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So, would someone explain the full extent of Sprint's insurance to me?

I pay the $7 per month, and I want to eventually trade in my 002 EVO for a newer model before I upgrade to something better (talking months and months from now). I want to know basically what will get me a new EVO and how much it will cost me. I already have the light leakage around the bottom buttons, and I know most would see that as a huge flaw. Any input is appreciated.

Why don't you just go into a Sprint store now and trade the phone in for a newer hardware version. That's what I'm going to do since my camera lens cracked and the horrible light leakage. It IS a big deal to me because I watch a lot of movies at night on my phone.
If you claim insurance on your phone you should let them know of the issue with the light leakage (or any other issues) so you can send your phone back in to them. If you are intending on keeping the phone and selling it that would be considered fraud but it's your choice.

gqstatus0685 said:
Why don't you just go into a Sprint store now and trade the phone in for a newer hardware version. That's what I'm going to do since my camera lens cracked and the horrible light leakage. It IS a big deal to me because I watch a lot of movies at night on my phone.
If you claim insurance on your phone you should let them know of the issue with the light leakage (or any other issues) so you can send your phone back in to them. If you are intending on keeping the phone and selling it that would be considered fraud but it's your choice.
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So I just walk in and let them know that I want a fixed device? And I intend to keep the new one for a couple weeks before selling it. I just won't want to sell off one of the launch models with the problems associated with that.

what's the diff between the launch and current models besides the light leakage?

If it's anything like other cellular insurance claims you won't be able to keep the "defective" phone. But if you did file a claim you would be subject to the deductible, 50-100 dollars I believe?

cesjr02 said:
If it's anything like other cellular insurance claims you won't be able to keep the "defective" phone. But if you did file a claim you would be subject to the deductible, 50-100 dollars I believe?
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No, no. I don't want to keep my 002. I want to exchange it for a newer version that will sell for more when I upgrade. I just wanted to know what it took to get them to swap it out.
--
Sent from my HTC Supersonic.

I've been dealing with Sprint for a long time and I have abused their insurance policy as well so let me give you the breakdown for it.
First off, what the Sprint Total Equipment Protection Plan (TEP) is not. It is NOT an upgrade plan. Meaning you can't go in and ask them to swap your phone out just because you want to. There are ways to get "free" upgrades, but I won't go into that. Which brings me to my next point.
Sprint will only swap out your phone if there is something wrong with it. In other words, if its Sprint/HTC's fault or it is not working properly for some reason and it is NOT YOUR FAULT. Defects, software failures(MAJOR), etc. When you tell them what is wrong with your phone, be as DETAILED as possible. They will always reset your phone to factory defaults and try to reproduce the issue. If they can't reproduce the issue, they will return it and say its working fine now. If they reproduce it, they will try to repair it. If they can't repair it, they will order you a replacement. THIS IS FREE
ALSO NOTE: This is Sprint's general policy. There are exceptions, and depending on the person you get, they might be able to do more for you. But this is what you should expect!
If there is damage due to a drop, water damage, or anything that is YOUR FAULT, they will tell you to go through Asurion. Sprint's insurance carrier or w.e the terminology is. This is when you have to dish out the $100 copayment. Only do this if you messed up big time by cracking your screen, dropped it in the toilet (EWW), etc.
Now some extra tips: You want to call Sprint's customer service first. Tell them about your problems, go through their "troubleshooting". If they fix the issue, great! If not, then after you are done, make sure they note your account that you called regarding the issue so when you go into the Sprint store they will have your information. BE POLITE! Trust me it goes a long way.
When you get in the Sprint store, go to their repair center. Tell them you called Sprint's customer care and was told to come in. Give them EVERY SINGLE problem associated with the phone. If it is a defect such as the light leakage, make sure they know that it is a known issue and to check their database. I recently lost 4G cause I lost my RSA keys (stupid WIMAX Radios). I unrooted and went into a Sprint store and just basically said, My 4G isn't working. They did their usual checks. Made sure it wasn't rooted, latest update, factory reset, update profile, etc. They couldn't fix it so they ordered me a replacement phone and i got it the next day.

Just to add:
It really depends on how helpful their repair department / manager is. Some will swap out your phone without an issue even if you walk in and say "I want a new phone because this one isn't as bright as my friends."
Others will make the whole process feel like you are pulling teeth! It depends on the person. I suggest if you get this type of person, ask for their supervisor or if they are the supervisor, go to another Sprint store. But also think about what you are asking for. If your phone "feels" different in your hand than your friend's Evo, they will almost NEVER replace your phone. Cause come on. That's just unreasonable. But if there's light leakage, major lag, your battery dies in 2 hours, 4G / 3G, etc doesn't work. Your phone reboots over and over AND ITS NOT YOUR FAULT, then they will try to fix it or get you a replacement.

sekigah84 said:
Just to add:
It really depends on how helpful their repair department / manager is. Some will swap out your phone without an issue even if you walk in and say "I want a new phone because this one isn't as bright as my friends."
Others will make the whole process feel like you are pulling teeth! It depends on the person. I suggest if you get this type of person, ask for their supervisor or if they are the supervisor, go to another Sprint store. But also think about what you are asking for. If your phone "feels" different in your hand than your friend's Evo, they will almost NEVER replace your phone. Cause come on. That's just unreasonable. But if there's light leakage, major lag, your battery dies in 2 hours, 4G / 3G, etc doesn't work. Your phone reboots over and over AND ITS NOT YOUR FAULT, then they will try to fix it or get you a replacement.
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I would add, That this guy is right with everything he is saying.. It depends on the person.. Which is weird because they should have proper guidelines... But obviously they can alter them because I have walked in before and got a new phone just because I didn't like it (got a new one) and then the opposite..

Didn't Sprint recently overhault their replacement policies, though? What was all of that about free replacements if you pay the $7 fee for bascially anything except water damage?

TheBiles said:
Didn't Sprint recently overhault their replacement policies, though? What was all of that about free replacements if you pay the $7 fee for bascially anything except water damage?
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It hasn't changed. They didn't explain it in full.
The $7 basically covers repairs in store and any non-fault issue your phone is having. If you broke it all on your own, you have to pay the $100 deductible. So you dropped your phone down a flight of stairs and the screen cracked. Now as for the camera lens cracking, you can say its cause the damn camera lens protrudes out and you put it down and it cracked. They know about this already and its just a design flaw. Hence why people are getting replacements because of that.
What did change a while back was it used to be $50 per claim. Now they jacked it up to $100. It used to be a great way to get cheap phone upgrades as long as Asurion ran out of replacement phones or your phone is so old they don't support it anymore. In that case they would give you the next best thing.

Sekigah, you couldn't be further form the truth. Here are the official guidelines, as of Oct 23rd:
The only reason to put in a claim with Asurion and pay the $100 is for the following:
Liquid damage
fire damage
loss/theft
complete board destruction
- For complete disclosure, complete board destruction is classified as the motherboard being in 3 or more pieces, however extreme trauma to the phone will force you to go through Asurion. If your motherboard is actually visible, but it;s in one piece, it should be replaced free of charge in store. This depends on the tech, the store, and the manager, but knowing the guidelines helps you out.
Now fixed in store, for free:
Broken hinges, housing damage, broken antennas, shattered screens/LCDs
And finally, if you do NOT have TEP: Don't bother coming in claiming manufacturers warranty, because we will send you right to the manufacturer. Any repairs done in store, or replacements that have to be ordered, and you do NOT have TEP, cost $35. No ifs, ands, or buts. This is payable either when you phone is fixed, or before the phone is ordered for you.
As far as the above example: If you dropped your phone down the stairs and you have TEP, the phone is still relatively in one piece, but the screen is shattered? Your phone gets repaired/replaced for free.

entropism said:
Sekigah, you couldn't be further form the truth. Here are the official guidelines, as of Oct 23rd:
The only reason to put in a claim with Asurion and pay the $100 is for the following:
Liquid damage
fire damage
loss/theft
complete board destruction
- For complete disclosure, complete board destruction is classified as the motherboard being in 3 or more pieces, however extreme trauma to the phone will force you to go through Asurion. If your motherboard is actually visible, but it;s in one piece, it should be replaced free of charge in store. This depends on the tech, the store, and the manager, but knowing the guidelines helps you out.
Now fixed in store, for free:
Broken hinges, housing damage, broken antennas, shattered screens/LCDs
And finally, if you do NOT have TEP: Don't bother coming in claiming manufacturers warranty, because we will send you right to the manufacturer. Any repairs done in store, or replacements that have to be ordered, and you do NOT have TEP, cost $35. No ifs, ands, or buts. This is payable either when you phone is fixed, or before the phone is ordered for you.
As far as the above example: If you dropped your phone down the stairs and you have TEP, the phone is still relatively in one piece, but the screen is shattered? Your phone gets repaired/replaced for free.
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TEP is the $7/month, right?
Edit: Just checked, and it is:
Total Equipment Protection - $3 insurance premium & $4 service/repair $7.00
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Click to collapse

Correct. Though technically it's $4 and $4, with $7 being the package price.

entropism said:
Sekigah, you couldn't be further form the truth. Here are the official guidelines, as of Oct 23rd:
The only reason to put in a claim with Asurion and pay the $100 is for the following:
Liquid damage
fire damage
loss/theft
complete board destruction
- For complete disclosure, complete board destruction is classified as the motherboard being in 3 or more pieces, however extreme trauma to the phone will force you to go through Asurion. If your motherboard is actually visible, but it;s in one piece, it should be replaced free of charge in store. This depends on the tech, the store, and the manager, but knowing the guidelines helps you out.
Now fixed in store, for free:
Broken hinges, housing damage, broken antennas, shattered screens/LCDs
And finally, if you do NOT have TEP: Don't bother coming in claiming manufacturers warranty, because we will send you right to the manufacturer. Any repairs done in store, or replacements that have to be ordered, and you do NOT have TEP, cost $35. No ifs, ands, or buts. This is payable either when you phone is fixed, or before the phone is ordered for you.
As far as the above example: If you dropped your phone down the stairs and you have TEP, the phone is still relatively in one piece, but the screen is shattered? Your phone gets repaired/replaced for free.
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=819504
http://www.phonenews.com/sprint-tepsr-changes-next-week-13303/
I didn't get any updates in the mail from Sprint on this cause I have TEP so this is news to me. Thanks for the update. I stand corrected. This makes the $7/mo charge worth it.
So take the mindset I had and just pretend that everything but dropping it in the toilet and setting it on fire or losing it is free. The latter costs $100 LOL
More or less, if its damaged beyond repair = Asurion and almost everything else = free repair if under TEP and $35 if not. Thats sexy.

Yes, as long as your phone isn't in three pieces and you have TEP, it is free. Now they get to bring in the $$ cause more people will but the insurance. And most people don't ever use it. In fact, until I got the Hero last year I had never used my insurance. Now I have used it twice. Once with busting the speaker and once with my Evo because it would not stop rebooting. Didn't pay anything. I felt like I got special treatment because I had insurance.
Sent from my iPhone with the bigger Gee Bees.

From my own experiences...
With sprint's insurance a lost phone and $100 will get you a refurbished POS that will most likely be much worse than the phone you have now, complaining about it after you get it is futile as well. I lost one phone in ten years and I was furious at the phone they gave me. It came with a busted speaker and a glitchy screen.
I got rid of their insurance and am going through best buy atm. Supposedly, as long as you keep all the pieces, you will get a brand new one if you ever break your phone. I'm not sure if it covers lost phones though.

Actually, if you get a bad phone from asurion, it has a one year warranty, so have them replace it.
Best buy will not simply give you a new phone, they ship it to their center and repair it (over the course of 2 weeks) while you wait.
As for not knowing the new policies, it was mailed to everyone inside your bill a few months back.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

[Q] Samsung Galaxy s3 screen Repair from Samsung in Texas

Hi all i know this may be old and stuff but i couldn't figure out or find anywhere the information i was looking for so here it goes i just shipped off my Samsung galaxy s3 pebble blue t mobile to Samsung in Plano Texas to be repaired my screen was black and cracked and it booted up but nothing was displayed i want to know if anyone has ever sent a phone with similar problems to Samsung and how long does the actual repair take they said 5-7 days for the repair and they received it today how long do you think it will take for them to repair the glass and digitizer if anyone has ever gotten there phone fast i just miss my s3 lol thanks for the help!

They may just end up giving you a new phone and take the parts from the old one to put in a new/refurbished phone. Did you pay for it or make a warranty claim?

Working with Samsung, the expected turnaround time is 2 business day air shipping via UPS, 5-7 business day evaluation, repair, and quality testing, then 2 business day shipping back to you. They have only one repair center for the US devices (Plano, TX) and can say it shouldn't take longer unless a part is needed that they do not have. Chances are if you broke your screen they charged you $178.61 for the full repair to place your device back into warranty. PM me your RMA number if you want a status update, check online after logging into your Samsung account, or simply call 1-888-987-4357 and give the agent the RMA (411 number) that should be in the first email you received.
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I got a question sabreful
sabreful said:
Working with Samsung, the expected turnaround time is 2 business day air shipping via UPS, 5-7 business day evaluation, repair, and quality testing, then 2 business day shipping back to you. They have only one repair center for the US devices (Plano, TX) and can say it shouldn't take longer unless a part is needed that they do not have. Chances are if you broke your screen they charged you $178.61 for the full repair to place your device back into warranty. PM me your RMA number if you want a status update, check online after logging into your Samsung account, or simply call 1-888-987-4357 and give the agent the RMA (411 number) that should be in the first email you received.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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Sabreful I drop'd my phone on the bottom left corner dented the metal and kinda bent it upward broke the digitizer and lcd screens look at the pics I'm attaching, the phone still boots and lights up like normal would this be fixed for the $178.61 that the repair service request would charge to fix the screen or would it cost more to fix this?

I would just expect to pay more, you damaged more than the screen.
|When Emotion Goes Up, Logic Goes Down|
|Even If You Fall Face First You're Still Moving Forward|

The total price should still be $178.61. It includes the standard repair cost, and the LCD fee. There would not be pricing any higher for this phone. If the technician does deem the device as BER - beyond economical repair (would cost more to rebuild than it would be to purchase a new one) then your best bet would be to file an insurance claim to have the carrier replace it.

Icyblood87 said:
Sabreful I drop'd my phone on the bottom left corner dented the metal and kinda bent it upward broke the digitizer and lcd screens look at the pics I'm attaching, the phone still boots and lights up like normal would this be fixed for the $178.61 that the repair service request would charge to fix the screen or would it cost more to fix this?
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yeah they do repair everything i asked mine had dings in the corner and they will repair that i will update you guys as soon as i get the phone of how it went i miss my GS3

Hi Sabreful,
I have the same cracked screen problem as these other folks. It happened last week.
However the T-Mobile representative let me walk out of the store six months ago without equipment protection.
I guess it just slipped his mind & I never checked my contract.
First I called the Samsung Service Center and they quoted me $300 to replace just the screen, not the digitizer.
Also I checked two retail stores in my neighborhood near Boston. One quoted $300 and the other $250.
The craziest offer came from a T-Mobile rep herself. She suggested I pay off the remaining $250 I owe on the phone
then refinance and "upgrade" to the same phone for $69.99.
I was thinking of going to the local mall to see if they have a cell repair kiosk. I've heard rumors of people getting
it done for around $150.
-thanks for any info
sabreful said:
The total price should still be $178.61. It includes the standard repair cost, and the LCD fee. There would not be pricing any higher for this phone. If the technician does deem the device as BER - beyond economical repair (would cost more to rebuild than it would be to purchase a new one) then your best bet would be to file an insurance claim to have the carrier replace it.
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[Q] Dropped brand new M8 in water. Trying to determine my options.

Phone: HTC One M8
Carrier: Verizon
So last night my phone took a dip and I'm trying to figure out if i have any options as far as replacement goes. I actually called and had a replacement sent, but I'm wondering if when they get my old one and examine it, they may find evidence that it was water damaged. I told them the screen wouldn't turn on (which it doesn't, though it's only the backlight that doesn't work.) I also had the salesman at my local Verizon store inspect it because I know they'll replace the phone right then and there if it's within a certain time period (14 days, which has come and passed) and unless I'm mistaken there's no way to determine whether this phone has been water damaged from simply looking at the outside since the back panel doesn't come off. Also, I AM in my 30 day warranty period so my replacement was free AFAIK.
When Verizon receives my old phone, will they open it and inspect it for water damage? If they do discover it, will they then charge me full price for the replacement? I'm very worried, because I will either have to go phoneless after just signing a new contract less that a month ago, OR pay $700 for a new one, which I can't really afford.
Any advice would be awesome.

clevelandtyler2 said:
Phone: HTC One M8
Carrier: Verizon
So last night my phone took a dip and I'm trying to figure out if i have any options as far as replacement goes. I actually called and had a replacement sent, but I'm wondering if when they get my old one and examine it, they may find evidence that it was water damaged. I told them the screen wouldn't turn on (which it doesn't, though it's only the backlight that doesn't work.) I also had the salesman at my local Verizon store inspect it because I know they'll replace the phone right then and there if it's within a certain time period (14 days, which has come and passed) and unless I'm mistaken there's no way to determine whether this phone has been water damaged from simply looking at the outside since the back panel doesn't come off. Also, I AM in my 30 day warranty period so my replacement was free AFAIK.
When Verizon receives my old phone, will they open it and inspect it for water damage? If they do discover it, will they then charge me full price for the replacement? I'm very worried, because I will either have to go phoneless after just signing a new contract less that a month ago, OR pay $700 for a new one, which I can't really afford.
Any advice would be awesome.
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I know if you get their protection plan they don't care what happened to it, you just pay a deductible and get a replacement phone. For it being within the first 30-days though that will depend a lot on the carrier and their relationship with the manufacturer. Verizon could not even check because the phone was sold recently and just send it right to HTC. From there the question wouldn't be whether they'd check, but what they'd do when they find out. I don't know if they could prove 100% the problem was water damage and the customer's fault.

Things to know about Samsung warranty service via AT&T

I recently had warranty service on my Note 4 through AT&T. The process turned out to be considerably more difficult - and potentially financially risky - than I expected. There are a lot of things that I know now, that I wish I had known at the beginning of the process. Therefore, I'm writing this summary to help prepare other AT&T customers who need service for their Samsung (and probably other) products.
If you don't care about the back story, just scan for the bolded TAKEAWAY lines below, or skip to the SUMMARY section at the end.
THE ISSUE
I bought a new (not refurbished) Note 4 a few months ago. From the moment I got it home, away from the blazing fluorescent lights and full screen brightness in the AT&T store, I noticed the dreaded pink tinted screen issue. The effect was minor at first, but grew in intensity over the subsequent weeks. It was bad enough within just a couple of days that I couldn't see the right-most digit of my alarm clock app at all when I had the brightness turned way down for nighttime (this would be at the top of the screen, they way it sits horizontally on my stand).
Having had a similar, but more severe, screen issue that rendered my Galaxy S4 unusable, I was particularly sensitive to screen quality and resolved to get this fixed.
MY OPTIONS
I had two primary options for fixing the problem (probably in addition to purchase protection on my business credit card):
1. Samsung warranty: Covers manufacturer defects for one year
2. AT&T insurance policy (well, 3rd party policy that AT&T sells): Covers virtually any kind of defect, damage, or loss, after paying the deductible
I decided to pursue Option 1, for two reasons. Firstly, the problem was clearly (to me, at least) a manufacturing defect. Secondly, the insurance policy had a $200 deductible. So, I stopped by the AT&T store in my local mall to get the phone fixed under warranty. No problem, right? I mean, my parents have had like a half-dozen iPhones fixed or replaced at the Apple store in their mall just by walking in off the street...
AT&T'S PROCESS
I learned my first lesson in the threshold of the door to the AT&T store:
TAKEAWAY 1: AT&T RETAIL STORES DON'T PROVIDE WARRANTY SERVICE FOR THE DEVICES THEY SELL
Huh? Given the aforementioned problem with my S4, I was shrewd enough to ask about the warranty before buying the Note 4. The AT&T person told me that it had a 1-year, manufacturer warranty. This was entirely correct. My mistake was interpreting this to mean that I could go back to the store where I had just bought the phone a few weeks prior and have it fixed under warranty. That's not the case. Instead, the person at the store handed me a business card with the toll-free number for AT&T Wireless support.
I went back home and called the number on the card. The person who helped me was prompt and professional. She logged the details of my issue, and explained the next steps to me as follows:
AT&T sends a new phone body
I swap my battery, SIM card, S Pen, and back cover to the new phone
I repackage my old phone body in the same box and mail it back to AT&T, postage pre-paid
So far, so good. But...
An AT&T person receives and evaluates the old phone
If the problem is deemed to be a manufacturer defect, the process ends for me here, and AT&T ships the broken unit back to Samsung
If the problem is deemed to be caused by physical damage, AT&T ships the old phone back to me, charges me the full retail price of the replacement phone, and I keep both phones!
Say what?! I asked what would happen in the unlikely case that the phone left my hands undamaged, but was damaged during shipping. She confirmed that AT&T would send the broken phone back to me and that I'd be stuck with both the old and new phones - and would have to pay for the new phone.
Dumbfounded, I asked for a way to mitigate the risk of my getting stuck with two phones. She recommended that I go back to my local store and have an AT&T employee inspect the phone, and add notes to my account stating that the phone is not physically damaged. Then, if it arrived damaged at the warranty center, they'd know that it had to have been damaged in shipping. She said that she'd leave my case open in her computer system, and that the next person I spoke with could complete the process after I returned from the store.
That sounded reasonable (enough). So, I went back to the retail store, an AT&T person looked at the phone, concluded that it was not physically damaged, and annotated my account accordingly.
I returned home, called the toll-free number again, and picked up where I left off. The person I spoke with this time reiterated the process to me, and confirmed that if the old phone arrived damaged, AT&T would send it back to me and I'd be stuck with it, stuck with the new phone, and charged for the new phone. "Except in this case", I added, "because the notes in my account said that the phone isn't damaged, right?"
Wrong.
If the old phone arrives damaged, I own both phones. "Why did I just go to the [email protected]#$ing store then?" He said that I shouldn't have, and that the previous customer service rep shouldn't have told me to do so. He said that I might damage the phone after leaving the store, before I ship it back to them, and therefore that the notes in my account meant nothing. He's right, of course.
After a spirited discussion, he made another good point - the warranty is from Samsung, not AT&T. AT&T provides warranty service as a "courtesy" to its customers. For phones with defects, AT&T can send them back to Samsung and get reimbursed. For physical damage, though, Samsung won't accept the phone under warranty. Therefore, AT&T needs some way to guard against getting stuck with a broken phone. Before proceeding, let's pause for another takeaway:
TAKEAWAY 2: AT&T DOES NOT WARRANTY SAMSUNG PHONES, SAMSUNG WARRANTIES SAMSUNG PHONES
This makes perfect sense, and I definitely see the problem from AT&T's point of view. Still, the original unresolved issue persists. So, I asked the guy what I could do to protect myself against the possibility of the old phone getting damaged in shipping. He offered that perhaps the manager at my local AT&T retail store could pack and ship the old phone for me. I agreed to that, and asked what would happen if it arrived broken due to shipping damage. He said I'd get stuck with both phones, same as before.
Flabbergasted, I stated that I was willing to assume the risk of damage during shipping, and changed topics.
Next I asked what would happen if the phone arrived at the AT&T service center intact, but that the person assessing the problem concluded that the pink screen problem was due to damage, rather than a manufacturing defect. He said I'd get stuck with both phones, same as before.
I asked how to determine, definitively, whether the issue was manufacturing-related or damage-related, prior to sending the phone back to the AT&T service center and starting the inexorable process that may lead to me getting stuck with two phones. After all, the person in the retail store who annotated my account said that it was a manufacturing defect? He said that AT&T retail employees are not qualified to distinguish between manufacturer defects and physical damage. Another takeaway:
TAKEAWAY 3: AT&T RETAIL STORE EMPLOYEES ARE NOT QUALIFIED/TRAINED/AUTHORIZED TO ASSESS WARRANTY-RELATED ISSUES
(Makes all you AT&T store employees out there feel valued by your employer, eh?)
Fortunately, the guy on the phone was trained to make these types of assessments. Based on our call so far - and never having seen my phone in person - he says that the pink screen was most likely due to physical damage. With steam coming out of my ears, I told him that I wasn't even going to debate whether the issue with the handset was a defect or damage, but rather would stick to trying to understand the Kafkaesque service process.
Specifically, I said that the previous phone rep who I spoke to said that she thought the issue was due to a defect. So, regardless of who is right and who is wrong, the dilemma is that two different AT&T people made two different assessments about the root cause of my phone's problem. In one case, I could get it fixed for free. In another case, I end up spending over $1,500 for two phones, one of which is broken.
Naturally, I asked what my recourse was if the AT&T warranty center person determined that the issue was due to physical damage, but that I still thought it was a defect. He said I'd get stuck with both phones, same as before. I asked if there was an appeals process. No, there isn't. Next takeaway:
TAKEAWAY 4: IF AT&T SENDS YOU A NEW PHONE UNDER WARRANTY AND YOU SEND THE OLD ONE BACK TO THEM, THE PROCESS WILL RESULT IN ONE OF TWO OUTCOMES, AT AT&T'S SOLE DISCRETION:
A) AT&T DETERMINES THE ISSUE TO BE A DEFECT, AND YOU KEEP THE REPLACEMENT PHONE FOR FREE
B) AT&T DETERMINES THE ISSUE IS DUE TO DAMAGE, THEY SEND YOU YOUR OLD PHONE BACK, CHARGE YOU FOR THE NEW PHONE, AND YOU KEEP BOTH.
Period. End of story. No appeal. No recourse. Just roll the dice and pray that the AT&T warranty person who you've never met and never get to talk to ends up looking at the phone and coming to the same conclusion as you.
Unconvinced that a company as big and mature as AT&T didn't have some reasonable solution, I inquired, yet again, about options. There were two remaining:
1. Send the phone to Samsung for warranty service by mail
2. Take the phone to an AT&T Device Support Center for in-person service
The first option would leave me without a phone for a week or two. But, Samsung wouldn't stick me with an extra phone the way AT&T would.
TAKEAWAY 5: YOU CAN SEND YOUR PHONE DIRECTLY TO SAMSUNG FOR WARRANTY SERVICE, WITHOUT INVOLVING AT&T IN THE PROCESS
I don't know how easy or hard it is do work with Samsung, or what their process is if you think there's a defect and they think there's damage, etc... I'll leave that for someone else to explain.
But, this second option sounds good - an AT&T Device Service Center. As it turns out, this is what I was looking for all along! It's a real building, with real AT&T employees, who are qualified to assess warranty issues, and able to repair/replace defective phones. Perfect! The closest one to me is 225 miles away (which took the phone rep 10 minutes to find, because their system is only set up to offer this option if the Center is within 50 miles), but I GLADLY drove down there to get my phone fixed. The person there looked at my phone, immediately judged the issue to be a defect that was covered by warranty, and in 2 minutes had me set up on another Note 4 with a spectacular screen. So:
TAKEAWAY 6: YOU CAN TAKE YOUR PHONE TO AN AT&T DEVICE SERVICE CENTER FOR IN-PERSON WARRANTY SERVICE
TAKEAWAY 7: THERE ARE VERY FEW AT&T DEVICE SERVICE CENTERS, SO YOU MAY NEED TO TRAVEL A LONG DISTANCE TO GET TO ONE
SUMMARY
To summarize the preceding dissertation, AT&T customers with Samsung (and possibly other) phones who need warranty service should know:
The phone's warranty is from Samsung, not AT&T
AT&T provides in-person warranty service, on behalf of Samsung, through Device Service Centers only, not through retail stores
AT&T Device Service Centers are few and far between, so be prepared to travel
Warranty service by mail through AT&T is not a viable option, because you can get stuck paying for two phones, at AT&T's sole discretion, and have no recourse
Oh, and two more:
The pink screen issue is for real - and really obvious when it happens; folks who are adamant that it's imaginary, that we're looking at our screens crookedly, or that we're otherwise obsessing over something minor are just lucky enough to have units with good screens
A good Note 4 screen is AMAZINGLY good - if you have the pink screen issue, go through the hassle to get it replaced; you won't regret it

Some AT&T stores do provide warranty right on sight, for instance I work at one that doesn't have warranty on site but two hours away there is another AT&T that handles all warranty in store. And a one year manufactures warranty is just that, the manufacturer is responsible for the warranty, so you can go through samsung or you can go through att except for Apple products, anything past the 4s is handled by Apple exclusively. With that being said as long as you don't send a device with signs of phisical or water damage you won't be charged for warranty by either company. The nice thing if you're close to a service center is you can get a new phone same day, regardless of which way you go, att or sammy, if you mail it out expect to wait for a phone. Just remember, manufacturer does not mean att, verizon, sprint and t mobile are responsible for the issue, they will do an exchange by mail as a courtesy, not because they promise the device will work with no hardware faults. The only phones att takes responsibility for are the unbranded att phones we sell l, but again that's not in store, unless it's a service center, otherwise there is too much overhead to hold that much inventory reserved for warranty issues.

Here is a link where you can find device service centers for AT&T, its near lower down on the page and will list places by state http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB91429
It will download a pdf with the locations

thanitos said:
Some AT&T stores do provide warranty right on sight, for instance I work at one that doesn't have warranty on site but two hours away there is another AT&T that handles all warranty in store.
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QUESTION: Is this second store considered a "Device Service Center", or is it just a regular, retail AT&T storefront?
According to 1) the guy at my retail store 2) the first customer service phone rep and 3) the second customer service phone rep, only the Device Service Centers are able to do warranty service. Perhaps some are co-located with retail stores, but they were pretty clear to me that retail stores, per se, couldn't service warranty issues.
thanitos said:
Just remember, manufacturer does not mean att, verizon, sprint and t mobile are responsible for the issue, they will do an exchange by mail as a courtesy, not because they promise the device will work with no hardware faults.
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Understood. But, when I buy a drill from Home Depot, they don't send me to Hitachi for service when it breaks. They don't make me drive three states away to an authorized Home Depot service center to have it fixed. I go to the store where I bought it, with my receipt, and they fix or replace it. Same with my tablet from Best Buy, auto recall at the car dealer, rotten fruit from the grocery store, everything I buy from Amazon, even stuff from eBay where I haven't reached an amicable settlement with the seller. They all honor the manufacturers' warranties in-house, or provide equivalent service for the products they sell in the infrequent cases that they prove to be defective.
My concern with AT&T is that they don't have my back - especially as a small business owner. I buy a new phone - the most expensive phone that they had in the store, mind you - and as soon as they swipe my card, that store is out of the picture. Subsequently, I have to follow this Rube Goldberg process to fix the problem if something goes wrong 5 minutes later.
I re-read the insurance policy during this whole process, as well, and I have the same concerns there. I haven't been through the insurance claim process, so I can't say first-hand whether it's easy or hard. But, the language definitely doesn't give me the impression that I can just walk into the store where I bought the phone, pay my deductible, and walk out with a new one. Maybe I'm wrong; if you know how the insurance claim process works, I'd be interested in hearing about your first-hand experiences as an AT&T employee.
To conclude, don't take my preceding comments the wrong way. I'm not some hater; on the contrary, I've been an outspoken advocate of AT&T because they've treated me so well. I've had generally excellent experiences with AT&T over the years and, consequently, I've recommended AT&T to many, many friends, family, and colleagues. Based on this experience, though, I'm looking at switching carriers - certainly when my current AT&T NEXT term is up, and possibly before (U.S. Cellular has a deal right now where they'll pay off my existing contract. I had them previously and loved them as a carrier). Having a cool new phone and lots of LTE coverage is great, but what's most important to me is the security of knowing that when something goes wrong, it'll get fixed promptly. That wasn't the case this time, and I don't have confidence that AT&T will be there for me the next time.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to provide some feedback. Have a good day.

If you need to file a claim for insurance, it is done online or over the phone. You do not do in person at an att store.
I've done lots of warranty exchanges by mail with att over the last 13 years and I've never had an issue.

Honestly, I have AT&T and have had my a Note 4 replaced 2 times already. One due to charging just stopping at 35% and the other was a combo of the pink tinted screen and dead pixel in the top left. I went directly through Samsung. Their support is amazing. I went out and picked up a cheap ass Go Phone and activated that while Samsung had my devices. They even offer over night shipping if you want to pay for it. AT&T is just a horrible provider and I've only stuck with them since they were Cingular because they ALWAYS got the top brand phones. Now it seems T-Mobile and Sprint are getting the top brand phones more and more now so after this contract its time to say goodbye.
TL;DL
Always use Samsung warranty over AT&T warranty. More professional and less phonecalls/headaches.

DamageSource said:
I went directly through Samsung. Their support is amazing...Always use Samsung warranty over AT&T warranty. More professional and less phonecalls/headaches.
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I'm glad to hear that Samsung is this good about supporting their hardware. They're definitely not interested in hearing what customers have to say about their software (I have a thread on that topic somewhere around here). If this new Note 4 needs warranty service, I'll definitely call Samsung, in addition to AT&T, to see who has the better support option at that point in time. Honestly, I didn't even really consider calling Samsung for support this time around, because the phone was so new and I just assumed that AT&T would support the products that they sold in their stores.
From looking at the Samsung support site, they only have seven service centers in the whole U.S. I thought AT&T Device Support Centers were sparse, but I'd have to get on a plane to get to a Samsung one. All else being equal, I'd prefer to have in-person service for my devices. Especially for something like the pink screen issue - which drove me crazy, but that my wife could care less about - I think it's important to be able to demonstrate the problem to the service person face-to-face and explain how/why it impacts me. To that end:
QUESTION: Has anyone bought a phone from somewhere like Best Buy, Radio Shack, Costco, etc. and been able to get in-store warranty service/replacement?
I'm asking about service per the manufacturer warranty, not the type of paid extended warranty that Best Buy typically offers on their electronics (though the latter might be an alternative to the AT&T insurance). I'd actually stopped by the local BB to shop for the Note 4, but they said that they couldn't add it to my AT&T business account (despite my having called BB customer service first and confirming that my local store did service AT&T business accounts. Sigh...). Back to the point, I'd be interested in buying from a real store, with real product in-stock, who is willing to provide warranty service right from the retail location.
Anyway, I'm going to be upgrading another phone on this account soon, and I'm open to recommendations about where to buy the hardware (even if it means switching carriers). It probably won't be another Samsung, given the quality control issues I've had with both of my Galaxy products. But it might be. I'm open to alternatives. Thanks for your feedback.

mcmannion said:
QUESTION: Has anyone bought a phone from somewhere like Best Buy, Radio Shack, Costco, etc. and been able to get in-store warranty service/replacement?
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My brother only buys from Best Buy and he says that they replace the unit in store right there if it's in stock and if not you can go to an alternative location and pick it up if it's close by for you.

it is done online or over the phone. You do not do in person at an att store.

I can tell you from experience that Costco does replace phones. It is a 3rd party company that runs the phone kiosks in Costco warehouses and Costco themselves paid for a phone exchange for me because when I exchanged my S3 it was not on sale at the price it was on a Black Friday when I purchased it.
I have had AT&T phones for over 10 years & have exchanged defective units by phone/mail through AT&T too & never had a problem. AT&T normally sends a refurb rather than a new unit but as long as it works I'm satisfied.

Phone malfunctioning, who should I contact AT&T or Samsung?

My phone's camera making like mosquito noise while it is trying to focus. It takes 5 to 7 seconds to focus. Also GPS drops signal.
Question: I have AT&T phone which I paid full price for, but I don't have contract with them (paying month to month) . Should I go to AT&T service center or should I contact directly to Samsung? I didn't purchased any insurance from AT&T, but I think phone should have 1 year factory warranty.

I would see if there is a AT&T Device Support Center around your area. They'll troubleshoot it and if they can't fix it, they'll ship you a refurb device and you can ship your broken one back after you receive the refurb. You can work through Samsung too, but most likely, they'll ask you to ship it in and you'll have no device during the time it takes for them to fix it. They may also send back a refurb if they can't fix it.

I would just contact AT&T. I had to call them up a week ago because my phone started overheating and my gps kept dropping signal too and I couldn't make/get phone calls from it anymore. They are going to ask if there's any physical or liquid damages done to it of course, usual routine. As long as the phone is in good condition you won't get charged for the full price of the phone on their terms.
They sent me a replacement overnight and I simply return shipped my malfunctioning phone back to them.