Root and insurance: my experience - Galaxy Note II General

This covers an issue that I've seen asked time and time again with no definitive answer given.
I suppose this isn't an answer but merely my experience
Last monday my note 2 fell out of my pocket and my screen subsequently was destroyed, not just cracked but full on chunks of glass missing. I am insured by Halifax who like most banks in the UK (Barclays, TSB, Nationwide, co-op etc) use Lifestyle Services Group Limited (LSG) to deal with their insurance.
My device was rooted with CM11 and I was using CWM recovery, after searching for an answer to would this affect my insurance, i found nothing that really helped me with LSG, in fact the only things I did find were 100s of general complaints about them trying to get around doing repairs, they didn't fill me with hope.
so biting the bullet I notified them of the damage, made a Nandroid, did a factory reset and sent my phone away on Tuesday :fingers-crossed: .
On Wednesday evening I received an email saying my phone was being returned to me and a tracking number but nothing else. Upon arrival I found a letter saying my "device has been repaired and updated" and a brand new Note 2
after installing CWM again and restoring my phone is perfect again. So if anyone out there has similar concerns to those that I had about root and insurance I hope this gives you a bit of peace of mind. :highfive:

mbloomer04 said:
This covers an issue that I've seen asked time and time again with no definitive answer given.
I suppose this isn't an answer but merely my experience
Last monday my note 2 fell out of my pocket and my screen subsequently was destroyed, not just cracked but full on chunks of glass missing. I am insured by Halifax who like most banks in the UK (Barclays, TSB, Nationwide, co-op etc) use Lifestyle Services Group Limited (LSG) to deal with their insurance.
My device was rooted with CM11 and I was using CWM recovery, after searching for an answer to would this affect my insurance, i found nothing that really helped me with LSG, in fact the only things I did find were 100s of general complaints about them trying to get around doing repairs, they didn't fill me with hope.
so biting the bullet I notified them of the damage, made a Nandroid, did a factory reset and sent my phone away on Tuesday :fingers-crossed: .
On Wednesday evening I received an email saying my phone was being returned to me and a tracking number but nothing else. Upon arrival I found a letter saying my "device has been repaired and updated" and a brand new Note 2
after installing CWM again and restoring my phone is perfect again. So if anyone out there has similar concerns to those that I had about root and insurance I hope this gives you a bit of peace of mind. :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the Note 2 have KNOX? and what did you flash counter say?

dangerousbadger said:
Does the Note 2 have KNOX? and what did you flash counter say?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock android on the note 2 does have KNOX yes, however obviously when I rooted and installed CM11 it no longer did.
the flash counter changed to 1
The phone I received back from them was back on stock android, and the flash counter read as 0 again

dangerousbadger said:
Does the Note 2 have KNOX? and what did you flash counter say?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so aye they did repair it even with my flash counter having been tripped

I imagine that it was an easy decision for them to make because the screen breakage had nothing to do with whether the phone was rooted or not. If they'd refuse to repair it and you'd taken them on, it would have been very hard for them to defend themselves.
However, if your phone dies because of a software/hardware issue and it's rooted and/or has a custom ROM installed, they might argue that your actions (i.e. rooting, etc) led to the device failing. And they might then enforce their "warranty void" policy. So people just need to be careful in that situation, and not be too disappointed if their claim is rejected.
Glad you had good luck tho!

apuntigam said:
I imagine that it was an easy decision for them to make because the screen breakage had nothing to do with whether the phone was rooted or not. If they'd refuse to repair it and you'd taken them on, it would have been very hard for them to defend themselves.
However, if your phone dies because of a software/hardware issue and it's rooted and/or has a custom ROM installed, they might argue that your actions (i.e. rooting, etc) led to the device failing. And they might then enforce their "warranty void" policy. So people just need to be careful in that situation, and not be too disappointed if their claim is rejected.
Glad you had good luck tho!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aye, the whole warranty void issue was where I believed they could turn me down.
in the past I've claimed on the warranty twice (still using stock) and both times have only at the last minute remembered to swap the back panel to the original as the one at the time had a palm stone wireless charging plate in it which I'm sure would have resulted in them sending it back untouched

Related

I think I bricked my N1. Please help!

So I realized this the moment after I hit the trackball to select my .zip. To make things simple: I had cyanogen 5.0.6 and I accidentally flashed 2.2 for custom bootloaders. My phone won't even turn on...AT ALL. Am I ****ed?
Can you not get in the recovery image by holding down trackball and power button?
No. I don't know what to do. I flashed the Stock image earlier and it took awhile for my phone to turn on, but it did start up after a few minutes. Also it had a Radio that it flashed. Could it have been for the Tmobile model? I am on the AT&T version. Nothing will turn on.
did you try removing the battery ?
I did. I called support and they want me to send it in. Hopefully I will be one of the lucky people that HTC takes even if there is some broken rules.
xxjoshuaaxx said:
I did. I called support and they want me to send it in. Hopefully I will be one of the lucky people that HTC takes even if there is some broken rules.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awwww
Best of luck!
Since its just Software related, maybe you will get lucky
Exactly why I try to avoid toying with the radio at all times..
Stupid me didn't notice the radio change. What do you think HTC will do?
xxjoshuaaxx said:
Stupid me didn't notice the radio change. What do you think HTC will do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck. They are currently denying my warranty - even though my last Nexus went in TWICE, and they even DOA replaced it with body damage and an unlocked bootloader. Both times they just reverted the software back to locked, no questions asked. This time, after sending in the refurbed phone they gave me last month due to a faulty headphone jack, they say my "illegal software" voids my warranty - even though software can't break a headphone jack.
SANTilt said:
Good luck. They are currently denying my warranty - even though my last Nexus went in TWICE, and they even DOA replaced it with body damage and an unlocked bootloader. Both times they just reverted the software back to locked, no questions asked. This time, after sending in the refurbed phone they gave me last month due to a faulty headphone jack, they say my "illegal software" voids my warranty - even though software can't break a headphone jack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That could also be their way of saying we have fixed two phones of yours with unlocked (voided) warranties, we aren't doing it a third time... aka, three strikes and you are out. To be honest, I would be singing the praises of a company that warrantied a phone twice, even though I knowingly voided my warranty and agreed to a contract saying as much during the process.
OP, good luck! As this person's history shows, they are willing to go above and beyond with in reason. If I were you, before sending it in, I would try tossing it on the charger to make sure the battery isn't dead... flashing uses up a lot of juice, and messes with battery stats to an extent that can cause the phone to think a low battery is actually a dead battery, thus it doesn't power on since it doesn't want to die mid boot, which is bad.
Yeah, plug it in and see if you get the charging led, if you do let it charge for a while. Then try booting to recovery. If you cant unplug it and pull the battery. Plug it back in and hold down the power button for 15 seconds, put the battery in while still holding the power button for another 15 seconds or so. You got nothing to lose if it is bricked so give it a go. Check back if it lights off. Just a hint but I only keep whatever I'm going to flash on the root of the sd with the rest of the zips in a file. Keeps you from being where you are now.
mind keepping the battery out for a little while. i got the same problem yesterday and this solved it : i kept the battery pulled for about 1 minute before i put it back in. then the phone powered on no problems.
SANTilt said:
Good luck. They are currently denying my warranty - even though my last Nexus went in TWICE, and they even DOA replaced it with body damage and an unlocked bootloader. Both times they just reverted the software back to locked, no questions asked. This time, after sending in the refurbed phone they gave me last month due to a faulty headphone jack, they say my "illegal software" voids my warranty - even though software can't break a headphone jack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rhetorical question:
What type of bad "luck" does somebody have to need a warranty replacement three times for a phone that's less than 4 months old?
xxjoshuaaxx said:
So I realized this the moment after I hit the trackball to select my .zip. To make things simple: I had cyanogen 5.0.6 and I accidentally flashed 2.2 for custom bootloaders. My phone won't even turn on...AT ALL. Am I ****ed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may be stupid, but that doesn't sound like you were doing anything wrong. I think that is how many people upgraded to FroYo.
What did you do when you thought you had done the wrong thing? You say you realized the moment you hit the trackball. Did you then try to stop it by pulling the battery? If so then you may have pulled it while the radio was flashing, which would brick it for sure.
Maybe they say it's illegal because Froyo is not released yet and they saw part of it installed on your N1.
This sucks big time, I wish you best of luck and I hope they end up fixing it for you.
what happens when you hold volume down and hit power...does the bootloader come up?
I flashed 2.2 over enomther's 1.9.2 on my att frequency n1 and it is working fine, I did the radio update too and it works fine.
pjcforpres said:
That could also be their way of saying we have fixed two phones of yours with unlocked (voided) warranties, we aren't doing it a third time... aka, three strikes and you are out. To be honest, I would be singing the praises of a company that warrantied a phone twice, even though I knowingly voided my warranty and agreed to a contract saying as much during the process.
OP, good luck! As this person's history shows, they are willing to go above and beyond with in reason. If I were you, before sending it in, I would try tossing it on the charger to make sure the battery isn't dead... flashing uses up a lot of juice, and messes with battery stats to an extent that can cause the phone to think a low battery is actually a dead battery, thus it doesn't power on since it doesn't want to die mid boot, which is bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would I sing the praises of a company that picks and chooses when it will void a warranty and when it will honor it? Furthermore, under the Manusson-Moss Warranty act of 1975, this behavior is illegal; warrantors of consumer goods cannot void a warranty due to modifications made by the consumer unless they can directly attribute the failure to the modification made. Which they have not done in my case.
Additionally, the first time it went in, was for dust under the screen - something an unlocked bootloader most definitely did not cause. The second time it went in was because they didn't fix it the first time - both times they relocked the phone. Also, the second time the phone went in, they DOA replaced it even though it had physical damage that I had previously been willing to pay for. And now, after they send me a damaged unit, they want to void my hardware warranty because the bootloader is unlocked? That just stinks of a money making scheme. I just called them, and they tell me that they cannot flash the motherboard due to the "illegal software", yet in the email they sent me it's all due to the warranty being void due to "illegal software". They're harping on a non-issue just to make money.
You can sing your praises to scheissty companies all you want - I'll stick to companies that are honest and up front in their dealings - or at least more so than HTFingC.
SANTilt said:
Why would I sing the praises of a company that picks and chooses when it will void a warranty and when it will honor it? Furthermore, under the Manusson-Moss Warranty act of 1975, this behavior is illegal; warrantors of consumer goods cannot void a warranty due to modifications made by the consumer unless they can directly attribute the failure to the modification made. Which they have not done in my case.
Additionally, the first time it went in, was for dust under the screen - something an unlocked bootloader most definitely did not cause. The second time it went in was because they didn't fix it the first time - both times they relocked the phone. Also, the second time the phone went in, they DOA replaced it even though it had physical damage that I had previously been willing to pay for. And now, after they send me a damaged unit, they want to void my hardware warranty because the bootloader is unlocked? That just stinks of a money making scheme. I just called them, and they tell me that they cannot flash the motherboard due to the "illegal software", yet in the email they sent me it's all due to the warranty being void due to "illegal software". They're harping on a non-issue just to make money.
You can sing your praises to scheissty companies all you want - I'll stick to companies that are honest and up front in their dealings - or at least more so than HTFingC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, you're pedantic and this is pathetic. Get over yourself. If you expect consumer goods in this day and age to be perfect you need to reset your expectations. Three claims in four months? I bet HTC wishes you went and got a Motorola.
djmcnz said:
Dude, you're pedantic and this is pathetic. Get over yourself. If you expect consumer goods in this day and age to be perfect you need to reset your expectations. Three claims in four months? I bet HTC wishes you went and got a Motorola.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh? Three claims? Reading comprehension much? English > you.
djmcnz said:
Dude, you're pedantic and this is pathetic. Get over yourself. If you expect consumer goods in this day and age to be perfect you need to reset your expectations. Three claims in four months? I bet HTC wishes you went and got a Motorola.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I agree.

Bricked N1 and HTC fixed it. FREE!

So last Friday I was attempting to install Galaxy S status bar on my N1, but in the process of trying to do too much I Bricked my phone. Mind you, Im not a complete noob to the process. I've rooted mytouch, G1, and even tinkered with my Shadow, so I'm pretty familiar with the processes, but this time I finally F'd up and I knew it. Phone just flashed orange and green light top right corner. Did my research and saw other posts w/similar problems but all battery related, but I still tried their solutions to no avail. The only thing to do other than to use it as paper weight was to try my warranty, which all of us know is void after unlocking. So I Called HTC warranty hotline and explained my problem without telling them of the custom rom I installed and they gave me two options; replace w/refurb or fix mine, mine is engraved so replacement out of question. So they emailed me a overnight shipping label, I sent it to them on Monday, they received it on Tuesday, Fixed it on Thursday, and I got it back on Friday, good as new. So basically to all who dare to root and mod your phones and Brick it in the process. Try your warranty. Worse they can say is no. In my case they fixed it.
They fixed mine as well and even re-locked the bootloader. Mind you, I ended up rooting it again as soon as I got it back. HTC rocks!
Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk
Now that's service I'm impressed. Frankly I'm impressed with Android and the community. Google knows exactly what people are doing and they go just a step shy of condoning it and now to hear the HTC does this sort of thing knowing fully well that there's a 99% chance it's bricked cause someone was nerding out it
Having come over from a 3GS just about a month ago I am really impressed with Android. The only thing now is a solid hardware platform. I love my Nexus One but there are things HTC could have done better, mainly screen related, and Motorola is etched in my brain as making the most annoying phones in history. But aside from that, I think it's Android for life for me
Are you sure your bricking related to flashing a themed bar?
I thought that bricking your phone was only possible through some low-level processes such as flashing a radio.
Either way, glad they fixed your problems.
Yea. Pretty sure I bricked it. Trying to flash the Galaxy status bar didn't brick it, but the series of mis-steps that followed did. But I got it back, re-unlocked it and happy as can be. Thanx HTC.
Hi, did HTC ask you for an reeipt or proof of warranty? I am asking cause i purchased my nexus from ebay(no receipt or warranty whatsoever) and i've read in other threads that HTC did not ask for these papers considering that the phone is less than 1 yr old.
thanks.
makes me wonder why anyone would want to root without unlocking the bootloader
deeren said:
Hi, did HTC ask you for an reeipt or proof of warranty? I am asking cause i purchased my nexus from ebay(no receipt or warranty whatsoever) and i've read in other threads that HTC did not ask for these papers considering that the phone is less than 1 yr old.
thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. I bought mine off ebay as well and I even said that on the phone but the lady from HTC said that was fine. They fixed my phone no problem
I am going to attempt a replacement on mine. Except I have the unfortunate issue of the void sticker missing from the screw on the back. I'm going to send it in anyway, since I have a dust under the screen issue. Perhaps they will be nice and replace it anyway. If not, well I guess it will cost me $28 to get it back. Or maybe not that much to have them fix it..

[Q] Can Google tell if device rooted remotely?

Hi all,
I just got off the phone with Google support... I phoned them because my nexus definitely has heat issues when I fire up need for speed it gets like a furnace...
When I was on the phone though they told me the warranty was void as it had been rooted (<3 TB)... how can they tell?
Does this mean my nexus is permanently ear marked?
Thanks.
Did they ask you to read out any info from the about screen?
juDGEY2k10 said:
Did they ask you to read out any info from the about screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Serial number...
But surely they can't just remote onto device like that. probably in the T&C. FML.
dont know mate was it new when u got it?
If not just tell them nope i dont know what your talking about, root wtf is root???
juDGEY2k10 said:
dont know mate was it new when u got it?
If not just tell them nope i dont know what your talking about, root wtf is root???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah brand new. Straight from Gplay.
That's exactly what I did... still wouldn't process repair or anything sent me Samsung contact details for out of warranty repair. :S
Keep calling mate say they are wrong, keep at it mate just say i want to talk to a manager bla bla, keep pushing them
That's really strange. If they don't budge then contact Samsung directly using the contact info in the warranty that shipped with the phone for a warranty repair or replacement.
problaze said:
Yeah brand new. Straight from Gplay.
That's exactly what I did... still wouldn't process repair or anything sent me Samsung contact details for out of warranty repair. :S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm new to all this stuff so PLEASE do not do anything based on my flimsy idea, ... just thought it might help send you down a different thought/investigative path.
I installed a toolkit that had a re-lock and un-root option thinking that if I ever got into a similar warranty situation, I would just kinda go "backwards in time" and after using TWRP to backup my tablet, do a full factory wipe, and re-lock then un-root (or whichever comes first) THEN report the problem.:fingers-crossed:
You may have let the cat out of the bag by calling first though
It seems you need to find out how they know,erase the evidence,re-lock un-root and then as juDGEY2k10 says- DENY DENY DENY- you know, like "Dexter" does:laugh: .
But wada I know. Keep us posted on your progress.
Im no expert but I don't see how they can tell unless when you get new apps or update apps from the play store they pulling information from the units. Hopefully they arent doing that.
G●Note~2 {Jedi X5}
I have never seen root voiding warranty of a nexus device before, even though it says so.
I've noticed their bug report tool, built in, attempts to call su, so perhaps they do check now.
I'd prefer to see a root method where the app hides the binary under a unique name so they can't call it to find out.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
If Google is doing that, hopefully they won't share that info with manufacturers.
G●Note~2 {Jedi X5}
problaze said:
Hi all,
I just got off the phone with Google support... I phoned them because my nexus definitely has heat issues when I fire up need for speed it gets like a furnace...
When I was on the phone though they told me the warranty was void as it had been rooted (<3 TB)... how can they tell?
Does this mean my nexus is permanently ear marked?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's assume what the OP is saying is true, which it probably isn't. Many states provide additional consumer protection, even if there was a clause in the warranty which reduces your rights. (There is no clause which explicitly removes your right to root in the Nexus 10 warranty, but IANAL.)
The manufacturer is still responsible for physical defects.
However, I cannot imagine that someone would call Google and receive that answer and not be angry, mentioning the rep by name he talked to, and asking to make sure that the rep's claim was accurate.
Perhaps the OP is not telling the whole story, (e.g. he called and proclaimed that he was an advanced user, gave the rep attitude, rep came back with "oh yeah well you're rooted, we don't have to support you". Anyone who has done customer service or help desk knows what I'm talking about.) or just plain making the whole thing up, since I have never heard of any company refusing to service a rooted device unless there was a problem user with multiple returns.
I do acknowledge that the OP may not be full of crap, but if that is the case, I strongly advise OP not to take what a single rep said as gospel and keep calling back and asking for a supervisor until it's resolved.
However, there's another issue:
If the OP rooted, installed a custom kernel, found his device ran too hot, then called Google complaining without first reverting to stock and testing to make sure it wasn't the custom kernel causing the overheating, the OP's brain is the thing needing a warranty exchange.
I contacted Google about my nexus 10 dropping wifi randomly a few days ago.
The guy who I spoke to was quite nice and told me to do a factory reset. I told him I had already done that and I had also tried CM10, AOKP as some people have said that fixes any kernel/rom issues and I said the problem remains on everything I do so it had to be the device.
I was offered a refund outside the 15 day period and I chose a replacement which was shipped today.
If I spoke to someone who said that they couldn't help me because I'm rooted, I'd hang up and try again. Although if you are having problems a full restore to stock will be helpful if you ring up and speak to them.
ZanshinG1 said:
Let's assume what the OP is saying is true, which it probably isn't. Many states provide additional consumer protection, even if there was a clause in the warranty which reduces your rights. (There is no clause which explicitly removes your right to root in the Nexus 10 warranty, but IANAL.)
The manufacturer is still responsible for physical defects.
However, I cannot imagine that someone would call Google and receive that answer and not be angry, mentioning the rep by name he talked to, and asking to make sure that the rep's claim was accurate.
Perhaps the OP is not telling the whole story, (e.g. he called and proclaimed that he was an advanced user, gave the rep attitude, rep came back with "oh yeah well you're rooted, we don't have to support you". Anyone who has done customer service or help desk knows what I'm talking about.) or just plain making the whole thing up, since I have never heard of any company refusing to service a rooted device unless there was a problem user with multiple returns.
I do acknowledge that the OP may not be full of crap, but if that is the case, I strongly advise OP not to take what a single rep said as gospel and keep calling back and asking for a supervisor until it's resolved.
However, there's another issue:
If the OP rooted, installed a custom kernel, found his device ran too hot, then called Google complaining without first reverting to stock and testing to make sure it wasn't the custom kernel causing the overheating, the OP's brain is the thing needing a warranty exchange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally understand where you're coming from.
I used to work behind the genius bar so I know what you're getting at.
The full story is that I phoned up first and arranged a swap but realised that they would send to university address and not home phoned back again to change address and that's when the guy tried some extra steps with me and then asked for serial etc, you know the rest.
I get his word isn't stone but was shocked that they could definitely tell, wanted to share exp.
In all honesty the reason I didn't act rationally was that he ultimately called me out and I was major surprised since I'd never heard of anything similar before aka remote sense of root.
This is literally the third android device I've had and I'm only getting into the scene now, there's no custom kernel on my nexus. I run it stock.
FYI this was UK. Oh and CS didn't deny service they just referred me to someone else. Will try again post hols.
Hope explains!
?? Has anyone else experienced major heat on NFS:MW ??
alias_neo said:
I'd prefer to see a root method where the app hides the binary under a unique name so they can't call it to find out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you mean like the way a rootkit does it
?? Has anyone else experienced major heat on NFS:MW ??
Mine do to and lag in a lot of games because of throttling

Returns for repair advice

Turns out the problem I had with my wifi toggling itself off and on every 10 seconds wasn't fixed when i did a fresh installation of 4.4.2 from sammobile. As such Im having to return the device to john lewis, so they can send it off for repairs.
Any advice? I have already done a full system wipe and firmware reinstall, so it should be as blank and back to stock as I can make it.
I'm photocopying receipts and things so I can keep the originals.
But I dont know how this "repairs" procedure works... will I definitly get my original device back, but fixed? If they can't fix it, will I get sent a new device, or will I get sent someone elses second hand refurbished one?
I'm concerned because my tablet is only 6 months old, and is in pristine condition. Literally, it still looks like its just come out of the box. If I get sent a second hand one it wont be in as good a condition. Also I managed to get one *without* the terrible light bleed issues, and so if one turns up with light bleed I'll have to complain and go another 28 days without a device.
So yeh, any recommendations of things I should do to make sure I dont get screwed over by samsung? Any more so than they already are anyway.
In case it doesnt come through in this post, I am rather annoyed. And also protective of my stuff.
Knox bit?
Had you triggered your Knox warranty bit whilst installing custom ROM?
I'm not experiencing problems but feel that Knox should be reset when going back to stock, with a compete wipe, to avoid warranty void claims...
Let us know how your experience goes though...
bbs2web said:
Had you triggered your Knox warranty bit whilst installing custom ROM?
I'm not experiencing problems but feel that Knox should be reset when going back to stock, with a compete wipe, to avoid warranty void claims...
Let us know how your experience goes though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never installed a custom ROM, only ones from sammobile, so far as im aware my warranty is still all valid.
nirurin said:
Never installed a custom ROM, only ones from sammobile, so far as im aware my warranty is still all valid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If they have to replace your device, you will not get a new one, but a recondition, however, it will look like brand new.
Wifi issue repair
I sent my P600 in about 3 weeks ago. My wifi and bluetooth would not turn on at all. The slide buttons in settings would slide to green like it was turning on and then slide back to gray a couple of seconds later. I just got it back from samsung. I had tripped the knox e-fuse be rooting my device, Flashed stock 4.4.2 before i sent it in. Sent it in and they never said a word. According to the reciept they replaced the wifi/bluetooth compnent, my device came back with my account and data still intact.
buhohitr said:
If they have to replace your device, you will not get a new one, but a recondition, however, it will look like brand new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will it though? If it's second hand then surely it could have scratches on screen, scuffs on the casing, etc etc. Mine literally looks like it's fresh out the box.
It's ready to send back to them now anyway so I guess I'll just have to wait and see, and deal with it when it happens. Thanks for the advice

Stock firmware with root access - Warranty Claim being denied... :(

Hey guys.
So, the worst case scenario seems to be playing out with my phone, and Samsung & the retailer are turning into villains. I've had my phone maybe 8 months, I flashed root to it in the first week. This is the stock firmware, just with root access so I could run Titanium Backup. The phone was working fine, had recently started to become a little bit chuggy due to lots of apps & data, though yesterday I opened a link from a friend which looks like it's killed my phone. I was in the middle of doing my Japanese lessons with Duolingo... received a Whatsapp message from a friend with a link to a sale ( I could post the link, but spam filters might block it)- the moment I opened the link in Chrome my phone had a heart attack. Froze, rebooted... but worse, the boot animation also froze. I tried the power reset (volume down + power button), and managed to get as far as the lock screen. Upon entering my PIN, the phone went black and it has been a brick ever since. I took my phone to the shop I bought it from this morning and regret being honest about having root access. I cannot possibly fathom how having full access to MY DEVICE could possibly kill any hardware or disable the device to this degree, and as such think this warranty voiding angle is a giant scam.
This post is seeking a few things... 1) sympathy (lots please).... 2) advice about warranty (are they within their rights to deny my warranty? I'm in Australia, imported phone) ... 3) How could this happen?!?!?!
Please, thanks, and woe is me....
:-/
loudboy77 said:
Hey guys.
So, the worst case scenario seems to be playing out with my phone, and Samsung & the retailer are turning into villains. I've had my phone maybe 8 months, I flashed root to it in the first week. This is the stock firmware, just with root access so I could run Titanium Backup. The phone was working fine, had recently started to become a little bit chuggy due to lots of apps & data, though yesterday I opened a link from a friend which looks like it's killed my phone. I was in the middle of doing my Japanese lessons with Duolingo... received a Whatsapp message from a friend with a link to a sale ( I could post the link, but spam filters might block it)- the moment I opened the link in Chrome my phone had a heart attack. Froze, rebooted... but worse, the boot animation also froze. I tried the power reset (volume down + power button), and managed to get as far as the lock screen. Upon entering my PIN, the phone went black and it has been a brick ever since. I took my phone to the shop I bought it from this morning and regret being honest about having root access. I cannot possibly fathom how having full access to MY DEVICE could possibly kill any hardware or disable the device to this degree, and as such think this warranty voiding angle is a giant scam.
This post is seeking a few things... 1) sympathy (lots please).... 2) advice about warranty (are they within their rights to deny my warranty? I'm in Australia, imported phone) ... 3) How could this happen?!?!?!
Please, thanks, and woe is me....
:-/
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Click to collapse
It depends on how you rooted but guessing as you rooted when you first got the device it probably tripped knox and voided your warranty... either way by the sounds of things you can fix this yourself by flashing official firmware with odin do you know how to do this?
In fact can you get into recovery mode?
while the phone is off try holding power button + home button + volume upfor around 10 seconds (this does not require the boot animation to load)
If you can do that use the volume keys to navigate down to "wipe data and factory rest" then navigate to yes and after that reboot your phone (might take 10 mins to boot) but should fix your problem
EasyAndroidPro said:
It depends on how you rooted but guessing as you rooted when you first got the device it probably tripped knox and voided your warranty... either way by the sounds of things you can fix this yourself by flashing official firmware with odin do you know how to do this?
In fact can you get into recovery mode?
while the phone is off try holding power button + home button + volume upfor around 10 seconds (this does not require the boot animation to load)
If you can do that use the volume keys to navigate down to "wipe data and factory rest" then navigate to yes and after that reboot your phone (might take 10 mins to boot) but should fix your problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For a moment I was excited to get a reply, and then I read yours. Please read my post before replying. If I could flash anything or get any kind of response do you think I would have taken my phone in for repairs??! It's DEAD. They changed the battery, the display (so they tell me) and they like to refer to the remainder as "the motherboard" but they mean the whole damn phone... Can anyone report if this has happened to them? Seems so thoroughly weird.... and to blame it on the fact I have root access.... the same as thousands of others.... it's really dodgy.
loudboy77 said:
For a moment I was excited to get a reply, and then I read yours. Please read my post before replying. If I could flash anything or get any kind of response do you think I would have taken my phone in for repairs??! It's DEAD. They changed the battery, the display (so they tell me) and they like to refer to the remainder as "the motherboard" but they mean the whole damn phone... Can anyone report if this has happened to them? Seems so thoroughly weird.... and to blame it on the fact I have root access.... the same as thousands of others.... it's really dodgy.
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Click to collapse
Wow good look getting help with an attitude like that :good: i was offering beginner advice because from your post you sounded like an newbie. Good luck i won't be helping further.
EasyAndroidPro said:
Wow good look getting help with an attitude like that :good: i was offering beginner advice because from your post you sounded like an newbie. Good luck i won't be helping further.
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Click to collapse
Oh no... you're going to keep that awesome advice to yourself? Maybe someone else can suggest I try turning it off and on again?
Seriously- it's frustrating enough being put through the wringer of losing a device like this, and even moreso being held over a barrel by Samsung & the retailer. I'm doing my best to be clear and spell out my situation, in the interests of not only myself, but the whole Samsung community. When you're locked out of a device by design, and all you can do is press buttons in certain combinations, please assume that I meant it when I said I already tried pressing the buttons.
More frustrated. Thanks. =)
loudboy77 said:
Oh no... you're going to keep that awesome advice to yourself? Maybe someone else can suggest I try turning it off and on again?
Seriously- it's frustrating enough being put through the wringer of losing a device like this, and even moreso being held over a barrel by Samsung & the retailer. I'm doing my best to be clear and spell out my situation, in the interests of not only myself, but the whole Samsung community. When you're locked out of a device by design, and all you can do is press buttons in certain combinations, please assume that I meant it when I said I already tried pressing the buttons.
More frustrated. Thanks. =)
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Click to collapse
Come on, dude. I/we know the frustration of things like this but that's completely uncalled for. He offered genuine advice from the information given in your post.
I hope you get it sorted but I doubt you'll get much in the way of helpful responses if you are this rude.
It is completely within their rights to deny you warranty. You rooted the thing. The very act of rooting voids warranty. And yes, complete access to the device can do that to your phone because any rogue app can delete system files/programs that are essential to running the phone, or even turning it on. As it is, suck it up and accept you lost warranty and pay for the repair or get a new phone.
Sent from my SM-T231 using Tapatalk
what whatsapp message could do that much harm and has that done any harm to your friends (rooted) phone?
I think that after the freeze the phone has become damaged in software
Could be that it happens with any application that filled the memory.
If nothing can be saved with any trick and you have done everything I'm afraid there is nothing more possible than all the "tricks" here on XDA that are available after a good search.
Succes
loudboy77 said:
Hey guys.
So, the worst case scenario seems to be playing out with my phone
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Click to collapse
If u cant get into Download mode, then the people at service centre also cant
Go to a different service centre and play dumb. Just say that 'The phone stopped working when I was travelling. I dont know what happened. The phone just died'
Dont give anymore info than this. If u do then they might pin it on you
Just play dumb and deny everything lol
They cannot prove that the phone is rooted just by looking.
In your case the motherboard might be fried (IDK maybe) and if they replace motherboard then ur knox flag will be reset.
Visit another Service centre. Dont go to the same place again.
chanchan05 said:
It is completely within their rights to deny you warranty. You rooted the thing. The very act of rooting voids warranty. And yes, complete access to the device can do that to your phone because any rogue app can delete system files/programs that are essential to running the phone, or even turning it on. As it is, suck it up and accept you lost warranty and pay for the repair or get a new phone.
Sent from my SM-T231 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
There was recently a ruling in the States that returned some rights to consumers to unlock their devices while keeping warranty. In Australia we have some pretty decent consumer protection laws. http://ausdroid.net/2012/10/22/warranties-and-bootloaders-what-you-should-know/
You're not showing an awful lot of compassion to the community of developers who spend their time trying to root phones... too bad if your phone dies? nice.
I suggest you read this.
http://www.samsung.com/au/support/warranty/
From the read of it. You have already violated 2 things.
1.Your phone was imported.
2.Modification(in this case root)
Also, if you think software can not kill hardware then you are wrong. Some hardware are also being controled by software. Of course something like the glue holding the display together come off is definite not caused by software but something like fried mainboard/electronic is possible.
Of course, this seem very unlikely in this case but still not impossible. If you still want warranty, you must prove yourself innocent enough for them to accept your claim which seem nearly impossible.
Also being honest about rooting when claiming your warranty will instantly have your warranty rejected, no question asked.
Well, you can still try using the customer right law or something like that to help you, if you don't mind wasting time.
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
loudboy77 said:
There was recently a ruling in the States that returned some rights to consumers to unlock their devices while keeping warranty. In Australia we have some pretty decent consumer protection laws. http://ausdroid.net/2012/10/22/warranties-and-bootloaders-what-you-should-know/
You're not showing an awful lot of compassion to the community of developers who spend their time trying to root phones... too bad if your phone dies? nice.
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Click to collapse
Unlocking and rooting are two different things. Compassion? What are you talking about? Just accept that rooting voids warranty. Rooting opens the phone to exploits which may or may not cause problems. The manufacturer has every right to deny you service because they cannot prove if it is a fault on their part or yours. If you a friend bought an unrooted phone from you and roots it and bricks it, would you take back the phone and give him a new one free of charge? Or would you shoulder repair fees for your friend? No. Same thing. If you accidentally drop your chicken on the floor, KFC won't take it back.
There is consumer protection, and there is abuse.
And I appreciate the rooting community, but understand and accept the fact that doing so voids my warranty.
If my phones dies? I pay for the repairs. Simple.
Sent from my SM-T231 using Tapatalk
EasyAndroidPro said:
It depends on how you rooted but guessing as you rooted when you first got the device it probably tripped knox and voided your warranty... either way by the sounds of things you can fix this yourself by flashing official firmware with odin do you know how to do this?
In fact can you get into recovery mode?
while the phone is off try holding power button + home button + volume upfor around 10 seconds (this does not require the boot animation to load)
If you can do that use the volume keys to navigate down to "wipe data and factory rest" then navigate to yes and after that reboot your phone (might take 10 mins to boot) but should fix your problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I take it that there's a way around knox to root the phone without tripping it? I've got the Exynos variant of this phone, would you mind putting me in the right direction on rooting it? I've looked everywhere but never found a way that does not trip knox.
Alaa Joseph said:
So I take it that there's a way around knox to root the phone without tripping it? I've got the Exynos variant of this phone, would you mind putting me in the right direction on rooting it? I've looked everywhere but never found a way that does not trip knox.
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Click to collapse
I've not tried it myself nor have I looked into it myself I rooted the normal way as I don't care about Knox related apps I just remember seeing the reports around.
Here is a related thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...ot-method-via-engkernel-t3423438/post68204186

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