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I called HTC UK support a few days ago not for my wildfire s but my sons, it has a dodgy power button really hard to press and sometimes no response, hitting the side of the phone helps lol, so maybe a loose connection between the flex cable and connector.
It has always been a bit unresponsive since first purchase but wasn't too bad, I guess I only noticed it because mine was so much easier to press, anyway it has been getting worse over time.
So HTC asked if it was rooted or had been s-off as if it was they would not do the repair without a charge of £50-£60 and stated the engineers will check for this before any work is carried out.
I argued that the problem was hardware related and not software/firmware and it should be covered but they dissagreed.
I think this is poor customer service.
If I bricked my phone then I wouldn't argue, it would be my problem but this is faulty hardware so I'm pissed.
I will do the repair myself when it gets to a point that it becomes a real problem for my son, as I used to repair mobiles in a shop and currently repair pc's.
Just would've been nice to have the warranty option.
Anyway moral of the story s-off or unlocked bootloader don't expect any kind of warranty from HTC whether a software or hardware issue.
Edit: almost forgot. I asked if I send it would they flash the firmware as I didn't want them to!
Their response was they would flash the phone whether I want them to or not even though its a hardware issue.
How crazy is that.
THANKS HTC AND SHAME ON YOU :banghead:
That's bad. But I think it depends also on the country you live in. Some countries, like mine have specific laws for such a case. That means, if e.g. the defect is not caused by a software issue, they have to do the repair.
Yeah I might send a letter to a UK customer service manager and see what kind of response I get.
Good luck. You should also consider - if your son's device is already unlocked - to downgrade a stock rom. I somehow doubt that htc people check, if the device has gone through the htcdev process. They maybe just check HBOOT and if there is neither LOCKED (OOW), UNLOCKED nor RELOCKED, they think it's okay.
Didn't htcdev it.
Xtc clipped it but either way I told the guy its stock etc etc but he didn't care.
He said they've had a few phones returned to customers without repair because the engineers check the bootloader and htcdev.
In Germany you have different kinds of liability from the manufacturer's side.
If the malfunction appears within the first 6 months, it is generally believed to be a manufacturing fault and if the manufacturer doesn't want to replace it, he has to prove that it was not.
If the malfunction appears after more than 6 months, but less than 24 months, the manufacturer still has to replace devices that failed due to a manufacturing fault, but the burden of proof is on the consumer side. Obviously it's hard for a consumer to prove that the malfunction is due to a manufacturing fault, so if the manufacturer refuses to replace the device you're probably gonna fight a losing battle. However, most manufacturers will stil replace the device as anything else would harm their reputation.
The manufacturer cannot ask you to agree to forfeit either of these claims, as such an agreement would be void. However, after more than 24 months you're definitely out of luck from the legal point of view. You will only get service if you signed up for a special maintenance contract with the manufacturer, which obviously is only relevant for very expensive and long-lasting goods.
theq86 said:
Good luck. You should also consider - if your son's device is already unlocked - to downgrade a stock rom. I somehow doubt that htc people check, if the device has gone through the htcdev process. They maybe just check HBOOT and if there is neither LOCKED (OOW), UNLOCKED nor RELOCKED, they think it's okay.
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You have to provide them some kind of unique identifier for your device before they give you the unlock token. I think they know which serial the device had that this identifier is from and will then check the serial against some database.
They asked me the condition and as I explained its my sons its in a brand new condition in a case not been out the house really as he uses his blackberry outside.
It's about 7 months old.
Not sure about the law in the UK. Getting in contact with some jurist will probably help. I don't know where you're working, but most bigger companies have some kind of "legal department". Maybe you can contact one of your colleagues while relaxing over a beer.
A lawyer will probably charge far more than the phone's worth.
no.human.being said:
You have to provide them some kind of unique identifier for your device before they give you the unlock token. I think they know which serial the device had that this identifier is from and will then check the serial against some database.
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You are right. And I also found out, that whatever you do, whatever you down or upgrade the state of the bootloader lock persists.
I downgraded to an older ROM ,thus getting back HBOOT 1.08.0000. after installing HTCDEV HBOOT again, it remembered the RELOCKED state. When you first flash the HTCDEV HBOOT you get LOCKED (OOW). So somewhere this information is stored.
theq86 said:
You are right. And I also found out, that whatever you do, whatever you down or upgrade the state of the bootloader lock persists.
I downgraded to an older ROM ,thus getting back HBOOT 1.08.0000. after installing HTCDEV HBOOT again, it remembered the RELOCKED state. When you first flash the HTCDEV HBOOT you get LOCKED (OOW). So somewhere this information is stored.
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Click to collapse
Most of the security-related information is stored along with the Radio firmware. S-ON/S-OFF is, CID is, SIM-Lock is, so bootloader lock is probably too.
HTC is not who you need to talk to. You need to go to the store where you bought the thing.
Went there today (o2 store) the guy basically said if that's what HTC said then its my hard luck.
intel007 said:
Went there today (o2 store) the guy basically said if that's what HTC said then its my hard luck.
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What an ass hole lol.
I would just spam HTC customer support up with complaints like I did when there was no bootloader unlock. They don't like me anymore. It also kills there reputation badly so they will say things to try and make up for it.
Just call or email them again, hope you get some stupid ass HTC woman who don't know jack **** about phones and gives you a free HTC One X as a replacement lol.
Sent from my HTC Wildfire S using xda premium
benjamingwynn said:
hope you get some stupid ass HTC woman who don't know jack **** about phones and gives you a free HTC One X as a replacement lol
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Yeah I'll get on the case thanks, the one x should make up for my troubles lol
benjamingwynn said:
What an ass hole lol.
I would just spam HTC customer support up with complaints like I did when there was no bootloader unlock. They don't like me anymore. It also kills there reputation badly so they will say things to try and make up for it.
Sent from my HTC Wildfire S using xda premium
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Click to collapse
I've been bombing their inbox for days now about getting ANY Marvelc kernel sources. They keep refering me to http://htcdev.com/contact, and I keep responding that I have, and I want Marvelc sources. I must admit, I'm not being nice anymore either.
"Danielle" is taking it in stride though.
This sort of behaviour is not unheard of. in 2007 my daughter bought a Compaq laptop with a international warranty. She went to Nottingham and had a problem. When contacted HP essentially said that take it back to India for repairs, and quoted some page (14 or something) of their web warranty, basically claiming that since the model was not sale in the UK (the numbers always change across borders) they did not want to know. Then she wrote back that she is a lawyer, and was a PG at Notts U. They immediately advised her to take it to the service centre in (or just at the fringe of) the campus. Then unit was sent to the HQ and was back with a new power board within three days (this too in the XMas period).
So you have to persist, and if possible bare your fangs to get anything done.
I've not done this with HTC but with other companies in the past i have told little white lies usually saying it wasn't a fault of mine even when it was.
What exactly are the warranty implications of using htcdev.com? Say if... my headphone port stopped working 6 months later, would they try and pull the whole "You unlocked your bootloader, therefore your warranty is void" stunt to avoid fixing it?
I'm getting impatient waiting for a properly reversible S-OFF method.
good point but i took the plunge this morning
...
Unlocking the Bootloader, will void most of, or possibly all, of your warranty depending the the situation.
Generally hardware issues will still be covered by your warranty after unlocking your Bootloader, however you are likely to be charged for us to reinstall the official ROM at the repair centre, the reason for this is that to carry out a warranty repair the phone must be in a warranty condition and this includes the software being as it was intended.
Additionally, if our technicians determine the cause of the hardware fault to be a direct cause of the software changes, then this will be out of warranty and chargeable also.
After your phone has been unlocked, even if you return it to a locked state there remains a record in the software that the Bootloader has been unlocked previously, and we have a record taken of which serial numbers have been unlocked.
I would discourage anyone from unlocking their Bootloader if they are not 100% aware and willing to accept the consequences.
For more information please visit the FAQ on our website, following the link below. http://htcdev.com/bootloader/faq...
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this is an excerpt from an email i got from the htcdev support team. i was asking exactly the question you have, so unlocking is at one's own risk!
I'll stick to waiting it out...
I was actually going to start a similar thread. I do hope that there will be a dev somewhere that is/will work on S-OFF for this device. I'm OK with waiting because to be honest the only thing I really want is a CM9 build or a AOSP/AOKP build. I'm not really worried about the warranty for myself but I tend to sell my devices. I suspect others will be concerned.
Although I would love to get rid of these damn three dots. UGH!!!
thanks for the info above, was about what i thought, but nice to know. I will be holding off for as long as i can. Fingers crossed
I've been told on the IRC channel (#htc-one-x @ freenode) most aren't expecting an S-OFF method for a few months. That might be worth considering. I plan to wait at least a few weeks, if by then I haven't heard of any effort being spent on pursuing S-OFF I will most likely unlock using official method.
S-OFF seems to be beyond the abilities of the revolutionary team for new bootloaders. I may eat my words but it looks like they simply aren't good enough. Hopefully someone with the skills can achieve it.
I unlocked via HTC dev. Don't care about the warranty.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
There will be no real s off In the next few months if there will even come one.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
I think most of the Software "Bricks" you cant take care by yourself after you`ve unlocked and rooted.
If there is any Hardware damage caused by an manifacture issue you will get a new device for sure.
So feel free to unlock via HTCDev.com imo
As much as I hated signing my warranty away when I unlocked my handset, I do understand & respect HTC's position.
I think that for the most part, HTC will honour genuine hardware faults.
Faults that are likely to be caused by running custom ROM's, like burning out the CPU by overclocking, would not be honoured.
HTC are a good company, in my experience, and would not want to drive away the loyal customers who buy their devices because they "want" a HTC.
Don't let the post's you read about users who develop faults & issues put you off. The reason they post is because they have an issue, how many users signup just to say "everything works fine"?
But do understand the potential risks involved.
With that in mind... I can't wait forever for S-OFF. I'll go with htcdev.com and get insurance for my phone
Guys,
I just need some clarification.
- Unlocking the bootloader through htcdev.com voids your warranty, correct?
- Can the HOX be rooted without going through htcdev.com?
I was trying to decide b/w the GS3 and the HOX and I think I'm gonna go with the
HOX. I hate touchwiz and the GS3 screen is not too hot.
Thank you!
c47v3779 said:
Guys,
I just need some clarification.
- Unlocking the bootloader through htcdev.com voids your warranty, correct?
- Can the HOX be rooted without going through htcdev.com?
I was trying to decide b/w the GS3 and the HOX and I think I'm gonna go with the
HOX. I hate touchwiz and the GS3 screen is not too hot.
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both yes and no. They claim that you woid you warranty but the warranty is still valid for hardware fault from factory. If you have to send the phone for warranty repair just install stock and relock the bootloader and just play dumb if the ask anything
Havent read ant other way of doing it? search in the development threads.
There's some uncertainty regarding warranty after unlocking bootloader. Some people get faults covered without question while others get it denied outright and have to pay to repair or pay a release fee for the phone to be returned to them un repaired. But to be safe I'd say yes... Unlocking the bootloader will void your warranty.
And no. There is no known way just yet. There are a lot of people waiting for S-Off which will provide us a way to unlock without voiding, but that's quite a long way off.
Hope I helped.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
ThatNerdGuy said:
There's some uncertainty regarding warranty after unlocking bootloader. Some people get faults covered without question while others get it denied outright and have to pay to repair or pay a release fee for the phone to be returned to them un repaired. But to be safe I'd say yes... Unlocking the bootloader will void your warranty.
And no. There is no known way just yet. There are a lot of people waiting for S-Off which will provide us a way to unlock without voiding, but that's quite a long way off.
Hope I helped.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
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That may also depend in which country you live in. Some are maybe harder then others if its a genuine htc repair "place" or if its outsourced to another repairplace. Where im from the companies that repair the phones dont check anything about the software they just check what needs to ble replaced and replaces it. They dont ask any questions since they bill HTC or Samsung or whatev for the repair anyway
Someone try to S-off but it seems to hard to work.
If you wanna unlock without htc.dev.....just wait for a while.
Unlock will lose software warranty, but hardware warranty still keep.
If we try to unlock bootloader and gain s-off, will it void warranty?
Can we get s-on back and lock bootloader before sending the device for warranty or selling the phone?
s-off does in fact void your warranty but, I would love to know if turning s back on and re locking the bootloader is possible.
Absolutely lol...
But at the same time you can relock and remove all evidence of S-Off and unlock with it as well.
The only way to keep the warranty is to gain S-Off WITHOUT having to unlock the bootloader first. Once S-Off is gained you can lock and relock with no issues. I believe the T-Mobile M7 had this option on 1.42 builds. Not sure about the M8 yet
Keep in mind the moment you request an unlock key from HTCDev your warranty is void regardless of if you use the code or not. Now I use Void because it is a generalization used in warranty's and insurance but typically if your speaker blows out or your screen dies and you are unlocked they won't void that part of your warranty seeing that your modifications did not directly impact the failing part.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
altimax98 said:
Absolutely lol...
But at the same time you can relock and remove all evidence of S-Off and unlock with it as well.
The only way to keep the warranty is to gain S-Off WITHOUT having to unlock the bootloader first. Once S-Off is gained you can lock and relock with no issues. I believe the T-Mobile M7 had this option on 1.42 builds. Not sure about the M8 yet
Keep in mind the moment you request an unlock key from HTCDev your warranty is void regardless of if you use the code or not. Now I use Void because it is a generalization used in warranty's and insurance but typically if your speaker blows out or your screen dies and you are unlocked they won't void that part of your warranty seeing that your modifications did not directly impact the failing part.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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how would you go along and do this?
I don't see how S-OFF would void your warranty as some units were legitimately shipped S-OFF, just make sure the bootloader is locked
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
I've returned the HTC One M7 a good few times for issues while S-off and with a custom ROM on and they were repaired and returned without issue , but I would recommend returning the phone to stock before sending it off if you can.
It'll come down to HTC as to whether something you have done will void your warranty or not when they receive your phone I guess.
s-off does in fact void your warranty but, I would love to know if turning s back on and re locking the bootloader is possible.
If I only want to root and flash custom roms then S-off is not necessary right?
What are benefits of S-Off?
most people will need to unlock thier device via HTC dev prior to s off which will leave a record unique to thier phone which means that waranty will be void so even if all trace of s off and unlocked bootloader is removed, HTC will still be able to cross reference and say no.
Some will be lucky enough to use the method for s off which avoids the need for HTC dev unlock so these people will be able to s off and keep thier warranty providing they retuirn to stock
So is there a way to get S-on?
exocetdj said:
most people will need to unlock thier device via HTC dev prior to s off which will leave a record unique to thier phone which means that waranty will be void so even if all trace of s off and unlocked bootloader is removed, HTC will still be able to cross reference and say no.
Some will be lucky enough to use the method for s off which avoids the need for HTC dev unlock so these people will be able to s off and keep thier warranty providing they retuirn to stock
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Click to collapse
Not necessarily. Just because you've requested the token, who's to say you've used it? If the phone is 100% stock, locked and S-ON HTC can't prove anything - unless the unlock process itself sends something to HTC to say it's been unlocked, in which case they'll know
EddyOS said:
Not necessarily. Just because you've requested the token, who's to say you've used it? If the phone is 100% stock, locked and S-ON HTC can't prove anything - unless the unlock process itself sends something to HTC to say it's been unlocked, in which case they'll know
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Click to collapse
Ok, thanks for the info!!! :good:
At least in the US, making a modification to a device does not immediately void a warranty no matter what the manufacturer says. This is most times encountered by car enthusiasts who might replace a part on their engine. Subsequently the engine has a problem and gets taken to a dealer for warranty repair. The dealer cannot unilaterally void the warranty because of a different part or other modification. They must prove that the part or modification directly contributed to the failure and then only that part of the warranty is void, not the entire car's warranty. Phones and other devices would be no different. For more info google the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act
Even with this, it would be rare for someone with a genuine warranty issue to have a problem getting it repaired or replaced regardless of the security status of the device.
l7777 said:
At least in the US, making a modification to a device does not immediately void a warranty no matter what the manufacturer says. This is most times encountered by car enthusiasts who might replace a part on their engine. Subsequently the engine has a problem and gets taken to a dealer for warranty repair. The dealer cannot unilaterally void the warranty because of a different part or other modification. They must prove that the part or modification directly contributed to the failure and then only that part of the warranty is void, not the entire car's warranty. Phones and other devices would be no different. For more info google the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act
Even with this, it would be rare for someone with a genuine warranty issue to have a problem getting it repaired or replaced regardless of the security status of the device.
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Click to collapse
I'm not a lawyer, but I think that flashing the phone basically can be used to invalidate the warranty in many circumstances. When we flash a phone, we are changing the basic code that is being used to drive the device. That is a bit different that using an after market part in a car. I know that flashing a diesel pickup cpu chip, for example, voids the warranty on the engine. I can't imagine that a phone (which is basically all about the software code) does not have the same effect.
It is a different question as to if the vendor (TMO in my case, HTC for direct orders), would refuse to pay for warranty repairs. I think they would be more likely to pay for a failed screen or other hardware part, but less likely for a burned out motherboard. HTC has been very understanding in this regard, despite the warning when getting an unlock code.
I have flashed my phones before (not since the Amaze - the M7 and M8 are great stock IMHO), but I did so with the understanding that a warranty claim might be rejected.
Rageypeep said:
I don't see how S-OFF would void your warranty as some units were legitimately shipped S-OFF, just make sure the bootloader is locked
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
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S off is not the same as an unlocked bootloader, my Dev Edition was bootloader unlocked out of the box with s on.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I was talking to a guy in an electrostore yesterday about rooting phones and warranty.
He said the representative from Samsung Benelux (Belgium etc) said they will still fix phones that are rooted. They all know people do this.
But they will return them to stock when they send it back. Samsung decided this last week.
He didn't know about other company's but he thought they'll do the same.
The HTC Texas repair center refused to repair my M7 with S-Off. Wanted to charge me $180 to fix the purple camera. After arguing and elevating nothing happened, they sent it back, I re-locked/went completely back to stock and tried again. They sent it back no problem.
stevedebi said:
I'm not a lawyer, but I think that flashing the phone basically can be used to invalidate the warranty in many circumstances. When we flash a phone, we are changing the basic code that is being used to drive the device. That is a bit different that using an after market part in a car. I know that flashing a diesel pickup cpu chip, for example, voids the warranty on the engine. I can't imagine that a phone (which is basically all about the software code) does not have the same effect.
It is a different question as to if the vendor (TMO in my case, HTC for direct orders), would refuse to pay for warranty repairs. I think they would be more likely to pay for a failed screen or other hardware part, but less likely for a burned out motherboard. HTC has been very understanding in this regard, despite the warning when getting an unlock code.
I have flashed my phones before (not since the Amaze - the M7 and M8 are great stock IMHO), but I did so with the understanding that a warranty claim might be rejected.
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Click to collapse
I think you're on the right track. Auto manufacturers can't void the warranty simply because of a modification, they have to prove that the modification caused the failure. For example, if someone changed the engine tuning to allow a 10,000 RPM redline and destroyed the engine the manufacturer would easily be able to say that the modified software caused the failure. Similarly a phone manufacturer could void the warranty on the cpu/mb/battery/etc... if they can prove that the different software caused the problem. They couldn't void the warranty on the camera, usb port, digitizer, headphone jack, speaker, etc... because you decided to go S-Off, root, and run custom software as the software couldn't have damaged those components. As with all things legal though, it would likely cost less to jump through hoops or just buy a new device than to get them to accept your warranty claim if they choose to be difficult about a claim.
yes there are many ways to S-off.
People think that unlocking phone in unauthorized way (S-Off) will be better for warranty rather than using htcdev, how is that?
altimax98 said:
Keep in mind the moment you request an unlock key from HTCDev your warranty is void regardless of if you use the code or not.
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Click to collapse
Impossible, only if You unlock your bootloader then warranty may be void.
I'm going to be sending my phone through the HTC Advantage Program here in the next couple of days. I had a washed out pixel that was bothering me. It was within a year so it should be covered under warranty. I have returned my phone completely to stock including S-On, removed root, relocked bootloader, and installed stock image. Those of us that have been through this procedure, will HTC make a fuss about my phone having RELOCKED in the bootloader screen. I'm really not sure if it is even possible to change this to Locked. I have looked through some websites but they are all based on the Kit Kat software. There are no tutorials for us on Lollipop. Also, in order to change it, I would have to be rooted with S-Off and an unlocked bootloader. As soon as I would relock my bootloader, it would just change it to Relocked again. Somebody please let me know if I will basically be screwed out of my deposit.
I have read some articles and websites about how HTC cannot void you warranty for unlocking and rooting. However, I am completely at their mercy because they have my credit card on file. It would not even be worth it financially to fight their decision through legal processes.
HTC Advantage is an "additional" warranty feature for a cracked screen caused by the user, and good for 6 months. Your issues sounds more like a manufacturing defect that would be normally covered under the "regular" 1-year warranty.
You can return to LOCKED with s-off; and you can also return to s-on. However, since you've already unlocked the bootloader via HTCDev.com, HTC already has a record of you unlocking the bootloader.
I've heard various arguments that getting the unlock bin code doesn't necessarily mean you actually unlocked the bootloader. Maybe that's true, but IMHO its a rather contrived argument. Others may argue this point, and possibly rightfully so; but that is just the way I see it. And as you pretty much already stated, HTC holds all the cards, so its really up to them whether they want to honor your warranty or not. And trying to force them otherwise would be a serious uphill battle and probably fruitless.
I really have no other choice. I'm just going to have to send it in and see what they have to say. I could always cancel my credit card before they get the phone. That way they don't have anything on file.
So how did things turn out for you and the return to HTC?