My E4GT started smoking today - Samsung Epic 4G Touch

I was dropping my dad off at the airport in Canada and right when I cross the border we started smelling something like burning rubber. We drove 10 ft., paid the toll, and right after the smell got heavier and I saw smoke come from the phone. I immediately turned the phone off and checked for any burn marks, but found none. Pandora also froze and stopped playing music during this time. I had international roaming turned off, but I really hope Sprint and Samsung's way of preventing unwanted roaming doesn't involve combusting the phone. Yesterday, my entire screen turned yellow, out of the blue. I don't know if the two issues are related, but it seems like something's not right with my phone. The screen went back to normal after I turned it off and on, but that was an odd issue.
I just got home, re-flashed the stock EG30 kernel (I was using the stock EK02 kernel for about 2-3 days, it was during this time that I had the yellow screen and smoke), but I'm kind of paranoid about leaving the phone on. Since there's no physical damage to the phone, what are the chances that Sprint will replace my phone if I walk into a store? I leave my phone in the car when I go work out and I really don't want to walk out one day to see my car on fire.

Something tells me if you told sprint your phone started smoking and now doesn't work properly they would most likely replace it.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App

I took my evo back to fix my power button and they gave me a brand new one, I had stock rom but had s-off
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

Alright, I flashed everything back to complete stock. Wiped all the data on my phone and packed it up. I'll stop by the Sprint store first thing tomorrow and see about getting it replaced. Should make for an interesting conversation, at the least.

Smoking Epic Touch is a recent upgrade which came via OTA. Many people complained our phones weren't exploding like the new iPhone 4S so Samsung threw a quick patch together.
I'll give it to Apple, they definitely beat Android to the punch on the newest smartphone feature, "explodiness."
sauce: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/8922888/Exploding-iPhone-investigated.html

open the back cover, your battery might have some burn marks lol

Always look at battery temps if you are able. A quick one is Android Assistant. Ive hit 52C (125F) on my Epic and Epic Touch without smoking... so yours must've been quite a bit hotter.

expertzero1 said:
open the back cover, your battery might have some burn marks lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are no burn marks of any kind.
I just got back from the Sprint store and am unsatisfied with how things turned out. After waiting for 20-30 minutes I got a tech to look at the phone. After another 20 minutes, he came back and said that he took it apart and found no burn marks--which I don't disagree with since I turned the phone off at the first sign of smoke and checked for burn marks, myself. The next part is what had me scratching my head. He then proceeded to tell me that he 'cleaned' the phone and handed it back to me telling me that it's good to go and that I should "try to avoid making it hot". Haha, what? I was listening to Pandora with nothing else running on a stock (not overclocked) kernel, if the phone got hot enough to smoke from this what can I do that's not going to make it smoke again? This is where I became baffled. I just told you I saw the phone smoking yesterday and that the screen was acting up the day before that and you think using some rubbing alcohol or compressed air makes the phone safe to use again?
I asked to speak to the manager and after some talking she said that because I didn't have the extended warranty I'd need to pay $35 for a reconditioned phone. I declined as I expected them to just replace the phone.
I don't think that the manager or the tech were completely in the wrong to handle the situation the way that they did since there was no physical proof that the phone did indeed smoke. That being said, given that the phone showed no signs of physical damage (which the tech confirmed) and that it seemed to be working fine, wouldn't it have been better of them to save face and just replace my phone with no charge? It's entirely possible that I could be lying about the phone smoking, but if that were the case wouldn't something else be up? Why would I go out of my way to try and replace a phone that's working correctly? It's not like I wanted a different model phone, either. I just wanted a replacement GS2.
Sigh. I'm going to contact sprint customer support and explain the situation to them and see if they can give me a different answer. If that doesn't pan out I'll try contacting Samsung. Regardless, my opinion of Sprint has dropped a great deal.
EDIT: I just got off the phone with Sprint and the CSR waived the $35 fee. I'll pick up the replacement later today. Well, the CSR brought my opinion of Sprint right back up.

Check this out
http://tinyurl.com/7orbabm
.: sent from my Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch :.

Honestly, you shouldn't be surprised by a $35 fee considering you don't have TEP.
You have to remember,Samsung manufactured the phone, you could always go through them. Sprint just simply acts as a convenient go-between for things like repairs. That 35 is more or less for the convenience of not having to go through the manufacturer (which is always a pain). You could also pay 8 a month for the same convenience...sounds fair to me ..
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

squshy 7 said:
Honestly, you shouldn't be surprised by a $35 fee considering you don't have TEP.
You have to remember,Samsung manufactured the phone, you could always go through them. Sprint just simply acts as a convenient go-between for things like repairs. That 35 is more or less for the convenience of not having to go through the manufacturer (which is always a pain). You could also pay 8 a month for the same convenience...sounds fair to me ..
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems fair to me as well. I pay it on both of my phones. When I had my Epic, I had a screen go bad and they not only replaced the screen, they Also replaced the keyboard and battery cover. It was like a brand new phone. I also got my Nexus wet and the camera broke. I called and they said to just bring it in. I don't know how it is when you don't pay the $8 a month but they always take care of me without any hassle. I will always pay it just because it makes things go so smooth if I have a problem
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

With regards to the replacement fee: I've been a cell phone user for close to a decade and I've never had a phone die on me, let alone begin smoking on me. So I have no prior experience dealing with replacing phones with manufacturer defects. After this experience though, I do have a new understanding of the process by which cell phones are replaced, so I won't be surprised by the fee the next time something like this happens and I go to a Sprint store, instead of the manufacturer, to remedy the situation.
Regardless, Sprint's over the phone customer service reps exceeded my expectations--they were friendly and quickly resolved the issue without making a big deal out of it, which I greatly appreciated.
I didn't get the replacement when I walked into the store, they told me they'd mail it to my house and that it'd arrive in about 2 business days. I'll post a final update after I receive the replacement.

I got the replacement re-certified phone today. It looks new, came in a generic box with no accessories. They didn't include a new battery, though. Which, I think, may have a chance of being the reason the phone was smoking in the first place.
Regardless, the phone seems to work fine. I'll use it completely stock for a few days to make sure everything's ok.

looks like ur phone needs an intervention

My ET4G smokes all the time but I think it has to do with the blazing fast 3G speeds of 0.8Mbps down and 0.2Mbps up...

Sound like your phone may need a patch to fix it...
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

Related

Evo Replacement Issues....

so i recently had issues with the usb port not working at all. i go into exchange it and of course, it looks nice and shiny. i wouldnt have cared much about it being a refurb except for the fact that the touch panel hits the center of the lcd screen making it blot and, light leakage on the bottom U part of the phone AND the worst part....they didnt clean the ear piece....so there was still grime in there....THAT is just unacceptable. i went in and they refused to replace it with another phone. they said all they would do was replace the touch panel. ARE U KIDDING ME?! they had no reaction to the whole "grime in the ear piece" at all....*sigh* before i call and tear them a new one, i'd like to know how people have handled or would handle calling sprint with an issue like this? thanks guys!
Did they show you the phone, or was it in a box? I would go back to them, and tell them its unacceptable and you would like either a better refurbished phone or a new one.
thlinx said:
Did they show you the phone, or was it in a box? I would go back to them, and tell them its unacceptable and you would like either a better refurbished phone or a new one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they just gave me the phone. i got home and was charging it cuz they gave me the same batter so it was dead. after an hour on the charger turned in on and started inspecting it and found all those issues. i called sprint earlier before going to the repair center and she said they had to give me a new phone and that they shouldnt have issued that phone without inspecting it. when i went back to the sprint repair store they told me, THEY, as an independent store, could not give me a new phone. insurance/TEP only allows them to give me refurbished ones. so i guess tomorrow i get to ***** at sprint and demand a new phone. if it comes down to it, i can always just say that i dont want their business anymore. their tone sure does change when that happens.
That is Sprint's policy as far as I know. If you are outside of the first 30 days then they can only issue refurbs. Bummer, I know. However, if someone on the phone at Sprint is telling you that you should get a new device as replacement, I would try to have them on the phone when you went into the Sprint store. That way, if the people at the store start to hem and haw you can just put the two ends of the problem together right then and there. I would save any threats for a last ditch effort.

Sprint repair

So my screen needs fixed because of several hot spots on the screen that are spreading. I went to best buy and they said they will ship it out for replacement with no problem. I then went to a sprint store/repair center. I showed the Guy the huge white spots in my screen and told them that they were spreading and asked if they would fix it, and showed him minor screen lifting. He told me the marks were from leds under the screen and they would not fix it lol... not sure what I should do. Seems as if you're better off just busting your phone to get it fixed.. guess ill have bestbuy repair it. Granted sprint a company I have 2 lines with and have been with for 7 years gives me a run around and lies to me. Ill try another store and if they give me the same song and dance ill go above there heads. Last time I had a problem I emailed corporate and got the problem fixed.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
conflikt said:
So my screen needs fixed because of several hot spots on the screen that are spreading. I went to best buy and they said they will ship it out for replacement with no problem. I then went to a sprint store/repair center. I showed the Guy the huge white spots in my screen and told them that they were spreading and asked if they would fix it, and showed him minor screen lifting. He told me the marks were from leds under the screen and they would not fix it lol... not sure what I should do. Seems as if you're better off just busting your phone to get it fixed.. guess ill have bestbuy repair it. Granted sprint a company I have 2 lines with and have been with for 7 years gives me a run around and lies to me. Ill try another store and if they give me the same song and dance ill go above there heads. Last time I had a problem I emailed corporate and got the problem fixed.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you trying to get the screen replaced? If so I am 110% sure they replace screens for free at all Sprint stores. Which started around November ... screen includes lcd as for as I know.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Yup, screen. And that's what the Rep told me.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
conflikt said:
Yup, screen. And that's what the Rep told me.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if its a corporate store, they should replace it for free...
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Going to another one tomorrow , see if ill get another "its leds behind the screen" story lol.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
FYI I have the same problem, screen separation at the bottom and one area that looks like dead pixels to me. I'm procrastinating unrooting to take it in, but I did call the sprint store and the rep there told me that there are 2 different screens and right now they can only replace one...so maybe that's the issue.
You don't even have to unroot. Sprint really doesn't care. I took my rooted Evo in to get screen replacement on Halloween. I had flashed back a stock theme over my rom (virus always provides a back to stock theme to flash for his roms). But that can't hide my custom black splashsxreen.
They replaced it. I went back on Christmas eve (same store, same techs), and needed my camera lens replaced, and screen replaced (they Fd it up when they replaced it last time - dead spot). After leaving, I realized all the smashes around my bezel were gone too. They replaced damn near all my hardware,.....and kept my rooted guts.
I was told, if its a hardware issue, and you at least try to make it look stock, they don't really care. They know people root. Anyhow, I was impressed. Good luck, and don't stress the root.
Make sure it's a corp store, the franchises are terrible. Use the locator on their site.
That's obviously a manufacturer's defect, they should fix it whether or not you have an insurance or repair plan.
That's what I keep hearing, but I dunno if I have the balls to take a rooted phone into the sprint store. Kinda like driving 5 mph over the speed limit right next to a cop, he probably won't pull you over...but might.
Well I had sprint insurance but best buys seems better to me because if they cannot repair it they give you a brand new phone out of the box & they cover water damage. I was considering getting insurance for a month just to get it fixed. I should have taken my phone right over to the repair desk instead of a sales Rep.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
conflikt said:
Well I had sprint insurance but best buys seems better to me because if they cannot repair it they give you a brand new phone out of the box & they cover water damage. I was considering getting insurance for a month just to get it fixed. I should have taken my phone right over to the repair desk instead of a sales Rep.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best Buy only replaces it after 3 attempts to repair it are unsuccessful. Each time they try to repair it you will be without your phone for 2-8 weeks. They will rent you a loaner but it won't be an Evo. My TEP comvers water damage, but only through Asurion which means you have to pay the deductible. Stay away from Best Buy insurance, only terrible experiences there.
Yeah, if they offer water damage illvgo back to TEP. I just hate refurbished phones :[
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Just had to deal with sprint repair this past weekend. I had the white spots on my screen. They tried to give me a "harvested screen from a returned phone". Well, the spots were worse on that screen and the plastic was cracked, so they gave me my screen back saying they get what's sent to them and can't order brand new screens.
On top of all that, the manager was a complete **** stating that the spots are from me touching the screen and it happens to all touchscreen phones.
Oh, I was also told by the tech, that even with a new screen, the spots WILL come back and there's really nothing they can do about it but keep replacing the screen (if I can find someone nice enough to do it).
After reading this post it has driven to go ahead with this. Just gonna claim lost phone, rcv phone from asurion play dumb oh found old phone and now I have a spare for when I have to send orig. Device to HTC to repair. Won't have to deal with Sprint...I used to work for cust care....sorry If I helped any of you lol.
P.s. screen repair without TEP is only 35.00 at any repair center. Any store or rep that provided sub par svc, req a IRT on them. It is a formal complaint filed by a manager to the operations manager....you're gonna be rolling some big **** down a steep hill
Jataadroid said:
After reading this post it has driven to go ahead with this. Just gonna claim lost phone, rcv phone from asurion play dumb oh found old phone and now I have a spare for when I have to send orig. Device to HTC to repair. Won't have to deal with Sprint...I used to work for cust care....sorry If I helped any of you lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This cant be true once you say they phone is lost/stolen the esn number is put on the block list and can never be activated again. Even if you tell them you found the phone they will request you turn in the phone or pay full market value for it.
Jataadroid said:
P.s. screen repair without TEP is only 35.00 at any repair center. Any store or rep that provided sub par svc, req a IRT on them. It is a formal complaint filed by a manager to the operations manager....you're gonna be rolling some big **** down a steep hill
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The manager was a complete douchebag and wouldn't listen to me and kept interrupting what I was trying to say. I left after I asked for the district manager's # and was denied.
Any way to file a complaint online?
bryank930 said:
The manager was a complete douchebag and wouldn't listen to me and kept interrupting what I was trying to say. I left after I asked for the district manager's # and was denied.
Any way to file a complaint online?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are trying to get your screen replace just call a corporate store and ask to speak tech. Tell them your screen is cracked and need to be replaced. Ask do they have any in stock at the moment. It takes aound 15 min to complete. They recieve 40 new screens every week and if they dont have any ask to be put on the waiting list.
The spots are created by oil on our hands that settle on the screen and heated by phone usage, but this is a hardware defect because our screens should not absorb the oils.
craigbailey1986 said:
If you are trying to get your screen replace just call a corporate store and ask to speak tech. Tell them your screen is cracked and need to be replaced. Ask do they have any in stock at the moment. It takes aound 15 min to complete. They recieve 40 new screens every week and if they dont have any ask to be put on the waiting list.
The spots are created by oil on our hands that settle on the screen and heated by phone usage, but this is a hardware defect because our screens should not absorb the oils.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had a screen protector (clarivue anti-glare) on since the screen was replaced the first time. I literally got the phone back with the new screen, left the plastic on till I got home and then installed the screen protector.
Doesn't sound like it's the oils from our hands.

Sprint service and repair policy FACTS

Copypasta from the Photon forum:
If juggs knows how to flash a pre-rooted on an unlocked phone he hasn't shared it and would much rather post that the workaround is bull****. I'm not really in the mood for this crap. I put up with a lot of BS when working on HDMwIn and FullHDMI. I have deleted the guide, Evo Desktop, Sprint S&R policy threads and other contribs. Don't expect any other projects from me to be posted on xda.
7. If you bring you rooted phone in for service because you screwed up I will try to fix it but reserve the right to laugh at you, unroot your phone and flash it to the latest software and laugh at you some more.
I lol'd.
Goth_ said:
7. If you bring you rooted phone in for service because you screwed up I will try to fix it but reserve the right to laugh at you, unroot your phone and flash it to the latest software and laugh at you some more.
I lol'd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lmao!!! BUT JUST remember. not every tech will know everything about rooting. We try. but sometimes, we just don't have time in our lives.
but still. LOL!!!!! ON THE screwing it up part.... the customer should be billed for a trouble ticket. It isn't sprints responsibility to fix the customers mistakes.
runcool said:
not every tech will know everything about rooting. We try. but sometimes, we just don't have time in our lives.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Considering the level of experience I have with deving and testing it's even more frustrating as an ISC tech. ISC techs are generally ignored and denied Sprint forum access simply because they don't work at a corporate location.
runcool said:
the customer should be billed for a trouble ticket. It isn't sprints responsibility to fix the customers mistakes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with this point as well however it can be very difficult and time consuming to dig through the phone to see if it's a corrupt ROM, incompatible app and so on or just user error.
what about if you have a hardware problem (usb port) and you've already taken the phone apart?
thedudejdog said:
what about if you have a hardware problem (usb port) and you've already taken the phone apart?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the tamper sticker is missing that puts the burden of proof of "customer tampering" on the service department. Expect the phone to be thoroughly inspected for signs of tampering. If no evidence can be found then it's treated as any other device.
My two questions to you are: Why was the phone disassembled and are the solder points (aka pads) on the board intact? The first one is because I'm curious but the second determines if the device damage is classified as defect (pads intact) or abuse (pads missing or pulled up from the board).
Lokifish Marz said:
If the tamper sticker is missing that puts the burden of proof of "customer tampering" on the service department. Expect the phone to be thoroughly inspected for signs of tampering. If no evidence can be found then it's treated as any other device.
My two questions to you are: Why was the phone disassembled and are the solder points (aka pads) on the board intact? The first one is because I'm curious but the second determines if the device damage is classified as defect (pads intact) or abuse (pads missing or pulled up from the board).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the phone was taken apart to sand the black paint off the rim to make the phone red. clearly tampered with
i didn't think to check the usb port while i was inside the phone but i know it's my fault. i used a cheap off-brand car charger one time and ever since then it's been loose.
my question mostly leads to, is it worth it keep my TEP for $7/month when my phone won't be able to be repaired because the tamper sticker is gone and it shows very awesome and visible signs or customer tampering.
once you like do something like that, WHY ON EARTH would you pay 7 bucks a month? LMAO! OMG. lol. However, YOU CAN just say you lost the phone. haha. But if it is a cool tech, maybe he'll cut you some slack if you tell him you'll pay up whatever is needed to fix the issue.
Thanks for the info guys
Sooo, I have a question for you. I've been trying to deal with this for over a week now. The battery life on my Evo has been horrid as of late. I've had the phone for a little under a year now. I'm not exaclty a n00b. I know how to flash ROMs, kernels, ect. Battery life was never really a problem (not the best, but I knew what to expect). I could get around 22-26 hours with moderate use on a normal day. All of a sudden (since flashing a sense 3.0 ROM) my battery life was took a complete dump. I'm lucky to get around 6 hours of use now. The battery drains almost 15% in about 5 minutes after being unplugged from the charger and exponentially after that.
I already unrooted the phone, rooted it again, flashed a new ROM, and nothing seems to help. I took the phone to Sprint and they said the phone and battery checked out perfectly fine. Well, I'm not buying it as obviously something here is not right. If it's not the battery then it's the phone and they should be able to give me a replacement as I'm stil under the 1 year manufacturer warrenty that they do indeed cover correct?
Well, I dropped off the phone today for over 2 hours only to have it returned, not replaced, and told they "updated" it. I'm still having the same exact issue so what do I need to do/tell these people to have the phone replaced!?
Thanks!
illatwill said:
Sooo, I have a question for you. I've been trying to deal with this for over a week now. The battery life on my Evo has been horrid as of late. I've had the phone for a little under a year now. I'm not exaclty a n00b. I know how to flash ROMs, kernels, ect. Battery life was never really a problem (not the best, but I knew what to expect). I could get around 22-26 hours with moderate use on a normal day. All of a sudden (since flashing a sense 3.0 ROM) my battery life was took a complete dump. I'm lucky to get around 6 hours of use now. The battery drains almost 15% in about 5 minutes after being unplugged from the charger and exponentially after that.
I already unrooted the phone, rooted it again, flashed a new ROM, and nothing seems to help. I took the phone to Sprint and they said the phone and battery checked out perfectly fine. Well, I'm not buying it as obviously something here is not right. If it's not the battery then it's the phone and they should be able to give me a replacement as I'm stil under the 1 year manufacturer warrenty that they do indeed cover correct?
Well, I dropped off the phone today for over 2 hours only to have it returned, not replaced, and told they "updated" it. I'm still having the same exact issue so what do I need to do/tell these people to have the phone replaced!?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To clear some things up. A proper battery test takes 6-8 hours, any store tell you otherwise they're full of it. It's also generally agreed that any ROM/Kernel change needs atleast 2 days of use before you can trust battery life results. In addition, a battery calibration should be the first thing done with a ROM/Kernel change.
I personally feel that if a user flashes a custom ROM/Kernel and it has an adverse and unresolvable effect on the phone that it should not be covered however Sprint rooted phone policy says otherwise. You also have to consider that any replacement will end up being a refurb and I'm not sure how things are where you are but I wouldn't take a refub in my regoin unless I had no choice.
Lokifish Marz said:
7. If you bring you rooted phone in for service because you screwed up I will try to fix it but reserve the right to laugh at you, unroot your phone and flash it to the latest software and laugh at you some more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably the best rule in the list!!
Lokifish Marz said:
2. You are not eligible for replacement/repair because you device is scratched, dirty, or the paint is wearing off
4. TEP, ESRP covers, at no charge: defective/cracked screens with no more than 2 cracks that are less than 1 inch long, mechanical or electrical failure, broken hinge/lens/port (provided the mainboard still functions and in the case of ports, the solder pads are not missing from the board). If you don't have TEP or ESRP or it's $35.
5. TEP/ERP covers device replacement with the payment of a $50 or $100 deductible in the following cases: screen has more than two cracks, screen has cracks more than 1 inch long, liquid damage, housing has more than two cracks, flip assembly or keyboard is separated or missing, total device failure, circuit board damage (like the microusb connector's solder pads missing from the board), smashed, lost/stolen. If you don't have TEP or ERP, you have to buy a new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in reference to # 2,4 and 5. I dropped my phone (EVO 4G) and got it replaced with TEP and paying the $120 deductible about 3 weeks ago. The phone now has a 3/4 of an inch long curved scratch on the screen. (i thought it had gorilla glass) so would this be covered as per # 4 or is it once again a deductible for the phone as outlined in # 5 above.
TS
twospirits said:
in reference to # 2,4 and 5. I dropped my phone (EVO 4G) and got it replaced with TEP and paying the $120 deductible about 3 weeks ago. The phone now has a 3/4 of an inch long curved scratch on the screen. (i thought it had gorilla glass) so would this be covered as per # 4 or is it once again a deductible for the phone as outlined in # 5 above.
TS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen, as I was told, has a higher silica content than Gorilla Glass so it is more prone to cracks and scratches. The bad part is that scratches, even on the screen, fall under #2.
Thanks for posting this man!
I was thinking about taking my EVO (rooted) in for service, having a hard time charging it.. Only thing that's been holding me back: I do not want my phone returned un-rooted..
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
One question... Why didn't Sprint even wanna touch my phone anymore when they saw it was rooted?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
brennod10 said:
One question... Why didn't Sprint even wanna touch my phone anymore when they saw it was rooted?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Item #1 on the list. SPRINT SERVICES ROOTED PHONES. Company Policy. ANY store tell you otherwise they are WRONG. Tell them to check the Device Solutions Portal.
Updated first post regarding Nexus/Shift replacements for defective Evo's
this is very interesting. I am a care rep, and we always get 90000 different stories about the stores. The real bad ones are the indirect stores... i have heard some horror stories from customers about them that i can hardly even believe... But thank you for clearing some of this up. AND!!! i hope you guys call NSS instead of having the customer calling us when they come into your store with issues.
Lokifish Marz please help!
My EVO is having screen separation issues. It started as light leakage and has gotten worse. When you press the capacitive buttons you can feel the glass move and squeak. I currently do not have tep and was wondering what my options are. The phone is 8 months old. I know there is a signup window for tep for any phone starting August 1st. So if geting my phone repaired or replaced will require tep that would be nice to know. Also since this is a known issue would this qualify them being able to trade up a Nexus s or shift? Thanks for your help!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

[Q] What would you do (broken screen / antenna)

So I bought my Evo within 5 days of release last year, took very good care of it, treated it like a baby, blah blah blah. This morning while heading to my car for work, my poor evo slipped from my hand and landed like a piece of buttered toast screen side down (literally a straight fall, i was kind of amazed!). I pick it up in a panic, all seems well, brush off some dirt, and head to work. About 1.5 hours into my shift i glance at the phone to check messages, and no screen power. I freak out, yell bunches, and move on with my day. It should be noted right now that during the day i keep hearing messages come through, and I can call the phone and hear it ring.
Fast forward to after work, I take my phone in to Sprint (running CM7 nightly but after reading another post regarding Spring & root I decide to risk it..) and am informed it's $35 to replace the screen. I wait around, and ~90 minutes later they bring out my phone with a shiny new screen. I shell out the $35 and head home. While I didn't really notice, I suppose in hindsight the signal was a bit low, but I was almost 2 hours late getting home from work and i had things to do!
Now, sitting in my basement, I notice that I now have 0 service. Nothing. Nada. I revert to a known working version of CM to ensure the latest nightly wasn't at fault (I had flashed one just before leaving for work in the AM and as such had a very fresh backup). This did not help. I do some internet research, break out the number 5 torx driver, and discover that compared to the numerous images of open Evos I find online, mine is missing a connector between the green board and the actual antenna!
My question here? Tomorrow after work I will be returning to the Sprint store...how would *you* approach this issue? Would you be upfront on the discovery? Play stupid? Like I said, none of the issues occurred before having the phone serviced.
If you look at this picture on ifixit http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/6vuwjaGT1T1ySCZr.huge on the board to the left of the camera is a cluster of 4 clips and above and to the left of that cluster are 2 more clips one above and one more left / diagonally from the cluster. The one on the diagonal is missing from my evo. Granted I don't KNOW for sure this is the 3G antenna...I do know that it's not on my phone and my signal strength suddenly is terrible!
So, have at it, I am interested to hear what anyone may have to say, good bad and funny
EDIT - Phone is past the 1 year manufacture warranty and I never purchased any form of insurance through sprint!
I would be very direct, but polite. They know you were just there to get the screen replaced and obviously they had to take it apart to do so. I would argue that something isn't right with the phone. Yes, you have a new display but is it possible that something was damaged during the repair? You know your device and getting the screen repaired should have little to no effect on reception. Respectfully demand that they go over their work or provide you with a different EVO.
My question here? Tomorrow after work I will be returning to the Sprint store...how would *you* approach this issue? Would you be upfront on the discovery? Play stupid?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I would obviously tell them the truth, and pay the 100 dollar deductible to get a replacement from insurance. If you tell them anything else, that's fraud, and thats why WE all pay more for every phone because people try to scam sprint. You were the one who dropped it, so man up and pay the deductible.
sitlet said:
Well I would obviously tell them the truth, and pay the 100 dollar deductible to get a replacement from insurance. If you tell them anything else, that's fraud, and thats why WE all pay more for every phone because people try to scam sprint. You were the one who dropped it, so man up and pay the deductible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See my edit, I forgot to put in there, I have never had insurance on the phone and have no intention of taking advantage of anything. In fact it was a trainee that gave me my phone back and told me I could leave and I was all "uh, I have to pay don't I?" and he was all "I don't think so they just told me to give you your phone..." 5min later I'm handing over $35 plus tax So yeah, I always do right and simply ask that karma repay the favor

Had to get my sprint Gnex replaced.

Hey guys, I posted a thread last week of a problem I had with my stock unrooted gnex. The problem was that everytime I went to the settings, the settings app would crash and wouldn't let me press "more" in order to access mobile network modes etc.
I rooted it and flashed a couple of roms and the issue kept returning. I un-rooted it this morning and reflashed via odin the latest stock FD02 tar thinking the issue would be gone since everything was going to be wiped.The issue came back again so I went to the sprint store (thank god for TEP) and the techs were acting like it wasnt a big deal. They reset the phone 4 times (the tech did it in fornt of me) and the issue was still there.
So 1 and a half hour later, the manager comes out and tells me she ordered me a new phone (probably a refurb but who cares at this point ) and it would arrive on thursday.
the tech started joking around with me at the end saying that if I got a bad gnex from the factory, that he would give me a NIB GSIII. I hope thats the case haha But I still love my Gnex and its peppy updates and hate touch wiz to death.
Interesting thanks for sharing bud
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
little curious about this. has anybody that has gotten a new phone from sprint through tep had any problems with the new phone? any differences that you can tell from your first phone? sorry about kinda hijacking.
kashb91 said:
little curious about this. has anybody that has gotten a new phone from sprint through tep had any problems with the new phone? any differences that you can tell from your first phone? sorry about kinda hijacking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can say from experience, since I had an evo 4g before the nexus and my wife has an iphone 4s. We have gone through TEP with both devices.
Lets start with the Evo.
I was getting a lot of dropped calls, the speakers were worn out sounding poorly, it started turning on and off by itself. Went to sprint, the techs diagnosed that there was no water damage or accident damage so they didn't ask for the deductible and ordered me a phone. Replacement arrived in a generic white sprint box, the tech used the same battery I had and gave me a working phone (no scratches,dings or anything looked brand new)
My wifes iphone 4s
The bluetooth wasn't holding a connection to her cars bluetooth system or any bluetooth device at all. The techs diagnosed it and gave her the same treatment. The phone came in a generic box looking new and worked fine.
The story behind whether you ACTUALLY get a refurb or a truly new phone is this.
When the rep places the phone order the system tells him if there are any refurbished units at their warehouse. When there are none the warehouse itself sends a totally new not refurbished phone in the same generic box.
How do you know if you got a new phone or a refurb? Theres no way in my experience (I've had to order around 4 phones in the past 5 years with TEP and they have always worked great and looked new)
If you file a claim with asurion (theft, accidental damage or water damage) they send you a brand new phone after paying the $100 deductible.(happened with 1 phone that I dropped and cracked the screen)
interesting. what i was mostly wondering about was the screen on the gnex. i remember when i had the nexus 4g, people that went through tep said that the screen was replaced with a different one. it wasnt oled, or whatever the original screen was.
I had the issue when I flashed cm9 and paranoid android Roms. But the issue was only the roms
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
kashb91 said:
interesting. what i was mostly wondering about was the screen on the gnex. i remember when i had the nexus 4g, people that went through tep said that the screen was replaced with a different one. it wasnt oled, or whatever the original screen was.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, It could be a temporary outage of the parts.
I know for certain that for the iphones, the refurbish process is done by apple
So I would think that samsung is responsible for supplying sprints refurb units. Since the screen is made by Samsung themselves they should focus on putting the right screens.
and thursday can't come fast enough My gnex is now getting delayed texts. A lot of people text me, like once an hour the phone is ringing all of the messages that were sent to me at once during that period of time.

Categories

Resources