Database Users

Atrix Fingerprint and Camera issues --- ATT says too bad, so sad

I've had my Atrix for about 6 months and suffered through the normal issues without complaining (occasional random reboots & lockups, flaky fingerprint scanner, etc).
Recently my fingerprint scanner stopped working completely. In the past I've been able to get it started again by removing the battery, that doesn't help anymore -- it's completely dead. I've see some posts about cleaning the scanner pad, I may have to try that.
Additionally I now have a black spot in my photos and videos. There's apparently some debris under my camera lens; the spot moves around but it's always there.
I called the ATT handset warranty center expecting them to swap it out for a refurb unit; this isn't ideal but better than what I have. Instead here's the answer I got:
Fingerprint Scanner: "Motorola tells us this isn't a warrantable concern, you have alternate methods to unlock your screen". You can call Motorola directly to see if they'll do anything for you.
Debris inside the camera lens: "Oh, that voids your warranty." I advised the lens is a sealed unit and the debris must have been in there since day one. Their argument is that since I just noticed it now (i.e. it just loosened up and moved into an area where it's noticeable) it is not a warrantable concern and by the way it also voids my phone's warranty.
I'm floored by both answers and pretty shocked. The customer service agent was very matter-of-fact and I know she's reciting the company line.
Anbody have a similar experience?

buschman69 said:
I've had my Atrix for about 6 months and suffered through the normal issues without complaining (occasional random reboots & lockups, flaky fingerprint scanner, etc).
Recently my fingerprint scanner stopped working completely. In the past I've been able to get it started again by removing the battery, that doesn't help anymore -- it's completely dead. I've see some posts about cleaning the scanner pad, I may have to try that.
Additionally I now have a black spot in my photos and videos. There's apparently some debris under my camera lens; the spot moves around but it's always there.
I called the ATT handset warranty center expecting them to swap it out for a refurb unit; this isn't ideal but better than what I have. Instead here's the answer I got:
Fingerprint Scanner: "Motorola tells us this isn't a warrantable concern, you have alternate methods to unlock your screen". You can call Motorola directly to see if they'll do anything for you.
Debris inside the camera lens: "Oh, that voids your warranty." I advised the lens is a sealed unit and the debris must have been in there since day one. Their argument is that since I just noticed it now (i.e. it just loosened up and moved into an area where it's noticeable) it is not a warrantable concern and by the way it also voids my phone's warranty.
I'm floored by both answers and pretty shocked. The customer service agent was very matter-of-fact and I know she's reciting the company line.
Anbody have a similar experience?
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Click to collapse
I have stuff under my front facing camera ,it looks like dust and it is very noticeable. The camera on the back i can see a smudge that is under the lense. You can see it when you go to take a picture. It was caused when i was at Red Lobster, my dad spilled water on my phone and the water leaked under the glass but now it is all gone and it has left behind dust. I have also been experiencing the screen doing things by itself , uncontrolable movement causing me to have to lock and relock the device for it to become usable again. I called ATT and told them everything and NONE of the water circles that determine water damage have changed colors , they are all white. Att said it would cost 150$ for a new phone. Basiclly with me paying 5$ a month for insurance for my phone and then when i have a problem it costs 150$ for a new one? or even a used one i don't see the point in having insurance !

firefox3 said:
Att said it would cost 150$ for a new phone. Basiclly with me paying 5$ a month for insurance for my phone and then when i have a problem it costs 150$ for a new one? or even a used one i don't see the point in having insurance !
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Click to collapse
Not any more. Check with AT&T again. The warranty cost went up a month or so ago, and the deductible for the Atrix is now $199. I think it went up in October if I remember correctly.

yea my fp scanners dead

This is why I don't bother with buying insurance on my phones anymore. Most of the time you're just paying a monthly fee for nothing, and when something does go wrong, you get screwed anyway.

CaelanT said:
Not any more. Check with AT&T again. The warranty cost went up a month or so ago, and the deductible for the Atrix is now $199. I think it went up in October if I remember correctly.
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Click to collapse
They just dropped the atrix 4g down to a tier 2 device so the deductible is $125 now according to at&ts website.
I've switched back to my nexus one for now because my atrix was giving me too many issues. 4-5 battery pulls a day because of screen freezes. Touch screen firing erratically, overheating and shutting down, random reboots, wifi unable to connect unless I restart. It occurs regardless of what rom or kernel including stock everything (it started before I started flashing so I actually thought it was stock issues). Debating which course of action to take with it but I don't have insurance and its bootloader unlocked which may or may not cause issues if I go to Motorola (always a case by case basis i suppose)

lostinbeta said:
I've switched back to my nexus one for now because my atrix was giving me too many issues. 4-5 battery pulls a day because of screen freezes. Touch screen firing erratically, overheating and shutting down, random reboots, wifi unable to connect unless I restart. It occurs regardless of what rom or kernel including stock everything (it started before I started flashing so I actually thought it was stock issues).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never had such a thing happen to my phone.
knock wood.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

lostinbeta said:
They just dropped the atrix 4g down to a tier 2 device so the deductible is $125 now according to at&ts website.
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Click to collapse
I stand corrected! Funny how they changed the Atrix back after only a couple of weeks. Wonder how many people were stuffed with the $199 in that time period!
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/en_US/pdf/wireless-phone-insurance-deductible-schedule.pdf

CaelanT said:
I stand corrected! Funny how they changed the Atrix back after only a couple of weeks. Wonder how many people were stuffed with the $199 in that time period!
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/en_US/pdf/wireless-phone-insurance-deductible-schedule.pdf
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Click to collapse
I still would never pay 125 for a new atrix ! i would rather buy a nexus s ! or save up for a galaxy nexus

firefox3 said:
I still would never pay 125 for a new atrix ! i would rather buy a nexus s ! or save up for a galaxy nexus
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Interesting, but I certainly wouldn't take a rebadged Galaxy S in preference to an Atrix, even if they were released at a similar time!

CaelanT said:
I stand corrected! Funny how they changed the Atrix back after only a couple of weeks. Wonder how many people were stuffed with the $199 in that time period!
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/en_US/pdf/wireless-phone-insurance-deductible-schedule.pdf
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Click to collapse
Thanks for linking the document. I only knew the information because a few days prior to reading this thread I was looking up insurance information for a friend of mine and I happened to look down in curiosity to what it would be for the Atrix. I didn't have time to find it and link it when I replied here though.
AT&T is shifty!

just call back in, say you are having constant reboots and force closes, tell them you did a hard reset, still no change, and they should send you out a warranty unit
once they get your unit back, they won't actually use the phone so there's no way to tell there aren't resets [and besides, you will send it to them in a factory reset anyways so it will load up with a blur sign up menu]

firefox3 said:
I still would never pay 125 for a new atrix ! i would rather buy a nexus s ! or save up for a galaxy nexus
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Click to collapse
Ya - well hopefully this never happens to me...bet the galaxy nexus can't run my laptop dock and multimedia dock.

I thought it was common knowledge that AT&T sucks. Send your phone to Motorola, they will fix it. AT&T is full of **** saying moto says its not covered by warranty, why would they tell you to contact moto directly then!! AT&T can blow me, they charge for premium and give sub standard.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium

Sass86 said:
I thought it was common knowledge that AT&T sucks. Send your phone to Motorola, they will fix it. AT&T is full of **** saying moto says its not covered by warranty, why would they tell you to contact moto directly then!! AT&T can blow me, they charge for premium and give sub standard.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Motorola will fix my device for free?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

firefox3 said:
Motorola will fix my device for free?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Depends on if they consider the problems to be fixable under warranty. A lot of companies try to weasel out of it though. If your device has scratches, dents or dings they might try to say you dropped it and that caused the problems. Or if you are bootloader unlocked they can claim you voided your warranty because you may have installed software that jacked up your phones hardware. I don't know how Motorola is with this, and you won't know unless you submit it for warranty repair and find out.

firefox3 said:
Motorola will fix my device for free?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sry for the late response. I'm saying I unlocked my bootloader, reflashed stock gingerbread firmware, then sent in my atrix for repair of digitizer and fps for free.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium

An Outrage. Samsung will NOT be replacing my malfunctioning Note

Hi guys. I have posted before about my faulty Galaxy Note in a few threads, but today i was in a shock when the employee of the eshop i bought my Note from informed me that my Note not only has bad hardware but that Samsung refuses to replace faulty devices and only offers to repair them.
The employee told me that the technician diagnosed a motherboard problem(i don't know how else to translate it) and it won't even recharge.
It stands to reason that repairs should cost more than a new note.
Do you think that Samsung will replace my phone?
Also do you find this policy of Samsung wrong or what?
I believe it's appalling, and i am not going to buy another Samsung phone or other product from such an irresponsible company ever again.
Anyway, has anyone have experience with this sort of thing? If yes can you recommend how i should play my cards? Thanks in advance

Android 4.9 Marshmallow said:
Hi guys. I have posted before about my faulty Galaxy Note in a few threads, but today i was in a shock when the employee of the eshop i bought my Note from informed me that my Note not only has bad hardware but that Samsung refuses to replace faulty devices and only offers to repair them.
The employee told me that the technician diagnosed a motherboard problem(i don't know how else to translate it) and it won't even recharge.
It stands to reason that repairs should cost more than a new note.
Do you think that Samsung will replace my phone?
Also do you find this policy of Samsung wrong or what?
I believe it's appalling, and i am not going to buy another Samsung phone or other product from such an irresponsible company ever again.
Anyway, has anyone have experience with this sort of thing? If yes can you recommend how i should play my cards? Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well its quite a common thing in service center... the so called "engineers" will not make a replacement for ur faulty phone when they see deem fit that its repairable...
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

Its a motherboard replacement, so no it does not cost more than the entire phone. It seems like you "want" a new phone due to the problem more than actually getting the problem resolved. I doubt samsung would utilize an effort in repair that would be more costly to them than replacing the phone itself. I personally don't think their methods are wrong and I love my Samsung products, I do however understand they are assembly line products and some will have defects, we get them fixed and move on.

joshua said:
Well its quite a common thing in service center... the so called "engineers" will not make a replacement for ur faulty phone when they see deem fit that its repairable...
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Are you suggesting that there can be gained some kind of profit from me(other that transporting expenses to the couriers)? No that's not the case if that is what you are implying; my guarantee makes all repair costs free.
So how would they gain from me?

I find it quite normal that they only replace what needs to be...
When your car has a faulty wheel, do you ask the whole car to be replaced?

Bingoig11 said:
I find it quite normal that they only replace what needs to be...
When your car has a faulty wheel, do you ask the whole car to be replaced?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
probably yes, if its bought for less than a week.

skillz9669 said:
Its a motherboard replacement, so no it does not cost more than the entire phone. It seems like you "want" a new phone due to the problem more than actually getting the problem resolved. I doubt samsung would utilize an effort in repair that would be more costly to them than replacing the phone itself. I personally don't think their methods are wrong and I love my Samsung products, I do however understand they are assembly line products and some will have defects, we get them fixed and move on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sent the phone twice to them and they returned it to me still malfunctioning. No i don't want a new phone more than mine fixed, i have just lost faith that my phone can ever be fixed, and that's why i want a new phone.
From what i've been told on this site it is supposed to be a very stable phone. I have been excited and then frustrated a lot with that phone and it has affected my mood on numerous occasions.
I think i am entitled to some anger against the company for not doing their job right.
I can understand assembly line defects but i don't understand indifference.
It seems like the whole business operates on an automatic assembly line and that frustrates me when i can't have a responsible company representative to solve my problem easily, quickly and effectively.
The only representatives i could reach on the phone were samsung calling center employees and they were vague as vague can be. They of course delegated the problem as much as they could.
I tell you friend, that's no way a responsible company acts. I will not be providing income to them anymore as a consequence of this behavior.

musashiro said:
probably yes, if its bought for less than a week.
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Click to collapse
You wont get one though..You'll get a new wheel
It doesn't even make sense to me that someone would expect a new car if the wheel failed..Even if it was a mile from the lot you bought it from.
Android 4.9 Marshmallow said:
I sent the phone twice to them and they returned it to me still malfunctioning. No i don't want a new phone more than mine fixed, i have just lost faith that my phone can ever be fixed, and that's why i want a new phone.
From what i've been told on this site it is supposed to be a very stable phone. I have been excited and then frustrated a lot with that phone and it has affected my mood on numerous occasions.
I think i am entitled to some anger against the company for not doing their job right.
I can understand assembly line defects but i don't understand indifference.
It seems like the whole business operates on an automatic assembly line and that frustrates me when i can't have a responsible company representative to solve my problem easily, quickly and effectively.
The only representatives i could reach on the phone were samsung calling center employees and they were vague as vague can be. They of course delegated the problem as much as they could.
I tell you friend, that's no way a responsible company acts. I will not be providing income to them anymore as a consequence of this behavior.
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Click to collapse
Who is fixing it Samsung or some shop that fixes them for warranty? Sounds like whoever is fixing your phone is dropping the ball and doesnt know what they are doing.
I'm not sure what other manufacturor will do things different? They are all basically the same or worse.

"I sent the phone twice to them and they returned it to me still malfunctioning. No i don't want a new phone more than mine fixed, i have just lost faith that my phone can ever be fixed, and that's why i want a new phone."
That line, which was not included in your original post, changed everything. If you have been following their "policy" and have given them multiple attempts to repair your device and now its costing YOU time and effort, that's unacceptable. I assumed you brought it in with an issue, and that was their resolution, seemed fitting. This no longer seems the case, and yes I would demand a replacement phone. Not only will your problem most likely never get fixed but opening the device up and moving internal parts around over and over is not a good thing for the longevity of the phone. So as they say in the courts, I retract my previous statement, tell em to replace the damn thing!

I feel for you dude.... You buy a brand new device expecting it to work, not having to send it back and forth to fix a problem on a brand new product.
But things happen and personally I don't mind getting it fixed if it's guaranteed. At least it's still the one you bought and not a refurbished unit from someone else.
Of course you have the right to be angry. Anyone would after all that you've described.

MrDSL said:
Who is fixing it Samsung or some shop that fixes them for warranty? Sounds like whoever is fixing your phone is dropping the ball and doesnt know what they are doing.
I'm not sure what other manufacturor will do things different? They are all basically the same or worse.
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Click to collapse
I sent it to Samsung. Samsung has a company here in Greece that fixes them. They send it there for repairs. Now they saw the condition my phone was in, and they made a poor diagnosis(In my view it was a hasty/irresponsible diagnosis in order to get rid of me) that it was a faulty battery. They didn't even bother to check my phone if it was ok after they "fixed" it as it turns out.
Now with Samsung that's the problem, they delegate and compartmentalize their company as much as it is required to shift responsibility and make you feel lost and frustrated.
I hate that kind of shadowy situation they have built around themselves so they won't have to admit "yes we don't give a **** about the consumer, we just want to sell", and that's why i decided to not take from them anymore.

+1 on what MrDSL said. Have you bought your device from an official dealer? In Bulgaria we have many small electronic stores where they get devices from eBay or God knows from where, the sell these devices 50-100 bucks cheaper and their warranty is linked to some crappy repair services and not to the official one (or authorized one). Some years ago I got my first smartphone Orange branded from such a shop. I would never do that mistake again.
EDIT: sorry, you were quicker

skillz9669 said:
"I sent the phone twice to them and they returned it to me still malfunctioning. No i don't want a new phone more than mine fixed, i have just lost faith that my phone can ever be fixed, and that's why i want a new phone."
That line, which was not included in your original post, changed everything. If you have been following their "policy" and have given them multiple attempts to repair your device and now its costing YOU time and effort, that's unacceptable. I assumed you brought it in with an issue, and that was their resolution, seemed fitting. This no longer seems the case, and yes I would demand a replacement phone. Not only will your problem most likely never get fixed but opening the device up and moving internal parts around over and over is not a good thing for the longevity of the phone. So as they say in the courts, I retract my previous statement, tell em to replace the damn thing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The employee of the eshop called them today and was firm on replacing the device, the problem is that they were firm themselves about NOT replacing it.
What can i do against a big company like them?
If they decide i don't get another phone what the hell can i do?

drkalo said:
+1 on what MrDSL said. Have you bought your device from an official dealer? In Bulgaria we have many small electronic stores where they get devices from eBay or God knows from where, the sell these devices 50-100 bucks cheaper and their warranty is linked to some crappy repair services and not to the official one (or authorized one). Some years ago I got my first smartphone Orange branded from such a shop. I would never do that mistake again.
EDIT: sorry, you were quicker
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Click to collapse
I bought it from a small electronics online shop here in Greece. They buy the phones from Germany and the guarantee is linked to the German Market. If all else fails i have to take my case there.
But they employee tells me that it's the company's policy(as well as many others besides Apple) that they don't replace devices, end of story.
So again, even though my guarantee is solid, the COMPANY is NOT.

So they will charge you for replacing the mainboard? If samsung has representative office in your country, go there and directly talk with them about your problem. If not i think you're out of luck.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

liltennisdudexx said:
So they will charge you for replacing the mainboard? If samsung has representative office in your country, go there and directly talk with them about your problem. If not i think you're out of luck.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
Nobody has made any talk about extra charges, that is covered by the guarantee.
If that was the case i might be convinced to move legally against them.

Its simple, cost of part and installing cheaper then replacement of whole phone then replace part. Logic no?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

This is not a Samsung specific issue all phone manufactures work like this. Next replacing the motherboard is more or less getting a new phone as the phone is roughly motherboard + screen and very little else.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA

It might be different in other countries but i work for Ford in the uk and know alittle about the way guarantees and warranty work my note is on contract with 02 and to date i have had 3 new notes from 02 two because i scratched them and just said there was problems with the software on them. Also you have a 28 day no quibble returns policy in the u.k with electronic things. Also if ya good at blagging you can get anything of big companys i upgraded to a nexus in january and the software went into bootloop before i even had time to root it so i kicked off and this happened twice so ended up kicking off and telling them i wanted a note otherwise i was going to trading standards cos they werent fit for purpose and guess what i got a brand new note 3 months after an upgrade. I was always told shy kids get no sweets so try ya luck
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

Interesting this .I myself have just taken in my note 3 ( I brought direct from Samsung) which is completely dead into a Samsung approved repair centre. They told me the phone needs to be sent away for a motherboard replacement which will take between 7-10 days. I am a little putout as to the time without my Note but I suppose at least I'll get it back fully functional.
Now last year I took my wife's Iphone into one of there Genius centres with a problem (dead phone again) and guess what we were given a nice new shiny replacement there and then.
They do say you only know how good a manufacture is when you need them most !
Think Samsung may need to up there game.
You pay top dollar or a phone it should come with top dollar service

What a crock!

I have a TF300T. I unlocked it from the ASUS website. I know what I am doing and Have flashed 100's of roms. Somehow it got stuck in a bootloop. Nothing I tried worked. I called Asus tech support, told them it was UNLOCKED and what my problem was. They said no problem, sned it in and they would fix it for me. The never mentioned and cost. I shipped it 2nd day air for $20, they got it on 01/28/13. Only today they sent me an email saying it was out of warranty and they wanted 122 for motherboard, 65 for labor and 20 for return shipping for a grand total of $207 on a tablet I bought 1 month ago for $279.
I am furious at the nerve of them. I might as well sell it as is on Ebay,and buy a quality Tablet like a Nexus 10 or Samsung......

That's exactly the reason why I don't dare to root/unlock this device without having nvflash (which of course isn't there with jb bootloader - not yet) - even if you executed this procedure on numerous other devices with success, there's still a small chance of something like you experienced to happen...
And since I notice threads about bricks and stuff every few days here I'm frightened to try it on my device...
I can understand you, I'd be furious as well :/

Tbf I think it does state that unlocking the bootloader voids the warranty and no matter what tablet you get if you mess about with it by rooting you will struggle getting it fixed for free under warranty.
It is a risk you take when unlocking/rooting/installing custom rom on any device
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

ScottBroker said:
I have a TF300T. I unlocked it from the ASUS website. I know what I am doing and Have flashed 100's of roms. Somehow it got stuck in a bootloop. Nothing I tried worked. I called Asus tech support, told them it was UNLOCKED and what my problem was. They said no problem, sned it in and they would fix it for me. The never mentioned and cost. I shipped it 2nd day air for $20, they got it on 01/28/13. Only today they sent me an email saying it was out of warranty and they wanted 122 for motherboard, 65 for labor and 20 for return shipping for a grand total of $207 on a tablet I bought 1 month ago for $279.
I am furious at the nerve of them. I might as well sell it as is on Ebay,and buy a quality Tablet like a Nexus 10 or Samsung......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you said yourself that you explicitly declared that your tablet had a void warranty and then you want that the repair will be done under warranty?
that's... pretty illogical.

NixZero said:
you said yourself that you explicitly declared that your tablet had a void warranty and then you want that the repair will be done under warranty?
that's... pretty illogical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I said it was unlocked. The aget told me they would fix it. He did not say We will fix it and charge you alomst the price you can buy one for.. Also When I had a Dell or gateway repair, I had my laptop back in 4 days. This is almost 2 weeks and they have not repaired it yet.

Wrong for them not to even mention that they would charge but with regards to the cost of repair they wouldn't know what the fault is till they received the unit so wouldn't be able to give an amount. Parts plus labour do mount up.
Could you not get it repaired and have it sent back then sell as faulty on eBay?
Lessons of the day
Don't do anything to the tablet if the manufacturers say it voids the warranty
If you do don't tell the manufacturer you did something to void the warranty
Expect a bill for repair and then it's a bonus if you get it repaired for free
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

If you are only in a boot loop you should be able to fix it yourself. If you have corrupted the boot loader that is a different matter.
Tell them you have changed your mind and for them to send it back in the state you sent it in.
What exactly did you do to get it bootlooping?

ScottBroker said:
I have a TF300T. I unlocked it from the ASUS website. I know what I am doing and Have flashed 100's of roms. Somehow it got stuck in a bootloop. Nothing I tried worked. I called Asus tech support, told them it was UNLOCKED and what my problem was. They said no problem, sned it in and they would fix it for me. The never mentioned and cost. I shipped it 2nd day air for $20, they got it on 01/28/13. Only today they sent me an email saying it was out of warranty and they wanted 122 for motherboard, 65 for labor and 20 for return shipping for a grand total of $207 on a tablet I bought 1 month ago for $279.
I am furious at the nerve of them. I might as well sell it as is on Ebay,and buy a quality Tablet like a Nexus 10 or Samsung......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It clearly states that unlocking your device voids the warranty. If you thought you would get repairs for free after voiding any type of warranty on any merchandise, you clearly are a moron. And judging from this post, thats exactly that. You clearly had no idea what you were doing and now you killed your device and pretty much are b*tching about having to get it fixed. Well you only have yourself to blame not a single other person or entity.
Grow up and face the consequences of your actions. Threads like these are pointless and stupid.

Not as pointless as your reply

ScottBroker said:
Not as pointless as your reply
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Click to collapse
Well there is nothing to reply to, all you are doing is ranting and b*tching in your post. Its not like youre asking for help, or getting recommandations. So there really isnt more to say than what i already said.

ScottBroker said:
Not as pointless as your reply
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Click to collapse
Dude, I know how it is to brick a device (I had the mmc_cap_erase brickbug on my i9100), BUT that's absolutely no reason to be unfriendly here! If you had read what it says in the bootloader unlock app you would have seen that it says there that it would void your warranty - also you should ask yourself why you have a bootloop and try to fix it yourself with fastboot etc. before sending to them - in my case I could fortunately reset the counter on the i9100 because of dualboot etc., BUT I didn't be unfriendly to anybody although one id*ot wrote me a PM with "Haha, how does it feel to brick?"

I don't see what you feel the need to be so upset about. Do you believe having purchased a tablet, and voluntarily unlocked it, a method that clearly stated in multiple places (ASUS website, and your device screen during the unlock process) that it has a high likelihood of leaving you out in the cold, under ASUS' discretion that you are arbitrarily entitled to free repair regardless of condition? You should have read the Terms and Conditions, or returned the tablet once you figured out that this introduces a level of risk that might be greater than that of other tablets on the market. You brought this on yourself, bud. You, whether you want to grow up and face it, accepted the risks when you unlocked it. Additionally, I see ASUS not quoting you a price or informing you of any costs over the phone giving you the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't something ASUS was at fault for, especially considering you even said to the tech it was unlocked before sending it. This is a great tablet for the money, don't let the fact that your accidental bricking and apparent inability to assume responsibility you took on from the get-go obfuscate that fact.
All that being said, I still want to offer you an alternative that several customers of mine have done to fix their tablets, a few of them including TF300T owners. A TF300T motherboard is going for around $100(USD), so it is economical for you to fix it. There are guides around the net on disassembly procedure. Either that, or you can give up and sell it on eBay As-Is, and get a pretty similar tablet for ~$100 more than you need to spend.

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. First of all, I am not a novice, I have been flashing for years and flash roms on my T999 almost every week. I was just angry because I told them I had unlocked it, I was prepared to pay a reasonable cost to fix it. I spent $279 to buy it new, I though 220 to fix it was a bit unreasonable.
On a side not, buy everything with an American Express card as they have accidental damage and or extended warranty covered with any purchase. I submitted a claim, and they gave me back the $279 paid for the unit, and I get to keep the existing one.
Again, I was just pissed that ASUS did not mention any cost even though I told them I unlocked it.

This is for everyone reading. Don't assume - ask.
Still Charged Up

-angel* said:
Dude, I know how it is to brick a device (I had the mmc_cap_erase brickbug on my i9100), BUT that's absolutely no reason to be unfriendly here! If you had read what it says in the bootloader unlock app you would have seen that it says there that it would void your warranty - also you should ask yourself why you have a bootloop and try to fix it yourself with fastboot etc. before sending to them - in my case I could fortunately reset the counter on the i9100 because of dualboot etc., BUT I didn't be unfriendly to anybody although one id*ot wrote me a PM with "Haha, how does it feel to brick?"
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I signed your petition.

ScottBroker said:
Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. First of all, I am not a novice, I have been flashing for years and flash roms on my T999 almost every week. I was just angry because I told them I had unlocked it, I was prepared to pay a reasonable cost to fix it. I spent $279 to buy it new, I though 220 to fix it was a bit unreasonable.
On a side not, buy everything with an American Express card as they have accidental damage and or extended warranty covered with any purchase. I submitted a claim, and they gave me back the $279 paid for the unit, and I get to keep the existing one.
Again, I was just pissed that ASUS did not mention any cost even though I told them I unlocked it.
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Woah you got to keep both units?! Lucky lol.
I just wanna apologize, my first post was a bit hostile. I'm just tired of seeing ranting posts where people want to pass on their own faults to others. XDA is a place for help. I'm more than willing to help anyone. If your original post stated "what are my options" or "now what can I do" and even a change in thread title.. I would have never posted that first post.
But usually when you void your warranty, all costs are on the consumer
Always ask the manufacturer if something will be covered.
Sent from my SGH-T999
"So I put my phone into airplane mode and threw it... worst transformer ever. -.-" -My friend

elesbb said:
Woah you got to keep both units?! Lucky lol.
I just wanna apologize, my first post was a bit hostile. I'm just tired of seeing ranting posts where people want to pass on their own faults to others. XDA is a place for help. I'm more than willing to help anyone. If your original post stated "what are my options" or "now what can I do" and even a change in thread title.. I would have never posted that first post.
But usually when you void your warranty, all costs are on the consumer
Always ask the manufacturer if something will be covered.
Sent from my SGH-T999
"So I put my phone into airplane mode and threw it... worst transformer ever. -.-" -My friend
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NP
I understand, again, I was just surprised at the cost. But American Express is the best, so I am happy about that.

Friend I would seriously try to adb flash tarp recovery and push a CM10 ROM to the device before paying anyone to do anything you probably got a bad dload on your recovery our ROM. Which brings me to my second point make sure to md5 checksum your files before flashing.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I think if the unlocking process is what caused the bootloop, then Asus should cover all costs of the repair as it would be their unlocking tool that caused the problem. If it was the flashing of a different rom or kernel that caused this, then yes, all cost to the user.

I think it's been shown that ASUS will repair the tablet without charge if it's discovered the problem was caused by a hardware defect. but if it's a software error, caused by something you did, then obviously, they will charge you to fix it. When you first talked to them, they couldn't tell if it was a hardware or software issue until they had it in their hands.
That said, I read many posts about unlocking and installing recovery on this tablet, and then watched a couple of videos just to make sure I understood the process. I didn't bother with NVflash, because it looked complicated and seemed to cause it's own issues.
Anyway, followed directions for a basic unlock and recovery install through a video and it couldn't have been easier. Sorry you somehow managed to brick yours, but I found the process to be fairly simple, and couldn't be happier with my purchase.
good luck with the next one tho!

[Q] Dead N4 + unlocked BL = screwed?

Anyone have success RMAing a phone in with an unlocked BL but no other mods? With all the red light of death stories I've read in the past couple of days I sure don't want to spend over $700 for one N4 that could do the same thing. (kind of wishing I got a Note II now!)

ThaBrickah! said:
Anyone have success RMAing a phone in with an unlocked BL but no other mods? With all the red light of death stories I've read in the past couple of days I sure don't want to spend over $700 for one N4 that could do the same thing. (kind of wishing I got a Note II now!)
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tiny bump

ThaBrickah! said:
Anyone have success RMAing a phone in with an unlocked BL but no other mods? With all the red light of death stories I've read in the past couple of days I sure don't want to spend over $700 for one N4 that could do the same thing. (kind of wishing I got a Note II now!)
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$700 dollars??? Jeez, someone ripped you off. Did you buy it from eBay? I bet you did.
The Nexus 4 is available on the U.S Play Store as of time.
( it would be more expensive if it was in another country, but since you're using the dollar sign...)
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

scream4cheese said:
$700 dollars??? Jeez, someone ripped you off. Did you buy it from eBay? I bet you did.
The Nexus 4 is available on the U.S Play Store as of time.
( it would be more expensive if it was in another country, but since you're using the dollar sign...)
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
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No, I'm sorry. I had edited down my original question and now it doesn't make complete sense. What I meant was that my phone died on me but I left my bootloader unlocked after reflashing with the image from the developer.google site. I never rooted it but failed to lock the bootloader after reflashing. Now I have the red light of death.
The $700 comes from them holding $300 on my credit card during the RMA process, only to find that I've voided my warranty by having an unlocked bootloader and them charging me for it. That would be over $700 for an N4 that could just do the exact same thing again.
I honestly don't want this phone anymore if all of them are going to die after only a couple weeks use.

The phone is designed to be unlockable via a simple command, so the fact that you have done that should in no way invalidate your warranty. You should have no problem with an RMA.
Sent from my Nexus 4

There is a fix for the red light of dead... It's a hardware problem tho, let me find the youtube video.. brb
I can't find the video (i'm at work) and I have it bookmarked at home, it's on xda tho, you must take out the back part and release a part of the hardware.. It's easy and the guy who found out made several examples, in which if he pressed that chip = red light appear, leaving it without much pressure = normal

I guess take the back off , remove the battery connector , reconnect the connector after a few minutes and put it on charge
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

If the phone is dead, what does it matter if the bootloader is unlocked?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Most everyone says that an unlocked BL voids the warranty, but it doesn't specifically say that in the warranty documentation. I think I'm going to let this thing run down as much as possible then try to connect to it over the weekend, then call Google on Monday if I have no success. Wonder if I should be upfront with the unlocked BL?

you haven't voided the warranty. Honestly, these companies rarely check for those kind of things. They don't have much time to investigate so they go straight to fixing it. I sent my rooted epic 4g w/ screwed up NV items (screwed em up while flashing) in for a fix and they fixed it for me no charge. You should be fine.

i have sent a few devices back for rma from google. each one of them had an unlocked bootloader, root, custom recovery, and a custom rom/kernel. google never gave me any issues with the process, and exchanged my devices within days. if its a hardware issue, they wont have any problems with an unlocked bootloader.

simms22 said:
i have sent a few devices back for rma from google. each one of them had an unlocked bootloader, root, custom recovery, and a custom rom/kernel. google never gave me any issues with the process, and exchanged my devices within days. if its a hardware issue, they wont have any problems with an unlocked bootloader.
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Hope you're right. I went through the RMA process on Monday after them having me try all the various button press combinations that I've tried a million times before. The return sticker they sent me was addressed to an LG repair center in Texas instead of any Google entity - that worries me.
I got my replacement on Thursday but I'm not even going to open the shipping box until I see the pending charges from Google drop off my credit card. If I do get charged then I'll try and sell this thing and cut my losses.
I'm very disappointed in the quality of the N4. I decided to only buy Nexus devices from here on out so that I can get the OS updates, but if they break after a couple of weeks then the only other option is to abandon Android altogether. Too bad because its the Google ecosystem that I like.

ThaBrickah! said:
Hope you're right. I went through the RMA process on Monday after them having me try all the various button press combinations that I've tried a million times before. The return sticker they sent me was addressed to an LG repair center in Texas instead of any Google entity - that worries me.
I got my replacement on Thursday but I'm not even going to open the shipping box until I see the pending charges from Google drop off my credit card. If I do get charged then I'll try and sell this thing and cut my losses.
I'm very disappointed in the quality of the N4. I decided to only buy Nexus devices from here on out so that I can get the OS updates, but if they break after a couple of weeks then the only other option is to abandon Android altogether. Too bad because its the Google ecosystem that I like.
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That's pretty radical to drop Android altogether, if you just wanted quick updates, why didn't you just leave it locked and stock?

ThaBrickah! said:
Hope you're right. I went through the RMA process on Monday after them having me try all the various button press combinations that I've tried a million times before. The return sticker they sent me was addressed to an LG repair center in Texas instead of any Google entity - that worries me.
I got my replacement on Thursday but I'm not even going to open the shipping box until I see the pending charges from Google drop off my credit card. If I do get charged then I'll try and sell this thing and cut my losses.
I'm very disappointed in the quality of the N4. I decided to only buy Nexus devices from here on out so that I can get the OS updates, but if they break after a couple of weeks then the only other option is to abandon Android altogether. Too bad because its the Google ecosystem that I like.
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First of all, I don't get it. Nexus has been great to me, and the 3 others I know who bought it, love it too. Build quality is good, and stock, no issues. Even if you root it, chances of something like that happening are low. I used to have all kinds of phones, from gs2&3 to note 2 to HTC one x. None of them were as hard to mess up as the nexus.
But as far as your original question goes... I rmad galaxy nexus to Google because my earpiece became very crackly. Mine was rooted and unlocked. I kept on putting it off until I realized that the label they sent was only good for 14 days. Ended up sending it rooted and with custom ROM on it, figured might as well try. No issues at all. They didn't say a word.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

chrisMBP said:
That's pretty radical to drop Android altogether, if you just wanted quick updates, why didn't you just leave it locked and stock?
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I reflashed stock firmware onto it in hopes of improving battery life - per a thread on this forum. For me, rooting is unnecessary on the Nexi because there isn't any manufacturer or carrier bloatware to get rid of. I honestly did consider rooting it to try an underclocking app to maybe improve battery life, but it seemed too much of a PITA.
They got my old phone last Wednesday, but the charges are still pending as of today. I decided to go ahead and open the replacement and not worry about it anymore. I noticed the replacement has a higher number serial number, so now I'm off to read the thread that tries do decode it!
Thanks all.

FYI..recent RMA repair service experience

I unlocked the bootloader and had a custom ROM installed.
My headphone jack only played sound out of 1 ear.
Seems like they have received my device at no cost and it says its in state of repair. It's been 5 days and they are still repairing..it's only a headphone jack that needs re inserting...
I'll update but still waiting.

thrutheeyes said:
I unlocked the bootloader and had a custom ROM installed.
My headphone jack only played sound out of 1 ear.
Seems like they have received my device at no cost and it says its in state of repair. It's been 5 days and they are still repairing..it's only a headphone jack that needs re inserting...
I'll update but still waiting.
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Well... From my experience they will send you a quotation for repairs (new mainboard+case+headphone jack(probably)). Check your spam folder 'cause it's possible that this quotation is somewhere there and they've to wait for you to accept it.
If you won't accept their quotation, they will send you broken tablet back, but you will have to pay for expertise. I recommend reading Terms of Use.
Why the mainboard you ask? Well, I had to RMA about month ago and got my tablet back a week ago. They say that if bootloader is unlocked they just HAVE TO exchange it for the new one and YOU have to pay for it. That's the rules. Or so they say.
At least, that's what they're doing in my country.

Agred said:
Well... From my experience they will send you a quotation for repairs (new mainboard+case+headphone jack(probably)). Check your spam folder 'cause it's possible that this quotation is somewhere there and they've to wait for you to accept it.
If you won't accept their quotation, they will send you broken tablet back, but you will have to pay for expertise. I recommend reading Terms of Use.
Why the mainboard you ask? Well, I had to RMA about month ago and got my tablet back a week ago. They say that if bootloader is unlocked they just HAVE TO exchange it for the new one and YOU have to pay for it. That's the rules. Or so they say.
At least, that's what they're doing in my country.
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Been like 10 days since they have had my tablet. I haven't had any contact which the RMA status says.
Checked my mail box.
Been on chat support and they keep saying the next day or later today but nothing.
If they want me to pay for a new motherboard then they can go EFF themselves. It is a **** tablet, its a quad core cpu and the stock is laggy as ****. I shouldn't have to hack it to death to make it somewhat usable. Rather put it towards a gaming laptop.
how much did new mobo cost you? do you have breakdown of your total?

Good experience
I had a problem with the bootloader, it doesn't boot anymore. So I sent my 16 Gb tablet, and after 6 weeks, I recived a refurbished 32 Gb model, so no complaints. It's working very well indeed.

hcoling said:
I had a problem with the bootloader, it doesn't boot anymore. So I sent my 16 Gb tablet, and after 6 weeks, I recived a refurbished 32 Gb model, so no complaints. It's working very well indeed.
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Warranty?

thrutheeyes said:
Warranty?
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Supposed not, but no charge.

hcoling said:
Supposed not, but no charge.
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I have been on Asus chat every day. People on there can barely speak English.
They have had my tablet for about 2 weeks and not been contacted about it.
I've been told for the 2nd time it will be set as high priority and that it's taking time because it's gone to head office :-S
'They are reviewing it and will be contacting the servicing center.' My tablet still at the center, just my case gone to Head Office.

thrutheeyes said:
I have been on Asus chat every day. People on there can barely speak English.
They have had my tablet for about 2 weeks and not been contacted about it.
I've been told for the 2nd time it will be set as high priority and that it's taking time because it's gone to head office :-S
'They are reviewing it and will be contacting the servicing center.' My tablet still at the center, just my case gone to Head Office.
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I had to send mine in four times to get the screen fixed. The fourth RMA, I went on Facebook and told my story about their sorry service. Then I filled out a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. The next day I got a message on FB from a manager that said to send it California so he could look at it and he would send me a new one. And he did send me a new one.

Mine was unlocked and was running blue ROM, and just stopped powering on. I talked to them, sent it in, they wiped it clean, reinstalled jelly bean, and sent it back working fine. No issues at all.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Good experience
I was running unlocked bootloader with CWM10.1 and had issues with rebooting during video playback. Filled in the RMA request, delivery guys picked it up from my door and returned it to me a week later with locked bootloader and stock JB installed and the reboot issue fixed. No charge whatsoever.
Pretty fast considering I live in Finland and it wen't to Czech Republic for RMA service.

Not so good with warranty...
Well you guys are lucky. I sent in my tablet because the tablet did not always recognize the dock and the mousepad did not work anymore. So i thought it would be an easy fix, probably the dock connector. Now i have recieved an billing for a new motherboard, no warranty because i have unlocked the device.
This is now the case in the Netherlands, seems like asus has a different ways of working in each country

So day 15, they are telling me they sent be a payment email a couple days ago. I haven't received it. I asked to send me it again but it's something the people on chat can't do and it seems resending an email takes forever.
Dammit, someone finally tells me. ''I'm seeing that the warranty was voided as the bootloader was unlocked"
I'm waiting for this billing email now. I can get a refurbished one for 245 dollars.
I'm gonna pawn this tablet, stupid Asus.
How much did people pay for a new motherboard?

Seeing as I don't live in USA, I'm visiting here. I am going to get my tablet back unrepaired, then go home to the UK and send it off again and see if they will oversee the locked bootloader!

In my case the new motherboard costs €175... Getting it back unrepaired will cost money as well, so think it over well before deciding too quickly

hellboy123 said:
In my case the new motherboard costs €175... Getting it back unrepaired will cost money as well, so think it over well before deciding too quickly
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Yeah **** that, I bought mine with a dock on black friday for 240 quid. I can get a refurbished one in USA for 240 dollars.

So they received my tablet may 30th.
Got email with bill June 20th.
> Parts - $147.00 (Motherboard)
> Labor - $65.00
> Tax**- $
To replace the headphone jack cos sound only was coming out of 1 ear. Unlocked bootloader so I have to pay.
Getting it sent back.

thrutheeyes said:
So they received my tablet may 30th.
Got email with bill June 20th.
> Parts - $147.00 (Motherboard)
> Labor - $65.00
> Tax**- $
To replace the headphone jack cos sound only was coming out of 1 ear. Unlocked bootloader so I have to pay.
Getting it sent back.
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That's bullcrap. They shouldn't have charged you because the headphone jack is hardware. What a crock!
Sent from my C525c using Xparent SkyBlue Tapatalk 2

sadly thats normal. my a700 and tf300t had to be repaired. both were custom rom'd.
i had to pay for both repairs since during boot the unlocked bootloader was visible. (both had screen issues with ghost touches)
best way imho to get warranty is to make sure the bloody thing is not booting anymore whatsoever so they can't check the bootloader.
cheers

Buster99 said:
sadly thats normal. my a700 and tf300t had to be repaired. both were custom rom'd.
i had to pay for both repairs since during boot the unlocked bootloader was visible. (both had screen issues with ghost touches)
best way imho to get warranty is to make sure the bloody thing is not booting anymore whatsoever so they can't check the bootloader.
cheers
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Interesting point

Buster99 said:
sadly thats normal. my a700 and tf300t had to be repaired. both were custom rom'd.
i had to pay for both repairs since during boot the unlocked bootloader was visible. (both had screen issues with ghost touches)
best way imho to get warranty is to make sure the bloody thing is not booting anymore whatsoever so they can't check the bootloader.
cheers
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Agreed.
Here's the funny thing though. I know several people who've had hardware failure and have had the bootloader unlocked. Asus fixed their tablets and didn't charge them a thing.
LOL... how can a headphone jack have been affected by unlocking the BL?? I don't blame him. I'd be 1 pissed off dude. Makes no sense why they fix one and not the other when it comes to hardware.