Just Posted This "Epic Comment" on Engadget

[Flaspeneer]

It really annoys me that no one in the mainstream press has addressed the upload speed/voice reliability issues on the Epic. The GPS issue needs to be taken care of, but many users in major cities rely on public transportation or have GPS systems in their car: 30m off is frustrating but not a deal-breaker. On the other hand, nonexistent 3G coverage in an emergency is, as is losing service in the middle of making a business deal or locating one's spouse and family. I've begun posting in every Epic thread on Engadget and Gizmodo in hopes that someone will finally notice, since writing to the editor has elicited no response.

Here's the last one I posted:

I own and love the Epic 4G, so this is not fanboy sniping:

What this article doesn't mention is the Epic's terrible 3G upload speed, which is the primary topic on every Epic 4G forum I've visited. Nearly everyone who traded in their Evo is reporting that other phones they own upload much faster than the Epic, from the iPhone to the G1 to the last Palm Treo.

Users are constantly checking their speed and posting indoor upload rates of less than 150 kbps -- sometimes even 000 kbps. For many, even the download rate is unusable.

Many people are very sad about having to return the Epic for the Evo, because the Epic can do far more, has a querty keyboard, an amazing processor and that gorgeous SAMOLED screen.

I can live with semi-accurate GPS (though I'm not happy about it). What I can't live without is reliable data and voice service on 3G while paying an extra $10 a month for 4G service that doesn't even exist in my city. Samsung and Sprint need to prioritize this problem and Engadget needs to report on it before Sprint customers' refund/exchange period runs out.

 

[robl45]

yea, I emailed the editor too and posted links to two forums verifying the problem and nada.

It really annoys me that no one in the mainstream press has addressed the upload speed/voice reliability issues on the Epic. The GPS issue needs to be taken care of, but many users in major cities rely on public transportation or have GPS systems in their car: 30m off is frustrating but not a deal-breaker. On the other hand, nonexistent 3G coverage in an emergency is, as is losing service in the middle of making a business deal or locating one's spouse and family. I've begun posting in every Epic thread on Engadget and Gizmodo in hopes that someone will finally notice, since writing to the editor has elicited no response.

Here's the last one I posted:

 

[Torq]

After the arses Engadget made of themselves over the Galaxy S GPS issue and how it is "validated" on the Epic (never mind that it's broken in three other ways) ... I'll be very surprised if they say anything else about it short of Samsung or Sprint posting a press release acknowledging the issues.

Maybe Gizmodo will pick it up, but they seem to want to stick it to Apple after they're recent stupidity around the iPhone 4, so I'm not very hopeful that'll they'll cast other devices in a bad light right now.

It's a shame, because I don't see Samsung doing a damn thing about it at this point without major public outcry.

Most regular users, the kind that never find their way to forums like this (and perhaps don't even read Engadget or Gizmodo etc.), probably won't realized there's a 3G upload speed issue. They might notice the weak WiFi reception, but the GPS is problem is one that's hard to miss where it needs periodic reboots to lock.

So no stink will get raised there.

Hopefully I'm wrong and Samsung will fix what can be fixed in software promptly.

 

[jfenton]

There is also a thread over on the Sprint.com Samsung Epic comunity page......that would be a great place for everyone to post their thoughts as it's right in Sprints face and hard to ignore.

 

[Flaspeneer]

Thanks, jfenton. Link for the lazy, mayhaps?

Is this the thread you're talking about?

rob|45 and Torq: Thanks for making me feel less alone. Speaking up is frustrating, no doubt, but keeping silent would feel even worse.

 

[Bmerz]

It's a shame, because I don't see Samsung doing a damn thing about it at this point without major public outcry.

Most regular users, the kind that never find their way to forums like this (and perhaps don't even read Engadget or Gizmodo etc.), probably won't realized there's a 3G upload speed issue. They might notice the weak WiFi reception, but the GPS is problem is one that's hard to miss where it needs periodic reboots to lock.

So no stink will get raised there.

Hopefully I'm wrong and Samsung will fix what can be fixed in software promptly.

That's not even the worst of it. I just spent the last (little over an) hour talking with a guy at Sprint tech department, going over in great details this UL issue, and how the Evo doesn't have this issue etc. And I learned that the way tech support and CS logs our complaints is very individualized, as well as limited.

He searched his system for other complaints like ours, and even searched for something similar - nothing comes up! So it makes it look like it's just me having this issue, and no one else has called in to complain. Of course I told him that a LOT of people have called this issue in, as well as it's all over various forums with people complaining about this UL problem.

So I gather from our conversation, that their trouble-shooting ticket is a basic form, and only targets us as individuals, instead of over the entire database of issues. It targeted me and my home address only, based on what he said. With us being a minority (compared to the general public), our complaning calls - I fear will fall on deaf ears.

I hope I am wrong, but the fact that both guys I talked to at Sprint (CS & TS) had ever heard of this UL issue - tells me, that it's not spreading throughout Sprint, no memos or meetings - nothing in regards to this. And as long as Sprint treats this as an "individual" issue, rather than their whole customer base issue - it will not get fixed, at least for a long while.

So IDK... It definitely needs some serious and BIG public press (like Apple got), in order to put a fire under Sprint/Samsung's butts to even consider doing anything. But since as you pointed out (in a round-about way) us phone-geeks are minority, and the bigger general public will never even notice.

 

[infamousjax]

Guys, this issue is not going to be fixed. It sucks but that's just the way it works. If it's a deal breaker for you, then I urge you to switch phones instead of being miserable about this.

 

[boomerbubba]

Does anyone seriously believe that people read comments on Engadget? Even the so-called Engadget editors?

 

[Droidone]

Goes to show that regardless of specs phones can still have a lot of problems. The epic had potential on paper but is proving what everyone says about samsung phones. I am not bashing but that flashy screen means nothing when basic functions like gps aren't working. People complain about the evo but I think the epic issues are bigger. By the way I didn't have any qc issues with my evo either. I'm starting to see complaints about build quality and people on their third phone. Lets see if samsung steps up this time

 

[Flaspeneer]

Just posted in the Sprint forum jfenton mentioned. The issue reported by bmerz of Sprint's tech and customer service making complainants feel isolated infuriated me: "No one has ever reported the issue you're describing. You're utterly alone."

To boomerbubba and infinitejax: While I really appreciate your leading us by the hand and explaining that no one will read or care about what we say, I politely suggest you stop asserting that consumer activism is a worthless activity. Whether editors on Engadget/Gizmodo read user comments or not, other users do -- maybe one, or maybe two dozen.

Where there are users, there are people like us who have had this problem but have found no substantiation or commiseration. Those individuals deserve to know they're not alone.

Whether or not the effort results in action, making it is not a worthless activity. Governments have changed hands based on the networking of discontented individuals. Why should our ability to bring product defects into public view be deemed less possible?

 

[boomerbubba]

Just posted in the Sprint forum jfenton mentioned. The issue reported by bmerz of Sprint's tech and customer service making complainants feel isolated infuriated me: "No one has ever reported the issue you're describing. You're utterly alone."

To boomerbubba and infinitejax: While I really appreciate your leading us by the hand and explaining that no one will read or care about what we say, I politely suggest you stop asserting that consumer activism is a worthless activity. Whether editors on Engadget/Gizmodo read user comments or not, other users do -- maybe one, or maybe two dozen.

Go for it. I'm all for consumer activism. I just have a low opinion of Engadget. It's just a shoestring blog..

 

[Flaspeneer]

Go for it. I'm all for consumer activism. I just have a low opinion of Engadget. It's just a shoestring blog..

It's also a visible blog and a place where end users gather.

Besides, aren't shoestring blogs and corporate discussion boards the places where people first voiced negative reactions to Apple's lockstep dismissal of user complaints? That was long before the iPhone.

But I'd rather not stop there. To anyone who has ideas for making this issue more known: please post them here.

 

[taylormah]

--snip--

I politely suggest you stop asserting that consumer activism is a worthless activity. Whether editors on Engadget/Gizmodo read user comments or not, other users do -- maybe one, or maybe two dozen.
--snip--

True. No one had noticed upload speed problems over in android central forums till I posted, and suddenly people started taking notice and realizing why their uploads were taking this long. People who are not running speed tests are not even realizing that such issue is there. Consumer activism is definitely no small thing and I do support it whole heatedly. We should do everything to get the public to realize there are issues and Sprint/Samsung would have to bow to the masses. Lets do it folks. I did my part by sending engadget a message. Good or not, they are a big platform to get the message across to masses at once.

 

[mistermarcel]

Thank you for posting this thread and for all the feedback. I have been on the fence on what phone to get. I've been at my local Sprint store so many times that I think they know be my name. You've made my mind up for me -- An EVO it is. Way too many flags with this Epic. The history of the company and the glitches you mention here just to name the main ones.

 

[Android XTC]

Thank you for posting this thread and for all the feedback. I have been on the fence on what phone to get. I've been at my local Sprint store so many times that I think they know be my name. You've made my mind up for me -- An EVO it is. Way too many flags with this Epic. The history of the company and the glitches you mention here just to name the main ones.

Frankly I think these people are imagining this issue, I have both the Evo and Epic and see no difference in speeds at all. Some people IMO are not happy unless they are complaining about something. My GPS works great. Hmmm Maybe they work for HTC or one of there suppliers? If you hate the phone so much take it back and get something different, why whip a dead horse?

 

[Android XTC]

Thank you for posting this thread and for all the feedback. I have been on the fence on what phone to get. I've been at my local Sprint store so many times that I think they know be my name. You've made my mind up for me -- An EVO it is. Way too many flags with this Epic. The history of the company and the glitches you mention here just to name the main ones.

You are right go get yourself an Evo its TOTALLY glitch free! Just don't come back here when your screen unglues and falls out.

 

[rjcc]

Go for it. I'm all for consumer activism. I just have a low opinion of Engadget. It's just a shoestring blog..

Fact: I am wearing shoes with strings.

As a writer for the shoestring blog in question, i'd like to mention that we do read the comments, however I would not encourage people to leave off topic comments, for any reason. I have an Epic, some of these issues I've experienced and some of them I haven't/not to that extent, i'm trying to get together a full list of issues that need to be looked into, please drop me a line with whatever information you have so I can make sure it's included, thanks!

richard.lawler@engadget.com / @rjcc on Twitter

 

[jim2point0]

The issue is definitely with the phone and not Sprint. I think we need to get Samsung's attention to the issue so they can fix it, and Sprint's attention so they can motivate Samsung to fix it.

You are right go get yourself an Evo its TOTALLY glitch free! Just don't come back here when your screen unglues and falls out.

Please tell me that bit about the EVO being glitch free was sarcasm.

 

[militaryman]

Fact: I am wearing shoes with strings.

As a writer for the shoestring blog in question, i'd like to mention that we do read the comments, however I would not encourage people to leave off topic comments, for any reason. I have an Epic, some of these issues I've experienced and some of them I haven't/not to that extent, i'm trying to get together a full list of issues that need to be looked into, please drop me a line with whatever information you have so I can make sure it's included, thanks!

richard.lawler@engadget.com / @rjcc on Twitter

Just sent you the details -- please address an article soon regarding 3g upload speeds and Sprints poor CS in denying issue and others with EPIC ---

 

[Android XTC]

The issue is definitely with the phone and not Sprint. I think we need to get Samsung's attention to the issue so they can fix it, and Sprint's attention so they can motivate Samsung to fix it.


Please tell me that bit about the EVO being glitch free was sarcasm.

Its time for you to do some research on the problems with the EVO. This is why I now own an Epic.

 

[jim2point0]

Its time for you to do some research on the problems with the EVO. This is why I now own an Epic.

Why? I own an EVO. Look under my avatar and you'll see both the Epic and the Evo listed. I already know about the problems. But you said the EVO was glitch free... which is total BS.

 

[Android XTC]

Why? I own an EVO. Look under my avatar and you'll see both the Epic and the Evo listed. I already know about the problems. But you said the EVO was glitch free... which is total BS.

Oh course it's BS thats why I said it and thats why I own an Epic now. You didn't catch the screen falling out comment?

 

[rjcc]

Just sent you the details -- please address an article soon regarding 3g upload speeds and Sprints poor CS in denying issue and others with EPIC ---

I just checked my inbox and spam folder I'm still not seeing it, can you try and resend? what address are you sending from?

 

[gtl408]

I just checked my inbox and spam folder I'm still not seeing it, can you try and resend? what address are you sending from?

You can check out the following thread for a backgrounder: http://androidforums.com/samsung-epic-4g/166945-lousy-down-up-load-speed-3g.html

 

[Flaspeneer]

Just saw the posts following mine on this site and on the Sprint forum to which jfenton pointed us. Very encouraging responses there and here -- especially from Richard Lawler, the man whose shoes are laced -- and proof that activism has an effect. People should also post on the Sprint thread, because Sprint has reported they're monitoring it and the upload speed is, as of September 13, officially a "known issue." When you complain to Sprint, be sure to give them the link to that thread so that they can cross-reference the complaint.

Richard Lawler:

Thanks very much for responding to this thread. Your presence here is a refutation of the idea that our user experiences don't matter. However, I don't believe I've posted "irrelevant" comments on the Engadget site. I posted re the Epic's GPS issue, which is related to this one. I did not post my comments under an iPhone article.

Be sure to monitor our thread on the Sprint site as well as this one, and to note that bad upload speed is now officially a known issue. The point isn't rumor -- if you visit the Sprint thread, you'll see that two Sprint reps have stated this specifically.

I'll send you my user notes on the Epic upload issue at some point tomorrow afternoon. I'm editing an obnoxious manual under a deadline and must return to that task after posting here.

Android XTC:

I'm very happy your Epic is working flawlessly and that you have no problems with it, but that means (and I say this without malice) that your attacks on this thread are irrelevant. This thread is specifically for people who are having trouble with data services and have found that their speeds are slow to nonexistent. I can guarantee that everyone experiencing this issue would rather have great speeds like yours and not have to post here and elsewhere.

This isn't a contest between the Epic and the Evo as a phone. It's a comparison to show the speeds our Epics ought to be getting. Both products are latest-tech high-end 4G smartphones and that's the point -- not to bash the Epic and praise the Evo, but to show that the problem is real and needs to be fixed.

We aren't here to bash other users or defame products by way of -- in your words -- "making things up." I don't make assumptions about your unstated motives and I'd appreciate it if you didn't make assumptions about mine.

taylormah:

Thanks tons for bringing Android Central's attention to the upload issue. I'll return to AF's first upload thread after posting this message and thank the OP (johnwoo) officially. I'll do the same for you on AC (if your username's the same) when I get home from work.