Slider off the Rails

[mirdreams]

My husband and I bought Droids about six weeks ago. We loved them, thought they were very solidly built and generally were raving about them to everyone.

This past weekend I was out of town at a conference when I noticed my phone seemed to be sticking on something when I tried to slide it in or out. It wasn't consistent, more intermittent but sometimes it would slide easily on only one side. I noticed that the sticker on the back of the upper section (which I had left on because it wasn't clear that it could be cleanly removed, it seemed to extend under the screen and the Verizon rep who put my screen protector and case on when we bought the phone had left it on) had become somewhat torn and was sticking. I removed it but the damage had already been done and the tracks were no longer sliding smoothly. I decided to take it to the Verizon store when I got home. The day after I got home I used the physical to keyboard to type something, slide the phone closed, and it came right off the rails!! The phone still worked but was now in two pieces, tethered together only by the data connector.

I immediately took it to the Verizon store in our local mall, assuming that since it was it was only six weeks old and the damage had come from normal usage (ie sliding the phone open and closed as it was designed to do) it would naturally be covered under the manufacturer's warranty. Not so. Apparently because the phone was in two pieces it was "physical damage" and my only option was to file an insurance claim.

I felt this was ridiculous and decided to get a second opinion. I snapped the phone back together on one rail, went to another Verizon store and showed the tech how loose it was on the other rail. He said that it was a known issue and that Verizon would send me a new phone but that I had to call customer support to have it sent. I called them, they said that the first store had flagged my phone as having physical damage and that I would have to file an insurance claim (and pay the deductible) to get a new phone.

I went back to the first Verizon store where I dealt with a tech who was more sympathetic than the first one I dealt with but still said it was physical damage. I called Motorola and they said that if I sent it in without saying why they might take pity on me and waive the $75 repair fee or they might call and require a credit card to proceed.

I was so sick of all of them and unwilling to go without my phone for who knows how long in hopes that they would fix a know issue on a six week old phone that I have filed the insurance claim. If I had gone in when my slider was only sticking I believe I would have gotten a new phone without issue so please, if you phone's slider is sticking or is loose, learn from my mistake and go to Verizon immediately.

Please also be aware that Motorola does not stand behind their products and that if you have device with an issue they won't do anything about it until it reaches the point where we could all have a good class action suit. I will be leaving for AT&T as soon as my contract is up and I will no longer be buying anything from Motorola. I believe, based on the phoneWreck teardown of the Droid that it would take someone T6 screwdriver about 15-20 minutes (or less) to carefully disassemble my phone, pop the rails back on and close it up. I'm sure that's exactly what Asurion will do and our little exchange will have netted them my deductible for next to nothing, since they'll have another refurbished phone to send out to the next person this happens to. For the cost of a tech's time to do that Verizon and Motorola have both lost my business for life.

 

[tebower]

Never, ever walk out of a store until you have your demands met. If the dumb clerk didn't want to respect you're account of what happened, it needed to be escalated to his manager. Since the phone is only six weeks old, and it DID break from normal use, then you need to stand there and insist repeatedly. It doesn't matter what condition the phone is in - it matters how it became that way. Had your car run over the phone, causing it to break in two, sure I can see the need to call insurance. However, since you were using the phone as it was intended (sliding it open), and it broke - clearly it is a manufacturing problem.

I say go to a third store (make sure it is a Verizon corporate store and not a reseller - aka they only sell Verizon phones, and no one else's). Explain to the third store MANAGER that you have been to another store and called customer support, and that the store employee made untrue notes on your record. Be sweet as pie. Play the victim that you truly are, and plead that he understand that you need your phone replaced with a manufacturer replacement.

Edit: I see now that you already filed a claim. Lesson learned, then.

 

[Psychokitty]

Very sorry about your experience, but thanks for taking the time to post it.
Never let a Verizon employee have your phone number, account number, ESN, or any other serial number until you know exactly what they are going to do with it.
It was the the jackass that tagged your phone in their system as a loser that locked you out of any further help. I think you should go back there and kick him square in the nuts.

 

[potatolover1102]

Why did you file a claim if Verizon has lost you for life? I never would have allowed that but to be honest I NEVER go to a store and only call on the phone! When I had my storm and had dust under the screen they said use a RAG! I wanted to kill someone and I am a very laid back person but wow! I almost canceled then and there lol but had to remember to always call and they happily helped me out!

 

[kyleonfire]

This is why I have stayed away from motorola products. They're so poorly made and move so slow they're just junk. After the krzr and the razr I told myself no more motorola. But something just made me get the droid. Now that I have it I realize it's just more plastic junk.

 

[Jim Dawson]

...Now that I have it I realize it's just more plastic junk.

I must be lucky since my Droid appears to be mostly metal.

 

[radikal]

yeah mine is nice, never had an issue, when i dropped the screen it broke but that was my fault, glass screen = break. sorry for your loss

 

[Legacystar]

i have no idea how you got the slider to accually come off the track. i personally took 2 droids apart and the harest thing is to seperate the screen from the keyboard. it was even the harest thing to figure out how to get it apart. knowing that, they should have replaced your phone because this phone is extremely well built and that was an obvious defect with that particular phone.

 

[aaron5610]

i have no idea how you got the slider to accually come off the track. i personally took 2 droids apart and the harest thing is to seperate the screen from the keyboard. it was even the harest thing to figure out how to get it apart. knowing that, they should have replaced your phone because this phone is extremely well built and that was an obvious defect with that particular phone.

I agree with you, I still have the first droid I got on the November 6th launch with zero problems knock on wood.

 

[UBRocked]

I must be lucky since my Droid appears to be mostly metal.

Mine is metal too...I feel so cheated!

Sorry to hear about your phone...can you post some pics of it (I'm just curious as to where it is separating).

 

[gkny172]

My slider was loose on one side and ended up tilting more to one side.. when I took it to the verizon corp store the tech guy at the counter had the audacity to tell me to use my other thumb to slide the phone up.. I left the store and called verizon customer service and they are sending me a new phone. You should just call next time, you will probably get better results

 

[potatolover1102]

Sounds like them telling me to use a rag rofl! I wanted to hit that woman lol. What I really think is sad though is when people go in for new service or to consider changing if they are met with those idiots they will run for the hills!