Database Users

Bricking hero to get it replaced

My sprint store won't replace my Hero with dust under the screen >_<
So if I brick it, they will, correct?
Would brick by pulling battery during radio update or something.

Yeah...this is against your contract and such...if they can prove you bricked it they can say no...

This is incredibly unethical and results in higher costs for all of us. I understand you're upset that you have dust under your screen, but intentionally bricking your phone to get a replacement, that cost only gets passed on to everyone else.
I guess that you could argue that the product was defective and they ought to replace it anyway, but a little dust under the screen isn't the end of the world is it? I've got chipped paint on my back button and the case has a small crack where the mini-usb plugs in, should I brick my phone just to fix those minor issues?

ASULutzy said:
This is incredibly unethical and results in higher costs for all of us. I understand you're upset that you have dust under your screen, but intentionally bricking your phone to get a replacement, that cost only gets passed on to everyone else.
I guess that you could argue that the product was defective and they ought to replace it anyway, but a little dust under the screen isn't the end of the world is it? I've got chipped paint on my back button and the case has a small crack where the mini-usb plugs in, should I brick my phone just to fix those minor issues?
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I'm completely OCD about these things. Once I notice an issue that I didn't cause, it bothers the complete hell out of me.

Just take it to a local repair shop and pay the cost to have it cleaned/screen replaced.

intx said:
I'm completely OCD about these things. Once I notice an issue that I didn't cause, it bothers the complete hell out of me.
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Asides from all of that, as already mentioned this is unethical, and also illegal, you would be committing fraud. This is something in the same vein as insurance fraud. I don't condone such things. There are guides on the internet on how to openup your phone and clean out the dust, probably guides on how to stop it from happening again, look them up and give that a shot if the dust bothers you so much.

rayborn said:
Just take it to a local repair shop and pay the cost to have it cleaned/screen replaced.
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I absolutely refuse to pay extra money to fix a defect in a phone I've only had for a few months.

So take it to a Sprint shop and they'll blow out the dust for free.

intx said:
I absolutely refuse to pay extra money to fix a defect in a phone I've only had for a few months.
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Then open ur phone and clean it urself, seriously why do ppl think their entitled to sh*t nowadays? if you can flash ur phone then open the shell and clean it out.

entropism said:
So take it to a Sprint shop and they'll blow out the dust for free.
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He said he did that and they wouldnt.
How do u guys get dust under the screen? Om. Truck driver and see tje worst conditions ever, from scorching heat to freezing cold with everything in between n my phone still looks bew after a few months and many drops andi cary it in my pocket.

I would have to agree that the best option, (being money free) is to follow a guide to open up your phone and cleaning it yourself unless of course you would be voiding your warranty. However that seems to be not the case here.

to brick it, flash a gsm radio or rom. BUT "if" they catch it you will be charged for a new phone.

Nate14 said:
I would have to agree that the best option, (being money free) is to follow a guide to open up your phone and cleaning it yourself unless of course you would be voiding your warranty. However that seems to be not the case here.
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no need to clean it, just call sprint and they will send you another phone. i did and i got a new one a week ago. sprint knows about the dust defect.

Uhmmm. The answer to your question is yes. The bricked hero is going to go into a bucket of hero's at the HTC repair center and probably be recycled. There is no forensics team waiting to check every phone because of HOW it got screwed. I would keep it all stock though so if they do read it they wont see something that hasnt been released yet.
I would say the radio update trick may brick it but it would be best if the phone didnt even power on.
Also, don't feel bad. I am ocd about this stuff too and if I had dust under the screen in one hand, and a company like sprint trying back out of responsibility in the other, I would do the same thing. I could go on and on but its up to you to decide what the "right thing" to do is. And I personally feel that they should cover this stuff, so I have no moral or ethical problems with forcing a company to own up and care about their customers. Just be sure to take it to a sprint store you have never been to before.

FYI- I am a Sprint employee.. and I can tell you that as long as you're going to a COMPANY OWNED Sprint store, they will clean the dust out for you at no charge since you're still in warranty. If they do not, ask for a manager and let them know you don't want to have to email [email protected] (yes this actually works, and his executive escalation office really does read these emails.) If it is a repeated issue, they will eventually replace the phone for you, but it will likely be a reconditioned model (which are just as good as new.) The Hero comes apart very very easily and is very simple to clean. Good luck!

a99tandem said:
FYI- I am a Sprint employee.. and I can tell you that as long as you're going to a COMPANY OWNED Sprint store, they will clean the dust out for you at no charge since you're still in warranty. If they do not, ask for a manager and let them know you don't want to have to email [email protected] (yes this actually works, and his executive escalation office really does read these emails.) If it is a repeated issue, they will eventually replace the phone for you, but it will likely be a reconditioned model (which are just as good as new.) The Hero comes apart very very easily and is very simple to clean. Good luck!
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sprint tried to clean my dust but refused to take apart the hero in fear of breaking it or getting fingerprints on the lcd. the blew out what they could and hooked me up with a new phone, no questions asked.

flexgrip said:
Uhmmm. The answer to your question is yes. The bricked hero is going to go into a bucket of hero's at the HTC repair center and probably be recycled. There is no forensics team waiting to check every phone because of HOW it got screwed. I would keep it all stock though so if they do read it they wont see something that hasnt been released yet.
I would say the radio update trick may brick it but it would be best if the phone didnt even power on.
Also, don't feel bad. I am ocd about this stuff too and if I had dust under the screen in one hand, and a company like sprint trying back out of responsibility in the other, I would do the same thing. I could go on and on but its up to you to decide what the "right thing" to do is. And I personally feel that they should cover this stuff, so I have no moral or ethical problems with forcing a company to own up and care about their customers. Just be sure to take it to a sprint store you have never been to before.
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In other words, your telling him its ok to commit fraud, which is a felony. Its because of people like you, that a cell phone costs $500, pc's cost $1000's, insurance rates are high, health care is so expensive, etc.......Fraud accounts for probably a good majority of the cost of products and services. Imagine what it would be like if everybody actually took responsibility for their actions...Ah well..that'll never happen in this society that thinks it's entitled to everything for free.......

intx said:
My sprint store won't replace my Hero with dust under the screen >_<
So if I brick it, they will, correct?
Would brick by pulling battery during radio update or something.
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Use the OPEN enrollment on sprint to get TEP. (they have special now till the end of the month).. then take it in have them 'diagnose' it, and the worse case you pay 50 deductible to get it replaced, keep TEP until your satisfied.
I can usually get out of the TEP deductible by just going to a repair center and waiting for them to fix it.
Maybe that will work.. I had gone through 8 sprint moguls on TEP and never once had to pay the deductible by doing things this way.

TEP on smartphones is $100 not $50 deductible.

OK, first off... The OP never said he tried to fix it, he said he tried to REPLACE it. For all we know, he didn't go to a corporate repair store, just a sales location.
Second, for Fixxxer: if you went to a repair store and they felt uncomfortable opening up your hero? Change stores IMMEDIATELY. They're trained and paid to open up phones, if they can't do that, they're worthless.
Finally, Kkruse: The deductible is $100, hasn't been $50 for smartphones in over a year. Besides, a deductible should only be used for the following: Water damage, physical damage (I'd rather pay $120 on the spot to get it fixed), theft/loss, fire damage, complete devastation (aka motherboard shattered into more than 2 pieces). If you use the deductible for dust, send me the $100 instead, it'll get more use. Half of your insurance goes to free in store repairs. Guess what dust is covered under?

Dropped my G2 = glass cracked!

I've found a replacement screen on eBay for $68 but have no idea how to replace it. I don't see any disassembly of the screen on any of the teardown pics. Any help would be much appreciated.

Insurance thru tmo. Better off getting brand new out the box. Just my thought.
[G2/HTC Vision]

Yeah, that would be ideal but I bought the phone used. No insurance. Also everything, including the touchscreen, works perfectly fine still. The glass is just cracked.

djodpm said:
Yeah, that would be ideal but I bought the phone used. No insurance. Also everything, including the touchscreen, works perfectly fine still. The glass is just cracked.
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You can call T-Mo, have them add the premium insurance, and then call back in a couple days and have them give you a replacement under the plan for $130.
EDIT: Make sure to get confirmation on this before you go through.
Of course, $68 is much better than $130. This link to a Desire Z teardown shows the top panel being taken apart (about 2/3 of the way down the page). It's a hell of a process; one that might leave you with more than just a screen issue if something were to go wrong.

Pix please and also what link are r u looking at? $68 seems to cheap. Just wanna make sure you dont end up with a mytouch or hero screen

Wow, thanks for your help so far guys. Sorry about the links, it wouldnt let me post a normal link since Im a new user, so just cut and paste.
Here is a link to the replacement screen I found on eBay, its actually $58:
cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280580921344&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_2532wt_785
And here is a photo:
picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YQQk9mou_kp-7iN6ItklDtTVQVAkEM77fsYCIJiprL0?feat=directlink

djodpm said:
Wow, thanks for your help so far guys. Sorry about the links, it wouldnt let me post a normal link since Im a new user, so just cut and paste.
Here is a link to the replacement screen I found on eBay, its actually $58:
cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280580921344&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_2532wt_785
And here is a photo:
picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YQQk9mou_kp-7iN6ItklDtTVQVAkEM77fsYCIJiprL0?feat=directlink
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thats pretty bad on the phone but yes that is the right screen.
You cracked the touch screen part not the lcd which would of cost more.
Good luck with replacing it. Idk how good you are at this stuff but for me it doesnt look to hard just make sure you have all the right tools.
and @ EfemaN
thanks for the link. and has anyone looked to see if the led has multi- color?

i don't think you can add insurance now. only at the time you bought the phone.
actually when i bought, they added insurance w/o telling me. i found it later and canceled cuz it's 6.99/mo and deductible is 130. i thought 130 is way too much.
how much will HTC charge you? around 200?

HTC wont even repair them yet, that is the worst part. Below is the email I got from HTC customer service.
We apologize for any issues you are experiencing with your device and would be happy to assist. Unfortunately, we are not currently supporting this device for repair. We will have RMA options available soon, but do not have an ETA on when this will take effect. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Customer Care at 1.888.356.2375.

I was able to remove and re-add insurance back over the last year or so that I had my Blackberry. There's no harm in just calling to ask.
I just called T-Mobile to have a new G2 sent (having radio issues), and during the usual agreement word-for-word reading, the rep mentioned the "if we find that you screwed up your phone" fee of.. I believe she said around $280, and if I remember correctly, it was $130 for the Blackberry. That $68 screen seems a little more attractive now...

I called and tried to add insurance to my G2 today. T-Mobile said I had the phone more than 15 days and could not add it :-(
They did say that there is a year warranty on the phone that covers defects, but not breaks caused by consumer.
I also asked if they have an open enrollment period like some phone insurance companies do and they said that they didn't.
The DID however say that if I went to a T-Mobile store and got any repairs or exchanges done, I would be able to add insurance.
FYI my G2 is in perfect condition. Was just wanting to know if I could add it. Wish I would have when I had the chance.

Just so you guys are aware..
Insurance can be added only during an open enrollment period - purchase of a new phone or a warranty exchange. More or less, whenever T-mobile gives you a phone, you have 14 days to add it to the line.
That being said, the qualifying event that enables you to add insurance to your line doesn't necessarily have to cover the phone that was purchased or exchanged. The insurance will actually follow the sim card (iphone excluded) so that if you put your sim card into another device, that is actually the device that is currently covered.
Now, if you have a phone that can't receive a signal (totally inoperable as a phone) you might run into some difficulties actually making the claim. While it is technically policy, they would certainly prefer to see some usage on the phone you're trying to make a claim on. Depends on who you talk to, really.
Figured I would share. Toodles.

Bishybob said:
I called and tried to add insurance to my G2 today. T-Mobile said I had the phone more than 15 days and could not add it :-(
They did say that there is a year warranty on the phone that covers defects, but not breaks caused by consumer.
I also asked if they have an open enrollment period like some phone insurance companies do and they said that they didn't.
The DID however say that if I went to a T-Mobile store and got any repairs or exchanges done, I would be able to add insurance.
FYI my G2 is in perfect condition. Was just wanting to know if I could add it. Wish I would have when I had the chance.
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why dont you sim unlock your phone and see if you cant get signal, get your replacement device, which would be covered as a defect, and then add insurance to that one. I prefer sprints insurance, they will even let you claim a phone you got used from ebay/cl or whatever. Also, you might want to look into a third party insurance provider, as asurion is who covers it through every carrier anyway. They will always just tell you to call them, wont make anything easier.

Does anyone have a better tear down link than this?: tjworld.net/blog/htc-desire-z-tear-down
This assumes that the 1/2 that the screen is attached to is separated from the other 1/2 of the phone. I ordered a new digitizer and am just waiting for it to arrive. I was quoted $50 labor from a local shop here in NYC. I ordered the part for $36.

good luck with this man
it really sucks to have almost no good guides on how to take apart a phone
i did a screen replacement with my old vibrant
it was terrible

G2 hinge dislocated

I just dropped my phone and the hinge flew open. On the side near the power button, the joint pulled away and now the phone doesn't slide correctly since the hinge is dislocated. Can I fix it myself? It doesn't seem to have broken anything, just pulled out of socket or something. I'm not really sure how the hinge was connected in the first place so I don't know whether it just needs to be pushed back in or what. I attached some pictures of it too.

Based on that first photo it appears that you sheared a pin off somehow - the one that the main crossbar hooks onto. If that's the case, I don't know how you'd easily repair it.

Ooowwcchh....!

Well I have insurance with t-mobile, but I'm rooted running CM6.1 so I don't want to try to get it replaced and get screwed over. Any advice for that?

mcs6 said:
Well I have insurance with t-mobile, but I'm rooted running CM6.1 so I don't want to try to get it replaced and get screwed over. Any advice for that?
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Talk to Customer Service (dial 611) and tell them the hinge came apart (I wouldnt mention dropping it unless its obvious that its been dropped) and they'll offer to send you a new one. If they wont send you a new one (which would surprise me, they're pretty good about stuff like that, especially known issues like the hinge) then you'll need to make a claim on your insurance. If they send you a new one without making an insurance claim then you can wait until you get your new one, make a back up, and then return your phone to stock/unroot before you send it back. There are threads here explaining how to do that. I've never made a claim through my insurance with TMobile, so I'm not entirely sure how that works. You might have to unroot/return to stock before you take it to the store. If you can call your insurance and make a claim then it might work the same way and you can wait until they send the new one.
Edit: After looking at the pictures, it doesnt look like there's obvious damage, so you should be home free on not admitting its been dropped.

I just threw up a little.
sent from my V I S I O N.

70% of the dummy g2s in stores look like that, it scared me away at first when I was looking at buying a g2

mcs6 said:
I just dropped my phone and the hinge flew open. On the side near the power button, the joint pulled away and now the phone doesn't slide correctly since the hinge is dislocated. Can I fix it myself? It doesn't seem to have broken anything, just pulled out of socket or something. I'm not really sure how the hinge was connected in the first place so I don't know whether it just needs to be pushed back in or what. I attached some pictures of it too.
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Posting pictures of it won't help you. You need to take it apart and reinstall the hinge. If it broke a pin or something, find something to replace it, then reassemble. Don't listen to anybody who says you can't fix it... EVERYTHING can be fixed. Especially simple/stupid mechanical things.

Looks like you broke it in the spring box, heres a pic of it from the inside, there are guides on tearing apart your G2 but I dont know how that will affect the insurance, if you have to return it under insurance and your worried about being rooted there are guides to unroot the phone.

Yeah, it seems like it's definitely worth it just to unroot and return it like I never rooted it to begin with. Tearing it apart is sketchy and I don't know how successful I'd be in the first place, I'd probably just screw it up more.
So I'm assuming this is the go-to guide for unrooting: http://theunlockr.com/2010/12/01/how-to-unroot-the-t-mobile-g2-htc-vision/
Anyone have any experience with this?
Thanks guys for all the input

mcs6 said:
Yeah, it seems like it's definitely worth it just to unroot and return it like I never rooted it to begin with. Tearing it apart is sketchy and I don't know how successful I'd be in the first place, I'd probably just screw it up more.
So I'm assuming this is the go-to guide for unrooting: http://theunlockr.com/2010/12/01/how-to-unroot-the-t-mobile-g2-htc-vision/
Anyone have any experience with this?
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Note that your warranty doesn't cover this type of damage.

Why wouldn't it? Are you saying that because I dropped it or because it's physical damage regardless?
Also, does anyone know what the deductable is for getting it replaced if I go the insurance route?

mcs6 said:
Why wouldn't it? Are you saying that because I dropped it or because it's physical damage regardless?
Also, does anyone know what the deductable is for getting it replaced if I go the insurance route?
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Warranty only covers DEFECTS. It doesn't cover things that you cause. You dropped it, thereby causing the physical damage, you therefore have no warranty. Its all gone. None left.

insurance deductible is $130. better off calling tmo and just saying you have a loose hinge, since it's a known issue, they'll replace it. Don't say it's popped out.

Woops don't know what happend to the pic I posted but here it is again:

that looks awful to try to fix...I was watching the video that someone made about taking the hinge apart and it looked really intense. How would I got about even finding a new pin/spring or whatever?

I wouldn't mention anything about dropping it and just say it has a loose hinge, worse comes to worse blame it on the shipping and an already loose hinge.

SuperDave81 said:
insurance deductible is $130. better off calling tmo and just saying you have a loose hinge, since it's a known issue, they'll replace it. Don't say it's popped out.
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they wont replace it... at least they did not to me... they went on and on that is the way the hinge was designed and crap like that...
i think you are better off if you just pay the 130 deductible, and just report the phone lost and a new phone will be on its way next business day.

dhkr123 said:
Note that your warranty doesn't cover this type of damage.
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Not necessarily true.
As long as there is no evidence that the device has been dropped/abused/dunked into a bucket of water T-Mobile might try to protest but ultimately this can be deemed as a defective device.

You pay for insurance. Its a disaster clause too. Not a warrentee. You could brick your phone and tell them about it and they will replace it. Its the point of insurance. Warrentee is different. Keep in mind, you pay 130 deductable to replace a phone. Don't worry about cm6. They are also not allowed to assume you will root your new phone either. So even if they boot to a cm6 logo they still have to replace your phone since you pay for insurance and the deductible.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Edit: I was damn tired when I wrote this. Dunno how much sense it makes..

I have to bring my phone to Sprint for...

...a broken front glass. I've had my Evo since launch, naked, and finally dropped it on something hard enough to break it - the parking lot. Needless to say, the glass is cracked, so I'll need to bring it to Sprint (I have TEP), but first, a few questions:
1) I need to unroot (the phone is still very usable), but if I get an exchange, is the newest version of Android rootable for the Evo4G?
2) If it's NOT rootable, I know a guy who replaces glass on iPods, iPhones, and other smartphones, (including the 4G) and he'll charge me for the glass and that's it (<$50). Problem is, now it has a few nicks in the side, and that will bug the **** out of me.
Any ideas/tips from anyone that's gone through this with Sprint or suggestions otherwise?
Thanks

You'll get referred to Asurion unless the tech is feeling exceptionally nice that day.
They've been cracking down on courtesy repairs recently, mainly because the front assemblies are around $100 a pop.

If you get an exchange you will be able to root using Revolutionary (do a search). I've done several.

Go to amazon, the digitizer is anywhere between $11-$20... Not a real tough fix...

I'd go the amazon route as well. My friend fixed his wife's evo pretty quickly and for $15 I think.

Wow, thanks everyone! I do have TEP for the phone, but replacing it myself doesn't look to difficult and I'm pretty handy. I already have the torx and pry tools, so I may just go that route. Thanks for the feedback!

And even if you don't want to do it yourself, there is no need to actually take it to a sprint store. They will just tell you to call Asurion.

sitlet said:
And even if you don't want to do it yourself, there is no need to actually take it to a sprint store. They will just tell you to call Asurion.
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So this third party company basically just handles the claims?

sitlet said:
And even if you don't want to do it yourself, there is no need to actually take it to a sprint store. They will just tell you to call Asurion.
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Not necessarily. I'm on my 4th screen replaced at no charge from my local store. I have TEP, the sheet shows $35 for screen repair without it. 3 times I walked in and was out in 30-40min. Once they had no screens and gave me a loaner while a new shipment came in.
Perhaps corporate stores are just referring to Asurion now, but all the stores in my area still repair in shop.

I just had to turn in a phone because the USB data lines were not working. They refused to do any diagnosing while it was rooted. You might be able to try a stock-looking ROM perhaps. But I unrooted following guides here, took it in, got the new phone a while later, rooted it, and I'm back.
Nine days later, I drop the phone on concrete face-down. So now I'm sitting with this new phone and a cracked screen. Ebay has a number of complete housings with LCD for $40-60. With that, swap in your motherboard and it should be all good. I will be going this route over the next few days.
Ifixit.com has a guide to take it apart. You have to do the first few steps to see what model LCD your phone uses. Some have a wide ribbon cable and some have a narrower one. I just looked this afternoon and mine is a wide type cable. Maybe older phones are narrow.

Go with number 2 because it should be easy to fix to do. And just deal with the side nicks and scratches. After all it was your own fault for not having it protected somehow.

{ParanoiA} said:
Go with number 2 because it should be easy to fix to do. And just deal with the side nicks and scratches. After all it was your own fault for not having it protected somehow.
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Nowhere did I say it WASN'T my fault. It's not like I'm out to **** over Sprint. I think having the phone since launch and never dropping it naked is pretty ****ing good in its own right, thank you very much.

I had the Otterbox Commuter (which is an amazing case, imo) from day one (Dec 2010), but have since gone naked. The phone is too sexy to cover it up with anything. I gladly take the risk of dropping it.

Bottom 20% of my digitizer went bad. Sprint said they'd fix it for $35 till they found out it was rooted. They said if I brought it back with stock software they'd still do it. I brought it back with a stock ROM but they claimed water damage and wouldn't fix it. Dirty ****ers.
For $20 and an hours worth of time I fixed it myself with a part from Amazon. You'll need to pick up a safe pry tool kit ($2). I ordered one setup for an iPod and it worked fine. They also say you'll need a T4 driver but you'll need a T5. Lowes has a Torx multitool that works great for $10.
There is a youtube video that shows step by step how to replace the EVO digitizer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdSIVMQ-G08

I guess it depends on the store.. I don't have insurance and they also charged 35$ but they never said anything about root. I was running cm7 and didn't even change they boot animation to stock..
There also was no root method at the time..
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

mobius999 said:
Not necessarily. I'm on my 4th screen replaced at no charge from my local store. I have TEP, the sheet shows $35 for screen repair without it. 3 times I walked in and was out in 30-40min. Once they had no screens and gave me a loaner while a new shipment came in.
Perhaps corporate stores are just referring to Asurion now, but all the stores in my area still repair in shop.
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I brought mine in asking for screen replacement and they told me to call asurion. Yes I have tep
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

AHrubik said:
Bottom 20% of my digitizer went bad. Sprint said they'd fix it for $35 till they found out it was rooted. They said if I brought it back with stock software they'd still do it. I brought it back with a stock ROM but they claimed water damage and wouldn't fix it. Dirty ****ers.
For $20 and an hours worth of time I fixed it myself with a part from Amazon. You'll need to pick up a safe pry tool kit ($2). I ordered one setup for an iPod and it worked fine. They also say you'll need a T4 driver but you'll need a T5. Lowes has a Torx multitool that works great for $10.
There is a youtube video that shows step by step how to replace the EVO digitizer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdSIVMQ-G08
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the day after i got my evo i had to go to the sprint store to do something with it (i forgot) but the tech came out and tried to pull the "water damage" BS they always pull. I told the prick that i just got it YESTERDAY and why the hell you people always try to pull the water damage bs? he had nothing to say. I was being a bit loud in front of everyone in the store and you should have seen teh look on his retarded face. these doosh bag techs at sprint suck!! they would rather find a way out of fixing it than actually fixing it.

Samsung will not change my back cover!

I have a GS3 for att and a few hours after i bought the phone i noticed the back door cover is not snapping in on the bottom left side. After thinking i might be able to return the phone to the best buy i got it from and exchange it i decided to wait two days. Turns out my only option is returning not exchanging due to the high demand of the phone. I tried to call samsung to see if could possibly send me a back cover since all the hooplah about the back cover recall during production i figured it would not be a problem. I first tried to get this fixed through their live chat system. In the end they told me its not cover because its physical damage. I proceeded to call their support and see if they could give me the same answer. They in turn said I would have to send the phone to them but since I have no oter phone now I could not do that so I politely asked to speak to a manager but there were "on the phones" and "busy" so they took my number and told me they would call me back. Well.... I guess you can figure out what happened with that promise. I called a second time and after a 40 minute call it got me nowhere. They then told me on my second call that the back cover was not covered in the warranty because it was a "detachable part of the phone" and that it was an "accessory". I told them this does not make sense because isnt the battery considered detachable and an accessory? This time i asked for a manager again and I guess the managers were being lazy because not one of them wanted to speak with me because they were on "call" ironically. Can anyone help me with this situation any suggestions anything I can tell them to actually do something about this? I also already told them that all over the internet there were news about defective back covers during manufacturing and how it was pulled to be fixed and how people are posting pics of back cover issues also including on this forum! Im so aggravated with their customer support that i have a headache.

Look up on ebay to find a replacement. I know a lot of sites sell battery back covers and they aren't expensive
sent from my GALAXY SIII

Because of the crazy demand of the phone, you may have to wait it out if you can't be without phone and hope BBY gets some stock in within your 30 day (?) exchange window.
If you absolutely can't wait, you may wanna try ebay for a replacement back, since it's been reported the the international doors work just as well. But that would require you to shell out some dough for something that isn't your fault

Stock back cover is crap, really poor decision from Samsung. Finger print magnet and slippery. Anyways there are tons of 3rd party replacement back covers anywhere from 2$ to 10$, with better decals or nice tactile texture some even metal or leather.
Check amazon or just Google.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

Buy the official flip cover - replaces the back. Use that until you find a replacement back. Can we even get those yet by the way?...

I've read that some of the back covers block NFC. Be careful with what you get.

Ansextra said:
I've read that some of the back covers block NFC. Be careful with what you get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the metal ones..
Try putting the bottom left in first then bottom right then go up. Mine was like this until I did this.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

you can but on ebay, offical samsung back battery covers in white and blue. They are around $30.00 . I got mine a couple of days ago as I wanted an extra cover.

Wow, this is really poor customer service from Samsung. I had a loose battery door on my Motorola DX. I did online chat with rep, after 2 minutes of taking my info then she sent me a brand new battery door. Received in mail 2 days later.

I would say file a better business Bureau complaint. Everytime I have filed a complaint someone from the executive offices called me back. I filed one against LG and got them to replace my phone after sending it in for repair 3 times and all 3 times didn't fix it. I also had an issue with dell and filed a complaint and the escalation office called me and bent over backwards to make me happy. So I would suggest doing that and you will get a call back within a week guaranteed
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk

Envy718 said:
I have a GS3 for att and a few hours after i bought the phone i noticed the back door cover is not snapping in on the bottom left side. After thinking i might be able to return the phone to the best buy i got it from and exchange it i decided to wait two days. Turns out my only option is returning not exchanging due to the high demand of the phone. I tried to call samsung to see if could possibly send me a back cover since all the hooplah about the back cover recall during production i figured it would not be a problem. I first tried to get this fixed through their live chat system. In the end they told me its not cover because its physical damage. I proceeded to call their support and see if they could give me the same answer. They in turn said I would have to send the phone to them but since I have no oter phone now I could not do that so I politely asked to speak to a manager but there were "on the phones" and "busy" so they took my number and told me they would call me back. Well.... I guess you can figure out what happened with that promise. I called a second time and after a 40 minute call it got me nowhere. They then told me on my second call that the back cover was not covered in the warranty because it was a "detachable part of the phone" and that it was an "accessory". I told them this does not make sense because isnt the battery considered detachable and an accessory? This time i asked for a manager again and I guess the managers were being lazy because not one of them wanted to speak with me because they were on "call" ironically. Can anyone help me with this situation any suggestions anything I can tell them to actually do something about this? I also already told them that all over the internet there were news about defective back covers during manufacturing and how it was pulled to be fixed and how people are posting pics of back cover issues also including on this forum! Im so aggravated with their customer support that i have a headache.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is why I left AT&T. Their customer service is the worst out of all the top 4 carriers in the US.
Sent from Droid RAZR MAXX

Envy718 said:
I have a GS3 for att and a few hours after i bought the phone i noticed the back door cover is not snapping in on the bottom left side. After thinking i might be able to return the phone to the best buy i got it from and exchange it i decided to wait two days. ... They then told me on my second call that the back cover was not covered in the warranty because it was a "detachable part of the phone" and that it was an "accessory"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, the manufacturing issue had everything to do with the surface quality, not the fit issue.
Second, you need to learn to insert the cover properly. If you insert from the bottom and just press hard around the edge all the way around, it will fit in snuggly.
Third, if you still can't get the cover to assemble or break the cover in the process of forcing it in, just buy a replacement cover. It is not expensive and certainly not worth your time and effort to argue with Samsung over it, imho.
Just trying to be helpful...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium

ArborRes said:
First, the manufacturing issue had everything to do with the surface quality, not the fit issue.
Second, you need to learn to insert the cover properly. If you insert from the bottom and just press hard around the edge all the way around, it will fit in snuggly.
Third, if you still can't get the cover to assemble or break the cover in the process of forcing it in, just buy a replacement cover. It is not expensive and certainly not worth your time and effort to argue with Samsung over it, imho.
Just trying to be helpful...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im not retarded I know how to put the back cover on I have already done this and it is not staying. Im one of the few people that read the manuals. I have never broke the cover because it came like that out of the box. I would not be calling samsung or posting on this forum had any of this been my fault at all.

ArborRes said:
First, the manufacturing issue had everything to do with the surface quality, not the fit issue.
Second, you need to learn to insert the cover properly. If you insert from the bottom and just press hard around the edge all the way around, it will fit in snuggly.
Third, if you still can't get the cover to assemble or break the cover in the process of forcing it in, just buy a replacement cover. It is not expensive and certainly not worth your time and effort to argue with Samsung over it, imho.
Just trying to be helpful...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice avatar1 What's the good word?

All that time on the phone and posting on forums, you might as well have bought one off ebay. Unless your time isn't worth anything.

themightycat said:
All that time on the phone and posting on forums, you might as well have bought one off ebay. Unless your time isn't worth anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thing is why should I have to spend money on something that was a defect. Thats not right as a company to make a customer do that for a less than a week old phone.

Just return the phone and get a new one.

First world problems suck. Thanks for sharing.
...

Put a case on it, and you'll never notice it again.

Call wherever you bought it, see if someone returned a defective one and have them swap the cover for you.