[Q] Is The Phone Just Broken? - Sprint Samsung Galaxy S III

I'm trying to fix a friends S3 and nothing is working. I've never owned a Samsung phone so I'm not sure if the phone is just unfixable or I'm just missing something.
The phone was rooted and running a custom ROM but he doesn't remember which one. It ran perfect for over a month but it just froze up while watching a video on YouTube. After a few minutes he decided to pull the battery and restart the phone. After he removed and replaced the battery the phone wouldn't turn back on. I couldn't help him without seeing the phone so he brought it to a Sprint store. They were able to get it to a point where it can be put into download mode but they were able to tell it was rooted and refused to fix it. The phone would not boot and recovery could not be accessed.
I have no idea what was done at the store but after reading every possible thread about the phone on this site I was pretty sure I could fix it with Odin. I've tried every possible fix I could find but Odin either fails or stops. I've tried 6 different USB cables on 2 different computers and nothing has worked. I think the problem has even got worse as when trying to boot into recovery or regularly the phone automatically goes into what looks like download mode but has an error with something about using Kies to fix. I downloaded the Kies program and tried to use that to fix the phone but the program won't connect to the phone. Even after using the troubleshoot connection problems feature in Kies the phone still won't connect.
I personally think the internal memory is corrupt but that is just a guess.
Does anyone have any ideas to fix this phone?
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium

motenak said:
I'm trying to fix a friends S3 and nothing is working. I've never owned a Samsung phone so I'm not sure if the phone is just unfixable or I'm just missing something.
The phone was rooted and running a custom ROM but he doesn't remember which one. It ran perfect for over a month but it just froze up while watching a video on YouTube. After a few minutes he decided to pull the battery and restart the phone. After he removed and replaced the battery the phone wouldn't turn back on. I couldn't help him without seeing the phone so he brought it to a Sprint store. They were able to get it to a point where it can be put into download mode but they were able to tell it was rooted and refused to fix it. The phone would not boot and recovery could not be accessed.
I have no idea what was done at the store but after reading every possible thread about the phone on this site I was pretty sure I could fix it with Odin. I've tried every possible fix I could find but Odin either fails or stops. I've tried 6 different USB cables on 2 different computers and nothing has worked. I think the problem has even got worse as when trying to boot into recovery or regularly the phone automatically goes into what looks like download mode but has an error with something about using Kies to fix. I downloaded the Kies program and tried to use that to fix the phone but the program won't connect to the phone. Even after using the troubleshoot connection problems feature in Kies the phone still won't connect.
I personally think the internal memory is corrupt but that is just a guess.
Does anyone have any ideas to fix this phone?
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a feeling you may be right on your guess. The first thing I'd advise you to try is this. Put the phone in download mode and run one of these. It's an Odin one click. Just open and hit start. If the flash is successful you should automatically boot to recovery.
http://goo.im/devs/billard412/d2spr/AUTOBOOT_RECOVERY
From there load my zip from this thread on the micro sd and flash in custom recovery
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1904099
If that flash goes okay, the flash count will reset so if the phone still won't boot, you should be okay at the sprint store

billard412 said:
I have a feeling you may be right on your guess. The first thing I'd advise you to try is this. Put the phone in download mode and run one of these. It's an Odin one click. Just open and hit start. If the flash is successful you should automatically boot to recovery.
http://goo.im/devs/billard412/d2spr/AUTOBOOT_RECOVERY
From there load my zip from this thread on the micro sd and flash in custom recovery
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1904099
If that flash goes okay, the flash count will reset so if the phone still won't boot, you should be okay at the sprint store
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll give it a shot in a bit.
Edit: That didn't work. It kept stalling and never gave me a fail or success message. I tried numerous times & even let it sit for an hour but it never finished.

motenak said:
Thanks, I'll give it a shot in a bit.
Edit: That didn't work. It kept stalling and never gave me a fail or success message. I tried numerous times & even let it sit for an hour but it never finished.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Happened to me my memory was way corrupt. I couldn't even flash a boot loader with a riff box I had to get it fixed
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

IDontKnowMang said:
Happened to me my memory was way corrupt. I couldn't even flash a boot loader with a riff box I had to get it fixed
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just got a new one from Sprint. The tech girl was really great. She took it in the back and came back and said, "I have good news, good new and bad news". I told her to give me the bad news 1st and she said, "I'm not going to be able to get anything off the phone you brought in". I laughed and told her I asked for the bad news. She went on to tell me that the good news was it was covered by the warranty and she was going to give me a brand new replacement. I left with a new phone 15 minutes later.
Also, just for everyone's info, if something is wrong with your phone make sure you bring it to a real corporate Sprint store and not a Sprint reseller that looks like a Sprint store. 2 different "fake" Sprint stores told me I needed to do an insurance claim to get a replacement phone and the deductible was $150. The corporate Sprint store just swapped the broken phone for a new one and didn't charge me anything.
Thanks for the help.

motenak said:
Just got a new one from Sprint. The tech girl was really great. She took it in the back and came back and said, "I have good news, good new and bad news". I told her to give me the bad news 1st and she said, "I'm not going to be able to get anything off the phone you brought in". I laughed and told her I asked for the bad news. She went on to tell me that the good news was it was covered by the warranty and she was going to give me a brand new replacement. I left with a new phone 15 minutes later.
Also, just for everyone's info, if something is wrong with your phone make sure you bring it to a real corporate Sprint store and not a Sprint reseller that looks like a Sprint store. 2 different "fake" Sprint stores told me I needed to do an insurance claim to get a replacement phone and the deductible was $150. The corporate Sprint store just swapped the broken phone for a new one and didn't charge me anything.
Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was it a different Sprint store than the first one that turned you down?

Yes the first 2 were what I call fake Sprint stores. You really can't tell they are by looking at them. They are just like BestBuy or Radio Shack but only sell Sprint phones and service. I figured it out when the guy working at the 2nd one went online to the Samsung website when I asked if he could do a factory reset. I asked if he could run any diagnostics and told me they don't have that ability and I needed to go to the corporate store 45 minutes away for that.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium

motenak said:
Yes the first 2 were what I call fake Sprint stores. You really can't tell they are by looking at them. They are just like BestBuy or Radio Shack but only sell Sprint phones and service. I figured it out when the guy working at the 2nd one went online to the Samsung website when I asked if he could do a factory reset. I asked if he could run any diagnostics and told me they don't have that ability and I needed to go to the corporate store 45 minutes away for that.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha. Thanks. Of course I'm exactly 3 weeks to the day outside of my warranty so I probably won't get any luck with this, but hey, I guess it doesn't hurt to try.

motenak said:
Yes the first 2 were what I call fake Sprint stores. You really can't tell they are by looking at them. They are just like BestBuy or Radio Shack but only sell Sprint phones and service. I figured it out when the guy working at the 2nd one went online to the Samsung website when I asked if he could do a factory reset. I asked if he could run any diagnostics and told me they don't have that ability and I needed to go to the corporate store 45 minutes away for that.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a FYI not ALL Corporate stores are repair centers. In my area the NONE Corporate store is the repair center so I have to go there first if I don't like their answer I then go to Corporate store. If you ever have a issue like this just ask is this a corporate store if they say no ask for the closest.

Very true. When trying to find a corporate store to bring a broken phone to make sure to ask for a full service corporate store that does repairs. Some smaller corporate stores are sales only.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium

Related

[Q] re: getting a replacement phone for free?

ok, so i finally bricked my phone .. and i need to get a replacement phone.
the impression i always got from the forums was that i just go to the Spring store and ask for a replacement, and show'em that my phone is "broken".. today i went in and they gave me a number to call (888.211.4727) and when i called/explained it.. they said i'd have to pay "only" $100 for the replacement since i had the protection plan...
is that how it works?? is there a way to get my phone replaced for free? i guess i'm in shock bc that's how i thought it worked for several other members here.
any suggestions?
Try a different store. Sometimes other stores don't care.
Sent from my Epic 4gizzle using XDA Premium App
do you have any suggestions on what to say? called sprint and they were just saying "we can't do anything about it Asurion is who does our insurance, blah blah blah"
does anyone have a experience (victories) getting their bricks replaced for free?
Tell them you need to do a warranty replacement. Not an insurance replacement. They might refer you to samsung not sure how sprint handles that stuff these days.
cd's or tapes?
My screen stopped working when I touched it and I had a crack in the plastic around the screen. At first the Sprint tech said the screen stopped working because of the crack in the plastic whih, according to him, is the accelerometer. I didn't get pissed. I just told him that the screen stopped working before that and if he put another accelerometer on it, the screen still wouldn't work. I ended up getting everything replaced except my motherboard so I basically have a new phone with original motherboard so I know what overclock/undervolt will work. I would take it to another store and be nice and play dumb. It worked for me and I didn't pay 1 cent.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
cache83 said:
ok, so i finally bricked my phone .. and i need to get a replacement phone.
the impression i always got from the forums was that i just go to the Spring store and ask for a replacement, and show'em that my phone is "broken".. today i went in and they gave me a number to call (888.211.4727) and when i called/explained it.. they said i'd have to pay "only" $100 for the replacement since i had the protection plan...
is that how it works?? is there a way to get my phone replaced for free? i guess i'm in shock bc that's how i thought it worked for several other members here.
any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try
1)taking battery out.
2) plug in USB
3) hold keypad "1" and "power"
(note this process has battery out of phone entire time.)
i have an interesting update...
i dug around more posts on the forum -- and learned to pull the sdcard out, AND the battery... left it out a lil bit... now it'll be back into download mode, although it seems my odin attempts have been failing so far (the screen turned all yellow almost immediately on the first attempt... now this second attempt has gone a lil further and the screen just turned all blue)..
i think this is progress?
UPDATE!!! WOW!!!
i just re-incarnated my phone. i almost want to cry. for real!!
Now I'm curious what you guys would do... do you think my phone's suffered some hardware damage from all that (and therefore should play it safe).. or do you think it's safe to root, flash srf all the way up and try to flash genocide1.1final again?
i almost feel like i don't fear bricks any longer LOL
I had almost the exact same thing happen to my phone as you. The old vision kernel bricked my phone, took it into the sprint store and they were going to replace it but it was going to take about 4 days to do so. I screwed around with it and finally got it into download mode after a while.
I don't think there is any problem with you running everything just the way you have been. I can't see how there could have been any hardware damage unless you stepped on it or dropped it a long way or something. I would say its safe to go ahead and root it and continue to have fun with it.
I had almost the exact same thing happen to my phone as you. The old vision kernel bricked my phone, took it into the sprint store and they were going to replace it but it was going to take about 4 days to do so. I screwed around with it and finally got it into download mode after a while.
I don't think there is any problem with you running everything just the way you have been. I can't see how there could have been any hardware damage unless you stepped on it or dropped it a long way or something. I would say its safe to go ahead and root it and continue to have fun with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't recall anyone bricking on Genocide or Twilight Zone. 99% of the time you can Odin back to stock. It only takes 3 min 30 seconds. I would say stay rooted and have fun. I was nervous for a bit but I can't see myself going back to stock
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
actually, what started me down this spiral today was trying to install the Genocide1.1final kernel.. i posted a question in there but haven't gotten a response yet -- i'm going to post/copy it here and just hope that i'm not violating any rules by doing so...
cache83 said:
I read through all the posts since 6/15 and haven't seen anyone post this issue... wondering if anyone had insights?
i was running srf1.1.1 with genocide1.0...
did a backup, and wiped cache/dalvik x3 and flashed genocide1.1final. then when i rebooted it stayed on the samsung startup screen for too long... kind of reminds me of when i tried to flash cwm3.0.2.5
so i pulled battery, and 3fingered into cwm. noticed it was still orange (3.0.0.6) -- restored my nandroid, rebooted... and i'm still getting stuck on the samsung startup screen.
i hate think this but i'll probably have to Odin back to stock and build my way back up to srf1.1.1 and then restore..
any ideas what went wrong? i really want to try on this kernel but i don't want to go through that whole cycle again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cache83 said:
actually, what started me down this spiral today was trying to install the Genocide1.1final kernel.. i posted a question in there but haven't gotten a response yet -- i'm going to post/copy it here and just hope that i'm not violating any rules by doing so...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you possibly had a bad flash of the genocide 1.1 kernel. or maybe even a bad dl. i would say re-download the .zip for the genocide 1.1 and try again. i am running srf 1.1.1 with genocide 1.1. imo one of the best rom/kernel combos out here.
puhahahaa... i'm back w srf1.1.1 and now have genocide1.1final running... for some reason when i 3finger salute i still get cwm3.0.0.6 tho -- don't know if i'm doing it wrong??
Igot my phone from Radio Shack and got their ins. Paid $100.
Up front and am covered with no deductable for a yr. I've found that insuring through them was a better way to go.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

[Q] Blue light, Nothing else goes on!

I know there must be somewhere in the thread but i can't find one with the same problem as mine. I was in middle of odin to put my phone back to stock. and it was stuck for over a half hr at the same place. so i unplugged it and tried to put it back on but it wont go the only thing that turns on is the blue light. i already tried the jig. its a no go. how can i unbrick this phone?
My phone has shut itself off then when i try to turn it back on i get nothing but a blue light what worked for me was taking the battery out for a couple minutes then trying it again. Have you tried that?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App
That happened to me when the phone first came out. Only a blue light came on and nothing else. Even the jig didn't work. I ended up just selling it and buying a new one. I hope someone has figured out a way to fix it for you
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App
You have hard bricked your phone most likely. Like it was said, you can try to remove the battery for a few minutes to see if resetting the capacitors will fix it but I am ninety nine percent sure that it will not work. You have two options.
1) Play dumb at a sprint store
2) JTAG repair from mobiletechvideos
What you have done is flashed over the bootloader so you can no longer boot it or plug it into the computer. Can you post a link to the file that you flashed? My guess is that you flashed an i9000 tar and PIT which is not compatible with the E4GT. Not all Galaxy S2 phones are the same. In fact, they are all different.
iSkylla said:
You have hard bricked your phone most likely. Like it was said, you can try to remove the battery for a few minutes to see if resetting the capacitors will fix it but I am ninety nine percent sure that it will not work. You have two options.
1) Play dumb at a sprint store
2) JTAG repair from mobiletechvideos
What you have done is flashed over the bootloader so you can no longer boot it or plug it into the computer. Can you post a link to the file that you flashed? My guess is that you flashed an i9000 tar and PIT which is not compatible with the E4GT. Not all Galaxy S2 phones are the same. In fact, they are all different.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the exact same thing when I first rooted my phone but by the grace of god odin still recognized it so I was able to flash back to stock.
iSkylla said:
You have hard bricked your phone most likely. Like it was said, you can try to remove the battery for a few minutes to see if resetting the capacitors will fix it but I am ninety nine percent sure that it will not work. You have two options.
1) Play dumb at a sprint store
2) JTAG repair from mobiletechvideos
What you have done is flashed over the bootloader so you can no longer boot it or plug it into the computer. Can you post a link to the file that you flashed? My guess is that you flashed an i9000 tar and PIT which is not compatible with the E4GT. Not all Galaxy S2 phones are the same. In fact, they are all different.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That my friend is exactly right. Your cell is gone... Swap or jtag is your only options.
I am going to give the, "taking the battery out for a couple of min", a shot... I was afraid that those two were my last options. The phone is maybe 2 months old and I am not with sprint anymore. Is there a way to claim through warranty or something?
kmoshkovich said:
I am going to give the, "taking the battery out for a couple of min", a shot... I was afraid that those two were my last options. The phone is maybe 2 months old and I am not with sprint anymore. Is there a way to claim through warranty or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good question... I do believe that there is a one year manufacturer warranty, but don't know how you would go about making a claim. I would definitely recommend the jtag service its only like $50. Even sprint would charge you $35 to swap if you were still with the m. So if you look at out that way $15 more ain't so bad.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA Premium App
Remove battery. Replace. Plug into charger. Does the batt charging screen come on? If so hold power until it boots. Done. Do your happy dance.. If no charge indication = brick.
The batt recharge didnt come on ill see if i can somehow claim by samsung if not then ill have to send it in to jtag
kmoshkovich said:
The batt recharge didnt come on ill see if i can somehow claim by samsung if not then ill have to send it in to jtag
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude that's a bummer. Good luck. Hwy keep us updated on how it turns out.
This same thing happened to me!
What did you end up doing?
This happened to me too, but after flashing gunslinger kernel. I did a battery pull, then it let me boot into recovery.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
same thing happened to me, went back to best buy where i got it and said "i dont know what happened", got a new one on the spot.
On top of it, when i got it at best buy they price matched amazon mobile, so i got it for 130
I Also bought it from Best Buy! But it was two months ago... You think i can still do it by them?
After an hour of searching forums I had realized that the phone was dead and wasn't coming back on. I too had the same blue light problem, couldn't get into recovery, couldn't do anything with the black screen. I took it to Sprint, and they don't have the capability of turning it back on in store. I believe this needs to be done by Samsung, and I imagine Best Buy wouldn't be able to either. The tech told me if he could not repair it, it would be replaced. My concern was the ship time and getting a refurbished unit. He told me because the phone was so new they are almost always replaced with a new unit. He said it was $35 because I didn't have insurance, but to "Come back after an hour, and if I can't fix it and it is insured it will be replaced free of charge." I went home, had Sprint add insurance, went back to the store a couple hours later. They swapped out my unit for a brand new one, free of charge, in about 5 minutes, activated and all. I was very pleased with how everything went as I was PISSED at myself for bricking my phone so bad! In all my years of hacking Palm Pres and Evos I never bricked a phone so bad that it couldn't be powered back on! But now I have a new GS2 (ROOTED )!
I recommend just trying a Sprint Repair Center. I bought mine over the phone. I played dumb and said that I let it die completely, which I rarely do, and when I charged it the blue light went on and it never powered back up. They said that was weird but gave no qualm about it. Hope this helps..

[Q] Does anyone have any experience with TEP and faulty phones?

I've had my Epic 4G Touch for well over a year and a month ago I noticed the power button was starting to feel "spongy". It still worked but it lacked that crisp feeling when you pressed it down and released it. This afternoon however, after flashing FI27, my power button no longer works whatsoever. I doubt it was the ROM and more due to the amount of times I've held this button down for recovery access, download mode, etc.
So the power button doesn't work, phone starts automatically when I remove the battery and put it back in. Otherwise the phone is in near-perfect condition and its not rooted.
Anyone know if TEP is going to cover this for free? I've looked online at some resources for TEP and everything is vague or above my level of reading between the lines.
Thanks in advance.
I just had this happen to me last week actually. Just plug the charger in and it'll wake up the phone. Set it back to stock unrooted and bring it into Sprint. They'll either try to fix it or give you a new phone. I had a replacement phone that night for $0.
You might have to pull the battery a few times, but you still should be able to get into download mode
Sounds like the internal button is either stuck or broken, if you take it to a repair center they might be able to fix it for you. However idk what cost would be if any, I dont keep any for of "insurance" on my phone, if i break it I swap to one of the others I have til I buy a new one. I tend to keep my phones mint and don't want to pay for a refurbished one when i have a bunch laying in a drawer.
We are legion, for we are many.
Sent from the DarkSide of the GalaXy with a MEK device
Iczer said:
I just had this happen to me last week actually. Just plug the charger in and it'll wake up the phone. Set it back to stock unrooted and bring it into Sprint. They'll either try to fix it or give you a new phone. I had a replacement phone that night for $0.
You might have to pull the battery a few times, but you still should be able to get into download mode
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on FI27 w/ the newest AGAT kernel but just in case I used Chainfires' Triangle Away to get rid of the yellow triangle at boot. Outside of volume down + power button I don't know another way to get into download mode and since my power button is inop I'm kind of stuck.
Do you know of another way to get back into download mode? I have the self-extracting Odin file for EL29 just waiting to erase all evidence of root.
EDIT: Nevermind. Turns out the button is just stuck. I put the battery back in while holding volume down and it gave me download mode access. That solves one problem, lol.
If your capable, you can crack it open and clean the internal button. If its just sticky that should fix it. While you're in there you can look for actual damage which will tell you to go ahead and take it in for repair.
We are legion, for we are many.
Sent from the DarkSide of the GalaXy with a MEK device
-EViL-KoNCEPTz- said:
If your capable, you can crack it open and clean the internal button. If its just sticky that should fix it. While you're in there you can look for actual damage which will tell you to go ahead and take it in for repair.
We are legion, for we are many.
Sent from the DarkSide of the GalaXy with a MEK device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't even begin to know how to do that, though I'm sure YouTube has a couple videos detailing how-to. I'll give it a looksee and if it doesn't scare me away I'll give it a shot. If its something I can do, might as well.
Does it still work now after booting back up? Mine didn't work but for some reason if i hit volume up+power i could get into download mode. But when it was actually booted, it wouldnt work at all, nor would it work inside CWM. Weird thing is when I took it into Sprint the touchscreen started having issues too. So that's probably another reason why I just got a replacement.
Iczer said:
Does it still work now after booting back up? Mine didn't work but for some reason if i hit volume up+power i could get into download mode. But when it was actually booted, it wouldnt work at all, nor would it work inside CWM. Weird thing is when I took it into Sprint the touchscreen started having issues too. So that's probably another reason why I just got a replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works fine outside of the power button. I have recovery and download mode access, touchscreen is operable and nothing out of the norm seems to be going on. It's disturbing to say the least.
Wtf I got this issue after flashing Fi25 rom? Maybe its a bug? It had been working days before and spontaneously stopped working.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
This power button problem just happened to mine friday i took it to a repair store they were rude and refused to fix it told me i needed to use my insurance... so i made a call and within 15 min and only 1 transfer (shockingly) to customer care they sent me out a replacement at no cost i received this afternoon and currently trying to put a custom rom on it.. i had the same issues as you and it was hardware related a smack against a table resolved it atrandom and that phone was also stock..
I have been with sprint nearly 10 years and with several calls to customer care you can get alot done.. if one rep dont help call back and deal with another.. I have been 4 months past due with nearly an $800 bill at one point and still no restrictions i have also have a few older phones and some windows phones replaced at no charge in the past but that took a little more work then this one...Ive was even able to get them to credit my account $300 instead of using my 2 upgrades on phones... just call be polite if that dont work try again with another rep..
btw the sprint store i took it to didnt note it on my account if they tell you you must goto a store kindly refuse saying you dont have time.. if the battle seems endless ask for a supervisor twice..
Where did you call to? Was your phone cracked or physically damaged? Shiii I want a free phone too!
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
tonyec7 said:
Where did you call to? Was your phone cracked or physically damaged? Shiii I want a free phone too!
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's things like that that make it harder for others who actually need replacements to get them.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
revamper said:
It's things like that that make it harder for others who actually need replacements to get them.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read my comment, i need a replacement as well, by lock/power button isnt working either.
I went to my local Sprint store this afternoon and apparently I don't have TEP on my phone. Last month I had an upgrade but I'm happy with my E4GT so I let my wife use it so she could get the EVO LTE. We did this through Best Buy Mobile. My wife has a friend that works there so it's where *she* does all her cellphone business. For some reason my TEP was cancelled on my E4GT upon upgrade and unbeknownst to me for the last month and a half I've had no insurance. :/
I called Sprint customer support and explained what happened and in 3-business days TEP will be reinstated on my phone, no charge, and all will be well in the world. The guy at the Sprint store also said had I had TEP this issue would be fixed via direct-exchange at no-cost to me.
I also tried fixing it myself but I got scared when the couldn't separate the screen from the case and gave up before I borked it.

I think I got screwed by Sprint, need advice

Friday night the charging port on my Evo decided to break. By break, I mean the OEM charger wont charge it, and the charger comes out really easily. Thankfully, I have a spare charger that works with it. So today I took it to a Sprint store and since I have full coverage they said they will fix it in about an hour. I come back to the store and I'm greeted with a contract and my phone (I was told I would be getting a replacement after the diagnosis but okay) and the contract stated that there was no physical damage and the charging port was fixed with solder. I signed and went on my merry way. I get home and went to see if it works, and they did absolutely nothing. I wasn't going to let this go so I called the store and demanded to know what was going on. The tech told me that; a). my phone is rooted. b). the screen has liquid damage (for the record I can't see anything) c). they can't replace it because of liquid damage and root.. I asked why I was lied to and told it was fixed. He said some bull**** answer to which I replied, "I SIGNED a contract and was told nothing was wrong, and that the phone was fixed" he hardly said a word. Here are my questions for you.
Will I be able to take it to a different store without issue? Is there a safe way to unroot? Don't want to risk bricking it. Is there anything else I can do? Thanks.
Wow what a douche. Yeah go to another store not filled with douches
Sprint should still repair rooted phones. It's their policy.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda app-developers app
The charging port is a known issue with the OG I had mine replaced and it was fully rooted, if you have a copy of the contract take it to the store and ask for the manager, or you could try another store
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2
I'd first try another Sprint store. Similar situation with me about having a rooted phone. I tried a different store and still no luck, so instead I returned the phone back to the stock ROM including the Spring Boot Animation and Stock HTC Evo 4G Splash Screen. After doing so, I tried again a week later and got it replaced. :good::laugh:
Good luck dude.:highfive:
fro453 said:
Friday night the charging port on my Evo decided to break. By break, I mean the OEM charger wont charge it, and the charger comes out really easily. Thankfully, I have a spare charger that works with it. So today I took it to a Sprint store and since I have full coverage they said they will fix it in about an hour. I come back to the store and I'm greeted with a contract and my phone (I was told I would be getting a replacement after the diagnosis but okay) and the contract stated that there was no physical damage and the charging port was fixed with solder. I signed and went on my merry way. I get home and went to see if it works, and they did absolutely nothing. I wasn't going to let this go so I called the store and demanded to know what was going on. The tech told me that; a). my phone is rooted. b). the screen has liquid damage (for the record I can't see anything) c). they can't replace it because of liquid damage and root.. I asked why I was lied to and told it was fixed. He said some bull**** answer to which I replied, "I SIGNED a contract and was told nothing was wrong, and that the phone was fixed" he hardly said a word. Here are my questions for you.
Will I be able to take it to a different store without issue? Is there a safe way to unroot? Don't want to risk bricking it. Is there anything else I can do? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You said you signed a contract,what was it for?Did you read it?I believe its some kind of release,releasing sprint from having to fix your phone,because it was modded,which breaks the warranty and any kind of tech support for the phone.You signed it now,so they dont have to help you.Thats why they lied to you in the store,they didnt want any problems in front of the other customers.
I only read the part on the side near where it said it was fixed. It went along the lines of "There was no psychical damage found, the port has been fixed with solder" etc. Honestly I don't think I screwed myself by signing it but I don't know.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda app-developers app
Even if that is the case, would I be able to go to a different store without an issue?
Sent from my PC36100 using xda app-developers app
fro453 said:
I only read the part on the side near where it said it was fixed. It went along the lines of "There was no psychical damage found, the port has been fixed with solder" etc. Honestly I don't think I screwed myself by signing it but I don't know.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could always go back and ask for a copy of what you signed, or at least inquire as to what exactly it was you signed. Never hurts to ask. If they give you any crap, ask for the store manager and explain things to him/her, but keep your cool and don't act like an a$$.
Sent using my HTC EVO 4G and a magic wand
I would definitely try another store.
I had a 4G issue on in insured phone and unrooted it. Even though it worked out in the long run I was annoyed that I waited an hour to have the privilege to have a person open my phone to say ah yeah we can fix that and then required me to wait another 1 hour for another person to say ah yeah we do not fix 4G here even though the manager told me that they did. I called customer service during the 2nd hour and did not even know which sprint store was the repair facility and had no idea about the store that I was in untill I gave them the store number. They sent out my phone, I came back 3 days later and @2:00 per instructions, waited and then was told to wait some more since they were not sure if it was in or not.
Anyway I can understand a water issue but this idea that you have insurance and that they may or may not help and the stroke around is lame. They do not seem to have any issues collecting the money. It is also lame that they pull any policy issues since your contract is the back of your signed receipt and that does not include any of these contractual details.

Hard? Soft? brick galaxy s3 t999

Hey, I flashed I9300 rom on my T999 and after it turned off, it never turned back on again. It won't turn on/ download mod/ recovery mode or vibrate. If I take the battery out and plug it in the PC, it LED turns red for a short period of time only. I did a little research and it was no help. Will a usb jig work? Mine is Tmobile version 2 years contract and I got it in Dec 2012, is it still covered?
UPDATE: I saw one on ebay for half price, which is $30, is it reliable? Have anyone here used the service on ebay?
vietthanh1206 said:
Hey, I flashed I9300 rom on my T999 and after it turned off, it never turned back on again. It won't turn on/ download mod/ recovery mode or vibrate. If I take the battery out and plug it in the PC, it LED turns red for a short period of time only. I did a little research and it was no help. Will a usb jig work? Mine is Tmobile version 2 years contract and I got it in Dec 2012, is it still covered?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A couple options.
1.) File insurance claim with asurion if you have that
2.) Send to samsu ng but more costly
3.) Send to mobiletechvideos.com $60 and you'll have it fast and fixed.
Yes if you flashed an Intl ROM your phone is bricked. Good luck
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
monkeypaws said:
A couple options.
1.) File insurance claim with asurion if you have that
2.) Send to samsu ng but more costly
3.) Send to mobiletechvideos.com $60 and you'll have it fast and fixed.
Yes if you flashed an Intl ROM your phone is bricked. Good luck
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is mobiletechvideo reliable? I don't mind spending $60 but will they come and pick up at my door or I have to go send it?
vietthanh1206 said:
Is mobiletechvideo reliable? I don't mind spending $60 but will they come and pick up at my door or I have to go send it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a USB jig will not work in this case.
Yes they are reliable. You will have to send them your phone, on their website they have instructions on how to send them the phone.
|When Emotion Goes Up, Logic Goes Down|
|Even If You Fall Face First You're Still Moving Forward|
send it in for jtag repair but next time you flash read around more so you dont run into trouble. good luck :good:
vietthanh1206 said:
Is mobiletechvideo reliable? I don't mind spending $60 but will they come and pick up at my door or I have to go send it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do chickens lay eggs? dont worry, we wouldnt let you use a shady phone service man
yeah man, just send it to mobiletech videos. They have a few youtube videos too to show you how they'll do it. I did the same to my s3 a while back sent it to them and got back a week for date I shipped it to them. I did get the express overnight return shipping for extra $20.00. I recommend you get it too if you can or get the $15.00 rush processing where they fix on first or second day, otherwise can take as many as 4 days to fix if they have a lot if business. Mines was done in 3 days. Anyway hope that helped, I guarantee you have nothing to fear sending it to them if you decide to.
Sent from a galaxy far away using xda premium
KingKostas said:
send it in for jtag repair but next time you flash read around more so you dont run into trouble. good luck :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ziggy46 said:
do chickens lay eggs? dont worry, we wouldnt let you use a shady phone service man
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cyphers23 said:
yeah man, just send it to mobiletech videos. They have a few youtube videos too to show you how they'll do it. I did the same to my s3 a while back sent it to them and got back a week for date I shipped it to them. I did get the express overnight return shipping for extra $20.00. I recommend you get it too if you can or get the $15.00 rush processing where they fix on first or second day, otherwise can take as many as 4 days to fix if they have a lot if business. Mines was done in 3 days. Anyway hope that helped, I guarantee you have nothing to fear sending it to them if you decide to.
Sent from a galaxy far away using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll reach for help from my older sister because I got no credit card and no car to go to the post office lol.
Hello,
last night i ran into this same problem with my sgh-t999. The phone will power up to the Samsung Galaxy s3 screen. I can also get into download mode and cwm. I am hoping this means that phone has been soft bricked.
As far as why my phone did this...I booted into cwm and i did a restore through the menu options. I'm not sure if i hit the wrong one, or what exactly happened at this point. Whatever it was loaded and i was unable to get past the gs3 screen.
I tried loading that .Tar file from the link provided by "Theexcel". However, in the tutorial, it says to make sure that the flash counter is set back at zero. How can i do this when my phone won't power on. I am not aware of how to reset the counter without getting an app from Playstore.
As you can see, i am new to the forum. I posted here because this seems to be a similar topic. Please let me know if you have any ideas. I tried to address what i think my be wrong with the phone and some of the steps i have done to try and repair it already. I will gladly provide answers to more specific questions.
nickcross88 said:
Hello,
last night i ran into this same problem with my sgh-t999. The phone will power up to the Samsung Galaxy s3 screen. I can also get into download mode and cwm. I am hoping this means that phone has been soft bricked.
As far as why my phone did this...I booted into cwm and i did a restore through the menu options. I'm not sure if i hit the wrong one, or what exactly happened at this point. Whatever it was loaded and i was unable to get past the gs3 screen.
I tried loading that .Tar file from the link provided by "Theexcel". However, in the tutorial, it says to make sure that the flash counter is set back at zero. How can i do this when my phone won't power on. I am not aware of how to reset the counter without getting an app from Playstore.
As you can see, i am new to the forum. I posted here because this seems to be a similar topic. Please let me know if you have any ideas. I tried to address what i think my be wrong with the phone and some of the steps i have done to try and repair it already. I will gladly provide answers to more specific questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got hard brick which means it cannot get into download mode or anything, the screen won't even turn on. Lucky you just got soft brick. I need to spend $80 bucks for jtag fix and fast shipping.
Cyphers23 said:
yeah man, just send it to mobiletech videos. They have a few youtube videos too to show you how they'll do it. I did the same to my s3 a while back sent it to them and got back a week for date I shipped it to them. I did get the express overnight return shipping for extra $20.00. I recommend you get it too if you can or get the $15.00 rush processing where they fix on first or second day, otherwise can take as many as 4 days to fix if they have a lot if business. Mines was done in 3 days. Anyway hope that helped, I guarantee you have nothing to fear sending it to them if you decide to.
Sent from a galaxy far away using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I send my phone in, will it cause any problems if I remove my sim card to use in another phone? I need my phone for work. Does anybody see this cause potential problems?
nickcross88 said:
Hello,
last night i ran into this same problem with my sgh-t999. The phone will power up to the Samsung Galaxy s3 screen. I can also get into download mode and cwm. I am hoping this means that phone has been soft bricked.
As far as why my phone did this...I booted into cwm and i did a restore through the menu options. I'm not sure if i hit the wrong one, or what exactly happened at this point. Whatever it was loaded and i was unable to get past the gs3 screen.
I tried loading that .Tar file from the link provided by "Theexcel". However, in the tutorial, it says to make sure that the flash counter is set back at zero. How can i do this when my phone won't power on. I am not aware of how to reset the counter without getting an app from Playstore.
As you can see, i am new to the forum. I posted here because this seems to be a similar topic. Please let me know if you have any ideas. I tried to address what i think my be wrong with the phone and some of the steps i have done to try and repair it already. I will gladly provide answers to more specific questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Following these instructions below will get you back to a stock rooted phone which works perfectly.
The very best advise is to do the following, doing anything else will most likely prolong
the problems you are having or making them even more difficult to resolve.
First thing you need to do is to install the stock Tmobile T999 rooted firmware.
Here are the exact step by step instructions with the download link for the firmware.
After you have followed these instructions your phone will be working properly and if
you like you will be able to flash any custom roms made for the Tmobile T999 phone
or restore any backups unless the the backup is corrupted in some way or another.
Here is the link to the Tmobile Stock & Rooted firmware you need:
http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=9390169635556426451
After downloading it make a folder on your desktop and unzip the file
using Winzip or 7zip so the .TAR file is in the new folder you just made.
Here is a link for ODIN which is required for flashing the stock rooted firmware
(a windows app) http://d-h.st/Q14
Download and extract Odin into the same folder you made containing the TAR file.
Here is a step by step guide for you.
Download the firmware of your choosing (use the root66 version if you want root)
Run Odin by double clicking the Odin.exe within the folder you extracted
Turn off your phone and boot into DOWNLOAD MODE (Volume Down + Home + Power Hold until phone powers up, then release and press Volume Up to enter Download Mode)
Once in Download Mode, connect the USB/Charger cable to the phone and plug into the USB port on your computer.
You should now see a COM** port listed toward the top-left of Odin (under ID:COM)
Click on the PDA button in the middle-right area of Odin.
Browse to and select the FW you downloaded (TAR file)
Make sure Auto-Reboot and F. Reset Time are the only options checked and that PDA is the only other thing checked.
TRIPLE CHECK your settings and that you have selected the correct firmware for your model phone and are using the correct options.
If you are using a laptop, make absolutely sure you are plugged in, or if on battery, that it is charged enough and will not go into sleep mode during flash.
Click Start to begin the flash. This will take a while, so be patient!
Once complete, in the top-left box in Odin, it will say PASS and the phone should have automatically rebooted.
You may unplug the phone and close Odin if you wish.
Wait at least 5-10 minutes for the system to boot the first time and then build its cache! (It may seem to hang during boot, this is normal and you must be patient!!!)
Good Luck!
nickcross88 said:
If I send my phone in, will it cause any problems if I remove my sim card to use in another phone? I need my phone for work. Does anybody see this cause potential problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No actually, when you send it in they ask you to only send in your bare phone, no battery, sim/sd card just the phone itself. So yeah you can switch out to another phone while waiting.
Try searching craigslist for JTAG repair.
My buddy found a local repair shop for $60. He picked it up the next day.
A USB jig will get your phone into download mode if soft bricked and costs $3.
transmitted from my SGH-T999.
phantomthuggie said:
Try searching craigslist for JTAG repair.
My buddy found a local repair shop for $60. He picked it up the next day.
A USB jig will get your phone into download mode if soft bricked and costs $3.
transmitted from my SGH-T999.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know any local so I asked my older sister to sent it to the mobilevideo guy. Not sure when they'll send it back. Hopefully next friday or the following Monday :good:
Hey guys, I just want to let you guys know that I got my phone fully working in the mail box today. Thanks Mobiletechvideo :laugh:
Definitely recommend to anyone who got hard bricked.
vietthanh1206 said:
Hey guys, I just want to let you guys know that I got my phone fully working in the mail box today. Thanks Mobiletechvideo :laugh:
Definitely recommend to anyone who got hard bricked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a witness lol
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
After a week of using, seems to work perfectly.
vietthanh1206 said:
After a week of using, seems to work perfectly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, their work is professionally done. That's why they are so highly recommended by everyone. Myself included.
Sent from a Galaxy far away using xda premium
hey guys quick info thing. my phone had sudden death. nothing would work. had a disc with axeman who informed me of MT for jtag. long story short i found this dude named Joe on ebay. from seattle to Mich, repaired at half the price.. this dude rocks and is pleasent to deal with. like i said you ship it to him 1 or 2 day, i went with 2 small sups box, just the phone and back, wuld have gotten it in four had it not been sunday
search Unbrick Samsung Galaxy S .. mipick22..29.00$ .. just a heads up . ink

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