Notify Sprint of 2.1 probs

[chawski]

Like many of you, I have been having a number of problems with my new hero, recently updated to 2.1 (BT connectivity, landscape lag, out going call lag, etc). I called sprint customer service today to report some problems I have been having, and to their knowledge, the only known issue with the hero is the headphone jack issues some people have been having. Their answer is that of the people that might be having these probs that have called in (maybe 2% of hero owners), there are plenty of hero users that have not had any complaints, be it 1.5 or 2.1. If you are experiencing the above or other problems, instead of making threads all day about this, that, and the other, I encourage you to call sprint customer service to report them. You may get sympathy from people on here, but no one on here is gonna fix it for you. The more people that complain and show that its not just a few select customers with the problem, the more likely they will be to encourage HTC to fix these problems.

 

[Kelmar]

Quoted for truth. Complaining about them on a forum may get you help from other users, but complaining to Sprint and HTC will have much better results as it may actually get things fixed.

 

[americonium]

I have written emails to both HTC and Sprint, but I suppose a phone call would be helpful...

 

[scottmbolt]

I have emailed HTC, which in turn, should be more effective than emailing Sprint, since HTC makes the software. They honestly don't give a damn. I gave them all of the issues, and I got a message back telling me to hard reset the phone. Thats its. I emailed back and told them that a hard reset doesn't so shit for the phone, and hard reset or not, the issues persist. I also asked when a patch will be released to fix the multiple issues. Lets see what the chap says in return... he will probably just ignore that question and beat around the bush.

 

[mcapozzi]

Yeah, got the same BS answer from Sprint when I called a few weeks ago.

So I basically I thanked them for turning my phone into a steaming pile, then went and ported my number over to Verizon a few days later.

They don't give a crap about what they did to our phones, so why should I continue to give them my money.

It would have been more honorable to say "The Hero cannot run Android 2.1 competently, so we aren't going to release it".

-Mike

 

[cooolone2]

...then went and ported my number over to Verizon a few days later.

Sorry to hear that, don't forget to stop back and let us know how that's going.

They don't give a crap about what they did to our phones, so why should I continue to give them my money.

Actually, the update is voluntary! You did it...

It would have been more honorable to say "The Hero cannot run Android 2.1 competently, so we aren't going to release it".

-Mike

I disagree, they updated and fixed many issues, but as has been the issue with the Hero, some owners experience issues other's don't. While this may be frustrating and understandable, it does not qualify throwing out the baby with the bath water!

The HERO is a great piece of equipment! Personally, I would have dealt with Sprint until I had satisfaction rather than jumping ship, whether that meant getting a new Hero or another phone until I was happy with obtaining the functionality I required. All the while asking for relief from them (Sprint) for my inconvenience... You'd be surprised how accommodating they can be.

Anyway, too late for you it would seem.
Happy Trails!

 

[mcapozzi]

No, Sprint didn't try to fix anything. They said "we will look into it", and then did nothing.

Making an update that breaks more than it fixes is a bit dishonest, I wasn't having problems with my phone on 1.5, now I had to spend 10 minutes every time I got into the car trying to sort out the busted @$$ Bluetooth implementation so I could get Pandora to stream. Plus the joy of missed calls cause the phone wasn't fast enough to answer the call before it went to VM (unless you were fast enough to respond during the first ring).

Then they wanted to blame Pandora for the skipping I would get every 10-15 seconds after one or two songs. Never mind the fact this all worked fine on the phone before the 2.1 update.

The only issue I had with 1.5 was not being able to run apps that required at least 1.6.

I spent at least 90 minutes on the phone while getting bounced from tech to tech. They have more time to dick around with me, than I had time to dick around with them.

-Mike

 

[chawski]

to the guy who went to verizon...

I have a friend that recently did the same thing and really regrets it for a few reasons...
1) the phone he got also had to be updated to 2.1, and experienced a number of the same issues
2) Have you ever tried calling verizon customer service? Im not even sure they actually have people working for them. its one machine to another
3) service is more expensive

 

[mcapozzi]

Verizon has stores and techs everywhere, I've gone to the Sprint store on at least two occasions when the tech was SUPPOSED to be in and ended up empty handed. Apparently the tech at my nearest Sprint store goes home at 6PM, not 8PM (like Sprint said).

Getting a hold of CS doesn't really matter since a voice on the phone can't do anything to fix the problems caused by a software update.

I just called Verizon CS to test and I got a human in under 90 seconds. Her name was Joy.

Service would be more expensive, but I got in on someone else's family plan, so it ends up being cheaper.

Price wasn't an issue, coverage and support were the main issues, this is my only phone (besides my office number), and I need it to function properly.

-Mike

 

[chawski]

haha im just the messenger. those were his complaints

 

[Whiskeypawz]

I have emailed HTC, which in turn, should be more effective than emailing Sprint, since HTC makes the software. They honestly don't give a damn. I gave them all of the issues, and I got a message back telling me to hard reset the phone. Thats its. I emailed back and told them that a hard reset doesn't so shit for the phone, and hard reset or not, the issues persist. I also asked when a patch will be released to fix the multiple issues. Lets see what the chap says in return... he will probably just ignore that question and beat around the bush.

Same here. I posted in the "issues/quirks" forum about this today.
For those that think going to Sprint is going to fix the problem....see the "issues/quirks" forum. I did that too & got a new phone with all of the same problems.

I don't want to switch to the Evo for a couple of reasons.

1. It's ugly!!
2. It's $10/mo more for exactly what I'm getting now.
3. 4G will not be available in my area any time in the next year.
4. It's not even time for me to upgrade my phone so I'd end up paying full price unless I throw enough of a tantrum to Sprint.

I've strongly considered switching to Verizon but their plans suck! I'm still not opposed to it, even if I have to break my contract with Sprint. Like @mcapozzi said, I need it to function properly!

 

[Whiskeypawz]

Same here. I posted in the "issues/quirks" forum about this today.
For those that think going to Sprint is going to fix the problem....see the "issues/quirks" forum. I did that too & got a new phone with all of the same problems.

I don't want to switch to the Evo for a couple of reasons.

1. It's ugly!!
2. It's $10/mo more for exactly what I'm getting now.
3. 4G will not be available in my area any time in the next year.
4. It's not even time for me to upgrade my phone so I'd end up paying full price unless I throw enough of a tantrum to Sprint.

I've strongly considered switching to Verizon but their plans suck! I'm still not opposed to it, even if I have to break my contract with Sprint. Like @mcapozzi said, I need it to function properly!

Here is the latest & greatest from HTC...
Thank you for your response. I understand that others have performed the factory reset and did not resolve their issues. In retrospect, some who have performed the factory reset, with similar issues as you are experiencing resolved their problems. This is a step that you will need to take in order to continue through the troubleshooting process. If you perform the factory reset and these issues persist, please contact HTC Technical Support

 

[americonium]

Dear xxxxx,
The HTC Customer Service Representative that has been handling your message would like to know if your question has been successfully answered. You can reply to or close your question by visiting:
xxx
Ticket Number : xxxIf you do not respond to or close your question within 15 days, it will be closed automatically.
Sincerely,
HTC
We are unable to receive replies to this email account. Please visit us at www.htc.com if you have any questions or need further assistance.
New Response
Dear xxxx, We do not have a verified compatibility list for Bluetooth, but what has happened is that your Bluetooth is no longer compatible with the Bluetooth Stack that has been replaced in your HTC Hero. We do not know why this Bluetooth Stack has changed, but we know it has and this is why it is not compatible with your car anymore. The profiles do not match the profiles and we cannot change this because it is part of the new software with the device itself. If you have any other questions or concerns please Reply back to this email or give us a call at our HTC Technical Support Line, 1-866-449-8358. I want to thank you for contacting HTC. In order to help improve our service I’d like to invite you to take a survey at HTC Online Survey, you can also checkout HTC Online Store (US) - Free Cell Phones & Cell Phone Service for more information. HTC Technical Support HTC - Mobile Phones, Smartphones, Cell Phones, PDAs HTC | Facebook YouTube - HTC's Channel HTC (htc) on Twitter


So, the response I got was...

We know it doesn't work, you're shit out of luck. Thanks, HTC, I really appreciate it.

 

[chawski]

well i just got a new hero ordered today. Even though im 99.9999% sure the problems that i was having are software related, sprint thinks its hardware, so on to my 3rd hero in a month (1st one had a bad headphone jack). Maybe things will be different with a phone coming from the factory with 2.1?

 

[kutsushita]

Talked to sprint today and they called up the repair cent I had recently swapped my phone at. Turns out I have another date with the repair center and if hey can't get my hero to not do all the stuff that 2.1 does (lololol fat chance) then they will give me any other phone of my choice with up to the Hero's price waived and then I pay the difference (upgrade prices not outright buy prices.) I guess I'll just coincidentally stroll in around friday morning

 

[astrobill]

All:

I agree that calling Sprint and HTC to report issues is worthwhile.

However, understand that for most problems, their first-tier techs will likely bring you through the most basic "reset, pull out battery, etc. etc. " scripts they are told to run...and that's after waiting on hold for a while. So, good if you have the time, but...

...a lot of people on this forum are more expert than some of the first-line tech support folks...and can often help more quickly. And you have the power of THOUSANDS of people looking at your request for help, rather than the ONE person you are waiting on hold to talk to at Sprint or HTC.

By the way...just FYI, some reps from both companies have been gracious enough to take copies of the "sticky" Issues thread we started. I believe they are going to at least look it over and compare the issues to what people are calling in with. I think it's very possible they will test out some of the issues we're reporting on their own to see if they can reproduce them consistently. If they can, perhaps another update is possible. I'm just a user like everyone else, so this is not official. I'm just saying they've been gracious and courteous when I passed along the issues we're having to them...

- Astro

 

[V425]

No, Sprint didn't try to fix anything. They said "we will look into it", and then did nothing.

Making an update that breaks more than it fixes is a bit dishonest, I wasn't having problems with my phone on 1.5, now I had to spend 10 minutes every time I got into the car trying to sort out the busted @$$ Bluetooth implementation so I could get Pandora to stream. Plus the joy of missed calls cause the phone wasn't fast enough to answer the call before it went to VM (unless you were fast enough to respond during the first ring).

Have you tried changing your slot index cycle for the ringer lag?

 

[dtmob22]

I got fed up after two phones, hours and hours on the phone with sprints "wack " customer service department reps the past two weeks so I e-mailed the top HTC and Sprint executives today and got a phone call immediately from sprint "executive responce team" (she was very nice ) opened up a case and she has called me twice today to get the ball rolling . I suggest you all do the same that are having issues . It should not have to come to this but there are thousands of paying consumers that are expressing the same issues on many forums like htc.com, sprint.com and here and not getting the help that they deserve so go straight to the top for answers I say !

 

[fallonjp]

Which executives did you e-mail and what was their contact information?

 

[top magoo]

Which executives did you e-mail and what was their contact information?

dan.hesse@sprint.com

 

[Traviswf]

So I just spent two hours on the phone with first Sprint and then HTC. It was disconcerting that I knew more about the phone than the Sprint rep, and I am HARDLY an expert.

HTC was more helpful, but still unable to fix my issue. As I've posted elsewhere, I'm having 100% wake time - and can't fix it without a hard reset, and then the issue returns within a matter of days. This latest time after a soft reset last night.

Here's what HTC told me: "We're still gathering all the issues on this ROM, so it's important to document everything."

He then recommended that, in addition to talking to him - I go to:

Survey.htc.com/worldwide

And in the comments section, document the issue. I'm not sure you can fill that out without making a call first, but he said that form will reach more people than the individual call to the help desk.

Long story short, 2.1 and the hard reset should fix the awake time issue. And since it hasn't - they're thinking that something is happening there inside the ROM. Because the hard reset fixes the issue - even if only temporarily - they don't think it's a hardware issue.

I also told them about the call lag issue - where I can press to call someone and the phone takes anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds to actually make the call. That is also not an issue he was aware of or had a fix for.

So if you're having an issue, I would say make a call to Sprint first to lodge your complaint - and then call HTC. I say Sprint first, because your discontent will likely get you a credit or something for your trouble. Maybe even a free upgrade, if you're lucky.

Oh - and the support guy at HTC told me I should keep an eye on androidforums.com. So yeah... that's a nice thing for the helpful people on this forum, but not so good when that's where you went first!

 

[howiesf]

I completely agree. I wrote a post a while back stating how the only way Sprint or HTC will listen is for everyone to realize that the Hero is screwed up (more so now than with 1.5) . If everyone just sits back and says "oh well, nothing is perc" than these issues will not get resolved. There is strength in numbers and Social Media, big time.