran into was I couldn't sign into the android market on my hero if I was using the same gmail address on my epic
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Sprint fixed my strewn for free. They actually gabe me a new phone at the store since they didn't have the parts. I called and made an appointment but they don't know what happened to my part
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I don't have TEP so the Sprint store wanted nothing to do with me.
I bought a replacement shell with screen on ebay for $35 so I will repair it myself. Samsung wanted $150 to repair it and every single Samsung rep I've talked to on the phone said that their warranty never covers a broken screen under any circumstances.
Hopefully I can make sure I have a working phone before I go off to bootcamp
Thanks for the input guys
tibwolf said:
I don't have TEP so the Sprint store wanted nothing to do with me.
I bought a replacement shell with screen on ebay for $35 so I will repair it myself. Samsung wanted $150 to repair it and every single Samsung rep I've talked to on the phone said that their warranty never covers a broken screen under any circumstances.
Hopefully I can make sure I have a working phone before I go off to bootcamp
Thanks for the input guys
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Since you already bought the screen, this isn't really necessary, but I work at Sprint and with TEP it is a free repair. Without it is $35. I promise! In another thread someone argued that this was not true, but it surely is. I'd be happy to take a pic of an eticket for someone without tep and it clearly shows the $35 charge populated for cracked/damaged screen.
I should mention I didn't purchase any insurance on the phone at all ($71.76 a month after all fees and taxes)
The manager at the Sprint store I went to, which also happens to be the only store in the area authorized for repairs, said that TEP would have been $35 out of pocket, and regular insurance would be $100. Once I said I had no insurance he pointed to a phone and said it was Samsung's problem
tibwolf said:
I should mention I didn't purchase any insurance on the phone at all ($71.76 a month after all fees and taxes)
The manager at the Sprint store I went to, which also happens to be the only store in the area authorized for repairs, said that TEP would have been $35 out of pocket, and regular insurance would be $100. Once I said I had no insurance he pointed to a phone and said it was Samsung's problem
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If they are corporate or preferred then they are seriously misinformed. The insurance is only for lost/stolen, liquid, or device is in 3 or more pieces. All housing/screen other than that is covered for free if you have TEP or ESRP, but if you only have ERP or NOTHING, then its $35 charge with the option to add tep after the repair or replacement.
I'd complain if they are a corporate or preferred store. If that's the case they are basically saying that they didn't feel like dealing with you, or they have not been properly trained on the new policies.
tibwolf I'm in the same situation as you ... can you tell me how it went? How difficult was it to actually replace it? I couldn't find instructions on the web.
I had my Epic for over two weeks before I activated it and it worked fine as everything but a phone. There were no tricks involved at all - I even did the Google setup so I could access the market, Gmail, etc.
I got mine @ the Bestbuy mobile store. The rep there said that Android based phones have to be actived to be used and that was the reason I couldn't play with a real one before purchasing. He would let me play with a Blackberry though.
Overstew said:
I got mine @ the Bestbuy mobile store. The rep there said that Android based phones have to be actived to be used and that was the reason I couldn't play with a real one before purchasing. He would let me play with a Blackberry though.
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For him to say "android" based phones have to be activated is false. i had my htc hero without being activated and performed a factory reset and i just walked through the setup with wifi and I could do everything on the phone except the phone. When i bought my epic 4g, It was not activated yet I turned it on and messed around with it.
I hope this helps you out!
p.s - i dunno if this matters but both phones had been previously activated but were unactivated through sprint.
Sincerely,
D3luSi0n4L
I can confirm that you can sprint does repair cracked screens for $35 ( I also smashed mine with no (none of any kind) insurance. You can also use your phone through wifi by skipping activation.
You can bring it to sprint even if you have no account with them?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
ramsestut said:
If they are corporate or preferred then they are seriously misinformed. The insurance is only for lost/stolen, liquid, or device is in 3 or more pieces. All housing/screen other than that is covered for free if you have TEP or ESRP, but if you only have ERP or NOTHING, then its $35 charge with the option to add tep after the repair or replacement.
I'd complain if they are a corporate or preferred store. If that's the case they are basically saying that they didn't feel like dealing with you, or they have not been properly trained on the new policies.
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^This. There was a recent policy change and this is now the policy. If it is repairable, the repair is free with insurance or $35 without. If it is non-repairable, water damaged, or stolen, then you can get a replacement under insurance and nothing without insurance.
Overstew said:
I got mine @ the Bestbuy mobile store. The rep there said that Android based phones have to be actived to be used and that was the reason I couldn't play with a real one before purchasing. He would let me play with a Blackberry though.
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I had a Best Buy guy tell me the same thing and I had to correct him. Best Buy in my area doesnt know much about the phones they sell. I had my Epic for awhile and never had it activated, but I could use it on wifi for everything other than calls. I finally decided to acitvate it and switched back and forth for some time, flipping between my Evo and Epic. Both worked over Wifi, and still functioned without wifi, when not activated on Sprint. Same with my old Hero.
DiGi760 said:
^This. There was a recent policy change and this is now the policy. If it is repairable, the repair is free with insurance or $35 without. If it is non-repairable, water damaged, or stolen, then you can get a replacement under insurance and nothing without insurance.
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Does this include parts? Also what kind of things can they replace? The bezel around my screen on the sides has hairline scratches that kinda bug me, I wouldn't mind paying $35 it they'd completely replace it. Please let me know asap!
Thanks!
D3luSi0n4L
What the f*** Tmobile? I just asked for a warranty replacement for my Samsung Vibrant (dead usb) port, and while it is second hand, the IMEI is on my account but Tmobile says it is not under warranty! They need a proof of purchase to verify the warranty!
yup. phone warranty isn't transferable. try contacting samsung.
So I have this second hand also but I buy the $6 insurance that doesn't work?
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But did TMobile change their policy? My previous second hand phones had no problems with warranty.
if you do not have insurance on the phone, than yes to use the warranty it has to be the phone that was purchased. Second hand phones will not be covered.
HOWEVER if you do have insurance, as long as it is a registered T-Mobile device (IE it says "T-Mobile" on it) than they WILL replace it. If the store that you go to gives you trouble with it, call T-Mobiles customer service number, and they will either tell the rep that it is okay to do it, OR ship you out a new phone, and you will have to mail your old one in. ( if you dont mail it in within a time frame, you will be charged full retail for the phone that was mailed to you )
If you call assurion which is the insurance company that does the claims they will help u I had the same priblem they helped me dont go thru t mobile they will give u a song n dance
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javolin13 said:
if you do not have insurance on the phone, than yes to use the warranty it has to be the phone that was purchased. Second hand phones will not be covered.
HOWEVER if you do have insurance, as long as it is a registered T-Mobile device (IE it says "T-Mobile" on it) than they WILL replace it. If the store that you go to gives you trouble with it, call T-Mobiles customer service number, and they will either tell the rep that it is okay to do it, OR ship you out a new phone, and you will have to mail your old one in. ( if you dont mail it in within a time frame, you will be charged full retail for the phone that was mailed to you )
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Basically this.
Its the most detailed one here and explains all options.
I have gone through t mobile and have had no issues with warranty exchange as long as you have the insurance before you get the second hand phone!!! It may also depend on what state you are in??????
Follow jAvilon13 advice you are doing anything in a store yoiu are doing it via phone
Ok so here is my situation. I have a few lines on my evo where he pixels are dead and no longer work. I went in to sprint the other day to get a replacement and found out that my father who is in charge of the account had canceled the insurance unfortunately this means i would have to pay o get another one and sprint won't let me add insurance. I was thinking to myself today and was wondering if i could get away with giving my phone to a friend who does have insurance and having him swap it out for another one. would this be possible?
SuperSonicEJ8 said:
Ok so here is my situation. I have a few lines on my evo where he pixels are dead and no longer work. I went in to sprint the other day to get a replacement and found out that my father who is in charge of the account had canceled the insurance unfortunately this means i would have to pay o get another one and sprint won't let me add insurance. I was thinking to myself today and was wondering if i could get away with giving my phone to a friend who does have insurance and having him swap it out for another one. would this be possible?
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If you "swap" with your friend, you'll actually have to activate the phone on his account (you can do it through the sprint website). When you activate a phone, it asks if you want insurance on it, just say yes.
SuperSonicEJ8 said:
Ok so here is my situation. I have a few lines on my evo where he pixels are dead and no longer work. I went in to sprint the other day to get a replacement and found out that my father who is in charge of the account had canceled the insurance unfortunately this means i would have to pay o get another one and sprint won't let me add insurance. I was thinking to myself today and was wondering if i could get away with giving my phone to a friend who does have insurance and having him swap it out for another one. would this be possible?
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Technically yes....but it is frowned upon
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All you have to do is activate any old junky Sprint phone on your line. Once you do the swap it will ask if you want insurance, select yes and it's added to your line. Then you can swap back tot he EVO and get it covered. In the past when I did this I just used the crap phone for 2 days, then used my good phone for 2 days. Shows that it works and sends/receives texts/calls/data. Then I took it in to the store and got my replacement/repair. You can cancel insurance after if you want. I keep insurance on my expensive phones at least a year though.
Wrong! That would be considered a warranty issue and doesn't need to go through insurance.
Call Sprint and speak to the warranty department. I just got my Evo replaced for free through warranty because of light leakage, one flash led not working and a light spot on my screen.
Your phone if experiencing WARRANTY issues. Dont listen to the other replies because they are wrong.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Yeah that's a warranty issue. As long as the phone isn't rooted and stock is loaded, they should address it as a warranty issue. If they won't replace it as a warranty, which they should, then do the other thing that they listed, and try again before taking an insurance claim.
well i had a samsung transform then a friend of mine was selling his evo and i got it added it to mine and got a new one 3 weeks later as long ad the serial number is open u can get it to ya buddy and do tha swap thang
but he as to use it for a few days to not look suspicious you know what im saying
now i have a brand new evo with warranty all for a 100 bucks thats a win
gqstatus0685 said:
Wrong! That would be considered a warranty issue and doesn't need to go through insurance.
Call Sprint and speak to the warranty department. I just got my Evo replaced for free through warranty because of light leakage, one flash led not working and a light spot on my screen.
Your phone if experiencing WARRANTY issues. Dont listen to the other replies because they are wrong.
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bingo .
Yep, thats a hardware failure, which is covered under the warranty for one year. You do NOT need insurance to get this fixed. If you have had the phone for over a year (which nobody has yet, since it came out in june last year) then insurance would get it fixed. But you are still within a year. Go back to the store, talk to the manager, and explain how its a hardware failure.
If that doesnt work, call *2, talk to account services, tell them you will cancel your account if they dont fix it.
thanks for all of the advice everyone. I didn't expect everyone to be this nice. I am going to try *2 tomorrow morning and see how that goes. If i can't make any progress there then I will have to go the frowned upon route.
Warranty issues will usually render a $35 fee. They are no longer covered under the new TEP policy. Or you'll be sent to HTC to deal with them but hope all goes good for you
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cor4twenty said:
Warranty issues will usually render a $35 fee. They are no longer covered under the new TEP policy. Or you'll be sent to HTC to deal with them but hope all goes good for you
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This.
I think people in this thread are getting confused. He's not talking about filing an insurance claim for this. He's talking about the $35 fee that service centers charge to repair or exchange a device that does not have TEP, there is no "warranty". Warranty only applies for the first year on replacement batteries.
Sunsparc said:
This.
..there is no "warranty". Warranty only applies for the first year on replacement batteries.
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Um, then why does it say this on page 181 of the Evo 4G user manual?:
Manufacturer’s Warranty
12 Month Limited Warranty
HTC Corporation (the Company) warrants to the original retail purchaser of this HTC handheld portable
cellular telephone, that should this product or any part thereof during normal consumer usage and
conditions, be proven defective in material or workmanship that results in product failure within the first
twelve (12) month period from the date of purchase, such defect(s) will be repaired or replaced (with new or
rebuilt parts) at the Company’s option, without charge for parts or labor directly related to the defect(s).
The antenna, keypad, display, rechargeable battery and battery charger, if included, are similarly warranted
for twelve (12) months from date of purchase.
This Warranty extends only to consumers who purchase the product in the United States or Canada and it is
not transferable or assignable.
This Warranty does not apply to:
(a) Product subjected to abnormal use or conditions, accident, mishandling, neglect, unauthorized
alteration, misuse, improper installation or repair or improper storage;
(b) Product whose mechanical serial number or electronic serial number has been removed, altered or
defaced;
(c) Damage from exposure to moisture, humidity, excessive temperatures or extreme environmental
conditions;
(d) Damage resulting from connection to, or use of any accessory or other product not approved or
authorized by the Company;
(e) Defects in appearance, cosmetic, decorative or structural items such as framing and non-operative
parts;
(f) Product damaged from external causes such as fire, flooding, dirt, sand, weather conditions, battery
leakage, blown fuse, theft or improper usage of any electrical source
The Company disclaims liability for removal or reinstallation of the product, for geographic coverage, for
inadequate signal reception by the antenna or for communications range or operation of the cellular system
as a whole.
Before sending your wireless device to HTC Corporation for repair or service, please note that any personal
data or software stored on the device may be inadvertently erased or altered. Therefore, we strongly
recommend you make a back up copy of all data and software contained on your device before submitting
it for repair or service. This includes all contact lists, downloads (i.e. third-party software applications,
ring tones, games and graphics) and any other data added to your device. In addition, if your wireless device
utilizes a SIM or Multimedia card, please remove the card before submitting the device and store for later use
when your device is returned, HTC Corporation is not responsible for and does not guarantee restoration of
any third-party software, personal information or memory data contained in, stored on, or integrated with any
wireless device, whether under warranty or not, returned to HTC Corporation for repair or service.
To obtain repairs or replacement within the terms of this Warranty, the product should be delivered with proof
of Warranty coverage (e.g. dated bill of sale), the consumer’s return address, daytime phone number or fax
number and complete description of the problem, transportation prepaid. Please follow the steps at
www.htc.com/us/support or return to the place of purchase for repair or replacement processing. In addition,
for reference to an authorized Warranty station in your area, you may telephone in the United States
+1(866) 449-8358.
THE EXTENT OF THE COMPANY’S LIABILITY UNDER THIS WARRANTY IS LIMITED TO THE REPAIR OR
REPLACEMENT PROVIDED ABOVE AND, IN NO EVENT, SHALL THE COMPANY’S LAIBILITY EXCEED THE
PURCHASE PRICE PAID BY PURCHASER FOR THE PRODUCT.
ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE DURATION OF THIS WRITTEN WARRANTY.
ANY ACTION FOR BREACH OF ANY WARRANTY MUST BE BROUGHT WITHIN A PERIOD OF 18 MONTHS
FROM DATE OF ORIGINAL PURCHASE. IN NO CASE SHALL THE COMPANY BE LIABLE FOR AN SPECIAL
CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF THIS OR ANY OTHER WARRANTY,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WHATSOEVER. THE COMPANY SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR THE DELAY IN
RENDERING SERVICE UNDER THIS WARRANTY OR LOSS OF USE DURING THE TIME THE PRODUCT IS
BEING REPAIRED OR REPLACED.
No person or representative is authorized to assume for the Company any liability other than expressed
herein in connection with the sale of this product.
Some states or provinces do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts or the exclusion or
limitation of incidental or consequential damage so the above limitation or exclusions may not apply to you.
This Warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights, which vary from state to
state.
IN USA AND CANADA: Please go to www.htc.com/us/support
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Yes you have warranty with HTC bit its not something that Sprint will honor themselves without the $35 fee. There is no need for a fee however if you deal directly with HTC which usually involves mailing the phone to them.
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cor4twenty said:
Yes you have warranty with HTC bit its not something that Sprint will honor themselves without the $35 fee. There is no need for a fee however if you deal directly with HTC which usually involves mailing the phone to them.
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Um, they should..
Please follow the steps at
www.htc.com/us/support or return to the place of purchase for repair or replacement processing.
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No this changed a few months ago. Its cool for older phones past warranty that would've been SOL without TEP cuz $35 gets them a new one. But unfortunately for phones that don't have insurance even with warranty there is no longer a free fix or replace policy at repair centers. Any work done or replacement would require a $35 fee.
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http://www.phonenews.com/sprint-re-clarifies-35-warranty-fee-calls-it-a-service-offering-13349/
Straight from sprint website
http://shop2.sprint.com/en/services/service_repair/in_store_service.shtml
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cor4twenty said:
No this changed a few months ago. Its cool for older phones past warranty that would've been SOL without TEP cuz $35 gets them a new one. But unfortunately for phones that don't have insurance even with warranty there is no longer a free fix or replace policy at repair centers. Any work done or replacement would require a $35 fee.
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Nickel and diming by sprint once again
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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.
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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!
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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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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
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SamsungVibrant said:
Also, what damage indicator are you talking about?
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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
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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
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+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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.