Since i have the Evo on hand. I must warn people who get the phone about the Water Damage Sticker that is in the corner of the phone. I see very high potential of having water make it's way to that corner. I personally would mod that sections with scotch tape and a piece of paper over that Water Sticker to prevent water from triggering that spot.
I will post pictures of what i did later. Better be safe than sorry.
Added solution pics. Can't show them because they are huge! check the attachment
So if water touches that spot your evo is kaput? What is that spot to make it do that?
If water touches that spot then it will turn pink/red. That's it. Now of course water can damage any electronic, but the slightest amount of water will trigger this to go off. The issue here is that Sprint's warranties don't cover water damage. So let's say you use the wrong charger constantly and it sends too much voltage to your phone and it kills your battery (maybe a bad example). If you take it to Sprint they woulld normally take care of you. But if they pop off the back and see that the sticker is red they will tell you they can't do anything for you. It isn't that big of an issue for me because i have the $7 insurance and it covers water damage.
I myself will probably cover it just so it doesn't turn because I hear they easily turn color indicating water damage, however, I too will have the $7 insurance so warranty issues I will not need to worry about.
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from my past experience of being a sprint customer and former employee, if that does happen i just tell them that the phone was lost. dont say stolen b/c they ask you to file a police report etc. i have told sprint that i left my phone on the train before and they replaced it. just a slight loophole, plus you have an extra phone for parts or whatever. it should work on other carriers as well, but im not sure.
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from my past experience of being a sprint customer and former employee, if that does happen i just tell them that the phone was lost. dont say stolen b/c they ask you to file a police report etc. i have told sprint that i left my phone on the train before and they replaced it. just a slight loophole, plus you have an extra phone for parts or whatever. it should work on other carriers as well, but im not sure.
Wait so I can pay sprint 7$ a month, and if anything happens to my phone (breaks, lost, stolen) I can just tell them I lost it and viola, I get a new one?? Ive never dealt with sprint before
Wait so I can pay sprint 7$ a month, and if anything happens to my phone (breaks, lost, stolen) I can just tell them I lost it and viola, I get a new one?? Ive never dealt with sprint before
i believe there's a $100 deductible but yeah, that's how it works (or at least how it did when i was with sprint but my deductible was $75 at the time)
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i believe there's a $100 deductible but yeah, that's how it works (or at least how it did when i was with sprint but my deductible was $75 at the time)
Yea that's how it works. Lost, stolen, physical damage, water damage.
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Wait so I can pay sprint 7$ a month, and if anything happens to my phone (breaks, lost, stolen) I can just tell them I lost it and viola, I get a new one?? Ive never dealt with sprint before
Yep ... $100 deductible but when you consider the phone goes for $450 .. $84 year Insurance Cost + $100 Deductible doesn't cost anywhere near as much as a new EVO would cost.
Plus, if EVO's are still going for a pretty penny a year from now (Which, most likely will be), you can call Sprint, tell them your phone was lost, pay the $100 and they send you a new one. Then, just turn around and sell it on eBay after you get it. (I say a year from now, because I assume most of us will be getting even newer phones once we are able to upgrade again)
The only thing is, to stop from scamming Sprint, they will list your previous "Lost" phone's PIN or whatnot as unusable so you can't sell it or reuse it. This of course is common sense though or else everyone would be scamming them.. paying the deductible and having 2 phones for 1/2 the price of an upgrade of 1.
i believe there's a $100 deductible but yeah, that's how it works (or at least how it did when i was with sprint but my deductible was $75 at the time)
right. they go by the value of the phone. every phone has a set deductible. the last i remembered was $150 being the highest. its still better than paying full price again.
this is the exact reason why i want to cover it up. even if you have insurance the Sprint Rep can give you bullshit about how you got water in the phone or something and refuse to try to fix it and give you a hard time.
this is the exact reason why i want to cover it up. even if you have insurance the Sprint Rep can give you bullshit about how you got water in the phone or something and refuse to try to fix it and give you a hard time.
If when you say insurance, you mean the monthly cost insurance, then no .. they can't argue with you because water damage is specifically listed as one of the problems that will be covered.
Either way, the couple claims I've made, I do it over the phone and tell them I lost it or broke it and get one shipped over night to me.
Wait so I can pay sprint 7$ a month, and if anything happens to my phone (breaks, lost, stolen) I can just tell them I lost it and viola, I get a new one?? Ive never dealt with sprint before
Yeah thats how it works, but be forewarned. The old phone if you still have it will not be able to be reconnected on Sprints network ever again. They flag the MEID and u wont be able to use it again (For anyone getting any funny ideas) lol
I know because my daughter lost her Pre, I made her look for it for 3 days before I bit the bullet and paid the $100 deductible, not more then 2 hours after I got off the phone with the claims company she found the damn phone. I tried to cancel the claim but once it's started u can't. So I was out $100 AND they expect u to send them the new found phone, without a refund of the deductible!
Needless to say, I still have the phone sitting in a drawer, cause I'd rather throw it against a brick wall then send it back to them. A few months later, my wifes phone started acting up so I figured I'd swap the ole Pre to her line till we replaced her phone. Big freaking NO GO the MEID was flagged by Sprint and could not be activated under any circumstances!
Since then I've been very leery of phone sales on ebay, I could see people trying to replace "lost" phones with the insurance and then turning around and trying to sell them. You're better off buying a brick.
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If when you say insurance, you mean the monthly cost insurance, then no .. they can't argue with you because water damage is specifically listed as one of the problems that will be covered.
Either way, the couple claims I've made, I do it over the phone and tell them I lost it or broke it and get one shipped over night to me.
This is true, but I see where the confusion comes in. I believe there are three different things that people call "Sprint insurance" You have the sprint warranty which i'm not sure if it covers water damage. You have sprint's insurance plan which doesn't cover water damage. Then you have the $7 monthly insurance which isn't actually sprint it is assurion. That is the one that covers water damage.
The warranty is 30 or 60 days i believe
The sprint insurance which is what you use when going to a store or calling sprint doesn't cover water damage so if you go to a store they won't attempt to "fix" the phone if it has water damage. However i do believe you can (legal or not) get a refurb or discount on a replacement in store.
The assurion insurance you go to phoneclaim.com or call assurion. They don't fix they only replace. It may be new or refurb and it is the same amount either way. best option to use is lost because if you claim stolen you need a police report and if you claim damage you have to send your phone back.
Hope this clears some things up.
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Yeah thats how it works, but be forewarned. The old phone if you still have it will not be able to be reconnected on Sprints network ever again. They flag the MEID and u wont be able to use it again (For anyone getting any funny ideas) lol
I know because my daughter lost her Pre, I made her look for it for 3 days before I bit the bullet and paid the $100 deductible, not more then 2 hours after I got off the phone with the claims company she found the damn phone. I tried to cancel the claim but once it's started u can't. So I was out $100 AND they expect u to send them the new found phone, without a refund of the deductible!
Needless to say, I still have the phone sitting in a drawer, cause I'd rather throw it against a brick wall then send it back to them. A few months later, my wifes phone started acting up so I figured I'd swap the ole Pre to her line till we replaced her phone. Big freaking NO GO the MEID was flagged by Sprint and could not be activated under any circumstances!
Since then I've been very leery of phone sales on ebay, I could see people trying to replace "lost" phones with the insurance and then turning around and trying to sell them. You're better off buying a brick.
I don't know much about "Bad ESN" phones because I've pretty much been a GSM person until recently, but a lot of people say that if the phone has a bad ESN/MEID it can still be flashed to another carrier, like metroPCS possibly. So, you may be able to sell it to someone who plans on using it on metro?
Yep ... $100 deductible but when you consider the phone goes for $450 .. $84 year Insurance Cost + $100 Deductible doesn't cost anywhere near as much as a new EVO would cost.
Plus, if EVO's are still going for a pretty penny a year from now (Which, most likely will be), you can call Sprint, tell them your phone was lost, pay the $100 and they send you a new one. Then, just turn around and sell it on eBay after you get it. (I say a year from now, because I assume most of us will be getting even newer phones once we are able to upgrade again)
The only thing is, to stop from scamming Sprint, they will list your previous "Lost" phone's PIN or whatnot as unusable so you can't sell it or reuse it. This of course is common sense though or else everyone would be scamming them.. paying the deductible and having 2 phones for 1/2 the price of an upgrade of 1.
Of course, this behavior is insurance fraud and a felony in most states. Oh, an unethical.
Not that that shouldstop anyone.
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Of course, this behavior is insurance fraud and a felony in most states. Oh, an unethical.
Not that that shouldstop anyone.
Oh of course. I don't condone it, I am just stating what people do use the insurance for.
Heck, some people even get scratches on their phone that bother them and consider it lost to get a new one, and don't mind paying the deductible. To me, that is perfectly legit. (Only difference between Lost and Broken is, if you report it broken, they want your old phone back). Why go through that hassle?
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Thanks for the tip and info on this Water Damage indicator/sticker. Good thread.
But I do have a few questions.
1-How do you know that is a water damage indicator? Does it say so in the papers that came with the device?
2-You state you cover it up with a piece of paper and scotch tape, but wouldn't that get water also and transfer to the Water damage indicator?
I guess covering it up with anything is better than not, but I'm curious.
TS
Edit: I just noticed that my Hero also has something similar on the lower left side of the back of the phone. Very Interesting.
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yea it is a water damager sticker, if you google image search it im sure you'd find some pics but i would think JUST scotch tape would work better, in order to completely seal it, it seems like your picture up above with the paper water might get in from the sides
1-How do you know that is a water damage indicator? Does it say so in the papers that came with the device?
2-You state you cover it up with a piece of paper and scotch tape, but wouldn't that get water also and transfer to the Water damage indicator?
I guess covering it up with anything is better than not, but I'm curious.
1 - Although I can't gaurantee it, I too would say that is the water damage indicator. Most phones have them in that rough size somewhere in the back cover. I know of a few phones that tend to have them beneath the battery though so they don't show false-positives, but, having it so close to the edge, it can easily turn to the red or pink color indicating water.
The thing about these indicators is that even in high humidity days they have been known to change colors because of the 'moisture' in the air. It has caused for many complaints as peoples warranties were voided. There was actually a test done where a person bought a phone on a humid day, walked outside, took the back case off and watched it turn color, then walked right back into the Sprint Store and shown them. I cannot remember which phone, and where it took place, but I believe I recall the Sprint Rep telling me those specific indicators were then removed from phones. Either way, better to be safe than sorry.
2 - If you can truly seal off all edges with a piece of tape so there is absolutely no gap, it should most likely protect it from any water or moisture.
** Recalling this story that the Sprint Rep told me, I would actually truly recommend everyone put a little piece of tape over these indicators when they get their EVO. You may not even know it happens, but considering the phone is releasing in the summer, all you need is to be using it on a hot, humid 90+ degree day and next thing you know, you lose your warranty because the indicator shows signs of water.
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Thanks for the tip and info on this Water Damage indicator/sticker. Good thread.
But I do have a few questions.
1-How do you know that is a water damage indicator? Does it say so in the papers that came with the device?
2-You state you cover it up with a piece of paper and scotch tape, but wouldn't that get water also and transfer to the Water damage indicator?
I guess covering it up with anything is better than not, but I'm curious.
TS
Edit: I just noticed that my Hero also has something similar on the lower left side of the back of the phone. Very Interesting.
you can google the term and you will find the info. i've been using HTC devices since the mogul, diamond, touch pro, touch pro2, and not the evo. they all have the water indicator.
Yeah, they know the kickstand indention is the perfect place for water to accidentally access the back of the phone, and it's not even a centimeter away from that indention.
yea it is a water damager sticker, if you google image search it im sure you'd find some pics but i would think JUST scotch tape would work better, in order to completely seal it, it seems like your picture up above with the paper water might get in from the sides
I've never tried it, but I would think that putting JUST scotch tape may damage the indicator when you peel it off, which you would need to do if you were to return the phone for replacement. I'm pretty sure they would void your warranty for tampering. I think the piece of paper solves that problem very well, although I would definitely make sure the seal was good along the sides.
They normally put 2 on the phone, one under the back cover and another under the acual casing. I had mine turn on my tp2 under the battery cover, but they still covered it because the other one was not discolored.
On a side note, although I am not saying this is right... The last time I had to use my insurance I actually called sprint 1st to suspend it on their end, then called he insurance company to replace it. Later I found the phone and called sprintand they reactivated it on my acct. They also let me keep the replacement as a back up. They told me I could not sell the original phone because then they would flag it for fraud.
I would conside squaretrade insurance for those that are worried about this. Not only is it cheaper but for accidents/ water damage deductible is $50. No loss or theft coverage though.
what i do in this situation, which has happened a couple of times, is to remove the sticker with a knife. when you take it to sprint, the sticker isnt there. they arent going to say "why did you take the water damage sticker off?". instead, they will just think that for some reason this phone came from the production line without one.
like i said, ive done this a couple times with no issues.
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this is the exact reason why i want to cover it up. even if you have insurance the Sprint Rep can give you bullshit about how you got water in the phone or something and refuse to try to fix it and give you a hard time.
The tape is a good thought but water & water vapor is notorious .... it will either seep under the tape (tape gets loose if it gets damp) or the humidity from the droplets of water will cause it to change anyway due to condensation. The piece of paper could also retain the dampness and the whole thing might backfire on you if you are in a high humidity location.
That is an awful spot for that indicator. Keep it away from the bathroom when you shower.
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I would conside squaretrade insurance for those that are worried about this. Not only is it cheaper but for accidents/ water damage deductible is $50. No loss or theft coverage though.
It's actually more expensive because you have to pay the full amount up front and (for example) if you need to make a claim after 3 months and get a replacement you have to pay the full amount of the insurance up front again for the next phone. With the Sprint insurance you have up to 4 (I think) claims per year and you just continuously pay the $7. So in 1 year, with Squaretrade, if you replaced 1 phone and got another replacement one you pay close to $300 in insurance alone (if you insure the replacement).
Last edited by MisterEd; May 22nd, 2010 at 09:20 PM.
It's so hard for me to decide whether or not to get insurance. The one thing that always keeps me from paying for it is the fact that I'm a "phone whore" and always want what I deem to be the coolest new thing. With the insurance, you have to get the same phone and it's not guaranteed to be a new one.
As far as the water damage, I always take my Pre in the bathroom to listen to music while I'm in the shower. Now I know why the water damage indicator is red....LOL! But my first Pre actually fell into a sink full of water, but somehow survived. Then many months later I took it in because the power button stopped working and they never said anything about the water damage. Gah, don't know what to choose.
I just wanted to point out that even if an EVO is no longer allowed to be used with the Sprint network, it is still a powerful media player and gaming machine. And as we have recently learned it's also a radio. I am not sure but I'll bet it can still access the web via WiFi.
Subsequently a lost EVO will still have great value and will never be relegated to a drawer...
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Last edited by MindTrainer; May 22nd, 2010 at 11:36 PM.
...With the insurance, you have to get the same phone and it's not guaranteed to be a new one.
Depending on the situation, you don't necessarily have to get the same phone. For example, after replacing several faulty Touch Pros (keyboard issues, overheating, paint flaking off etc) they gave me a Touch Pro 2. Before that, a lot of Mogul users got theirs replaced with the original Touch Pro. Sprint has a list that shows what phone to give you if yours is not available or if the situation calls for you getting an upgrade. It's not like you can have a razor and get it traded up to an Evo
It's actually more expensive because you have to pay the full amount up front and (for example) if you need to make a claim after 3 months and get a replacement you have to pay the full amount of the insurance up front again for the next phone. With the Sprint insurance you have up to 4 (I think) claims per year and you just continuously pay the $7. So in 1 year, with Squaretrade, if you replaced 1 phone and got another replacement one you pay close to $300 in insurance alone (if you insure the replacement).
Are you sure? I thought the ST warranty was transferable.
Side note: Can anyone make a definitive thread on TEP vs ST? Pros and cons of both? I would, but I'm far too uniformed--hell, I'm not even a Sprint customer...yet.
This is true, but I see where the confusion comes in. I believe there are three different things that people call "Sprint insurance" You have the sprint warranty which i'm not sure if it covers water damage. You have sprint's insurance plan which doesn't cover water damage. Then you have the $7 monthly insurance which isn't actually sprint it is assurion. That is the one that covers water damage.
The warranty is 30 or 60 days i believe
The sprint insurance which is what you use when going to a store or calling sprint doesn't cover water damage so if you go to a store they won't attempt to "fix" the phone if it has water damage. However i do believe you can (legal or not) get a refurb or discount on a replacement in store.
The assurion insurance you go to phoneclaim.com or call assurion. They don't fix they only replace. It may be new or refurb and it is the same amount either way. best option to use is lost because if you claim stolen you need a police report and if you claim damage you have to send your phone back.
Hope this clears some things up.
So what do you ask for when buying the phone to get insurance that covers water damage/loss/theft etc and not the Sprint one that doesn't cover water damage? TIA
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So what do you ask for when buying the phone to get insurance that covers water damage/loss/theft etc and not the Sprint one that doesn't cover water damage? TIA
Just get the $7 insurance. I'll do some research and see what exactly it is called as i really forget. lol
The TEP is the assurion insurance which they say "combines" the ERP and ESRP they are truly different as I explained in my post above. Also the prices on there may not be up to date. I believe the TEP deductible for "dumb" phones is $50 for smart phones it is $100 - $150
Last edited by jadoe05; May 23rd, 2010 at 09:17 AM.
Are you sure? I thought the ST warranty was transferable.
Side note: Can anyone make a definitive thread on TEP vs ST? Pros and cons of both? I would, but I'm far too uniformed--hell, I'm not even a Sprint customer...yet.
They are TRANSFERABLE if you sell the phone to someone else but if a claim is made it is terminated. I am 100% certain of this from personal experience (UNLESS it has changed in the last 60 days).
I already have the insurance with Sprint. But since I'm getting the phone from BB, should I get their plan as well?
No, you'd only be able to file a claim with one or the other, not both.
I happen to live near a Sprint repair store, I've had them look at two phones so far. For me, TEP is worth it because the store is nearby and the folks (so far) have been decent. I've heard of people having to be without a cell phone for some really long lengths of time with Best Buy.
It's actually more expensive because you have to pay the full amount up front and (for example) if you need to make a claim after 3 months and get a replacement you have to pay the full amount of the insurance up front again for the next phone.
Most (if not all) EVO plans should qualify for Sprint Premier status, which means getting a new phone every 12 months. (Come on, you know you will )
Unless you plan on insurance fraud, ST doesn't work well for the EVO.
Water Damage Warning! Protect it now!
