Im probably going to return my S3 for a new S3, i got it exactly one week ago and this one is crashing and freezing randomly and having random lag all over the place and my scores on benchmarks and nenamark2 is only getting 29.1 fps with 0 applications open and in airplane mode.
Anyways, does the sprint employee have to see the defect on their own? or just check for physical damage?
I brought my S3 in for replacement my due to the Auto Rotate feature failing 100% of the time. Not intermittently.
In addition, I was, and still am experiencing dropped calls. Both these issues were written on the trouble ticket, although I was only bringing in the S3 for the Auto Rotate issue, knowing that the dropped call issue is Sprint Network related.
I knew that the Auto Rotate was a definite failure, and that the Store tech couldn't say he doesn't see the issue. I also have TEP. (My 1st S3 was replaced during the initial 14 day return period as I was dropping calls like crazy. Although I thought that this was most likely a network issue, I didn't want to take any chances that it may be device related.) The fact that you're within your 14 day return period increases your changes to almost 100% that they'll issue you a replacement. If they balk, push the issue. Also make it known you don't want a Refurbed. That is if you prefer a new device. They are allowed to give you a refurbed device, but you don't have to accept the device. But usually they'll give you a new device if it's your 1st replacement (I was told this by the Store Rep, fwiw)
The Tech went through the SOP of putting the S3 on a testing machine, or whatever they do, and I had to come back in 2 hours to see what the outcome was.
(the Tech could have taken a few seconds to see there was an Auto Rotate failure, and saved much wasted time, but that would be the Cost Effective way to do things, which sometimes isn't the Sprint way of doing things.)
My S3 was found to be defective re the Auto Rotate failure, and another S3 was ordered for me. I was told it could be refurbished or new. I have the 32GB version, so I figured the odds are that I'll get a new device, as there can't be that many 32GB Blue S3's being returned in such a short period of time, that I'd get a refurbed.
Picked up my New replacement 4 days later, as it was the weekend.
YMMV if the Tech doesn't experience the problem for himself, or if it's an issue that can be taken as not being a problem with the device. (But as I mentioned, you are within your 14 day return period.)
Successfully getting your device replaced usually depends on the Store, the manager the Tech, if you have TEP, in addition to what the 'Sprint/Samsung Memo' says at the time regarding Returns/Exchanges, etc.
Hopefully you'll get a general idea of the mindset of Sprint regarding returns/exchanges from my experiences, as the above description has been the general rule regarding returns in the past 14 years as a Sprint customer.
You should be fine, as you're within your 14 day period.
I suggest, if you haven't done so already, to call Sprint customer service, explain your issues, and have the Rep issue you an eTicket.
Get the reference number. This way when you go into the store, the rep will see the eTicket in your account notes which will help to facilitate replacing your device.
First replacement, within 14 day, I should be good. By sprint policy if I'm not satisfied for what ever reason, I can return for a different device or replacement of a defective within 14 days
i had two phones replaced my errors not samsung but i told them it frooze and they replaced it for free. i didn't pay anything and they prepaid the box to send.my old phone you have a one year manufacture warranty so as long as the screen not cracked or water damage you good to go. Don't bother with sprint unless you have water damage or cracked screen and insurance. Also your covered for a year i had my replaced when it was a month old and four weeks after that.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using XDA Premium App
I returned one at walmart within the 14 day period because I had a defective camera. No problems returning it
Phone: HTC One M8
Carrier: Verizon
So last night my phone took a dip and I'm trying to figure out if i have any options as far as replacement goes. I actually called and had a replacement sent, but I'm wondering if when they get my old one and examine it, they may find evidence that it was water damaged. I told them the screen wouldn't turn on (which it doesn't, though it's only the backlight that doesn't work.) I also had the salesman at my local Verizon store inspect it because I know they'll replace the phone right then and there if it's within a certain time period (14 days, which has come and passed) and unless I'm mistaken there's no way to determine whether this phone has been water damaged from simply looking at the outside since the back panel doesn't come off. Also, I AM in my 30 day warranty period so my replacement was free AFAIK.
When Verizon receives my old phone, will they open it and inspect it for water damage? If they do discover it, will they then charge me full price for the replacement? I'm very worried, because I will either have to go phoneless after just signing a new contract less that a month ago, OR pay $700 for a new one, which I can't really afford.
Any advice would be awesome.
clevelandtyler2 said:
Phone: HTC One M8
Carrier: Verizon
So last night my phone took a dip and I'm trying to figure out if i have any options as far as replacement goes. I actually called and had a replacement sent, but I'm wondering if when they get my old one and examine it, they may find evidence that it was water damaged. I told them the screen wouldn't turn on (which it doesn't, though it's only the backlight that doesn't work.) I also had the salesman at my local Verizon store inspect it because I know they'll replace the phone right then and there if it's within a certain time period (14 days, which has come and passed) and unless I'm mistaken there's no way to determine whether this phone has been water damaged from simply looking at the outside since the back panel doesn't come off. Also, I AM in my 30 day warranty period so my replacement was free AFAIK.
When Verizon receives my old phone, will they open it and inspect it for water damage? If they do discover it, will they then charge me full price for the replacement? I'm very worried, because I will either have to go phoneless after just signing a new contract less that a month ago, OR pay $700 for a new one, which I can't really afford.
Any advice would be awesome.
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I know if you get their protection plan they don't care what happened to it, you just pay a deductible and get a replacement phone. For it being within the first 30-days though that will depend a lot on the carrier and their relationship with the manufacturer. Verizon could not even check because the phone was sold recently and just send it right to HTC. From there the question wouldn't be whether they'd check, but what they'd do when they find out. I don't know if they could prove 100% the problem was water damage and the customer's fault.
I recently had warranty service on my Note 4 through AT&T. The process turned out to be considerably more difficult - and potentially financially risky - than I expected. There are a lot of things that I know now, that I wish I had known at the beginning of the process. Therefore, I'm writing this summary to help prepare other AT&T customers who need service for their Samsung (and probably other) products.
If you don't care about the back story, just scan for the bolded TAKEAWAY lines below, or skip to the SUMMARY section at the end.
THE ISSUE
I bought a new (not refurbished) Note 4 a few months ago. From the moment I got it home, away from the blazing fluorescent lights and full screen brightness in the AT&T store, I noticed the dreaded pink tinted screen issue. The effect was minor at first, but grew in intensity over the subsequent weeks. It was bad enough within just a couple of days that I couldn't see the right-most digit of my alarm clock app at all when I had the brightness turned way down for nighttime (this would be at the top of the screen, they way it sits horizontally on my stand).
Having had a similar, but more severe, screen issue that rendered my Galaxy S4 unusable, I was particularly sensitive to screen quality and resolved to get this fixed.
MY OPTIONS
I had two primary options for fixing the problem (probably in addition to purchase protection on my business credit card):
1. Samsung warranty: Covers manufacturer defects for one year
2. AT&T insurance policy (well, 3rd party policy that AT&T sells): Covers virtually any kind of defect, damage, or loss, after paying the deductible
I decided to pursue Option 1, for two reasons. Firstly, the problem was clearly (to me, at least) a manufacturing defect. Secondly, the insurance policy had a $200 deductible. So, I stopped by the AT&T store in my local mall to get the phone fixed under warranty. No problem, right? I mean, my parents have had like a half-dozen iPhones fixed or replaced at the Apple store in their mall just by walking in off the street...
AT&T'S PROCESS
I learned my first lesson in the threshold of the door to the AT&T store:
TAKEAWAY 1: AT&T RETAIL STORES DON'T PROVIDE WARRANTY SERVICE FOR THE DEVICES THEY SELL
Huh? Given the aforementioned problem with my S4, I was shrewd enough to ask about the warranty before buying the Note 4. The AT&T person told me that it had a 1-year, manufacturer warranty. This was entirely correct. My mistake was interpreting this to mean that I could go back to the store where I had just bought the phone a few weeks prior and have it fixed under warranty. That's not the case. Instead, the person at the store handed me a business card with the toll-free number for AT&T Wireless support.
I went back home and called the number on the card. The person who helped me was prompt and professional. She logged the details of my issue, and explained the next steps to me as follows:
AT&T sends a new phone body
I swap my battery, SIM card, S Pen, and back cover to the new phone
I repackage my old phone body in the same box and mail it back to AT&T, postage pre-paid
So far, so good. But...
An AT&T person receives and evaluates the old phone
If the problem is deemed to be a manufacturer defect, the process ends for me here, and AT&T ships the broken unit back to Samsung
If the problem is deemed to be caused by physical damage, AT&T ships the old phone back to me, charges me the full retail price of the replacement phone, and I keep both phones!
Say what?! I asked what would happen in the unlikely case that the phone left my hands undamaged, but was damaged during shipping. She confirmed that AT&T would send the broken phone back to me and that I'd be stuck with both the old and new phones - and would have to pay for the new phone.
Dumbfounded, I asked for a way to mitigate the risk of my getting stuck with two phones. She recommended that I go back to my local store and have an AT&T employee inspect the phone, and add notes to my account stating that the phone is not physically damaged. Then, if it arrived damaged at the warranty center, they'd know that it had to have been damaged in shipping. She said that she'd leave my case open in her computer system, and that the next person I spoke with could complete the process after I returned from the store.
That sounded reasonable (enough). So, I went back to the retail store, an AT&T person looked at the phone, concluded that it was not physically damaged, and annotated my account accordingly.
I returned home, called the toll-free number again, and picked up where I left off. The person I spoke with this time reiterated the process to me, and confirmed that if the old phone arrived damaged, AT&T would send it back to me and I'd be stuck with it, stuck with the new phone, and charged for the new phone. "Except in this case", I added, "because the notes in my account said that the phone isn't damaged, right?"
Wrong.
If the old phone arrives damaged, I own both phones. "Why did I just go to the [email protected]#$ing store then?" He said that I shouldn't have, and that the previous customer service rep shouldn't have told me to do so. He said that I might damage the phone after leaving the store, before I ship it back to them, and therefore that the notes in my account meant nothing. He's right, of course.
After a spirited discussion, he made another good point - the warranty is from Samsung, not AT&T. AT&T provides warranty service as a "courtesy" to its customers. For phones with defects, AT&T can send them back to Samsung and get reimbursed. For physical damage, though, Samsung won't accept the phone under warranty. Therefore, AT&T needs some way to guard against getting stuck with a broken phone. Before proceeding, let's pause for another takeaway:
TAKEAWAY 2: AT&T DOES NOT WARRANTY SAMSUNG PHONES, SAMSUNG WARRANTIES SAMSUNG PHONES
This makes perfect sense, and I definitely see the problem from AT&T's point of view. Still, the original unresolved issue persists. So, I asked the guy what I could do to protect myself against the possibility of the old phone getting damaged in shipping. He offered that perhaps the manager at my local AT&T retail store could pack and ship the old phone for me. I agreed to that, and asked what would happen if it arrived broken due to shipping damage. He said I'd get stuck with both phones, same as before.
Flabbergasted, I stated that I was willing to assume the risk of damage during shipping, and changed topics.
Next I asked what would happen if the phone arrived at the AT&T service center intact, but that the person assessing the problem concluded that the pink screen problem was due to damage, rather than a manufacturing defect. He said I'd get stuck with both phones, same as before.
I asked how to determine, definitively, whether the issue was manufacturing-related or damage-related, prior to sending the phone back to the AT&T service center and starting the inexorable process that may lead to me getting stuck with two phones. After all, the person in the retail store who annotated my account said that it was a manufacturing defect? He said that AT&T retail employees are not qualified to distinguish between manufacturer defects and physical damage. Another takeaway:
TAKEAWAY 3: AT&T RETAIL STORE EMPLOYEES ARE NOT QUALIFIED/TRAINED/AUTHORIZED TO ASSESS WARRANTY-RELATED ISSUES
(Makes all you AT&T store employees out there feel valued by your employer, eh?)
Fortunately, the guy on the phone was trained to make these types of assessments. Based on our call so far - and never having seen my phone in person - he says that the pink screen was most likely due to physical damage. With steam coming out of my ears, I told him that I wasn't even going to debate whether the issue with the handset was a defect or damage, but rather would stick to trying to understand the Kafkaesque service process.
Specifically, I said that the previous phone rep who I spoke to said that she thought the issue was due to a defect. So, regardless of who is right and who is wrong, the dilemma is that two different AT&T people made two different assessments about the root cause of my phone's problem. In one case, I could get it fixed for free. In another case, I end up spending over $1,500 for two phones, one of which is broken.
Naturally, I asked what my recourse was if the AT&T warranty center person determined that the issue was due to physical damage, but that I still thought it was a defect. He said I'd get stuck with both phones, same as before. I asked if there was an appeals process. No, there isn't. Next takeaway:
TAKEAWAY 4: IF AT&T SENDS YOU A NEW PHONE UNDER WARRANTY AND YOU SEND THE OLD ONE BACK TO THEM, THE PROCESS WILL RESULT IN ONE OF TWO OUTCOMES, AT AT&T'S SOLE DISCRETION:
A) AT&T DETERMINES THE ISSUE TO BE A DEFECT, AND YOU KEEP THE REPLACEMENT PHONE FOR FREE
B) AT&T DETERMINES THE ISSUE IS DUE TO DAMAGE, THEY SEND YOU YOUR OLD PHONE BACK, CHARGE YOU FOR THE NEW PHONE, AND YOU KEEP BOTH.
Period. End of story. No appeal. No recourse. Just roll the dice and pray that the AT&T warranty person who you've never met and never get to talk to ends up looking at the phone and coming to the same conclusion as you.
Unconvinced that a company as big and mature as AT&T didn't have some reasonable solution, I inquired, yet again, about options. There were two remaining:
1. Send the phone to Samsung for warranty service by mail
2. Take the phone to an AT&T Device Support Center for in-person service
The first option would leave me without a phone for a week or two. But, Samsung wouldn't stick me with an extra phone the way AT&T would.
TAKEAWAY 5: YOU CAN SEND YOUR PHONE DIRECTLY TO SAMSUNG FOR WARRANTY SERVICE, WITHOUT INVOLVING AT&T IN THE PROCESS
I don't know how easy or hard it is do work with Samsung, or what their process is if you think there's a defect and they think there's damage, etc... I'll leave that for someone else to explain.
But, this second option sounds good - an AT&T Device Service Center. As it turns out, this is what I was looking for all along! It's a real building, with real AT&T employees, who are qualified to assess warranty issues, and able to repair/replace defective phones. Perfect! The closest one to me is 225 miles away (which took the phone rep 10 minutes to find, because their system is only set up to offer this option if the Center is within 50 miles), but I GLADLY drove down there to get my phone fixed. The person there looked at my phone, immediately judged the issue to be a defect that was covered by warranty, and in 2 minutes had me set up on another Note 4 with a spectacular screen. So:
TAKEAWAY 6: YOU CAN TAKE YOUR PHONE TO AN AT&T DEVICE SERVICE CENTER FOR IN-PERSON WARRANTY SERVICE
TAKEAWAY 7: THERE ARE VERY FEW AT&T DEVICE SERVICE CENTERS, SO YOU MAY NEED TO TRAVEL A LONG DISTANCE TO GET TO ONE
SUMMARY
To summarize the preceding dissertation, AT&T customers with Samsung (and possibly other) phones who need warranty service should know:
The phone's warranty is from Samsung, not AT&T
AT&T provides in-person warranty service, on behalf of Samsung, through Device Service Centers only, not through retail stores
AT&T Device Service Centers are few and far between, so be prepared to travel
Warranty service by mail through AT&T is not a viable option, because you can get stuck paying for two phones, at AT&T's sole discretion, and have no recourse
Oh, and two more:
The pink screen issue is for real - and really obvious when it happens; folks who are adamant that it's imaginary, that we're looking at our screens crookedly, or that we're otherwise obsessing over something minor are just lucky enough to have units with good screens
A good Note 4 screen is AMAZINGLY good - if you have the pink screen issue, go through the hassle to get it replaced; you won't regret it
Some AT&T stores do provide warranty right on sight, for instance I work at one that doesn't have warranty on site but two hours away there is another AT&T that handles all warranty in store. And a one year manufactures warranty is just that, the manufacturer is responsible for the warranty, so you can go through samsung or you can go through att except for Apple products, anything past the 4s is handled by Apple exclusively. With that being said as long as you don't send a device with signs of phisical or water damage you won't be charged for warranty by either company. The nice thing if you're close to a service center is you can get a new phone same day, regardless of which way you go, att or sammy, if you mail it out expect to wait for a phone. Just remember, manufacturer does not mean att, verizon, sprint and t mobile are responsible for the issue, they will do an exchange by mail as a courtesy, not because they promise the device will work with no hardware faults. The only phones att takes responsibility for are the unbranded att phones we sell l, but again that's not in store, unless it's a service center, otherwise there is too much overhead to hold that much inventory reserved for warranty issues.
Here is a link where you can find device service centers for AT&T, its near lower down on the page and will list places by state http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB91429
It will download a pdf with the locations
thanitos said:
Some AT&T stores do provide warranty right on sight, for instance I work at one that doesn't have warranty on site but two hours away there is another AT&T that handles all warranty in store.
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Click to collapse
QUESTION: Is this second store considered a "Device Service Center", or is it just a regular, retail AT&T storefront?
According to 1) the guy at my retail store 2) the first customer service phone rep and 3) the second customer service phone rep, only the Device Service Centers are able to do warranty service. Perhaps some are co-located with retail stores, but they were pretty clear to me that retail stores, per se, couldn't service warranty issues.
thanitos said:
Just remember, manufacturer does not mean att, verizon, sprint and t mobile are responsible for the issue, they will do an exchange by mail as a courtesy, not because they promise the device will work with no hardware faults.
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Click to collapse
Understood. But, when I buy a drill from Home Depot, they don't send me to Hitachi for service when it breaks. They don't make me drive three states away to an authorized Home Depot service center to have it fixed. I go to the store where I bought it, with my receipt, and they fix or replace it. Same with my tablet from Best Buy, auto recall at the car dealer, rotten fruit from the grocery store, everything I buy from Amazon, even stuff from eBay where I haven't reached an amicable settlement with the seller. They all honor the manufacturers' warranties in-house, or provide equivalent service for the products they sell in the infrequent cases that they prove to be defective.
My concern with AT&T is that they don't have my back - especially as a small business owner. I buy a new phone - the most expensive phone that they had in the store, mind you - and as soon as they swipe my card, that store is out of the picture. Subsequently, I have to follow this Rube Goldberg process to fix the problem if something goes wrong 5 minutes later.
I re-read the insurance policy during this whole process, as well, and I have the same concerns there. I haven't been through the insurance claim process, so I can't say first-hand whether it's easy or hard. But, the language definitely doesn't give me the impression that I can just walk into the store where I bought the phone, pay my deductible, and walk out with a new one. Maybe I'm wrong; if you know how the insurance claim process works, I'd be interested in hearing about your first-hand experiences as an AT&T employee.
To conclude, don't take my preceding comments the wrong way. I'm not some hater; on the contrary, I've been an outspoken advocate of AT&T because they've treated me so well. I've had generally excellent experiences with AT&T over the years and, consequently, I've recommended AT&T to many, many friends, family, and colleagues. Based on this experience, though, I'm looking at switching carriers - certainly when my current AT&T NEXT term is up, and possibly before (U.S. Cellular has a deal right now where they'll pay off my existing contract. I had them previously and loved them as a carrier). Having a cool new phone and lots of LTE coverage is great, but what's most important to me is the security of knowing that when something goes wrong, it'll get fixed promptly. That wasn't the case this time, and I don't have confidence that AT&T will be there for me the next time.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to provide some feedback. Have a good day.
If you need to file a claim for insurance, it is done online or over the phone. You do not do in person at an att store.
I've done lots of warranty exchanges by mail with att over the last 13 years and I've never had an issue.
Honestly, I have AT&T and have had my a Note 4 replaced 2 times already. One due to charging just stopping at 35% and the other was a combo of the pink tinted screen and dead pixel in the top left. I went directly through Samsung. Their support is amazing. I went out and picked up a cheap ass Go Phone and activated that while Samsung had my devices. They even offer over night shipping if you want to pay for it. AT&T is just a horrible provider and I've only stuck with them since they were Cingular because they ALWAYS got the top brand phones. Now it seems T-Mobile and Sprint are getting the top brand phones more and more now so after this contract its time to say goodbye.
TL;DL
Always use Samsung warranty over AT&T warranty. More professional and less phonecalls/headaches.
DamageSource said:
I went directly through Samsung. Their support is amazing...Always use Samsung warranty over AT&T warranty. More professional and less phonecalls/headaches.
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Click to collapse
I'm glad to hear that Samsung is this good about supporting their hardware. They're definitely not interested in hearing what customers have to say about their software (I have a thread on that topic somewhere around here). If this new Note 4 needs warranty service, I'll definitely call Samsung, in addition to AT&T, to see who has the better support option at that point in time. Honestly, I didn't even really consider calling Samsung for support this time around, because the phone was so new and I just assumed that AT&T would support the products that they sold in their stores.
From looking at the Samsung support site, they only have seven service centers in the whole U.S. I thought AT&T Device Support Centers were sparse, but I'd have to get on a plane to get to a Samsung one. All else being equal, I'd prefer to have in-person service for my devices. Especially for something like the pink screen issue - which drove me crazy, but that my wife could care less about - I think it's important to be able to demonstrate the problem to the service person face-to-face and explain how/why it impacts me. To that end:
QUESTION: Has anyone bought a phone from somewhere like Best Buy, Radio Shack, Costco, etc. and been able to get in-store warranty service/replacement?
I'm asking about service per the manufacturer warranty, not the type of paid extended warranty that Best Buy typically offers on their electronics (though the latter might be an alternative to the AT&T insurance). I'd actually stopped by the local BB to shop for the Note 4, but they said that they couldn't add it to my AT&T business account (despite my having called BB customer service first and confirming that my local store did service AT&T business accounts. Sigh...). Back to the point, I'd be interested in buying from a real store, with real product in-stock, who is willing to provide warranty service right from the retail location.
Anyway, I'm going to be upgrading another phone on this account soon, and I'm open to recommendations about where to buy the hardware (even if it means switching carriers). It probably won't be another Samsung, given the quality control issues I've had with both of my Galaxy products. But it might be. I'm open to alternatives. Thanks for your feedback.
mcmannion said:
QUESTION: Has anyone bought a phone from somewhere like Best Buy, Radio Shack, Costco, etc. and been able to get in-store warranty service/replacement?
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Click to collapse
My brother only buys from Best Buy and he says that they replace the unit in store right there if it's in stock and if not you can go to an alternative location and pick it up if it's close by for you.
it is done online or over the phone. You do not do in person at an att store.
I can tell you from experience that Costco does replace phones. It is a 3rd party company that runs the phone kiosks in Costco warehouses and Costco themselves paid for a phone exchange for me because when I exchanged my S3 it was not on sale at the price it was on a Black Friday when I purchased it.
I have had AT&T phones for over 10 years & have exchanged defective units by phone/mail through AT&T too & never had a problem. AT&T normally sends a refurb rather than a new unit but as long as it works I'm satisfied.
Hey all,
I would really appreciate your advice...
I've had my Verizon G4 for less than a month.
My wifi completely crapped out and I'm getting random reboots. I'm 99% it's a hardware issue.
I've loaded the latest 13b update but doesn't fix anything...
My question to you all is this... should I send it back to Verizon for Warranty Like New Replacement or Send it back to LG Directly for Warranty repair?
The reason why I ask is because I did drop the phone once and it nicked the corner of the phone slightly (see attached pic).
If I send to Verizon, what are the chances they'll charge me the $300 damage fee?
The rest of the phone is pristine...
I know if I send back to LG, they'll just send it back to me as is...
Everyone's thoughts would be appreciated...
Thanks in advance
joel32137 said:
Hey all,
I would really appreciate your advice...
I've had my Verizon G4 for less than a month.
My wifi completely crapped out and I'm getting random reboots. I'm 99% it's a hardware issue.
I've loaded the latest 13b update but doesn't fix anything...
My question to you all is this... should I send it back to Verizon for Warranty Like New Replacement or Send it back to LG Directly for Warranty repair?
The reason why I ask is because I did drop the phone once and it nicked the corner of the phone slightly (see attached pic).
If I send to Verizon, what are the chances they'll charge me the $300 damage fee?
The rest of the phone is pristine...
I know if I send back to LG, they'll just send it back to me as is...
Everyone's thoughts would be appreciated...
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't send to VZW, they will ship to you first within the 12 month warranty period or anytime if you have Total Equipment Protection Coverage and provide a pre-paid shipping label in the box for you to send it back within 5 days which is really 30 days. This is the exact wording in the info in Certified Like New Replacements which you will get when the phone is shipped to you:
"WARRANTY INFORMATION
If your device has been subjected to neglect, misuse, liquid damage, software or hardware alteration, or unreasonable wear and tear, it is not eligible for a replacement under this program. Do not return the damaged device to us or you will be charged up to the full replacement value of your replacement device, which may be in excess of $500, even if you subscribe to an Equipment Protection Program. Instead, return the replacement device to us in the box in which it came. If you have equipment protection, contact your provider to discuss replacement options for damaged devices. For more information, visit verizonwireless.com/damageddevice"
The damage fee is not $300, it's basically the full retail price of the phone which is around $600. If you have insurance, you might be better off using that instead as it's $150 but remember that if you make 2 claims within a 24 month period, they will cancel your insurance.
If Verizon Wireless sends you a phone, you are not obligated to keep it as you just need to either send back your phone or what they sent you. If you find anything wrong with the replacement, then you call Verizon Wireless Level 2 tech support directly without going through the Level 1 or customer service and they will ship another phone to you. When you receive the new replacement, you ship the previous replacement back and then at the end, you either end up with your old phone or you ship back the last thing they shipped you.
Just a quick update...
I decided to send back to LG vs sending it to Verizon since I didn't want to deal with the possibility of Verizon charging me $500 bucks for some minor dings that had nothing to do with the hardware issue.
The only downside is that you will be without a phone for 2 weeks. Here's the run down...
-Mailed out on Tuesday.
-Arrived at LG following Monday.
-Repaired and Shipped back Tuesday (That was a quick turn around...)
-Scheduled to arrive this Friday.
What's nice about sending it to LG is that my IMEI doesn't change. If I went the VZ route, they would have given me a refurb with a different IMEI. Because the VZ refurb IMEI doesn't match the IMEI on my original receipt, LG will not honor warranty since there's a IMEI mismatch. This wouldn't be much of an issue if I stick with VZ for the entire year.... however, with all the cell service deals going around, I'm sure I'll be jumping the VZ bandwagon...
Hope this post helps others...
Thanks