[Q] Help: Options for a cracked phone and carriers - AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note II

So i managed to drop and crack the lcd on my note 2 and the display wont show now. so after arguing with asurion on them not giving me a replacement even though i had insurance and was willing to pay the 200 dollar deductible. Now i want personal opinions on what i should do. Im most likely going to cancel with them seeing it will save me money in the long run since i am paying around 90 monthly. Now is it fairly easy to do a screen replacement myself on this device? if so can someone be kind enough to give me links to the part and a tut maybe or if theres an online solution. Then i was considering maybe flashing it and using H2o i heard its a decent company. does anyone know of any cheap solutions to a monthly payment?
any information will be helpful and personal thoughts on what i can/should do in my current situation.
thanks again

Masturbatoe said:
So i managed to drop and crack the lcd on my note 2 and the display wont show now. so after arguing with asurion on them not giving me a replacement even though i had insurance and was willing to pay the 200 dollar deductible. Now i want personal opinions on what i should do. Im most likely going to cancel with them seeing it will save me money in the long run since i am paying around 90 monthly. Now is it fairly easy to do a screen replacement myself on this device? if so can someone be kind enough to give me links to the part and a tut maybe or if theres an online solution. Then i was considering maybe flashing it and using H2o i heard its a decent company. does anyone know of any cheap solutions to a monthly payment?
any information will be helpful and personal thoughts on what i can/should do in my current situation.
thanks again
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First of all I don't understand why asurion wouldn't cover it, unless you've already had 2 claims this year. But if that's the case, you might be better off buying a second hand device and selling yours for parts. If the LCD itself is broken, the minimum to replace is going to be $300+, and if you're not experienced at hardware repairs, this might be a tough one. As far as what carrier to go to, it depends a lot on your location. In cities, H2O is solid, and cheap, but straight talk is supposed to be pretty good (or better, at least where I live). Anyway, below is a link to one of the many youtube videos on this subject.. Good luck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxgZeb5QytM

zoso28 said:
First of all I don't understand why asurion wouldn't cover it, unless you've already had 2 claims this year. But if that's the case, you might be better off buying a second hand device and selling yours for parts. If the LCD itself is broken, the minimum to replace is going to be $300+, and if you're not experienced at hardware repairs, this might be a tough one. As far as what carrier to go to, it depends a lot on your location. In cities, H2O is solid, and cheap, but straight talk is supposed to be pretty good (or better, at least where I live). Anyway, below is a link to one of the many youtube videos on this subject.. Good luck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxgZeb5QytM
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something about i didnt use my phone after the claim? idk i asked them to explain it but they gave me the same thing.
but yes the lcd is broken i mean i receive messages and stuff cause i feel it vibrate and all.
I mean i am experienced i replaced several screens on other devices.
well i live in california and my only question at this moment is, if i replace my screen can they flash it so it can work with them?

For the price of the phone and the screen replacement I personally would have asked more about this "something". If you have insurance and are willing to pay the $200 there shouldn't be a reason why a replacement is not issued. Is there more to your story? Well as it has been stated already in the other post the replacement screen is around $300.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app

Related

ATTN: people who blame brickers for rise of TEP

While I cant say that people that brick havent affected the TEP prices, I can say I think a big part of it is sprints fault.
Today I filed my first TEP claim with sprint since I have been with them (late 09-early 10).
My headphones were cutting in and out so I replaced them, and it still happened. I took it to sprint and they said they dont have many parts for our phone.
They didnt even bother to take it apart they just ordered me another phone. This is a waste of money for something like a headphone jack not working, and just giving me another phone. This is the reason the costs are going up.
fryingpan0613 said:
While I cant say that people that brick havent affected the TEP prices, I can say I think a big part of it is sprints fault.
Today I filed my first TEP claim with sprint since I have been with them (late 09-early 10).
My headphones were cutting in and out so I replaced them, and it still happened. I took it to sprint and they said they dont have many parts for our phone.
They didnt even bother to take it apart they just ordered me another phone. This is a waste of money for something like a headphone jack not working, and just giving me another phone. This is the reason the costs are going up.
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Someone told me since these phones are getting so complex little things like replacing the screens would cost them more than ordering a new phone. I might be wrong tho. I remember sprint loved to take apart my og epic.
_dan said:
Someone told me since these phones are getting so complex little things like replacing the screens would cost them more than ordering a new phone. I might be wrong tho. I remember sprint loved to take apart my og epic.
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Then whats the point of paying techs lol
fryingpan0613 said:
Then whats the point of paying techs lol
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To wipe your phone and say it's fixed.
phatmanxxl said:
To wipe your phone and say it's fixed.
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lmao did that alot when i had a mogul and it kept messing up. Remember though they arent just gonna toss your old phone when u get the new one, it will go to a repair facility to get refurbed then out to the next customer.
Too late now (and it may have voided the warranty trying to fix it), but unless the actual jack was broken, Deoxit probably would have taken care of it.
Love that stuff.
[duh me.. it's a contact cleaner. same stuff that cleans guitar jacks/knobs from all of the bar smoke and spilled beer]
Lol, this thread tickles me.
What do you really think we're going to do with your exchanged phone, just toss it?
Its going back to the warehouse, the jack will be fixed, then shipped to a store. Only difference from it being fixed in store is shipping.
I would be glad if I were you. You know, we could be like Verizon, and say it doesn't warrant an exchange, so instead ship it off to get fixed.
The truth be told, the issue of not having parts for this phone is not a problem, but rather a symptom: sprint doesn't have much money to spend with vendors, and one of the results is that I and all my other fellow techs have had to be very resourceful when it comes to fixing phones; consider we haven't gotten new parts for a phone that is any newer than the EVO Shift
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Stupid double post
squshy 7 said:
Lol, this thread tickles me.
What do you really think we're going to do with your exchanged phone, just toss it?
Its going back to the warehouse, the jack will be fixed, then shipped to a store. Only difference from it being fixed in store is shipping.
I would be glad if I were you. You know, we could be like Verizon, and say it doesn't warrant an exchange, so instead ship it off to get fixed.
The truth be told, the issue of not having parts for this phone is not a problem, but rather a symptom: sprint doesn't have much money to spend with vendors, and one of the results is that I and all my other fellow techs have had to be very resourceful when it comes to fixing phones; consider we haven't gotten new parts for a phone that is any newer than the EVO Shift
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
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I wasnt complaining, it was more just to state that it seems like a waste of money.
Hell even the bricked phones Im sure they could salvage a lot of it, the screen and other parts would be useful.
I guess when I went into the store I was expecting a on the spot fix. Why dont they keep referbs in store?
You know, I had a similar thing happen. My soft keys, or whatever they are, werent working very well, so I figured they would replace the screen. The problem was the ribbon cable on the bottom of the screen that connects to the keys. Instead they gave me a brand new phone.....a new one, not a refurb. It had never been activated before.
TEP isn't going up because of people breaking their phones, it's going up to cover the latest devices being $550+.
Also, what you did isn't a "claim".
Sunsparc said:
TEP isn't going up because of people breaking their phones, it's going up to cover the latest devices being $550+.
Also, what you did isn't a "claim".
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Since you brought up prices, its interesting to point out that I noticed at best buy the retail for this phone is $699 or $749,while the sprint store was $499. I would guess that it is because sprint gets them cheaper because its directly with the manufacturer?
And I said claim because when I looked up the coverage, it says you are allowed up to 3 claims a year I thought. Or is that for like broken screens?
And why wouldn't sprint send my phone for an example to samsung under the 1 year warranty (I think) and save them some money?
Tep is only going up for new lte devices with a full retail price of $549.99 or higher. It will be $11/mo and a $150 deductable. All current phones will stay at $8/mo and only new lte phones with a msrp lower than $549.99 will stay at the current $8/mo with a $100 deductible
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2
A. We do keep refurbished phones, but maybe the didn't have one.
B. We harvest the crap out of returns in your case, we will take it apart and harvest everything but the jack and the motherboard.
C. Lately, it seems Samsung has been doing some of their own refurbished , because they come in a different box.
D. Yes TEP is going up thanks to the phones being more expensive.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Its also not so much the cost of phones going up. Its the amount of devices at that cost level being sold now. The more high cost phones sold the higher the chance if a high cost claim. Like any insurance they reevaluated and adjusted.
^^ what he said. I work for Sprint too, i run the largest ASC (repair center) in our region, and the way we work is this: if your phone is broke, we attempt to repair it using either Sprint-supplied parts, aftermarket parts, or parts harvested from devices that were exchanged through the Advanced Exchange program- all of this is covered under TEP, but if you don't have it, we then charge you $35. If we can't fix it, we order a replacement. If it's liquid damaged, smashed, spider-cracked, or lost, w refer you to Asurion to file a claim (which is an extended feature of TEP) and then you pay a deductible. If you bricked it, then it's a case-by-case basis (TIP: dont be a condescending a-hole who knows everything, and don't lie to us).
Some phones we simply can't get parts for from Sprint, so we have to order from a 3rd party (e.g. Global Direct), or rely solely on having a harvest-able device on hand. So when we exchange a device for a customer, we hold onto it for 14 days and we use it to harvest parts from part-for-part as needed, then ship it back to the warehouse. We can't stockpile harvested parts, as we are required to replace the parts we take with the defective ones (or else we get charged back).
Whoever said we just hard reset and say have a nice day must've had a bad experience somewhere, because at our store, we take our work pretty seriously. Our goal isn't to be super-techs, but rather make you so happy that you'll take that survey call that's generated a couple days after the service and answer it with a "very satisfied". Our jobs depend on those customer satisfaction surveys (CSAT's), and any response less than a "very satisfied" is a failing score for the particular tech who fixed your phone. Those CSAT survey scores keep us up at night, and is the bane of our very existence. So please, if we fixed your device, help us keep our jobs.
I can't speak for other ASC's, but it wouldn't surprise me if there are a few techs out there who aren't that good, but hey, you get that in EVERY company. Don't go in acting like we need to lick your sack because you're super important and can't be without a phone for the 30 mins we need to work on it. Don't treat us like we're idiots because YOU dropped your phone in a mud puddle. Don't get pissed at us because you forgot your Google account password and expect us to be able to magically figure it out. We want to help you. Help us help you.
But yeah, the price change on TEP is due to the rising cost of the bleeding-edge devices that are coming out, the cost of our Network Vision roll-out, and i am totally guessing here, but to re-coop on the overhead of having unlimited data.
Tep is going up because the iPhone came to sprint. Watch for Verizon double data promo to end once iPhone lte comes out. The phone is a game changer for these networks
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
newalker91 said:
So you work for a 3rd party?
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He must...I definitely enjoy stockpiling harvested parts at my corporate store
Though, seriously, we need to. Sprint has hung us put to dry with a lack of new parts; bins full of harvested parts is the only way to keep under that exchange rate. Especially with HTC touchscreens lately...
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
I'm curious, does TEP now cover iPhone? I had the impression when iPhone first came out, TEP wasn't available for it. Then I think a month or so ago, I read rumors that they were planning on having TEP cover iPhone.
sfhub said:
I'm curious, does TEP now cover iPhone? I had the impression when iPhone first came out, TEP wasn't available for it. Then I think a month or so ago, I read rumors that they were planning on having TEP cover iPhone.
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Click to collapse
No, not at all. Only AppleCare+ is available for the iPhone. Which is fine by me, the less I have to work on that phone the better.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

[Q] Anyone heard of / used this smartphone insurance?

I'm getting ready to insure my GN2... read all the pros/cons on ATT vs BestBuy vs SquareTrade... and ran across this one (link below)... anyone have/used/heard of this smartphone insurance? Seems like the best of all worlds (almost too good to be true): only $7.99/mo to insure GN2 and check this... covers:
* loss/ theft
* accidental damage (i.e., cracked screen or dropped in water
* mechanical breakdown
* credit monitoring if stolen
$100 deductible
I know SquareTrade doesn't cover loss/theft. Here's a link.. interested to hear from anyone who knows more:
http://us.protectyourbubble.com/?CIL=VHR&gclid=CIyL4MjftLQCFal_Qgodw2IA3Q
What about Ensquared? They seem to have the best deal - at least in Canada. Net wisdom seems decent - lots of positive comments in the XDA forums.
I haven't had a claim with Ensquared yet, so I can't comment on how good they are - other than their reps were courteous and seemed knowledgeable on the phone.
(I say 'yet' because I have broken/dropped/water damaged almost every phone/tablet/PDA that I have owned - up to the Note II.)
Anything that requires a deductible is automatically not a good deal, IMO, and it's precisely why I refuse to go with AT&T's insurance. I have Best Buy's Black Tie Protection and it has been great to me. Had to get my Note I replaced 4 times due to various issues. Each time I had a new (refurbished) phone in 3-days or less. If I had to pay a $100 deductible, that would have been $400 down the drain. BB replaced my phone for FREE each time. The only feature in that list that BB doesn't have, is credit monitoring, and that's something I could live without. I pay $10/month but it's worth it.
I don't think Best Buy covers Loss or Theft... if it did, sounds good.
But see you had a problem with your phone what if you lost of had it stolen you would of had to may way more than the 100 deductible. 100 seems fair I know at&t theirs is about 200
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
DoctorQMM said:
I don't think Best Buy covers Loss or Theft... if it did, sounds good.
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mizz lia said:
But see you had a problem with your phone what if you lost of had it stolen you would of had to may way more than the 100 deductible. 100 seems fair I know at&t theirs is about 200
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
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I have owned over three dozen different cell phones since around 2002. In that time, I've only lost ONE phone—back around 2003 or so—and none were stolen (knock on wood). So loss/theft insurance has no relevance to me. I would hope that people would be extremely careful with any portable product costing over $600. Grant it you can't help someone who mugs you, but anything else is easily preventable.

[Q] Broken Glass, ATT insurance, matters of opinion(update in op)

Ok lets get this out of the way first. Yes my glass broke second day of owning, yes I was being careful and wasn't neglect on my part. Phone should have been able to survive a fall from less then 12" only landing on its back with out breaking glass.
Ok now that we got that taken care of here are my options.
1. Buy $30.00 glass attempt repair on my own. Question with this are if I mess up or something gets damaged could I still claim insurance(ie. will they know I have opened phone)
2. Att states they will replace for $199.99 but will likely be refurbished unit(which sucks). If I go this route will I need to flash back to stock and reset flash count or will they even check that. Rooted with custom recovery and att clean rom. Any one had experience with att insurance claim?
Local shops say its impossible to replace just the glass. Repair would be $425.00 so that is out.
Edit: I tried to call the walmart I purchased it from and got no answer. So I called another walmart and told her what happened. She said we are told we can't exchange phones that are damaged and you only get one exchange. So I thought I was screwed. She then said read your contract if it doesn't say anything about the condition of the phone or the number of times Walmart will have to replace phone. She kept emphasizing to read contract. Then said if I have any problems Call her back and she will call corporate. Sure enough contract states you can exchange phones in the 14 days nothing about condition or number of times. So following walmarts contract I got the note replaced. As of today if anything thing happens I have insurance. I also bought a temporary case till otterbox gets here.
Re: [Q] Broken Glass, ATT insurance, matters of opinion
I've dealt with att twice and it was agreeable. The second time I sent my note 1 in for the same issue (charging port failure) they sent me a brand new device. The truth is you don't always get a refurb, it's just kind of luck and how much product is on hand (so I was told by att cs).
If you try to fix the screen yourself and fail DON'T send it in for warranty... That's fraud and effects the prices for everyone else.
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Re: [Q] Broken Glass, ATT insurance, matters of opinion
Try searching next time. Here a few ppl have claimed to replaced only the glass but from experience on my s2 skyrocket its a pain in the a** and I ended up cracking the digitizer. If so tho ppl in this thread say to search for videos on youtube. Check it out.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2090892
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 running SkyNote3.2
jyazzie110 said:
Try searching next time. Here a few ppl have claimed to replaced only the glass but from experience on my s2 skyrocket its a pain in the a** and I ended up cracking the digitizer. If so tho ppl in this thread say to search for videos on youtube. Check it out.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2090892
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 running SkyNote3.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did search, I'm not a newbie I wasn't asking about how to replace the glass or if it is possible i was asking for opinions of my next course of action. I have seen the threads and watched the videos.
The customer is always right...
Sorry about your shattered screen. that's rough. hope I can offer some insight on your warranty situation:
You have two angles of attack:
1. Go in with your tail tucked between your legs, and pray for the best possible outcome. If the outcome is less than optimal, follow step 2:
2. Argue pleasantly, until you're satisified.
That said, at&t is usually pretty good with succumbing to "motivated" customers. I've always tried, and with great sucess, gotten all of my replacements by contacting them through e-mail or phone (and a few times at the service centers). My own personal experience has lead me to believe, if you go in, they're more likely to scrutinize you, your credability and your story and stick you with the least desirable option. My brother-in-law is a very "motivated" customer, and has almost always been "satisifed" by at&t (that's what she said) (shattered screens, water submersion, etc).
And as far as relocking\returning to stock, again, IME, I've only had them check my device for root/BL tampering twice, and they simply checked to see if their was a stock recovery. And I think it was only because the kid was knowledgable enough to know how to check. Otherwise, I've always gotten the impression the sales person doesn't know how to check for evidence of a tampered device.
If Steps 1 and 2 fail, try droping the, ETF-bomb. "How much is my Early Termination Fee?" In my experience, they always come back with good news from their supervisor. YMMV. And just as an FYI, when I have dropped the ETF-bomb, I had legitmately wanted to end my service; I wasn't threatening.
Good luck and hope some of this was useful to you! like I said, YMMV.
PS. If you go into one service center and they give you your options, that doesn't stop you from leaving with your device and getting a "second opinion" from another, possibly more agreeable service center. And then if you care to, as a last resort, you can always try contacting them through e-mail\phone.
nespid said:
Sorry about your shattered screen. that's rough. hope I can offer some insight on your warranty situation:
You have two angles of attack:
1. Go in with your tail tucked between your legs, and pray for the best possible outcome. If the outcome is less than optimal, follow step 2:
2. Argue pleasantly, until you're satisified.
That said, at&t is usually pretty good with succumbing to "motivated" customers. I've always tried, and with great sucess, gotten all of my replacements by contacting them through e-mail or phone (and a few times at the service centers). My own personal experience has lead me to believe, if you go in, they're more likely to scrutinize you, your credability and your story and stick you with the least desirable option. My brother-in-law is a very "motivated" customer, and has almost always been "satisifed" by at&t (that's what she said) (shattered screens, water submersion, etc).
And as far as relocking\returning to stock, again, IME, I've only had them check my device for root/BL tampering twice, and they simply checked to see if their was a stock recovery. And I think it was only because the kid was knowledgable enough to know how to check. Otherwise, I've always gotten the impression the sales person doesn't know how to check for evidence of a tampered device.
If Steps 1 and 2 fail, try droping the, ETF-bomb. "How much is my Early Termination Fee?" In my experience, they always come back with good news from their supervisor. YMMV. And just as an FYI, when I have dropped the ETF-bomb, I had legitmately wanted to end my service; I wasn't threatening.
Good luck and hope some of this was useful to you! like I said, YMMV.
PS. If you go into one service center and they give you your options, that doesn't stop you from leaving with your device and getting a "second opinion" from another, possibly more agreeable service center. And then if you care to, as a last resort, you can always try contacting them through e-mail\phone.
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Good advice all the way around, all though not too sure about ETF because I'm still on my new contract 14 days. Not sure how they would take that. I also thought about see what Walmart would do since that is where the phone was purchased do to pricing. With the screen not sure how they would handle that can't find anything on the web about the return policy for store bought phones.
chrisryn said:
Good advice all the way around, all though not too sure about ETF because I'm still on my new contract 14 days. Not sure how they would take that. I also thought about see what Walmart would do since that is where the phone was purchased do to pricing. With the screen not sure how they would handle that can't find anything on the web about the return policy for store bought phones.
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Click to collapse
Well then, you just opened up your options - try a bunch of different Wal-marts. One of them is bound to have a lackluster employee who doesn't care, and just wants to go back to doing nothing - find that guy\gal and bring home your new N2.
If there is no physical damage to the body of the phone, you have better support to your story that the screen was flawed. I would really fight that point, that the screen was flawed.
Honestly, they don't have a leg to stand on, if there is no physical evidence to the body of the phone that it was "accidental damage", and they're not going to call you a liar (at least not to your face). With all of this, keep in mind to "argue" as politely as possible, but be persistent. Wear them down and get to yes! Illegitimi non carborundum.
---------- Post added at 01:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:54 PM ----------
And yeah, as far as the ETF-bomb, it may not help if you're only 14 days into your contract. I've been with at&t since 2002 and I have 3 lines, so, that may factor in on their decision with the ETF-bomb.
I was with att for ten years when they decided to move out my upgrade date out of now where claiming it was because of a data overage. I was out of contract ready for renewal the didn't give a S*** about me canceling. I went to Verizon and it was a nightmare had 4 gig limit and they where charging me overage at 3.5 gig. Fought with them for about 3 months before I was able to use breach in contract with a supervisor to get out with out a ETF. Now I'm back at ATT and had this happen.
Plan B
chrisryn said:
I was with att for ten years when they decided to move out my upgrade date out of now where claiming it was because of a data overage. I was out of contract ready for renewal the didn't give a S*** about me canceling. I went to Verizon and it was a nightmare had 4 gig limit and they where charging me overage at 3.5 gig. Fought with them for about 3 months before I was able to use breach in contract with a supervisor to get out with out a ETF. Now I'm back at ATT and had this happen.
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Click to collapse
thaaaaat sucks.
Move out your upgrade date because of data overage? weird. that makes no sense to me.
Here's a possible option: it's $200 and you have to return your current device or, is it $200 for a new device and you keep your shattered device? If it's the latter, then possibly sell the current N2 as-is on eBay\craigslist and use that money to purchase replacement? I am inclined to believe it is probably $200 + returning current N2.
nespid said:
thaaaaat sucks.
Move out your upgrade date because of data overage? weird. that makes no sense to me.
Here's a possible option: it's $200 and you have to return your current device or, is it $200 for a new device and you keep your shattered device? If it's the latter, then possibly sell the current N2 as-is on eBay\craigslist and use that money to purchase replacement? I am inclined to believe it is probably $200 + returning current N2.
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The said thing about the overage was it was due to their lack luster dsl department getting our dsl turned on at the new house. Seemed that the old tenant had some cheap phone service and never turned it off. They wanted $800.00 to run new lines. So we where using phones as all internet for a month. I'm pretty sure that I will have to return device, once the other comes in. I'm going to try walmart first, then if that doesn't work see if I can talk the deductible down on the att insurance and hope its not a refurbished. I have had to many android and iphones(wife) that have been through three young boys with out damage and this one damages so easy. Either way new device will not be fully used till it is safe in a case then still treated like a baby.
Bonne chance!
chrisryn said:
The said thing about the overage was it was due to their lack luster dsl department getting our dsl turned on at the new house. Seemed that the old tenant had some cheap phone service and never turned it off. They wanted $800.00 to run new lines. So we where using phones as all internet for a month. I'm pretty sure that I will have to return device, once the other comes in. I'm going to try walmart first, then if that doesn't work see if I can talk the deductible down on the att insurance and hope its not a refurbished. I have had to many android and iphones(wife) that have been through three young boys with out damage and this one damages so easy. Either way new device will not be fully used till it is safe in a case then still treated like a baby.
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Click to collapse
sounds good to me.
good luck and let me know what you worked out.
Re: [Q] Broken Glass, ATT insurance, matters of opinion
I didn't see this mentioned but I recommend getting the insurance protection from Best Buy. You can still get it even if you don't get the phone from Best Buy. You can pay one flat fee to cover the year or pay $7 a month.
They will replace your phone at no extra cost for physical or water damage.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
kiltedthrower said:
I didn't see this mentioned but I recommend getting the insurance protection from Best Buy. You can still get it even if you don't get the phone from Best Buy. You can pay one flat fee to cover the year or pay $7 a month.
They will replace your phone at no extra cost for physical or water damage.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very much aware of that. Had it on my Galaxy nexus gave it to my mom she dropped it hard cracked the screen now she is waiting for her refurb to come in. They told me it was replaced at the store when I brought it in, with new unit. I have had to loan her my inspire while she waits 5-10 days for the other to come in. Not really satisfied with that plan either.
Re: [Q] Broken Glass, ATT insurance, matters of opinion
That's weird. I've had to have 3 devices replaced through best buy over the last couple of years. I've never had to wait more than 3 days. I Also like that you get a loaner phone till the replacement comes in.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
I asked for a loaner they said they don't do that.
Edit: Hoping my inspire doesn't suffer same fate.
Re: [Q] Broken Glass, ATT insurance, matters of opinion
I'm actually a manager at a best buy mobile.. We are supposed to supply loaners if we have them with a $50 deposit that you get back when your phone comes back in.. Some stores don't charge that even though they should.. For android devices the insurance is $9.99 a month or $169.99 for 2 years.. Everything is covered except lost or stolen.. Which we do have a free app called locked and found that will let you lock your phone out if it is lost or stolen. It will take pictures with the front facing camera and email them to you with a location.. The best part is there are unlimited claims and no deposit
cold21blooded said:
I'm actually a manager at a best buy mobile.. We are supposed to supply loaners if we have them with a $50 deposit that you get back when your phone comes back in.. Some stores don't charge that even though they should.. For android devices the insurance is $9.99 a month or $169.99 for 2 years.. Everything is covered except lost or stolen.. Which we do have a free app called locked and found that will let you lock your phone out if it is lost or stolen. It will take pictures with the front facing camera and email them to you with a location.. The best part is there are unlimited claims and no deposit
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They wouldn't even let me talk to a mobile associate had to talk to GEEK SQUAD, sometimes I wonder the requirements for Geek squad hiring, Guy didn't know anything. Nothing against Best Buy just had bad experience mobile wise here. Best buy is my favorite store, Been platinum reward member for 8 years now.
Re: [Q] Broken Glass, ATT insurance, matters of opinion
chrisryn said:
They wouldn't even let me talk to a mobile associate had to talk to GEEK SQUAD, sometimes I wonder the requirements for Geek squad hiring, Guy didn't know anything. Nothing against Best Buy just had bad experience mobile wise here. Best buy is my favorite store, Been platinum reward member for 8 years now.
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I get that a lot with complaints from the big box stores.. Next time try a best buy mobile store.. It's a more one on one experience and we usually know a little more
cold21blooded said:
I get that a lot with complaints from the big box stores.. Next time try a best buy mobile store.. It's a more one on one experience and we usually know a little more
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I would but we don't have those here.
You should not be concerned AT ALL that you may get a refurbished phone. I've done it couple of times and the phone is always perfect brand new condition. It's not like it will have scuffs on it or non-working parts....not to worry.
Also don't need to reset your phone to stock...you're getting it replaced due to broken screen not complaints that it is not functioning.

Has anyone heard of squaretrade insurance?

http://www.squaretrade.com/best-buy-smartphone-warranty
They have better rates than bestbuy and sprint, and a lower deductible..has anyone heard of this company before? I'm like 4 days into having my note 4 and kinda thinking about insurance. bestbuy decided to impliment a protection plan identical to sprints. :/
No. But you have got me interested. Im going to call them this week and get some more info. 11 bucks a month for sprints insurance, its half the cost. One thing about insurion (or what ever their name is), i know for a fact they pay claims. Ive used them once when I dropped my droid razr maxx hd in my coffee. Had a new phone in 2 days. Not sure how reliable this one is. But Im definitely interested in knowing more. One thing that is a red flag is it has Sprints deductible at 200 bucks. Mine is 100 bucks, or at least it used to be.
Let me know what you find out. Ill do the same after I call them.
Thanks for the info. Good to know there is some competition for mobile device insurance.
AS FOR ME.....GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH
Unfortunately with the premium phones the deductible is $200 and $300 if you lose the phone. I will be looking into this tomorrow also.
I would read the reviews on Amazon, I was all for buying through square trade... Now I am rethinking it
I actually use to sell Square Trade and use them for all my electronics (except phones because I haven't broken one yet). If you read the comments you'll see that they're 5 star rated on Amazon and have an A+ rating with the BBB as well as numerous awards for customer service. They're totally worth it though I'm not familiar with their phone policies, I only TV, computer, and tablet warranties.
I do know that if you intend on keeping the phone for the full two years you can just buy the insurance instead of doing monthly installments. In the end it saves you around 50% give or take.
If you want more info call them or go in to a TigerDirect, they sell them there. You can get a device anywhere and buy the Square Trade at Tiger, just make sure to tell them you saw the online price and it was cheaper, it'll knock down the price.
Squaretrade is about the same as any warranty, customer service is ok, once you speak to a supervisor. Most lower reps don't know what they are talking about, when my note 3 screen cracked they replaced it with a new phone from amazon, but I was told that was a one time deal. Otherwise it is "gently used" or open box items. I paid 89 for two years with them, but I am also paying 13 a month with sprint and will probably stick with sprint unless Squaretrade does that again. Only recommend them if you don't want to shell out a monthly payment with sprint
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Have we found out anything else regarding squaretrade? I haven't had a chance to call them at all but I'm thinking of just going with best buys insurance, even if the deductible is crazy high. ..
I have SquareTrade on both of my tablets but fortunately I never used the policy... I would insure my phone with them but they don't cover theft or loss like Sprint does.
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Come on guys, Google is your friend! Squaretrade is either $5 a month or $99 for two years. They don't cover loss or theft and their deductible is $75. Across the board they're more affordable than everyone else. You can also get it on any device at any time, you just have to prove it's working I guess.
http://www.squaretrade.com/smartphone-warranty
I am interested in switching to square trade but other than theft coverage Sprint's tep has one other benefit. There have been times where I go to a Sprint store for an issue, like my wifi radio not working anymore or something else. They have replaced it for free. Sometimes with a new device.
It looks like with square trade it's cheaper but you get a refurbished or used device.
DarkManX4lf said:
I am interested in switching to square trade but other than theft coverage Sprint's tep has one other benefit. There have been times where I go to a Sprint store for an issue, like my wifi radio not working anymore or something else. They have replaced it for free. Sometimes with a new device.
It looks like with square trade it's cheaper but you get a refurbished or used device.
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Sprint TEP will replace with used/refurbished phone also. It even states that in the fine print. It even says they can replace with different device of equal value.
I've used squaretrade for years, they're a good route to take, but as with any contract, be sure to read the terms and understand what you're reading.
Patch7 said:
Sprint TEP will replace with used/refurbished phone also. It even states that in the fine print. It even says they can replace with different device of equal value.
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Yep I know. That's why I said "some times with a new device".

Best Buy Hacking

Last year I sold my Samsung S1 watch back to Best Buy using their Insurance program, then I used that money to buy a Nintendo Switch. I didn't know I was able to do this, and it was the customer service rep who told me about this option. The device has to be able to turn on and somewhat function in order to take advantage of this feature of "insurance", was the only thing they told me was needed. Benefit? You can constantly keep updated with the latest tech with spending little extra money. You get back (at time of purchase, so if there is a price drop, it doesn't count towards/affect your return) the price of the insurance, device and any tax in the form of in-store credit. Making insurance kind of worth it, for that alone. I don't know how many people know of this trick but it's kind of a handy feature and if you're like me and need the best and newest tech as it comes out, then kind of makes that initial buy-in worth it. Also, don't forget to abuse their Amazon price matching feature, it's how I got the Tab S3 for $100 off and the keyboard for nearly 50% off.
Few things to note about amazon price matching: 1) Has to be shipped and sold by Amazon, 2) if you're buying the insurance for the product, the insurance pricing-tier will match what the original store price was. In the case of the Tab S3 they had it for $550, which pushes it up to the $150/2yr insurance price, where if it were at the $450 I was buying it for due to price-matching, it would have been about $100.
Some fun tips and tricks I thought I'd like to share with you guys. Especially those who want this tablet but are waiting for the 256GB version since Best Buy in Chicago seemed to have alluded to it being released at an unknown but later date. You can do just that. I don't know if that's how insurance works across the board, but I definitely know that's how Best Buy has it set up.
I am familiar with most best buy features ad tricks, but idea what you are talking about here? can you provide a link to this "insurance" with details?
sounds scammy and scummy to me and a way to raise insurance prices because of abuse. i don't think xda is the place for these types of posts either.
yourmumsbootloader said:
sounds scammy and scummy to me and a way to raise insurance prices because of abuse. i don't think xda is the place for these types of posts either.
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Says the newbie that joined today lol.
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yourmumsbootloader said:
sounds scammy and scummy to me and a way to raise insurance prices because of abuse. i don't think xda is the place for these types of posts either.
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If it's a legitimate service offered by Best Buy, WHY would it not be ok to discuss? As for taking advantage of BestBuy... oh please give me a break, every sale, every markup/down, their price match, their ADH insurance, hell their 99 dollar HDMI cables, are all there to scam their customers out of whatever dollars they can get. If you can turn one of these scams to your advantage and make them honor their blatant false and misleading advertising, MORE POWER TO YOU!!!
I get pretty much every thing from Best Buy making them honor their price match, and still am told regularly, "oh that's too cheap I won't honor that" even if it's from one of their "Key Online Competitors"
But still know nothing about any price guarantee insurance, unless the OP is talking about ADH insurance that gets "broken" when a new model comes out? People have been doing that for years, which is why best Buy almost never actually honors their ADH insurance.
yourmumsbootloader said:
sounds scammy and scummy to me and a way to raise insurance prices because of abuse. i don't think xda is the place for these types of posts either.
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It's not, it's a trade in feature. Also, I don't know how you'd abuse it. Since you have to re-buy the insurance. So if you buy this insurance plan let's make numbers up: 600 for a tablet, 100 for insurance, = 700, yet when you trade-in with their program you only get the 600 and tax back in store credit. So you're out the insurance money. Though, the Tab S5 comes out, you can buy it outright, most likely even though the Tab S4 is now going for 450. You can get the 660 (since tax by me is 10%) back to pay for the S5, and then pay the 100 for the insurance. That's how the program works, not a hugely gameable program, just a feature that people don't realise when they buy a two year plan at best buy. Hence me bringing it up.
https://www.bestbuy.com/usw/termsconditions/anonymous
There is the link it's their "Buy back feature" the device has to be running and in decent condition. You can't bring a broken tablet in and expect them to go along with it, or a tablet with a cracked screen either.
dcoke said:
It's not, it's a trade in feature. Also, I don't know how you'd abuse it. Since you have to re-buy the insurance. So if you buy this insurance plan let's make numbers up: 600 for a tablet, 100 for insurance, = 700, yet when you trade-in with their program you only get the 600 and tax back in store credit. So you're out the insurance money. Though, the Tab S5 comes out, you can buy it outright, most likely even though the Tab S4 is now going for 450. You can get the 660 (since tax by me is 10%) back to pay for the S5, and then pay the 100 for the insurance. That's how the program works, not a hugely gameable program, just a feature that people don't realise when they buy a two year plan at best buy. Hence me bringing it up.
https://www.bestbuy.com/usw/termsconditions/anonymous
There is the link it's their "Buy back feature" the device has to be running and in decent condition. You can't bring a broken tablet in and expect them to go along with it, or a tablet with a cracked screen either.
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obviously I'm looking at the wrong plan. Looking at the Buy Back plan, if you return in the first 6 months you get "up to" 50% of purchase price back. That's worthless especially if you're paying them for the plan on top. Any tablet or computer that less than 6 months old you can sell for well over 50% of purchase price.
gottahavit said:
obviously I'm looking at the wrong plan. Looking at the Buy Back plan, if you return in the first 6 months you get "up to" 50% of purchase price back. That's worthless especially if you're paying them for the plan on top. Any tablet or computer that less than 6 months old you can sell for well over 50% of purchase price.
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Yes, I've been told the same thing, and YES, it is up to each person how they feel about using or abusing the "warranty". First, it is pertaining to the Accidental Best Buy warranty that covers anything. It has been suggested quietly by a Best Buy employee that you could "accidentally" drop, sit on, crack screen, etc. shortly before the warranty period expires, and because of the Accidental warranty that covers everything you could trade in the device for credit of the value you paid for it. To me, it is definitely abusing the system if you intentionally break your device just to use the warranty.
Second, you are correct that it is not a trade-in for like value. The device has to be damaged just like any warranty claim. So, if you intentionally break the device, you are not taking advantage of the policy, you are abusing it.
Also, using the Amazon price-match isn't really a hack, since they give absolutely zero hassle on the price match. The only thing it has to say is "Fulfilled by Amazon". It doesn't have to be sold by them, as long as the seller stocks the item in an Amazon Warehouse and Amazon fulfills it.
NoFaQ said:
Yes, I've been told the same thing, and YES, it is up to each person how they feel about using or abusing the "warranty". First, it is pertaining to the Accidental Best Buy warranty that covers anything. It has been suggested quietly by a Best Buy employee that you could "accidentally" drop, sit on, crack screen, etc. shortly before the warranty period expires, and because of the Accidental warranty that covers everything you could trade in the device for credit of the value you paid for it. To me, it is definitely abusing the system if you intentionally break your device just to use the warranty.
Second, you are correct that it is not a trade-in for like value. The device has to be damaged just like any warranty claim. So, if you intentionally break the device, you are not taking advantage of the policy, you are abusing it.
Also, using the Amazon price-match isn't really a hack, since they give absolutely zero hassle on the price match. The only thing it has to say is "Fulfilled by Amazon". It doesn't have to be sold by them, as long as the seller stocks the item in an Amazon Warehouse and Amazon fulfills it.
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Ok yes if we are talking the accidental damage plans and not the trade in program then yes this has been something people have been using/abusing(often failing) for years. You can pay 30% for a warranty which if you are hard on your toys might be worth, but as a "trade up" program on a tablet I would not recommend. Best buy still sells New Tab S2s 4+ years after release so the odds that they will give you your money back vs just giving you another tab s2 or more likely a refurb are pretty slim. The same is true for the S3 too and I'm sure will be true for the s4. Now the same math is not true for TVs and certain other tech and it is possible to make out with this plan. That said Best Buy often will not give money back in that instance and offer you a TV "like" yours that is much cheaper.
What I strongly recommend people do "take advantage" of is Best Buys Price match. It is fairly easy to get them to price match lots of stuff from lots of online stores. I generally save 20-50% on almost everything I buy, just by doing a little searching and making them honor their policy. That said I did pay near retail for this tab as I "really" wanted it and no one was discounting, but paid only 30 dollars for my book cover.
gottahavit said:
Ok yes if we are talking the accidental damage plans and not the trade in program then yes this has been something people have been using/abusing(often failing) for years. You can pay 30% for a warranty which if you are hard on your toys might be worth, but as a "trade up" program on a tablet I would not recommend. Best buy still sells New Tab S2s 4+ years after release so the odds that they will give you your money back vs just giving you another tab s2 or more likely a refurb are pretty slim. The same is true for the S3 too and I'm sure will be true for the s4. Now the same math is not true for TVs and certain other tech and it is possible to make out with this plan. That said Best Buy often will not give money back in that instance and offer you a TV "like" yours that is much cheaper.
What I strongly recommend people do "take advantage" of is Best Buys Price match. It is fairly easy to get them to price match lots of stuff from lots of online stores. I generally save 20-50% on almost everything I buy, just by doing a little searching and making them honor their policy. That said I did pay near retail for this tab as I "really" wanted it and no one was discounting, but paid only 30 dollars for my book cover.
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I agree that the price matching is pretty hassle free. The managers actually have a lot of empowerment to make decisions outside the normal price matching, too. I got Best Buy to price match a Surface Pro 4 with the Microsoft student price deal. I was just honest and asked if they would price match it, since I would rather buy their accidental protection plan, and I was going to buy the computer one way or another. Either Best Buy or Microsoft store. The manager accepted the price match, no problem.
NoFaQ said:
Yes, I've been told the same thing, and YES, it is up to each person how they feel about using or abusing the "warranty". First, it is pertaining to the Accidental Best Buy warranty that covers anything. It has been suggested quietly by a Best Buy employee that you could "accidentally" drop, sit on, crack screen, etc. shortly before the warranty period expires, and because of the Accidental warranty that covers everything you could trade in the device for credit of the value you paid for it. To me, it is definitely abusing the system if you intentionally break your device just to use the warranty.
Second, you are correct that it is not a trade-in for like value. The device has to be damaged just like any warranty claim. So, if you intentionally break the device, you are not taking advantage of the policy, you are abusing it.
Also, using the Amazon price-match isn't really a hack, since they give absolutely zero hassle on the price match. The only thing it has to say is "Fulfilled by Amazon". It doesn't have to be sold by them, as long as the seller stocks the item in an Amazon Warehouse and Amazon fulfills it.
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The device doesn't have to be broken to take advantage of the Geek Squad Protection plan is what they call it by me, and I think the trade in is only offered on the 2+ year plans. So the 1 year plan doesn't offer it and then you'd have to buy the trade-in feature, since I never bought the trade in feature on its own. I just always opted for the 2 years. I did it first with my Gear S2 watch, it was 100% working, looked brand new just due to its age, battery couldn't hold a charge. They don't heavily advertise it since by the time the next generation of device comes out, they're out money since the last gen usually drops 100 dollars less, and they'd probably get maybe half of that price back from parts or Samsung alone. I think it's that reason they don't heavily advertise it and it's kind of a "secret menu" item.
Limeybastard said:
Says the newbie that joined today lol.
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This, coming from the guy who's only been here 5 years.
raduque said:
This, coming from the guy who's only been here 5 years.
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11 years... Pleb.
Yeah, so all on all that Best Buy feature may work in certain scenarios for certain products.
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This is great info. Going to try this. Thanks!

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