Database Users

[HOWTO] Warranty Service for US Owners

I am a US owner of a i9300 that recently needed warranty service. Here is a guide on how to obtain warranty work and some tips from my experience. I have a feeling we're going to see a surge in people who will need it.
PhoneLand
http://www.freesamsungrepairs.com/
My phone's touchscreen wasn't responding so I contacted PhoneLand in the Bicester area. They asked me to email them my IMEI and serial number to verify that the phone was a EU phone. I guess non-EU phones from places like Dubai or Australia won't work. They got back to me telling me mine was from Germany. After printing out the repair form, I sent it USPS Priority which wasn't the best idea. If sending by USPS, try International Express because it guarantees delivery with a tracking number and you can pay for return shipping also (return shipping saves a lot of trouble and time, trust me on this). It got to the UK in about a week or so. I called them up and confirmed that they received it and they replaced it rather quickly. Paying for return shipping in advance saves a lot trouble because they're not that quick to contact you. I'd say that the whole process took 3 weeks total. I am very satisfied with their warranty service but correspondence with them was difficult because of the time zone difference.

hi, i'm very interested in send my phone to claim warranty service, but i lost my recipt... they need any form to be sure when and were i bought the smartphone?
Sorry for my english, it's very rusty xD

OP, why do think there will be a surge in people that will need to make a warranty claim?

BLeaCHeR said:
hi, i'm very interested in send my phone to claim warranty service, but i lost my recipt... they need any form to be sure when and were i bought the smartphone?
Sorry for my english, it's very rusty xD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No receipt is required. All EU phones still have warranty left.

I would just like to thank jinosong for this great info. My GSIII crapped out on me and send it to phone land. Repaired in one week and in the process of being shipped back to me.

lburrowes said:
I would just like to thank jinosong for this great info. My GSIII crapped out on me and send it to phone land. Repaired in one week and in the process of being shipped back to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure thing. I'm confident your repairs will be satisfactory like mine was. :good:

henrybravo said:
OP, why do think there will be a surge in people that will need to make a warranty claim?
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Click to collapse
It's because of two things. SDS, which has been resolved for the most part; and the fact that most users are on their second year of the two year warranty. The longer the phone has been in use, the greater the chance of a breakdown and the S3 is not the most reliable phone out there.
Others may disagree with me but I love that fact that I have a European warranty, not a US one. With European warranties, we are given TWO years, not the standard US one year warranty. It may take a while longer to get it fixed but it's better than paying to repair a crapped-out phone out of pocket.

?!
jinosong said:
It's because of two things. SDS, which has been resolved for the most part; and the fact that most users are on their second year of the two year warranty. The longer the phone has been in use, the greater the chance of a breakdown and the S3 is not the most reliable phone out there.
Others may disagree with me but I love that fact that I have a European warranty, not a US one. With European warranties, we are given TWO years, not the standard US one year warranty. It may take a while longer to get it fixed but it's better than paying to repair a crapped-out phone out of pocket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know what to do, samsung usa said i have a uk phone with uk warranty but when i emailed your guys at phoneland the said they couldnt help me because its a us phone.... :crying:
---------- Post added at 08:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:11 PM ----------
troublesome1 said:
I dont know what to do, samsung usa said i have a uk phone with uk warranty but when i emailed your guys at phoneland the said they couldnt help me because its a us phone.... :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
o yeah sorry, noob here, ive got the i9300. Its my wifes, ive got the N4

troublesome1 said:
I dont know what to do, samsung usa said i have a uk phone with uk warranty but when i emailed your guys at phoneland the said they couldnt help me because its a us phone....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung USA is probably wrong. They probably mean that the I9300 is an international version not made for the U.S. You probably have a non-EU version (somewhere like Saudi or India) which means only a 1 year warranty anyways. SDS or faulty screen?

jinosong said:
Samsung USA is probably wrong. They probably mean that the I9300 is an international version not made for the U.S. You probably have a non-EU version (somewhere like Saudi or India) which means only a 1 year warranty anyways. SDS or faulty screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im thinking sds, just constant freezes for like 20 minutes. Ive rooted it, flashed different roms, even flash cm 9 to no avail. cm 9 seems to have stopped much of it but it started other problems like no mms at times and other media related things. the funny part is that it seems to have started after the 4.1.2 update. According to USA samsung it is a UK phone.

troublesome1 said:
im thinking sds, just constant freezes for like 20 minutes. Ive rooted it, flashed different roms, even flash cm 9 to no avail. cm 9 seems to have stopped much of it but it started other problems like no mms at times and other media related things. the funny part is that it seems to have started after the 4.1.2 update. According to USA samsung it is a UK phone.
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Click to collapse
That really doesn't sound like a hardware issue at all. In fact, most of the current kernels are SDS-proof now. My guess is you're not wiping correctly. Ever try super wipe?
EDIT: I'm very sure it's due to incorrect wiping. You stated that issues came after the 4.1.2 update. It's probably the old 4.1.1 sources that are causing incompatibilities.

jinosong said:
That really doesn't sound like a hardware issue at all. In fact, most of the current kernels are SDS-proof now. My guess is you're not wiping correctly. Ever try super wipe?
EDIT: I'm very sure it's due to incorrect wiping. You stated that issues came after the 4.1.2 update. It's probably the old 4.1.1 sources that are causing incompatibilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmm... funny thing is that i just thought about the super wipe thing too, just read about it on another site. Ive never tried it but its seems like the next best thing to do. I rooted and flashed my phones for a a while but only nexus devices and og droid so it wasnt very difficult.

That's the answer for sure.

jinosong said:
That really doesn't sound like a hardware issue at all. In fact, most of the current kernels are SDS-proof now. My guess is you're not wiping correctly. Ever try super wipe?
EDIT: I'm very sure it's due to incorrect wiping. You stated that issues came after the 4.1.2 update. It's probably the old 4.1.1 sources that are causing incompatibilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sounds reasonble....im going to try it in the morning sometime when i can. ill let u know whats up tomorrow bud, thanks.:fingers-crossed:
---------- Post added at 09:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:14 PM ----------
troublesome1 said:
sounds reasonble....im going to try it in the morning sometime when i can. ill let u know whats up tomorrow bud, thanks.:fingers-crossed:
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Click to collapse
... any idea where or how to super wipe!?...

Of course. Download it from here and load with recovery.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1832326
Watch out for megawipe which I use. It will delete your internal memory so back all your stuff up. Otherwise, just go for super.

jinosong said:
Of course. Download it from here and load with recovery.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1832326
Watch out for megawipe which I use. It will delete your internal memory so back all your stuff up. Otherwise, just go for super.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmm.. maybe i should do the mega wipe. After the mega do i just boot it up and just let it receive the ota update to 4.1.2?

After meg wipe, install a rom, custom or stock.

update: okay..... so i really screwed it up here. Did the wipe and flashed stock rom.... but it turned out to be a rom for a different region. Now phone will not even power on much less get into boot loader. Man I hate samsung. Im going to stick to nexus. :crying:
---------- Post added at 01:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:47 PM ----------
jinosong said:
After meg wipe, install a rom, custom or stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
update: okay..... so i really screwed it up here. Did the wipe and flashed stock rom.... but it turned out to be a rom for a different region. Now phone will not even power on much less get into boot loader. Man I hate samsung. Im going to stick to nexus. :crying:

Just wanted to bump this thread because our phone is still under warranty and anyone can get their efs repaired here.

First do you have the serial number?
Second get Kies http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/usefulsoftware/KIES/JSP Samfirmware has instruction viedo
Third Open Kies,
Fourth put phone in download mode. Make sure it is recognized by Kies
Fifth go to tools/Firmware Upgrade and Installation and enter the information asked. Kies will install newest program for the phone from original area the phone was made in.
I also find that I had to go back to the original importer to get the phone serviced. I bought mind threw Newegg and the importer was http://www.ct-miami.com/

Ordered my Mate 7

got my man ordered this beautiful piece from China, hope it can work on Canada Bell LTE xD
shoulda arrive in a week or 2
will report back and maybe post an openbox if not any.

freefrank said:
got my man ordered this beautiful piece from China, hope it can work on Canada Bell LTE xD
shoulda arrive in a week or 2
will report back and maybe post an openbox if not any.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you order it? Meaning, what was the site you used to order from China? Which model did you order?

sanjsrik said:
How did you order it? Meaning, what was the site you used to order from China? Which model did you order?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.vmall.com/product/1372.html

rekamyenom said:
http://www.vmall.com/product/1372.html
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Click to collapse
Thanks, I think I'll wait until January. they're already sold out on the first shipment. Maybe it'll be available more widely after the new year.

Hey guys I just got one yesterday. Pretty satisfy so far. This phone is FAST!
One issue though, I cannot get Google contact to sync. Anyone can give me some pointers?
If you have any questions about this phone, please let me know and I will try to answer them for you

netcooler said:
Hey guys I just got one yesterday. Pretty satisfy so far. This phone is FAST!
One issue though, I cannot get Google contact to sync. Anyone can give me some pointers?
If you have any questions about this phone, please let me know and I will try to answer them for you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know Benchmarks don't say much but how does the device compare to let's say a note 3 (which I got now) and what does emui 3.0 feel like? Is it just like MIUI or looks like that but the experience is different? Just asking becouse miui is very fluent in usage. Thanks in advance.

Questions...
netcooler said:
Hey guys I just got one yesterday. Pretty satisfy so far. This phone is FAST!
One issue though, I cannot get Google contact to sync. Anyone can give me some pointers?
If you have any questions about this phone, please let me know and I will try to answer them for you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
* How does it feel? Does it feel natural at 6.1" in your hands?
* is it heavy? How does it compare to the Note 3 or other comparably-sized device?
* Does it fit in your pocket easily enough?
* Does it work well-enough with EMUI 3.0 with one-handed operations?
* I know you only just got it, but could you report back in a few days after continuous use about how the battery fares?
* Are you going to try it with a few games to see how the processor performs?
* Did you do any download/upload speed tests?
* Where are you located and were you able to activate it with no issues on your network?
* Was the device difficult to set up?
* How is the charging? Does it take a long time? This is something that hopefully you'll report back about in a few days after charging the device a few times.
In terms of your Google contacts sync issue, what exactly is the issue? You need to give more information about what is "not working" before we can offer some help. The first suggestion I'd have is to delete the google account you created on the device and recreate it.

netcooler said:
Hey guys I just got one yesterday. Pretty satisfy so far. This phone is FAST!
One issue though, I cannot get Google contact to sync. Anyone can give me some pointers?
If you have any questions about this phone, please let me know and I will try to answer them for you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the google sync, try go to Huawei's app market and download the google apps and you are good to go

sanjsrik said:
* How does it feel? Does it feel natural at 6.1" in your hands?
* is it heavy? How does it compare to the Note 3 or other comparably-sized device?
* Does it fit in your pocket easily enough?
* Does it work well-enough with EMUI 3.0 with one-handed operations?
* I know you only just got it, but could you report back in a few days after continuous use about how the battery fares?
* Are you going to try it with a few games to see how the processor performs?
* Did you do any download/upload speed tests?
* Where are you located and were you able to activate it with no issues on your network?
* Was the device difficult to set up?
* How is the charging? Does it take a long time? This is something that hopefully you'll report back about in a few days after charging the device a few times.
In terms of your Google contacts sync issue, what exactly is the issue? You need to give more information about what is "not working" before we can offer some help. The first suggestion I'd have is to delete the google account you created on the device and recreate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used OPPO N1 and Note3 last year, the weight is note3< mate7<N1, it's not bad. But holding it while laying face up is kinda hard xD hands get shot easily.
Yeah it fit my Levi's pocket pretty good.
One hand operation is okay in EMUI, if you have the xposed mod fly android installed it will be way better.
Games work fine as the GPU is pretty mainstream.
The phone I got is the CMCC version. Only works on TD LTE network in China but can be used on FDD LTE or any other 3G/4G in other country. I think if I can flash the China Unicom version's modem it could work on FDD in China to as the hardware support it. I'm planning using it in Canada on Bell. Will test it out on 22nd when I get back.
Set up? What you mean by set up?
Charging takes around 3 hours from nearly dead battery (10%-ish) to 100%. With my four ports universal charger it takes longer, maybe 5 hours but I'm not sure cuz I was sleeping

sanjsrik said:
* How does it feel? Does it feel natural at 6.1" in your hands?
* is it heavy? How does it compare to the Note 3 or other comparably-sized device?
* Does it fit in your pocket easily enough?
* Does it work well-enough with EMUI 3.0 with one-handed operations?
* I know you only just got it, but could you report back in a few days after continuous use about how the battery fares?
* Are you going to try it with a few games to see how the processor performs?
* Did you do any download/upload speed tests?
* Where are you located and were you able to activate it with no issues on your network?
* Was the device difficult to set up?
* How is the charging? Does it take a long time? This is something that hopefully you'll report back about in a few days after charging the device a few times.
In terms of your Google contacts sync issue, what exactly is the issue? You need to give more information about what is "not working" before we can offer some help. The first suggestion I'd have is to delete the google account you created on the device and recreate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And the phone feels good, really good in hands. It feels very solid and slate. And didn't feel too huge like the OPPO N1 which is also 6 inch.

Haha thx freefrank for answering them for me. The phone itself is pretty light, feels much lighter than the Mate 2.
Well under my Google account, I see sync for everything, such as app data, calendar, email and even people. But I don't see contact there. I tried to look into the Huawei store but no luck. Freefrank are you able to get contact sync? if so did you need to do anything special? Please let me know. Is there a googlecontactsync.apk I need to install?

Is there a built-in contacts app that would work? Can you use one that comes with the device to sync your google contacts?

freefrank said:
I used OPPO N1 and Note3 last year, the weight is note3< mate7<N1, it's not bad. But holding it while laying face up is kinda hard xD hands get shot easily.
Yeah it fit my Levi's pocket pretty good.
One hand operation is okay in EMUI, if you have the xposed mod fly android installed it will be way better.
Games work fine as the GPU is pretty mainstream.
The phone I got is the CMCC version. Only works on TD LTE network in China but can be used on FDD LTE or any other 3G/4G in other country. I think if I can flash the China Unicom version's modem it could work on FDD in China to as the hardware support it. I'm planning using it in Canada on Bell. Will test it out on 22nd when I get back.
Set up? What you mean by set up?
Charging takes around 3 hours from nearly dead battery (10%-ish) to 100%. With my four ports universal charger it takes longer, maybe 5 hours but I'm not sure cuz I was sleeping
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am going to China next month and would like to pick this up. So the CMCC version is the one I should get if I want to use with US At&t? Does CMCC offer the white color? And is it unlocked? Thanks.
Sent from my XT1053 using XDA Free mobile app

45 days wait time 3-5 days shipping using DHL from China
shinji21 said:
I am going to China next month and would like to pick this up. So the CMCC version is the one I should get if I want to use with US At&t? Does CMCC offer the white color? And is it unlocked? Thanks.
Sent from my XT1053 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found a Chinese retailer that ships to the US, the price including shipping using DHL wasn't actually bad, total shipping time was 3-5 days. Actual "wait" time was 45 days. I'm guessing they're taking pre-orders.
From everything I've read so far, this isn't due to be released until Q3 which is the only date I've seen from a lot of the press and Huawei. Does anyone have when these will be sold or at least available to be sold?
I think I'll wait until January to see if I can get a device for myself. By then software and hardware and possibly sourcing issues should be a little better.

shinji21 said:
I am going to China next month and would like to pick this up. So the CMCC version is the one I should get if I want to use with US At&t? Does CMCC offer the white color? And is it unlocked? Thanks.
Sent from my XT1053 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
both CMCC and Unicom version works fine on ATT. its unlocked. gold is the only color they offer atm.

netcooler said:
Haha thx freefrank for answering them for me. The phone itself is pretty light, feels much lighter than the Mate 2.
Well under my Google account, I see sync for everything, such as app data, calendar, email and even people. But I don't see contact there. I tried to look into the Huawei store but no luck. Freefrank are you able to get contact sync? if so did you need to do anything special? Please let me know. Is there a googlecontactsync.apk I need to install?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea i didnt find contact sync neither after serval trying. maybe huawei blocked it for some stupid reason or its a bug

freefrank said:
both CMCC and Unicom version works fine on ATT. its unlocked. gold is the only color they offer atm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure? All the reviews I've been reading say that the gold version is for the 32Gb version only and that the 16 comes in multiple colors. I'm not doubting you, but the Chinese retailer was only offering the gold in 32Gb. Maybe that was why it was delayed 45 days?

sanjsrik said:
Are you sure? All the reviews I've been reading say that the gold version is for the 32Gb version only and that the 16 comes in multiple colors. I'm not doubting you, but the Chinese retailer was only offering the gold in 32Gb. Maybe that was why it was delayed 45 days?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only color available for the 32GB model is gold, while the 16 GB model comes in black or silver. I must add that it is in VERY limited supply right now, even the official stores don't have any yet until October at the earliest. For those that do have then in stock, only the 32GB version seems to be in stock.
When I was there I saw 4 people bought one while I was testing my unit, and before I left the store they already out of stock and had to turn people away.

netcooler said:
The only color available for the 32GB model is gold, while the 16 GB model comes in black or silver. I must add that it is in VERY limited supply right now, even the official stores don't have any yet until October at the earliest. For those that do have then in stock, only the 32GB version seems to be in stock.
When I was there I saw 4 people bought one while I was testing my unit, and before I left the store they already out of stock and had to turn people away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sent you a PM but maybe you didn't see it. If you're willing, would you be able to pick up more than one? i'd pay you for the unit.

sanjsrik said:
I sent you a PM but maybe you didn't see it. If you're willing, would you be able to pick up more than one? i'd pay you for the unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have any PM in my inbox, May be I am not senior enough to receive them? I would be more than happy to pick up a couple of units for you. Let me know how you would like to arrange this. Keep in mind they are in VERY tight supply so I am not sure I can find them at the moment.......

Bootloader Unlock Imminent - Next week?

After a big commotion, they seemed to have unveiled their surprise they were going to share next week.
Can't share URLs yet so please delete underscore after https.
https://community.zteusa.com/thread/11498#41615
EDIT (Important): Could someone who requested an unlock please look at http://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/how-to/to-unlock-bootloader-hold-help-t3437617/page1 . This would help develop for this phone much faster. Please do the steps mentioned before updating.

Seems pretty guaranteed actually all the CSRs were apparently misinformed and the one of the head forum CSRs is furious about this and seems like pretty much guaranteed unlock in a reply to the post above.

Yeah ! It was me who posted on zte forums .. Just wanted to nudge them a little so they can at least come clean

Thank god you did I almost cancelled my order. I posted my frustration in that thread too.

reddrago said:
After a big commotion, they seemed to have unveiled their surprise they were going to share next week.
Can't share URLs yet so please delete underscore after https.
https_://community.zteusa.com/thread/11498#41615
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup I'm there too LoL, (not my usual username i have to change that).
So we hope we get some awesome news next week (fingers cross)

Can't wait for Monday now lol, hope there is still enough buzz with the device here on XDA for ROMs and not too many people jumped ship.

Sweet...
Definitely hope we get some good roms with the bootloaders unlocked.
Had my Axon 7 for a couple weeks now, live in Oz and chinese version works fine here, and it's a pretty sweet deal. Got an Antutu benchmark of almost 142000 edging out the 1+3 by a few hundred points....
My only gripe is the virtual assistant software is only available in Chinese...
If the bootloader is unlocked I should be able to change to WW firmware fixing this....

naix89 said:
Yeah ! It was me who posted on zte forums .. Just wanted to nudge them a little so they can at least come clean
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, i added a little gasoline on there as well :angel:

Awesome! With the confusion over whether Passport 2.0 applies to Newegg purchases or if it is final/replacement-only, I was starting to worry that I may be need to cancel my preorder just to be safe. But if the bootloader is going to be unlocked, frankly that seals the deal for me. As far as I can tell, the only issue left is low-light camera performance, but honestly, with all the positives for this phone it isn't a huge tradeoff.
I just hope the late notice hasn't turned off developers of custom roms and root/recovery builders.

Yea bootloader unlock deal was making me doubt this phone, I really hope devs are still attarcted to this too. A lot of the reviews on the ZTE forums say that manual mode is much better in low light so it is most likely a software bug.

ScaryBugThing said:
Awesome! With the confusion over whether Passport 2.0 applies to Newegg purchases or if it is final/replacement-only, I was starting to worry that I may be need to cancel my preorder just to be safe. But if the bootloader is going to be unlocked, frankly that seals the deal for me. As far as I can tell, the only issue left is low-light camera performance, but honestly, with all the positives for this phone it isn't a huge tradeoff.
I just hope the late notice hasn't turned off developers of custom roms and root/recovery builders.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also on the newegg product page under Warranty & Returns it states you can return for refund before 30 days but a restocking fee may be applied so you are probably fine if you want to try out the device but you might want to check with newegg just in case.
http_://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875705055

Wow those are great news Now just have to wait for the grey color to be available ?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA-Developers mobile app

I have the chinese model, just got an update. In Chinese forums they are talking about root and bootloader regarding this update.
Am in Vietnam now and Google translate is failing, but I'm hopeful!

Where is this chinese forum? I can never find it, really want to translate some of the stuff.

aPexalpha said:
I have the chinese model, just got an update. In Chinese forums they are talking about root and bootloader regarding this update.
Am in Vietnam now and Google translate is failing, but I'm hopeful!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you link the thread?

reddrago said:
Where is this chinese forum? I can never find it, really want to translate some of the stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.myzte.cn/forum.php?mod=forumdisplay&fid=1037
Google translate, does a less than stellar job on it.
What's interesting about the ZTE Chinese forums is that you can download the full ROM updates, which you can also do from ztedevices.com, but you can't do any of it for US based devices.

That's the link, I think. My mate translates for me. I don't speak Chinese and their slang and technical terms aren't fit for Google translation

Hopefully it arrives by the 15th, so I'll know if I should cancel my pre-order Grey model.

TeutonJon78 said:
http://www.myzte.cn/forum.php?mod=forumdisplay&fid=1037
Google translate, does a less than stellar job on it.
What's interesting about the ZTE Chinese forums is that you can download the full ROM updates, which you can also do from ztedevices.com, but you can't do any of it for US based devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could not find this anywhere I must be bad at using google or something haha.

reddrago said:
I could not find this anywhere I must be bad at using google or something haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that this is the topic.
But nothing too constructive as far as google translate can take me... As far as i could understand, it's just someone that tought the OEM Unlock menu appeared with the last update (B07) but it was already there and does nothing (a lot of interpretation in my traduction of the garbage google gave me^^).

Joying out of business

I can't seem to access Joying's homepage carjoying dot com
Did Joying go under?
Also,
Anyone get the Android 7.1.1 firmware working on the RK3188?

gmharkin said:
I can't seem to access Joying's homepage carjoying dot com
Did Joying go under?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe, but it is still chinese new year. Maybe nobody notices or cares that the website is down. If they are still in business, wait till Monday.

I want to update to the latest firmware (February?) Does anyone know if there are alternative download locations?

surfer63 said:
Maybe, but it is still chinese new year. Maybe nobody notices or cares that the website is down. If they are still in business, wait till Monday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might not be enough: I've heard of 2-week holiday after Chinese New year on 16th of Feb.

buurman42 said:
I want to update to the latest firmware (February?) Does anyone know if there are alternative download locations?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also interested in this since I've found myself in a predicament which might need it
---------- Post added at 07:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:28 PM ----------
Tried to message them on Facebook and got this autoreply
Hi friend,thanks for your message. We are on Spring Festival Holiday in Feb.8 - Feb.23,will reply you once we are back for work,after sale sercive please send email to [email protected],thanks for your waitting and undersatnd,have a nice day!

This happens every Chinese new year. I paniced at first, then remembered...
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Redbullssg said:
This happens every Chinese new year. I paniced at first, then remembered...
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep - I was speaking to them a couple of weeks ago and they told me no-one would be around for these holidays.

Scruffyblake said:
Yep - I was speaking to them a couple of weeks ago and they told me no-one would be around for these holidays.
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Which is actually quite stupid as they now also miss 2 weeks of (internet) sale.
Especially as they have an American and German branch.
I know the american(!) system manager of the system, but I can only reach him via the carjoying forum, which is not up.

Might wanna put a question mark after the topic. The way it's written now looks pretty scary, until reading through the posts.

surfer63 said:
Which is actually quite stupid as they now also miss 2 weeks of (internet) sale
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I’m sure they think the same about the western Christmas break. CNY has the same importance to them

leonkernan said:
I’m sure they think the same about the western Christmas break. CNY has the same importance to them
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No, it has not to do with the holidays itself. I fully understand the importance of it.
You can order on their website and it will just take 2 weeks longer before you get your package. That is how it happened in the past years.
In this case you can't order, which means they literally loose 2 weeks of internet sales.
And as I mentioned: the webmaster is american AND they have an american branch and a german branch.
Are they really so stupid that nobody even looks at their own website?
And why does the american hosting company not have any monitoring software?
It is extremely amateuristic.

Given the quantity of daily spam on their forum (when it was online), maybe somebody hacked them, and nobody but us noticed !!

Here is the thing, they have (had?) THREE domains (that I'm aware of). The carjoying.com *domain* still works, but the server behind it is dead. The joying.ca domain is shot, the carjoying.de domain is shot, the two with shot domains have different registrars. That makes it THREE separate failures that happened at the same time. That is incredibly suspicious.
And given the quality of their product (or should I say LACK of quality), and complete and utter incompetence in dealing with customers and issues, it sure wouldn't surprise me if they were out of business.
And finally, even if they are really strict about observing their holidays, that doesn't mean that *everybody* gets to go screw off. There always are people who have the responsibility of keeping things afloat until everybody else gets back.

I sent a mail to their 3 support email addresses. All auto-respond with the exact same message from Candy that they will be back after 23rd February.
ending with "And inconvenience hope you well-understanding"
Yeah, right.

The irony is that corporate-related websites like Joying's blog and forum sites traditionally provide support for customers and prospective buyers during times when the offices themselves are closed.
By letting carjoying.com remain dead during their holiday, they are truly showing how little they care about their customers and prospective sales.
Or...maybe they really did go belly up. I guess we'll find out after the 23rd.
---------- Post added at 10:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:57 AM ----------
leonkernan said:
I’m sure they think the same about the western Christmas break. CNY has the same importance to them
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Click to collapse
The "western" Christmas break in the US, China's largest western market, typically lasts two days in the corporate world. Only one, for many companies. Then, another one or two days for New Year. Except in rare instances, the days between need to be taken as vacation days by those employees who choose to take off.

surfer63 said:
No, it has not to do with the holidays itself. I fully understand the importance of it.
You can order on their website and it will just take 2 weeks longer before you get your package. That is how it happened in the past years.
In this case you can't order, which means they literally loose 2 weeks of internet sales.
And as I mentioned: the webmaster is american AND they have an american branch and a german branch.
Are they really so stupid that nobody even looks at their own website?
And why does the american hosting company not have any monitoring software?
It is extremely amateuristic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is clear from their AliExpress website that only any orders purchased from their China based warehouse will be delayed. Everywhere else is operating as normal.
https://joyingcarradio.aliexpress.com/store/2227061?spm=2114.10010108.0.0.7d3021d84fEKtQ

MaskedMarauder said:
It is clear from their AliExpress website that only any orders purchased from their China based warehouse will be delayed. Everywhere else is operating as normal.
https://joyingcarradio.aliexpress.com/store/2227061?spm=2114.10010108.0.0.7d3021d84fEKtQ
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Except for the fact that they specify their GERMAN warehouse, and their GERMAN website has a dead DNS.
Further, that's just an ad on aliexpress. Doesn't actually mean much.

texastwurkteam said:
We are on Spring Festival Holiday in Feb.8 - Feb.23....
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Since the 23rd was on a Friday and their website is still down I'm guessing they wont be back till Monday? If at all....

On their youtube channel that I can't post the link to cuz I'm new they say they are reconstructing their website and forums.

dixet said:
Since the 23rd was on a Friday and their website is still down I'm guessing they wont be back till Monday? If at all....
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I did get this message back Thursday, so they're working on it. Or say so
"Hi [my name],we will solve it soon,thanks for your attantion"

U.S. unlocked 8 pro vs Amazon 'with Alexa' 8 pro

I understand there are no differences with the hardware, but, are there differences with the software or bootloader? I'm considering buying from Amazon, but not if it means slower updates or any kind of bloat that can't be removed. Does anyone own one of these yet that can speak to this? Forgive the ignorance, but I'm coming from LG and Samsung phones and I have never owned a OnePlus device.

cal777flyer said:
I understand there are no differences with the hardware, but, are there differences with the software or bootloader? I'm considering buying from Amazon, but not if it means slower updates or any kind of bloat that can't be removed. Does anyone own one of these yet that can speak to this? Forgive the ignorance, but I'm coming from LG and Samsung phones and I have never owned a OnePlus device.
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I ordered this phone and I don't think there's any bloatware on it. The website says it has Alexa functionality but says you need to install the Alexa app or something to access it. If that helps.

chetly968 said:
I ordered this phone and I don't think there's any bloatware on it. The website says it has Alexa functionality but says you need to install the Alexa app or something to access it. If that helps.
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Thank you, that does help. Are you experiencing any of the screen issues others are complaining about?

cal777flyer said:
Thank you, that does help. Are you experiencing any of the screen issues others are complaining about?
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Not as of yet

Hi,
I have a OnePlus 8 Pro bought on Amazon. This is the same international model than those sold by OnePlus. I have had every OTA as soon as everybody on XDA

chetly968 said:
Not as of yet
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Thanks again. My order from Amazon says it will be delivered by Monday. Looking forward to getting this phone. Are you running 10.5.6, or is the Amazon version different than the the unlocked 8 pro direct from OnePlus?

misteurz said:
Hi,
I have a OnePlus 8 Pro bought on Amazon. This is the same international model than those sold by OnePlus. I have had every OTA as soon as everybody on XDA
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Click to collapse
Thank you, that's great to hear. I ordered mine from Amazon, it will be here by Monday

I'm expecting a 8 Pro on Monday too - been using Samsungs too long, looking forward to going back to OnePlus. Been a long time since my 3T.