Response to "DO NOT FLASH INTERNATIONAL ROMS!!!!!" - Sprint Samsung Galaxy S III

In the post it is suggested to file an insurance claim.....I don't think it is right for XDA to sticky/pin a thread that suggest defrauding your carrier.
Although I agree pointing out the fact of "not flashing other carrier's ROMS," I do however disagree with suggesting fraud. The statement in the post contradicts itself. I have flashed ROMS since Android/Blackberry has been around and if I bricked it.....I bought it.....Warranty does not cover "wannabe programmers."
Just my 2 cents.
Just for reference:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2156714
DO NOT FLASH INTERNATIONAL ROMS!!!!!
Just a reminder to avoid you making an expensive paperweight. Flash only ROMs made for you carrier!
If you do screw up, man up and pay your deductible for insurance instead of trying to fraud your carrier for a warranty replacement.

The thread clearly states NOT to defraud the carrier. The post recommends a claim against insurance. This is not contradicting since the insurance is through a third party that the user pays for and not the actual carrier.
Insurance is there to cover any damage you cause. What is the difference between a "wannabe programmer" and someone who drops their phone in the toilet?
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2

JungleKing76 said:
The thread clearly states NOT to defraud the carrier. The post recommends a claim against insurance. This is not contradicting since the insurance is through a third party that the user pays for and not the actual carrier.
Insurance is there to cover any damage you cause. What is the difference between a "wannabe programmer" and someone who drops their phone in the toilet?
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2
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The difference is: the Carrier insurance is for physical damage/loss/stolen.......not self inflicted software failure. Contact any provider: insurance is not in place to save you after you have "f_cK'ed your phone up.

JungleKing76 said:
The thread clearly states NOT to defraud the carrier. The post recommends a claim against insurance. This is not contradicting since the insurance is through a third party that the user pays for and not the actual carrier.
Insurance is there to cover any damage you cause. What is the difference between a "wannabe programmer" and someone who drops their phone in the toilet?
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2
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Agreed. I have no problem sending someone to get a refurbished phone through insurance. That's why you're paying for the insurance. I only have problems with people trying to get Sprint to pay for their mistakes. In the short run, they save a couple of bucks. In the long run, that practice will only lead to increased prices for us all.

topherk said:
Agreed. I have no problem sending someone to get a refurbished phone through insurance. That's why you're paying for the insurance. I only have problems with people trying to get Sprint to pay for their mistakes. In the short run, they save a couple of bucks. In the long run, that practice will only lead to increased prices for us all.
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https://protection.sprint.com/
Coverage
Total Equipment Protection has got you covered for just about any situation that may derail your day. Whether your phone is broken, beaten, lost, or stolen, we quickly re-connect you with all the people and places that matter to you.
Total Equipment Protection covers you for the following:
Loss
Theft
Physical or liquid damage
Mechanical and electrical failure due to defect or normal wear and tear
Flashing and bricking your phone does not get covered under this-----this is why deductibles go up...over use of insurance by people who should not be flashing their devices....
fyi, I still love you guys.

This rom seems pretty snappy. Looks great also.. Awesome work here man, keep up the good work.
LOL.. just getting one in before the removal..
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

LouRock said:
This rom seems pretty snappy. Looks great also.. Awesome work here man, keep up the good work.
LOL.. just getting one in before the removal..
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
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As far as this being off topic, it is because it is in a sticky----in this section. :good:

bigbad614 said:
The difference is: the Carrier insurance is for physical damage/loss/stolen.......not self inflicted software failure. Contact any provider: insurance is not in place to save you after you have "f_cK'ed your phone up.
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A bricked phone is a damaged. I bought my phone. I damaged my phone I pay for my insurance.
If you accidentally drop your phone how different is it really from accidentally bricking it?
"Contact any provider" wahhhh I cost a multi billion dollar company a hundred or so bucks. So so sorry for costing them a fraction of a second of revenue. They lock MY phone's down. I'm still paying those bastards ten bucks a month for 4g I don't have yet.
They can bite me.
I'm giving them ten dollars a month for nothing. If I **** up a phone, I'm ok with letting a billionaire pay for it.
I won't defraud them. I'm going to pay my deductible.
But I'm not going to pay 650$
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

xblackvalorx said:
A bricked phone is a damaged. I bought my phone. I damaged my phone I pay for my insurance.
If you accidentally drop your phone how different is it really from accidentally bricking it?
"Contact any provider" wahhhh I cost a multi billion dollar company a hundred or so bucks. So so sorry for costing them a fraction of a second of revenue. They lock MY phone's down. I'm still paying those bastards ten bucks a month for 4g I don't have yet.
They can bite me.
I'm giving them ten dollars a month for nothing. If I **** up a phone, I'm ok with letting a billionaire pay for it.
I won't defraud them. I'm going to pay my deductible.
But I'm not going to pay 650$
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
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It's not about that......It's funny how a thread like this can bring out the "Trolls." This thread is only about changing the sticky so it does not suggest going by way of insurance.......It should just be a simple "You are SOL" if you brick your phone.
Please, "Trolls" go back under the rocks......go flame somewhere else. Goodness!!
And for the record......if a phone gets bricked because of flashing a bad ROM.....it's like throwing it at the ground......because you sure did not flash the ROM by accident.....

bigbad614 said:
https://protection.sprint.com/
Coverage
Total Equipment Protection has got you covered for just about any situation that may derail your day. Whether your phone is broken, beaten, lost, or stolen, we quickly re-connect you with all the people and places that matter to you.
Total Equipment Protection covers you for the following:
Loss
Theft
Physical or liquid damage
Mechanical and electrical failure due to defect or normal wear and tear
Flashing and bricking your phone does not get covered under this-----this is why deductibles go up...over use of insurance by people who should not be flashing their devices....
fyi, I still love you guys.
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Interesting, I did not know that it does not explicitly say "bricked phones."
I was looking through the detailed coverage plan (with all it's legalese), and came across the exceptions and none of them seemed to invalidate the warranty based on modified software. The closest thing I could find was this section (In Section II, exceptions):
H. Loss caused by or resulting from use of the Covered Property in a manner for which it was not designed or intended by the manufacturer. Loss caused by or resulting from failure to follow the manufacturer's installation, operation or maintenance instructions.
This seems to be limiting their liability for things outside the phone. Like you cannot claim the cost of fixing your car from when you ran into that building while texting behind the wheel (not following the manufacturer's operating instructions).
I don't know... I was trying to look through the document with an unbiased eye, but I do like having the safety-net of having insurance in case I brick my phone.
Let me know if you find anything in there that voids the coverage based on modified systems (ROMs, rooting, etc).

This is not about pointing the fingers and telling people they are wrong.
It's about the things that go on without being said. I do not think XDA should be outright saying to file an insurance claim.
That is what this is ultimately about.
Sorry if I have caused a lot of corinaries/ruptured veins.

locked temp while I read through
Ok there is no need for this thread at all, even less in Development section.

Related

I hate Sprint/Asurion

So my phone was stolen on Friday. Saturday I filed the claim.
Says it will take 1-3 days. Wed after getting no updates I call, they say should ship that day. Today I call they say it is now 10-14 days.....call Sprint they say there is nothing they can do.
So basically:
1) Go 14 days without a phone
2) Buy a new phone out of my pocket (what was the purpose of insurance again?)
3) Accept a different model phone (what was the purpose of me buying my phone just 2 weeks ago?)
That sucks, but don't you have an old crappier phone you can use while you wait? I know if you get your phone from best buy and buy your insurance through them, they'll give you a loaner phone while you wait for your replacement.
Post like this makes me wonder about insurance. I would not get off the phone till someone helped me.
Did you have lookout or tp app on it? I think your insurance can try to ping it also. But it is probably to late. Still, I would try.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
japper88 said:
That sucks, but don't you have an old crappier phone you can use while you wait? I know if you get your phone from best buy and buy your insurance through them, they'll give you a loaner phone while you wait for your replacement.
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Thats only for damage, Best Buy doesn't cover lost and stolen. Hence why they have no deductible.
Its not a cell phone but I have magic jack for exactly this reason. Awesome device that just plain works and costs almost nothing.
newalker91 said:
The reason you cannot get one for two weeks is because they are completely sold out and backordered. Sales cannot even get their hands on these phones right now. There is no magic warehouse of high demand phones strictly for insurance reasons. The fact that they offered you a similar device until you can get another is proof that they are doing what they can to work with you on it. Let this simply be a lesson that one needs to be more careful with their expensive electronics. You wouldn't leave $600 in cash laying around anywhere someone could even remotely consider walking off with it, why would you do the same with the phone? If in your case it was something more severe such as house being broken into or you were physically assaulted and mugged, then law enforcement should be stepping in so you can receive proper restitution. If you left it in your car and it was broken into, then you should know in times like this to never leave so much as spare change in your car.
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Wow. Just wow.
First off, you're right about there being no magic warehouse of them, and that they're simply unavailable. That's the part that sucks. But you're making a lot of other unreasonable assumptions here. For one thing, they're not offering him another model until his becomes available, they're merely offering him another model. PERIOD. They will not then say, "oh, hey, we got these back in, so we're going to send you one and you send the loaner back." That's not them trying to assist, that's them giving up on a reasonable solution. I think working with a local store to provide a loaner until it's available would be the reasonable solution here, but they're clearly not set up for that, and that's a shame.
And nice "blame the victim" mentality. You sound like the jerks who tell rape victims that it was their fault for dressing that way. The guy got his phone stolen. No world is it his fault that it was stolen. Someone still broke the law and TOOK his property without permission. Period. There's no logic behind telling him that's HIS fault and HE should have known better. How exceptionally rude and thoughtless.
Besides, he did protect himself by buying insurance on his new phone. He did the right thing, knowing stuff happens and these problems occur. He's one of the responsible ones. And the insurance isn't paying off. That's the reality.
newalker91 said:
The reason you cannot get one for two weeks is because they are completely sold out and backordered. Sales cannot even get their hands on these phones right now. There is no magic warehouse of high demand phones strictly for insurance reasons. The fact that they offered you a similar device until you can get another is proof that they are doing what they can to work with you on it. Let this simply be a lesson that one needs to be more careful with their expensive electronics. You wouldn't leave $600 in cash laying around anywhere someone could even remotely consider walking off with it, why would you do the same with the phone? If in your case it was something more severe such as house being broken into or you were physically assaulted and mugged, then law enforcement should be stepping in so you can receive proper restitution. If you left it in your car and it was broken into, then you should know in times like this to never leave so much as spare change in your car.
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Nice troll!
newalker91 said:
Not trolling. It's called playing the devil's advocate. Working for Sprint, I see a lot of bs every day where people do stupid things and result in their phone being lost/stolen. Asurion often times will offer a temporary replacement unit until theirs is available if you escalate the issue. Never once did I say it doesn't suck that his phone was stolen, I'm merely pointing out that in the future this can all be alleviated by being more careful. Starting a thread to flame Sprint/Asurion will result in said person being questioned as to their reasoning for doing so.
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You're a pretty good troll, indeed. Where did you learn these skills?
Troll techniques uses so far:
1. Its OPs fault
2. tl;dr original post --> talk about other crap not relevant to post (like he was offered a loaner phone)
3. Call OP stupid, careless, other flame names
4. Lie blatantly.. about phone availability, policies, etc.
Need I go on?
Didn't know Sprint policies included telling people it's their own fault their phone was stolen. That's a pretty poor reflection on the company, I must say.
TurboFool said:
Didn't know Sprint policies included telling people it's their own fault their phone was stolen. That's a pretty poor reflection on the company, I must say.
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He's just a troll and hes playing a sprint employee on TV.. err.. internet.
LxMxFxD said:
He's just a troll and hes playing a sprint employee on TV.. err.. internet.
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Actually I completely agree with him. I was just as irritated when I read the OP's post. I've had the most top of the line phones since smart phones were on the market, and I've never once been even close to a situation where my phone could get stolen. He's lucky Asurion covers theft at all. Theft is one of the most preventable problems there is.
Lonewuhf said:
Actually I completely agree with him. I was just as irritated when I read the OP's post. I've had the most top of the line phones since smart phones were on the market, and I've never once been even close to a situation where my phone could get stolen. He's lucky Asurion covers theft at all. Theft is one of the most preventable problems there is.
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This. Very much this. The amount of irresponsibility i see every day as a tech is sickening. What is even more disheartening is the greater amount of entitlement.
On that i won't be elaborating, but needless to say I am sorry for the OP, but surely you can comprehend that there simply are little to no refurbs available. Refurbs have to come from somewhere, and that would be returned phones. The phone is little over half a month old, so its not hard to see that the amount of refurbs made and phones returned is creating a backorder limbo, with the rates being about equal. Also, exacerbating the problem is the fact that many are out of 14 days so issues dealing with defects no longer qualify for a new, but a refurb instead.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
How is this Sprints fault?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
I haven't had problems with misplacing my phone, but it does happen. Trust me I treat it like a brick of gold. Fiancée is always saying you care more about your phone, etc. Anyways isn't a replacement what why we pay insurance? If some dumbass hits your car you sure aren't gonna wait two weeks for a rental. Cut the man some slack, **** happens and it could happen to you. At least he's wanting another Epic Touch and not jumping on the iPhone bandwagon. I mean let's go wait in line for a phone that's already outdated...
Sent from my Eptoch 4g
Lonewuhf said:
Actually I completely agree with him. I was just as irritated when I read the OP's post. I've had the most top of the line phones since smart phones were on the market, and I've never once been even close to a situation where my phone could get stolen. He's lucky Asurion covers theft at all. Theft is one of the most preventable problems there is.
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Stuff happens. You can't assume that every person who has something does it by ignorance. Now, let's assume I had it stolen because of my ignorance. I am STILL paying $8 a month to cover that ignorance, and it isn't being done.
I just had to go out and buy an Evo 4G in the mean time (obviously I could have bought something less expensive, it was $150, but still). So now I will wait for my Samsung to get to me and promptly cancel my insurance coverage. If I'm going to be SOL anyway paying $96 a year and $100 for the deductible and $150 for a replacement in the meantime I might as well just go without it.
And for the record, I have had more smartphones than I can count on my hands and possibly my toes and have never had one lost, stolen, or KIA due to user error before. But like I said at the beginning, stuff sometimes happens.
So for all those saying that if someone gets something stolen thy are irresponsible? So if I go to work and my house gets broken into its my fault? That is what insurance is for. They cover lost/stolen phones and that is why he pays the $8 bucks a month. I'm glad he told me how asurion works.
Sent From My Evo Killer!!!
newalker91 said:
People hate to take any blame for their own mistakes, and often times it is best that they hear something that they don't want to hear. As I've clearly stated, not every theft leaves the owner at fault, but often times it does. Phones are constantly left laying on counters at bars, in lunch rooms at work, on benches in locker rooms, etc. and then they are angry for having to pay the deductible. I may piss some individuals off when I ask them how it came about being stolen, but finding out actually is part of my job. Teaching people a little responsibility can go a long way considering they get a limited number of claims.
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your blatant disregard for anything as far as customer service is concerned is scary, now this has turned into a flame war, but oh well you brought it onto yourself. in no way shape or fashion is it your job to see why it was stolen , its your job to hear him say it was stolen ask for the police report and that's it.
So your telling me that if i go into a convenience store leave my phone on the counter for a second while my head is turned that its MY FAULT no its the thief who took it. I have had my car stolen and the police tried to grill me because i left the keys in the car and it running but yet it was my fault. in fact no it was not, because how many people leave their doors unlocked at night does that mean its their fault if they get their house broken into NO!
Now i can see that they may be back ordered and if asurion offered a different phone in the meantime then i would do it.
boominz28 said:
your blatant disregard for anything as far as customer service is concerned is scary, now this has turned into a flame war, but oh well you brought it onto yourself. in no way shape or fashion is it your job to see why it was stolen , its your job to hear him say it was stolen ask for the police report and that's it.
So your telling me that if i go into a convenience store leave my phone on the counter for a second while my head is turned that its MY FAULT no its the thief who took it. I have had my car stolen and the police tried to grill me because i left the keys in the car and it running but yet it was my fault. in fact no it was not, because how many people leave their doors unlocked at night does that mean its their fault if they get their house broken into NO!
Now i can see that they may be back ordered and if asurion offered a different phone in the meantime then i would do it.
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And I'm even saying ASSUME I was ignorant. I wasn't, but assume it. Because I agree a little bit you can prevent things from getting stolen, but the point still is they offer the insurance for lost/stolen property, so the ignorance on behalf of the person who loses or has something stolen is irrelevant.
And your last point is the best one. What I was looking for them to do was say "OK, we will send you a comparable device in the meantime, and then you have to send it back to us when yours is returned". If I'm paying the price I do I should not be left without a phone for two weeks.
Instead they told me, BUY a comparable device, use it, send it back in two weeks, and we will refund you.
gpgorbosjr said:
And I'm even saying ASSUME I was ignorant. I wasn't, but assume it. Because I agree a little bit you can prevent things from getting stolen, but the point still is they offer the insurance for lost/stolen property, so the ignorance on behalf of the person who loses or has something stolen is irrelevant.
And your last point is the best one. What I was looking for them to do was say "OK, we will send you a comparable device in the meantime, and then you have to send it back to us when yours is returned". If I'm paying the price I do I should not be left without a phone for two weeks.
Instead they told me, BUY a comparable device, use it, send it back in two weeks, and we will refund you.
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i would get that in writing , now i dont know your financial situation but comparable would mean another 600 buck phone, in my mind i would do it knowing i would get that money in cash in hand , but if they dont and say we will credit your account i wouldnt do it.
I don't think people are understanding the arguments here.
In the past I worked with security to try to help with campus crimes. Main problems being rape and thief. We could have easily have cut down on these problems if it weren't for one greater problem. Just plain stupidity. People ignore the safety advice we were giving them. Late class at night? No friend to walk home with? Call this number and we will come and get you. Guy or girl, it didn't matter. Follow these paths that we have clearly outlined for you while security is beefed up in other places, and still people choose to take short cuts that saved them maybe a few minutes and put their lives at risk. We did everything we could to prevent this from happening and it was as if they did everything they could to make something happened. Police have a negative stereotype and it frustrates me to no end when people ignore them when they are putting their lives on the line to save these people.
But lets get closer to the subject. I had my car broken into. Jacked up my dash taking out my radio. GF was driving it at the time and she forgot to lock my car door. I called the police and once they figured out my door wasn't locked they didn't do anything. It was my fault for not locking my doors and I had told my GF to make sure she locked them and she didn't. If my doors had been locked with my security alarm active my insurance and the police would have been a lot more helpful to me. And who knows, maybe the alarm would have scared them off and avoid the whole situation(broken window at the worse?).
I was personally shocked that the op didn't try to track their phone down. Lookout, plan b, he has insurance so the TEP app would have helped him to. I keep my phone on a belt holster. A few people have grabbed that holster when I was walking in crowded areas and without a quick reaction my phone would have been stolen. Before I had a holster one of my older smart devices fell from my pocket when I was playing games. None of the employees knew where it was. Used another customers smart phone to track mines down behind the employees desk and they just so happened to find it there. Last but not least, it is possible to be robbed and have your phone forcefully taken. You can't plan for every possible thing that could happen to your device. But you can get insurance and install at least one program to help track it down in the event that it is lost.
Any of could be where the OP is right now despite however much planning we do. I personally don't like the way the insurance is handling this. I would expect a loaner device during these times because it helps ease the pain of waiting. And of course the OP is mad at Sprint. They sold him the insurance that put him in this place. Wouldn't you be mad at me if I sold you something and it didn't work when you tried to use it? It should lower your trust in me despite the fact that I didn't have any control over what happened and it worked great for everyone I knew.

Hey Sprint Techs - Question for you guys!

The post I'm going to quote below got me wondering. I'm making a new thread here because the other thread was posted in development, and at worst it will be locked and at best merged with the other thread the OP made in Q&A. (EDIT - Looks like it was even worse ... the thread was deleted). So ...
newalker91 said:
Just so you guys are aware, many service centers are going to be adopting a stricter interpretation of the Sprint policies in the near future. I've warned about this, but no one likes to listen.
Class 3 device issue includes total device failure in which the device is unable to function without the replacement of the motherboard. This will now include all devices unable to power on after refurbishing, bricked or not bricked. You will be paying a deductible.
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I'm curious. What percentage of E4GTs that have been brought into you over the past couple of months, that appear to be full hardware failures (won't boot into DL mode or recovery, or anything else), that only "mysteriously" show a blue light when powered on, do you guys suspect are bricks related to flashing in custom recovery on an ICS kernel?
The above makes me wonder if Sprint has seen a large increase in warranty exchanges over the past couple of months on E4GTs (gee I wonder why) thus driving the need to adjust their service policy? Maybe it's something that's been in the works for awhile in an attempt to keep profit margins up, but I'm curious if this phone may have been a catalyst to crack down on full exchanges.
newalker91 said:
At my store, we've only seen a few. Each of which they claim to have received a software update (when the most recent to have been pushed was months ago) and only the blue light would power up. The pattern continues on with Motorola Photons as well with the white light when plugged into power and Failed to boot 01, and Nexus S 4G with the unlock symbol and frozen at splash. They claimed to have been using it on a car charger and it just stopped working. All of our customers to bring these issues in so far have been young males (age 16-30). Would be one thing if it were like this only at my current location, but it carries back to the last year I spent at my previous job as well with the same types of excuses and category of customers.
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People just are being lazy and not reading everything before they flash. The outcome is going to be bad for all of us, including the non-lazy. It's sad that it comes down to this. This is exactly why Sprint doesn't allow early upgrades anymore, because people abuse it by selling the new phone and the complain a few months later wanting more.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
I highly doubt sprint pays any more then $199 per device. If you can prove otherwise please do.
lafester said:
I highly doubt sprint pays any more then $199 per device. If you can prove otherwise please do.
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Do you seriously think Apple sells the iPhone to carriers for $199? Not a chance, and the same applies to Android manufacturers. From what I've read, carriers pay around $500 per smartphone, so have about $300 to make up over the 2 year contract term. A little less for Verizon, because they can get away with charging $299 for some devices.
There's a reason they call it a "subsidy".
Edit - Here's a decent article on the subject with a few numbers ... http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=18672&news=Apple+iPhone+ATT+Verizon+Sprint
newalker91 said:
At my store, we've only seen a few.
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Can you put any kind of percentage on it? Like 1 in 10, or 1 in 50? I'm curious how often these devices completely fail on their own, and how often it's caused by firmware flashing.
lafester said:
I highly doubt sprint pays any more then $199 per device. If you can prove otherwise please do.
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Companies like sprint do get phones for a good price from the manufacturer. But you have to look at it from the provider's point of view... Sprint is not making a profit from the time that you first sign a contract. That's why we signed a contract, we agreed to be a customer for the length of the contract in order to get a good price. That's why you get charged for an Early Termination Fee for breaking that contract early.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
I have paid for TEP since my HTC Evo, have not once bricked or even brought any phone back to sprint. It's sad that so many are bricking and not taking responsibility and even worse is when I hear stories of successful returns even without insurance.
Couldn't agree more. If you brick it, its your own fault. You should just pay the 100$ deductible and call it even. If you want to avoid it then either read read and read some more or don't mess with it in the first place. The only people I am not talking about are the devs who found the problems out the hard way. But when they say don't do somehing and you do it because you couldn't be bothered to read a paragraph you should pay up.
Sent from my BAD A$$ EPIC TOUCH 4G
I can't speak for all techs but I just took a $1.04 an hour pay cut and I am now offered commission based on customer satisfaction. Bring me your bricked, rooted phones, and don't be a total bonehead in my store and I will take care of you.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Sorry to say it, but why not just make TEP mandatory for any subsidized smartphone. Maybe a once per device life-cycle brick swap, after that its deductable. If its a bad OTA, Sprint will know and can make exceptions, but other than that, it would be a good idea to just assume everyone roots, and work with it. We can help by not flaming people asking questions regarding flashing when its known that some methods are very risky.
I've mostly held my tongue when seeing people talking about bricking their phones and then lying to Sprint so they can get a replacement at reduced/no cost. The few times I did speak up (as well as a few others) there were responses dogging people for their moral superiority, one person even suggested if I bricked my phone I'd do the same thing, to which I replied I most certainly would not.
I don't judge people. You do what your conscience allows you to live with, as do I. But I will say that I would be pissed if I ever took a truly borked (not by my hand) phone into Sprint and got major hassle because they might assume I'm just one more person futzing up my phone and trying to get a new one.
No one wants to accept their actions may have long term consequences but the truth is, they do. For every bricked phone they've been duped into replacing there's a price to pay and that price is likely going to be spread out to all of us in the form of higher phone prices (if they don't get rid of subsidy pricing altogether), higher insurance rates and possibly even fewer service centers due to cutbacks within the company.
So maybe just be a little extra careful before flashing that next leak or ROM. Read the instructions, read them again, ask questions before flashing and then take responsibility for what ultimately happens.
Okay, I suppose I'll get off my high horse now.
newalker91 said:
If you're going to start hurting your own exchange rate and cost Sprint extra money on DBR equipment just so you can make your commission, then there's a lot of failure going on in your location. Your front office is failing to properly analyze the situation and the back office isn't following policy. Do not create the ticket until you know exactly what the situation is, and then you won't be in a bind when you realize you can't fix it and need to violate policy to get a good survey.
As for the percentage of bricked devices we see, I'd say 1 in 100 at the very most. We see between 175-250 phones per day on average. Like I said before, the bricked devices are usually brought in by young males who seem to think they know a lot about their phone. Extensive retail fraud training comes in handy when we can pick out when we're being fed a line because they immediately start over-explaining what was going on when the device just failed and then they start offering explanations as to why their story is valid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After the 1st month of the change the increased our csat goals. As for my exchange rate, as a store we are below 20% our goal is 32%. If I miss my goal, guess what, nothing happens. If I miss csat goals, I take a huge paycut. I agree we don't see many unrecoverably bricked phones. According to m&P's we cover rooted devices so whatever... as for dbr'ed phones, I am still the king at spotting liquid damage.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
im0rtalz said:
I have paid for TEP since my HTC Evo, have not once bricked or even brought any phone back to sprint. It's sad that so many are bricking and not taking responsibility and even worse is when I hear stories of successful returns even without insurance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must say I have been paying TEP for 2 phones for over 7 years and way back in the $6 dollar days I think it was. I have been rooting and messing with my phone since my PC6700 and I have not had to use my Ins at all. Hey it sucks to pay for it all those years but I rather have it than not. But you can't knock people for trying to get away with what they can... unfortunately its kinda human nature to get as much as they can out of certain situations...
patrao_n said:
Couldn't agree more. If you brick it, its your own fault. You should just pay the 100$ deductible and call it even. If you want to avoid it then either read read and read some more or don't mess with it in the first place. The only people I am not talking about are the devs who found the problems out the hard way. But when they say don't do somehing and you do it because you couldn't be bothered to read a paragraph you should pay up.
Sent from my BAD A$$ EPIC TOUCH 4G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other than developers there were some in the beginning that got caught up long before some developers took the plunge and borked their phones. I agree if more people read the OP then we would have less issues. They should have an agreement popup when you click to download a rom stating that you read the OP or something. I know it won't work but I am just saying there were like 5 "I think I bricked my phone" threads popping up every 12 hours for a few weeks....
The only phone I have had that would not boot and give a blue led flash was one of our in store demos. It was plugged in all day on a demo loop.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Dchibro said:
Do you seriously think Apple sells the iPhone to carriers for $199? Not a chance, and the same applies to Android manufacturers. From what I've read, carriers pay around $500 per smartphone, so have about $300 to make up over the 2 year contract term. A little less for Verizon, because they can get away with charging $299 for some devices.
There's a reason they call it a "subsidy".
Edit - Here's a decent article on the subject with a few numbers ... http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=18672&news=Apple+iPhone+ATT+Verizon+Sprint
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple should, since it probably costs them like 50 cents to have a bunch of suicidal chinese workers make their Iphones.
clide whit said:
Apple should, since it probably costs them like 50 cents to have a bunch of suicidal chinese workers make their Iphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for contributing. Run along now....
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
I hope to god I don't brick my phone, although with developing its almost unavoidable at some point..
Both I and my dad have made friends with a tech at sprint, he has been helping us out since the old htc hero days, so I would like you other sprint techs to clarify for me..
Last time I had gone in (got my ns4g, mid-july) he had told me that they cover bricked devices, so if anything went wrong in that area, they would replace the device for me.. Never had to use my TEP, and have had it for the past 4 years.
Would they replace my ns4g if I brought it bricked? or would there be a deductable? Not trying to lie to them, just curious. I had developed for it for the past couple months and come close to bricking a few times. If I could use my TEP powers just this once, I would be a happy camper with my ns4g.
newalker91 said:
By policy, anything that voids warranty falls under deductible. This includes damage caused by root, misuse or misplacement. Some techs will still help you with the bricking part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for clarifying.. I guess i'll just have to bring it to my friendly sprint tech and see what he can do..
newalker91 said:
Lol, I'm still a little shocked at how corporate techs handle LD. A tiny little blemish in the copper and a couple of my techs scream LD! LD! and DBR the phone just to avoid putting in any effort. I see this as a lack of experience in determining the true cause of the customer's problem. In situations where there is a little LD, I just make the customer aware and scrub it off with a little denatured alcohol, run a gold pen over it to re-seal the copper and toss in an anti-tarnish tab to absorb any humidity that would aggregate it. That's how you earn true CSAT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So when they come back a week later and have a dead phone, that is shoddy work. Flag it, then offer the cleaning, give no promises. I have seen phones that has been at the bottom of a pool for 15 minutes and my brother is still using it, and I have seen a tiny spot of corrosion on a power ic and the phone will never power on. Just fyi I have been doing this for 9 years now, I have 84 surveys under my belt, which is a lot for a tech, I am 84 for 84. Our repair csat avg for the last year is 82%. Don't tell me how to earn csat, SON. Yes I realized I just started a pissing match on a forum, but I don't like being told I don't know how to do my job. My srss has 3rd party techs come and shadow me to learn the right way to do things.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
84 surveys???? I get 84 surveys a month :x with. 100% csats I might add
Not bragging lol
Ooooook a liiitle lol jk
I can assure you if you have water damage, even in the slightest, I will not be replacing your device so some poor bloke can get your remnufactured board and I have to replace his too...

[Q] Bricked S3 after failed ROM flash

Okay, so I previously have had Cyanogen Mod on my S3, last night I got a bit bored and said, what the heck, let's find something new, so then I found zMod, I downloaded it and was getting ready to flash it onto my phone, I then went into recovery and wiped my SD Card, factory reset, etc. Unfortunatly that wiped my .zip on my SD Card, so I used ADB t oget it back using adb push path\to\file /sdcard/ I then restarted my device and updated from zip, I then got some strange error like could not write, so I attempted to reboot my phone into recovery again, unfortunatly it never vibrated and the screen never turned on. Something strange though, if I plug it into my computer after turning it on (No vibration or screen on) it recognizes it as "QHSUSB_DLOAD"
Specifics:
OS: Windows 8 x64
CWM: I think it was version 6.something
Thanks for any help you can provide me, I have had the phone for 3-4 months, if worst comes to worst should I attempt to do a warranty claim with Samsung or Sprint?
Sounds like you flashed an international ROM, no fix for that except a JTAG as far as I am aware.
Yeah Zmod is an international zip.
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TexasEpic/ThePeoplesROM-KennyGlass123/daniel4653.png
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So should I get someone to do a JTAG on my phone or would it be safer to attempt a warranty claim with Samsung?
RiotShielder said:
Okay, so I previously have had Cyanogen Mod on my S3, last night I got a bit bored and said, what the heck, let's find something new, so then I found zMod, I downloaded it and was getting ready to flash it onto my phone, I then went into recovery and wiped my SD Card, factory reset, etc. Unfortunatly that wiped my .zip on my SD Card, so I used ADB t oget it back using adb push path\to\file /sdcard/ I then restarted my device and updated from zip, I then got some strange error like could not write, so I attempted to reboot my phone into recovery again, unfortunatly it never vibrated and the screen never turned on. Something strange though, if I plug it into my computer after turning it on (No vibration or screen on) it recognizes it as "QHSUSB_DLOAD"
Specifics:
OS: Windows 8 x64
CWM: I think it was version 6.something
Thanks for any help you can provide me, I have had the phone for 3-4 months, if worst comes to worst should I attempt to do a warranty claim with Samsung or Sprint?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would just go to sprint its cheaper than JTAG and they have your phone ready for pickup the next day cost me $35 to get mine replaced unless of course u have the insurance then its free or you meet someone that will waive that fee
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
jazz995756 said:
I would just go to sprint its cheaper than JTAG and they have your phone ready for pickup the next day cost me $35 to get mine replaced unless of course u have the insurance then its free or you meet someone that will waive that fee
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So do I just tell them upfront what I did or do I say it shut down during an update or something? Also does that require I have some kind of replacement plan, or is it for anyone with a phone with them. Thanks, I should be more careful with these things, I should of probably looked into it a bit more.
Ok, I'm gonna jump in here before this thread gets out of hand (seen it happen to the last 3 threads like this one)
First of, you've had the phone for a couple (3-4) months. Sprint's warranty covers only 15 days, if I recall correctly. Taking it back to the store will do nothing for you.
If you have TEP, then you can claim this on that, but you'll have to pay the $150 deductible. It's pricey but they'll get you a new phone the next day. A lot of people here on xda will recommend that. But there are also people on here that say that claims like this only drive up deductibles for the rest of us. I'll get into that later.
Last thing you can do is a JTAG repair. There are companies that do it for $60, but they take 3-5 business days. Just do a Google search for "JTAG repair S3" and you see it. It's the thing I would recommend, and I'll say why.
By flashing roms, mods, and kernels, we're voiding our warranty. No ifs ands or buts. We need to take responsibility for our mistakes and pay whatever price it is for them. By trying to return it to Sprint, you're basically pushing the cost of your mistake onto them, who then have to push it onto the rest of us. I remember when Sprint's TEP was only a $50 deductible for smartphones, not $150. This price increase is increased mostly due to claims like yours (and increased phone prices, but not as much as you'd think).
I think everyone here would say it's best to learn from our mistakes. In my opinion, the best way to do that is to actually pay the price for them. Pushing that price onto others just teaches us that we can avoid the consequences of our actions.
This is not a personal attack, just my thoughts on the matter. And in a few hours there will be much more people posting less polite responses than mine, so just a heads up.
Ok, end of rant.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
topherk said:
Ok, I'm gonna jump in here before this thread gets out of hand (seen it happen to the last 3 threads like this one)
First of, you've had the phone for a couple (3-4) months. Sprint's warranty covers only 15 days, if I recall correctly. Taking it back to the store will do nothing for you.
If you have TEP, then you can claim this on that, but you'll have to pay the $150 deductible. It's pricey but they'll get you a new phone the next day. A lot of people here on xda will recommend that. But there are also people on here that say that claims like this only drive up deductibles for the rest of us. I'll get into that later.
Last thing you can do is a JTAG repair. There are companies that do it for $60, but they take 3-5 business days. Just do a Google search for "JTAG repair S3" and you see it. It's the thing I would recommend, and I'll say why.
By flashing roms, mods, and kernels, we're voiding our warranty. No ifs ands or buts. We need to take responsibility for our mistakes and pay whatever price it is for them. By trying to return it to Sprint, you're basically pushing the cost of your mistake onto them, who then have to push it onto the rest of us. I remember when Sprint's TEP was only a $50 deductible for smartphones, not $150. This price increase is increased mostly due to claims like yours (and increased phone prices, but not as much as you'd think).
I think everyone here would say it's best to learn from our mistakes. In my opinion, the best way to do that is to actually pay the price for them. Pushing that price onto others just teaches us that we can avoid the consequences of our actions.
This is not a personal attack, just my thoughts on the matter. And in a few hours there will be much more people posting less polite responses than mine, so just a heads up.
Ok, end of rant.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I understand what you mean, I'm just trying to see my options. Do you know of any good places to do the JTAG?
http://mobiletechvideos.mybigcommerce.com/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-jtag-brick-repair/
This place has gotten decent reviews here on xda. I haven't used them, but if you search xda for the name, you should see a number of threads with satisfied customers. From what I've seen, a fairly quick turnaround unless they're unusually busy.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
topherk said:
This place has gotten decent reviews here on xda. I haven't used them, but if you search xda for the name, you should see a number of threads with satisfied customers. From what I've seen, a fairly quick turnaround unless they're unusually busy.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, thanks. Just hopefully it will be a well-spent $60. My mom's gonna be pissed, but hopefully this will teach me to be more cautious when doing such delicate things
RiotShielder said:
So do I just tell them upfront what I did or do I say it shut down during an update or something? Also does that require I have some kind of replacement plan, or is it for anyone with a phone with them. Thanks, I should be more careful with these things, I should of probably looked into it a bit more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would just tell them it shut off some representatives will just tell you no and you don't need any kind of protection plan if you pay the $35 fee but if you do have a protection plan it will be free
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 01:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:07 PM ----------
topherk said:
Ok, I'm gonna jump in here before this thread gets out of hand (seen it happen to the last 3 threads like this one)
First of, you've had the phone for a couple (3-4) months. Sprint's warranty covers only 15 days, if I recall correctly. Taking it back to the store will do nothing for you.
If you have TEP, then you can claim this on that, but you'll have to pay the $150 deductible. It's pricey but they'll get you a new phone the next day. A lot of people here on xda will recommend that. But there are also people on here that say that claims like this only drive up deductibles for the rest of us. I'll get into that later.
Last thing you can do is a JTAG repair. There are companies that do it for $60, but they take 3-5 business days. Just do a Google search for "JTAG repair S3" and you see it. It's the thing I would recommend, and I'll say why.
By flashing roms, mods, and kernels, we're voiding our warranty. No ifs ands or buts. We need to take responsibility for our mistakes and pay whatever price it is for them. By trying to return it to Sprint, you're basically pushing the cost of your mistake onto them, who then have to push it onto the rest of us. I remember when Sprint's TEP was only a $50 deductible for smartphones, not $150. This price increase is increased mostly due to claims like yours (and increased phone prices, but not as much as you'd think).
I think everyone here would say it's best to learn from our mistakes. In my opinion, the best way to do that is to actually pay the price for them. Pushing that price onto others just teaches us that we can avoid the consequences of our actions.
This is not a personal attack, just my thoughts on the matter. And in a few hours there will be much more people posting less polite responses than mine, so just a heads up.
Ok, end of rant.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off the 15 day warranty will terminate your contract early and they take you phone away and that's not what were talking about anyway. Because sprint WILL replace your phone no matter how old it is you just have to pay $35 unless of course it has physical damage, cracked screen, broken charger port etc...
Second the TEP covers software and battery issues you ONLY need to pay 150 if its physically damaged and that's the ONLY reason you make a claim otherwise if you have TEP and bricked your phone all they need to do is verify the phone won't boot and they will replace it the next day. Many people are confused about these two things but I know this cuz I replaced my phone many times lol I have bad luck with sprint phones -_-
Third I would only recommend JTAG if sprint denied you or charging you more because it has physical damage and your willing to not have your phone for about a week. In my opinion that would be my last option but chances are sprint will replace your phone for $35 its theyre policy
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
jazz995756 said:
I would just tell them it shut off some representatives will just tell you no and you don't need any kind of protection plan if you pay the $35 fee but if you do have a protection plan it will be free
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 01:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:07 PM ----------
First off the 15 day warranty will terminate your contract early and they take you phone away and that's not what were talking about anyway. Because sprint WILL replace your phone no matter how old it is you just have to pay $35 unless of course it has physical damage, cracked screen, broken charger port etc...
Second the TEP covers software and battery issues you ONLY need to pay 150 if its physically damaged and that's the ONLY reason you make a claim otherwise if you have TEP and bricked your phone all they need to do is verify the phone won't boot and they will replace it the next day. Many people are confused about these two things but I know this cuz I replaced my phone many times lol I have bad luck with sprint phones -_-
Third I would only recommend JTAG if sprint denied you or charging you more because it has physical damage and your willing to not have your phone for about a week. In my opinion that would be my last option but chances are sprint will replace your phone for $35 its theyre policy
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, would a visible scratch on the screen void it? It's a pretty small scratch, not a crack or anything.
topherk said:
Ok, I'm gonna jump in here before this thread gets out of hand (seen it happen to the last 3 threads like this one)
First of, you've had the phone for a couple (3-4) months. Sprint's warranty covers only 15 days, if I recall correctly. Taking it back to the store will do nothing for you.
If you have TEP, then you can claim this on that, but you'll have to pay the $150 deductible. It's pricey but they'll get you a new phone the next day. A lot of people here on xda will recommend that. But there are also people on here that say that claims like this only drive up deductibles for the rest of us. I'll get into that later.
Last thing you can do is a JTAG repair. There are companies that do it for $60, but they take 3-5 business days. Just do a Google search for "JTAG repair S3" and you see it. It's the thing I would recommend, and I'll say why.
By flashing roms, mods, and kernels, we're voiding our warranty. No ifs ands or buts. We need to take responsibility for our mistakes and pay whatever price it is for them. By trying to return it to Sprint, you're basically pushing the cost of your mistake onto them, who then have to push it onto the rest of us. I remember when Sprint's TEP was only a $50 deductible for smartphones, not $150. This price increase is increased mostly due to claims like yours (and increased phone prices, but not as much as you'd think).
I think everyone here would say it's best to learn from our mistakes. In my opinion, the best way to do that is to actually pay the price for them. Pushing that price onto others just teaches us that we can avoid the consequences of our actions.
This is not a personal attack, just my thoughts on the matter. And in a few hours there will be much more people posting less polite responses than mine, so just a heads up.
Ok, end of rant.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much more elegant and polite than I would have put it. I'm seeing way to many of these threads as of late. Maybe this will be the first person to take responsibility for their actions............
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 04:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:15 PM ----------
http://mobiletechvideos.mybigcommerce.com/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-jtag-brick-repair/
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
I'm not blaming the dev of zMod in any way, as I should of verified it worked with my phone first; but should he not of put something like "This is for xxx phones only" just to help prevent this happening?
I realized it was posted in the international phone version forums, but I would think they would point it out again.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2136706
RiotShielder said:
Okay, would a visible scratch on the screen void it? It's a pretty small scratch, not a crack or anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I highly doubt a scratch will do anything just as long as its not a crack I say your good to go
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
RiotShielder said:
I'm not blaming the dev of zMod in any way, as I should of verified it worked with my phone first; but should he not of put something like "This is for xxx phones only" just to help prevent this happening?
I realized it was posted in the international phone version forums, but I would think they would point it out again.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2136706
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would they point out that a rom in the international forum is for an international device? I'm pretty sure the rom zip had the device number listed in the name.
☆SoA: Son's of Android™☆
I like to break stuff!
-EViL-KoNCEPTz- said:
Why would they point out that a rom in the international forum is for an international device? I'm pretty sure the rom zip had the device number listed in the name.
☆SoA: Son's of Android™☆
I like to break stuff!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It actually didn't, all it says is V1, and I am just saying that it would help for people who got there via Google and such, anyway I'm going to see what I can do with it tomorrow, hopefully everything goes smoothly
RiotShielder said:
I'm not blaming the dev of zMod in any way, as I should of verified it worked with my phone first; but should he not of put something like "This is for xxx phones only" just to help prevent this happening?
I realized it was posted in the international phone version forums, but I would think they would point it out again.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2136706
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From reading this thread I understand your young. But things are written for a reason. Learn a valuable lesson if something is in the Sprint Development section it's for Sprint, if it's in the Verizon Development section it's for Verizon products if it's in the International section it's for International devices.
That's why there are different sections on xda for different devices, different manufacturer and different carriers. If you would have read a little more there are usually 4 or 5 of these threads a week where someone bricked their phone flashing an international rom but had no problem finding the right section when they broke it.
I'm pretty sure this thread will be locked soon enough. But welcome to flashing 101, rule #1 if your on a Sprint variant stick to the threads that say Sprint Development.
Transmitted with a portable device using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
edfunkycold said:
From reading this thread I understand your young. But things are written for a reason. Learn a valuable lesson if something is in the Sprint Development section it's for Sprint, if it's in the Verizon Development section it's for Verizon products if it's in the International section it's for International devices.
That's why there are different sections on xda for different devices, different manufacturer and different carriers. If you would have read a little more there are usually 4 or 5 of these threads a week where someone bricked their phone flashing an international rom but had no problem finding the right section when they broke it.
I'm pretty sure this thread will be locked soon enough. But welcome to flashing 101, rule #1 if your on a Sprint variant stick to the threads that say Sprint Development.
Transmitted with a portable device using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I found zMod from CNet, I didn't notice that it was in the international forum until after I had posted this topic.

It is ridiculous how many bricks I've seen lately.

PLEASE READ ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING, AND IF YOU QUESTION ANYTHING ASK IN THE Q AND A SECTION! Do not flash ANYTHING NOT MADE FOR YOUR SPECIFIC MODEL OF S3, THIS INCLUDES INTERNATIONAL ROMS. If you don't know what you are about to do, DON'T DO IT, ask somebody first. This is freaking common sense to me, and most of us, but I know a lot of people lack that skill these days. And if you still end up bricking your device get a JTAG, DON'T COMMIT FRAUD BY GOING TO THE STORE AND ACTING LIKE A OBLIVIOUS IDIOT THAT HAS NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED. Take some responsibility for your mistakes and actions, that YOU alone did, and pay the insurance claim or JTAG. I know this isn't the first time this has been talked about, and surely not the last, but maybe this will prevent one freaking brick, and we won't have to see. HELP I BRICKED MY PHONE!................
This is a good thread, say thanks to the op, for FAQs http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=38172219
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
This should maybe go into the general section.
GiantJay said:
This should maybe go into the general section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This should be plastered on billboards every 1/4 mile across the entire planet.
☆SoA: Son's of Android™☆
I like to break stuff!
I agree if this continues to occur. I would expect to begin to see higher cost for phones and insurance premiums for everyone.
livis n fur said:
I agree if this continues to occur. I would expect to begin to see higher cost for phones and insurance premiums for everyone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TEP/asurion have already begun to creep up in price from ~$7/month to ~$11/month deductible from $100 to $200. Early upgrades, premier membership etc have been stripped. This is due to the abuse of the generous in house warranty services sprint provides for their customers so they don't have to wait weeks for the mfg. Sprint could just as easily tell you to go eff yourself and deal with the manufacturer just like any other retailer does. They have absolutely 0 legal or moral responsibility to honor the manufacturer warranty in store, they do so as a courtesy.
☆SoA: Son's of Android™☆
I like to break stuff!
Anyone else notice how the most common ROM causing these bricks is the Omega ROM?
In case you are unaware, omega happens to be "the end" of the Greek alphabet. How fitting that so many phones should meet their "end" with that ROM...
Irony is a bastard.
Putting the ILLA in KILLA since 1985
Edit: Just before I posted, the thread above this one was someone asking if it was OK to flash the Omega ROM on the Sprint S3... Didn't notice till I backed out of this thread after I posted. I laughed a little.
All these people's mistakes and then them committing fraud (as the OP stated), will make future phone prices go up. At this rate, by time the S5 comes out, it will be close to $1000 -___-
I see you guys have the same issues in the s3 forum as we do in the i727. The world is the same everywhere! Chin up, carry on.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
I suspect returns of bricked phones are lost in the noise of general warranty replacements. Samsung's sold what, 40 million GS3s? (Or is it "only" 20 million? I can't remember.) Only a tiny fraction of these buyers come to forums like this one or AC, and only a small fraction of those who go to AC ever root (I suspect the percentage is higher here, but we're still a tiny fraction of phone buyers). And of that small number who root, only a fraction brick their phones.
When a bricked phone gets returned to Samsung, I suspect they can reflash the device, and put it into the refurb pool for future warranty replacements.
Does that mean I don't blame people for messing with things they don't understand and turning their phones into expensive door stops? No, but mistakes happen. None of us are immune from that disease. Nor do I condone people who brick their phones through their own stupidity returning them to the carrier for replacement. I just suspect the cost impact is negligible. I'm willing to bet Assurian's price increases are driven by broken screens far more than by bricked phones.
I agree, I haven't bricked one device ever.
message sent from somewhere
Giant.... You aren't perfect whatsoever. So don't make yourself out to seem like it. Everyone has flaws an us as human beings, we're prone to mistakes. Returning a bricked phone here an there won't cause any issues as in insurance prices.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
DraggyWan said:
Giant.... You aren't perfect whatsoever. So don't make yourself out to seem like it. Everyone has flaws an us as human beings, we're prone to mistakes. Returning a bricked phone here an there won't cause any issues as in insurance prices.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
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If you return a bricked device by playing stupid, you're committing fraud which is A) morally wrong and B) can be legally wrong depending on the circumstances. Samsung and Sprint both have the right to bill you the full amount of the replacement device if they so choose after you've defrauded them out of a new one. The warranty does not cover bricks, physical damage or anything other than manufacturer defects. It's a moral issue, most honest people would take responsibility for their error and pay for their mistake instead of playing dumb and cheating their way into a free device because they screwed up. It doesn't matter if someone isn't perfect it's all about being responsible for your own actions and not being a self entitled scumbag and thinking Samsung and/or Sprint should pay for your dumbass mistake because you couldn't be bothered to pay attention to what the hell you're doing when messing with your $700 device. As a matter of fact I paid full price off contract for my Note 2, I screwed it up (not bricked but borked my IMEI so it wouldn't connect to the network) I didn't try to claim a warranty on it, I paid full price for a new device since I fu*ked mine up all on my own.
☆SoA: Son's of Android™☆
I like to break stuff!
-EViL-KoNCEPTz- said:
If you return a bricked device by playing stupid, you're committing fraud which is A) morally wrong and B) can be legally wrong depending on the circumstances. Samsung and Sprint both have the right to bill you the full amount of the replacement device if they so choose after you've defrauded them out of a new one. The warranty does not cover bricks, physical damage or anything other than manufacturer defects. It's a moral issue, most honest people would take responsibility for their error and pay for their mistake instead of playing dumb and cheating their way into a free device because they screwed up. It doesn't matter if someone isn't perfect it's all about being responsible for your own actions and not being a self entitled scumbag and thinking Samsung and/or Sprint should pay for your dumbass mistake because you couldn't be bothered to pay attention to what the hell you're doing when messing with your $700 device. As a matter of fact I paid full price off contract for my Note 2, I screwed it up (not bricked but borked my IMEI so it wouldn't connect to the network) I didn't try to claim a warranty in it, I paid full price for a new device since I fu*ked mine up all on my own.
☆SoA: Son's of Android™☆
I like to break stuff!
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I've committed fraud since I did brick my phone cept I paid the 100 dollar deductible.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
EndlessDissent said:
Anyone else notice how the most common ROM causing these bricks is the Omega ROM?
In case you are unaware, omega happens to be "the end" of the Greek alphabet. How fitting that so many phones should meet their "end" with that ROM...
Irony is a bastard.
Putting the ILLA in KILLA since 1985
Edit: Just before I posted, the thread above this one was someone asking if it was OK to flash the Omega ROM on the Sprint S3... Didn't notice till I backed out of this thread after I posted. I laughed a little.
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Disagree. The rom isn't causing bricks. People who don't read cause them. Like guns don't kill people. People kill people.
Sent from my blue galaxy
DraggyWan said:
I've committed fraud since I did brick my phone cept I paid the 100 dollar deductible.
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The insurance covers accidental damage. We are talking about people who play dumb to get it replaced under warranty for free/$35 not people who pay for TEP and then pay the deductible. That would be owning up for your mistake and actually paying for it. Big difference than not having insurance and getting a replacement under the manufacturer warranty as a defect cuz you go in and say "gee idk what happened it just stopped working" knowing damn well why it "just stopped working" because they didn't pay attention and flashed sh*t for the wrong device.
☆SoA: Son's of Android™☆
I like to break stuff!
DraggyWan said:
Giant.... You aren't perfect whatsoever. So don't make yourself out to seem like it. Everyone has flaws an us as human beings, we're prone to mistakes. Returning a bricked phone here an there won't cause any issues as in insurance prices.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
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Never said I was perfect, and I am the first to admit I am not. Thank you for putting words in my mouth though.
GiantJay said:
Never said I was perfect, and I am the first to admit I am not. Thank you for putting words in my mouth though.
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Uh huh... No problem my friend.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Look, I work in real insurance, homeowners currently, and I see first hand on a daily basis how the few affect the whole. Every time a fraudulent claim slips past we have to recoup the money somehow or we go bankrupt and can no longer provide our services to those who deserve them. Typically we recoup the losses by raising everyone's premium. So even tho the amount of policy holders who commit fraud is a small percentage of the total number of policy holders, their crooked tactics effect the honest policy holders negatively when we have to raise their premium. It's part of doing business. No company is in business to give money away, they're in business to make a profit. Fraud even on a small scale effects everyone as a whole when the company realizes they aren't bringing in enough profit to at least break even they increase their prices to make up the losses so that they can continue providing their services and paying their employees. When Samsung/Sprint realize they aren't making the profit vs the device's going out of inventory guess what's going to happen? That's right prices will go up to make up for that lost money. Sprint already loses money hand over fist by purchasing the device's at a premium and then subsidizing them to the customers at a loss in hopes of making up those losses in monthly payments on the contract. This is why the contract is typically 24 months to guarantee they have your commitment to pay for their services so that they actual post a profit on that device they kindly discounted over 60% for you. This is also why there is an ETF on the contract so if you decide to leave early they can recoup the money subsidized on the device, and even then the ETF doesn't cover the full cost of the device.
☆SoA: Son's of Android™☆
I like to break stuff!
miller710 said:
Disagree. The rom isn't causing bricks. People who don't read cause them. Like guns don't kill people. People kill people.
Sent from my blue galaxy
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Meh. Semantics... Regardless, it's still the most-flashed ROM mentioned in the "I BRICKED MY PHONE!" threads, and it's still ironic.
Putting the ILLA in KILLA since 1985
EndlessDissent said:
Meh. Semantics... Regardless, it's still the most-flashed ROM mentioned in the "I BRICKED MY PHONE!" threads, and it's still ironic.
Putting the ILLA in KILLA since 1985
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Yeah but you cant blame the rom. Blame the people lol. If you flash an international rom your fault. Not theirs
Sent from my blue galaxy

[Q] Hard-Bricked S3 - What Happens Now?

So I bricked my S3, using the ol' fashioned wrong ROM method. Whoops.
I've accepted that this phone is bricked, all that turns on is the charging light for 10 seconds. Tomorrow I'm bringing to Geek Squad, my phone has their full black tie coverage and all that. What exactly happens there? In the terms and conditions is says right out that root voids the policy and they will not repair my device for free. However, I've heard in reality that isn't necessarily the case.
I can't clear the memory, I can't reset the flash counter, so they'll figure out pretty fast that I messed it up, but will they care? What are my chances here, and is there anything I can do to help myself? Any way to clear the memory at all?
I have a nice little defective charger I could plug into the phone, outputs a nice 15VAC, could that simulate a power surge which is covered?
Could I make water damage do enough but also look realistic enough that it would be covered?
If I 'dropped' it and the screen broke, they'd only replace the screen, right? So I'd just get a shiny new glass for my paperweight.
Also, first time I plugged it into my computer after bricking it BSODed my computer. It's not doing that again but is the phone really that mad at me?
Only other option is to send it out to someone who can jtag it, I've never used them but I hear they do good work. It'll cost $60 plus shipping I think. http://mobiletechvideos.mybigcommerce.com/
If you are willing to own your mistake, then go to best buy and tell them what happened, if they won't help you then the jtag guys should be able to. If your not happy with best buy at that point, cancel your insurance and don't shop there anymore lol.
My experience is to be honest that you screwed up, if you get the right person they'll likely give you a new phone right there. I had a similar experience with my epic4G, the sprint store was cool and swapped it out for me, no charge. I went into the store thinking I'm screwed and will have to buy a new one at full retail and was ready to accept that, maybe I just got lucky idk. Being dishonest will only hurt us all in the modding community at some point, locked bootloaders is the first sign of that, just own your mistake and see how it goes.
Side note: I've seen quite a few posts stating black tie coverage will get you a new phone, in most cases regardless, at least the first time you brick it.
So I walked up to the Geek Squad counter, I noticed that person I was speaking to was a Customer Service rep, not a tech. She asked what was wrong, I told her it died, she asked what I meant. I told her it's hard-bricked, she said she doesn't know what that means.
That's when I learned they'd be giving me my replacement, I'll have it in two days.
Warranty voided and warranty avoided, I wasn't even asked if it was possibly my fault. Thanks epic4GEE.
Hjkop7 said:
So I walked up to the Geek Squad counter, I noticed that person I was speaking to was a Customer Service rep, not a tech. She asked what was wrong, I told her it died, she asked what I meant. I told her it's hard-bricked, she said she doesn't know what that means.
That's when I learned they'd be giving me my replacement, I'll have it in two days.
Warranty voided and warranty avoided, I wasn't even asked if it was possibly my fault. Thanks epic4GEE.
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Excellent, nice you didn't have to make anything up or even tell them anything....I'm sure you learned your lesson, but still exercise caution in the future....happy trails:good:
You messed up your phone, you shoulda paid for it. Ever wonder why phones are so much $$$, well doing that contributes to it......
Personally, for insurance plans that cover total loss (theft, loss, water damage, etc.), I don't think it's too bad to claim bricks. For TEP, it's still cheaper to JTAG it, so I normally recommend that, but it's more from a savings aspect, not a moral or legal aspect.
The best buy insurance is surprisingly good in this case. I'll look more into it (price, terms and conditions, etc), but it might be enough to make me want to buy from them in the future.
Just my two cents.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Wouldn't say I'm not paying for it, Joe, this insurance does cost $288 total when you think about it. Besides, phone doesn't seem like so much to me. With all fees, screen protector, case and activation my SIII was about $150 when I got it new from Best Buy, of course that's with a two year plan but you sort of need that to use the phone anyway...
topherk, don't be so optimistic about it. Doesn't cover theft, loss, only covers spills not complete immersion. And only covers drops if it's from what they determine to be a reasonable height. It's great if you have a bad history of cracking your screen though, because they'll cover that in almost any situation and there's no deductible. But for most things, it's more of whether or not the people at your specific Best Buy care or not, or believe that their plan should offer more than what the company actually does.
Joe0113 said:
You messed up your phone, you shoulda paid for it. Ever wonder why phones are so much $$$, well doing that contributes to it......
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I hear the above being said a lot. How is that possible though? I work in insurance for a living and if phone insurance works anything like any other type of insurance plan I've come across, the only entity that would lose money from fraudulent claims is the insurance company. Not sprint or Samsung. Samsung is getting paid for all their handsets they make one way or another. An example, let's say that a whole bunch of people with hondas decide to make fraudulent auto insurance claims, that won't make the price of hondas go up. It'll make insurance cost more for hondas.
Sorry OP for getting too OT in your thread. I just see this comment all the time and wanted to hear why people think this.
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RS7JR said:
I hear the above being said a lot. How is that possible though? I work in insurance for a living and if phone insurance works anything like any other type of insurance plan I've come across, the only entity that would lose money from fraudulent claims is the insurance company. Not sprint or Samsung. Samsung is getting paid for all their handsets they make one way or another. An example, let's say that a whole bunch of people with hondas decide to make fraudulent auto insurance claims, that won't make the price of hondas go up. It'll make insurance cost more for hondas.
Sorry OP for getting too OT in your thread. I just see this comment all the time and wanted to hear why people think this.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2
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Well, the type of claim that would increase phone costs is claiming on the Samsung 1-year limited warranty. Since Samsung would be the one covering the cost of it, they'd have to recoup their losses (increased phone costs, less lucrative subsidized pricing with carriers, etc.).
The other type of claim is the TEP. It wouldn't directly lead to phone cost increases, but it does lead to increased monthly costs and increased deductibles. Right now I'm paying $11/month for TEP with a $150 deductible ($414 for 24 month contract w/ 1 replacement). In 2009, insurance on my Palm Pre (top tier on TEP) was $8/month with a $50 deductible ($242 for 24 month contract w/ 1 replacement). I know phones have gotten more expensive and extravagant, but that's a 70% increase in overall insurance costs (for top-tier phones). It's not 100% empirical evidence that increased claims have lead to increased costs, but I can easily see Asurion trying to maximize their profits in this way.
Back to your comment: I think we can get a little over-zealous (myself included) about fraudulent claims, especially when it's done by people who mess up their own phone (hard brick by flashing a i9300 Rom/Mod). At that point, I think the responsible thing to do is to own up to your mistake. To me, that means either getting it fixed (JTAG Repair) or TEP ($150 deductible). Like I said in my previous post, I don't see too many issues with using TEP, since it covers total loss. The only advantage of claiming through TEP is that you get your "new" phone in 1 day. In all other ways, JTAG is better ($60 vs $150, not getting a refurbished phone).
topherk said:
Well, the type of claim that would increase phone costs is claiming on the Samsung 1-year limited warranty. Since Samsung would be the one covering the cost of it, they'd have to recoup their losses (increased phone costs, less lucrative subsidized pricing with carriers, etc.).
The other type of claim is the TEP. It wouldn't directly lead to phone cost increases, but it does lead to increased monthly costs and increased deductibles. Right now I'm paying $11/month for TEP with a $150 deductible ($414 for 24 month contract w/ 1 replacement). In 2009, insurance on my Palm Pre (top tier on TEP) was $8/month with a $50 deductible ($242 for 24 month contract w/ 1 replacement). I know phones have gotten more expensive and extravagant, but that's a 70% increase in overall insurance costs (for top-tier phones). It's not 100% empirical evidence that increased claims have lead to increased costs, but I can easily see Asurion trying to maximize their profits in this way.
Back to your comment: I think we can get a little over-zealous (myself included) about fraudulent claims, especially when it's done by people who mess up their own phone (hard brick by flashing a i9300 Rom/Mod). At that point, I think the responsible thing to do is to own up to your mistake. To me, that means either getting it fixed (JTAG Repair) or TEP ($150 deductible). Like I said in my previous post, I don't see too many issues with using TEP, since it covers total loss. The only advantage of claiming through TEP is that you get your "new" phone in 1 day. In all other ways, JTAG is better ($60 vs $150, not getting a refurbished phone).
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Just wanted to say you typed so much I decided not to read it and just tell you that typed alot :thumbup:
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Aweshocked said:
Just wanted to say you typed so much I decided not to read it and just tell you that typed alot :thumbup:
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That's how I get thanks... I write so much that people assume it's worth a thanks. I'm really just gas-bagging it most of the time.
topherk said:
That's how I get thanks... I write so much that people assume it's worth a thanks. I'm really just gas-bagging it most of the time.
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Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Omg I Bricked my phone!!! View attachment 1916125
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Now that's funny
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edfunkycold said:
Omg I Bricked my phone!!! View attachment 1916125
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Looks more like you cinderblocked that bi*ch. :sly:
☆SoA: Son's of Android™☆
I like to break stuff!
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edfunkycold said:
Omg I Bricked my phone!!! View attachment 1916125
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You can fix that with an old modified USB plug, some duct tape and a tampon. Lol
Sent from my SPH-L710 using XDA Premium App
Meh, he's not serious. If he was, he would have tied that sucker to the cinderblock and taken a picture on the ocean....

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