What will happen?

[Doomstang]

So my girlfriend made the mistake of getting a Samsung Moment several months back. She hates the phone and had 1 problem with it before and took it to the sprint store. They said it was faulty and gave her a replacement Moment (that someone else had owned before, it had a crappy version of ghost armor installed and had minor wear even). Her phone has been HORRIBLY laggy lately so I planned to do a factory reset for her this evening. Before I could do that, she restarted it and it got stuck on the Samsung screen for 20 minutes (even after battery pulls). I finally got it to load up once but it said the system process FC'd and wouldn't connect to the 3g network. I was able to do a factory reset through options(but this is not a hard reset through a bootloader like on other phones I've used).
It booted up once but I decided to check to make sure things were ok before handing it back to her so I did one more power cycle. Now it gets stuck 3/4 of the way through the progress bar with the word Samsung on the screen. I've done battery pulls and everything but it never gets past this screen.
I didn't mean to get too detailed with what's wrong with it here but I'll get to my actual questions now:

When we go to the Sprint store tomorrow, what will her options be? Her phone is unusable. I doubt its something they can easily fix and the Moment is no longer carried by Sprint. Do they still hand out 'refubs' of these things or can she possibly be offered an early upgrade? I don't know how Sprint handles these situations so I was hoping someone could give us some info to know what to plan on or expect. She does have insurance on it too.

Thanks in advance

 

[BenChase7]

Since the phone is less than a year old and its a software/internal issue with the phone (not caused by you, right?), I would imagine you wont have to use the Sprint insurance, that will save you the deductible. Hopefully (if they can't fix it) they will just give you a Transform. Which is the sequel to the Moment, I believe.

 

[Doomstang]

Since the phone is less than a year old and its a software/internal issue with the phone (not caused by you, right?), I would imagine you wont have to use the Sprint insurance, that will save you the deductible. Hopefully (if they can't fix it) they will just give you a Transform. Which is the sequel to the Moment, I believe.

I don't know much about the Transform but I'm really hoping they don't try to force her onto the Intercept. That intercept has the same processor as the moment, no flash, lower screen resolution than the Moment, and only has EVDO rev 0 instead of rev A.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

I don't know much about the Transform but I'm really hoping they don't try to force her onto the Intercept. That intercept has the same processor as the moment, no flash, lower screen resolution than the Moment, and only has EVDO rev 0 instead of rev A.

The Intercept upgraded to FroYo, so it has Flash now.

 

[pastafarian]

Last I read, they were offering either an Intercept or a Hero as replacement for any Moment brought in. The Intercept is hardware similar to the Moment and has been updated to a limited version of 2.2 BUT has a lower non standard screen resolution. The Hero is older than the Moment and lower spec wise but is more stable with a far larger dev community. Personally, I would prefer a Transform even though it has been yet to be updated to 2.2 or even better, a OptimusS which features 2.2, a lower hardware spec but is 100% Samsung support free. It's worth the effort to try and nab the either of the 2 later phones over the 2 former. Keep in mind that I'm kind of bitter about Samsung due to poor support of both the Moment and Epic.

 

[Rigmaster]

Just ask if they can give you anything that has froyo. Ask for a Shift and live with the $10 fee added onto your existing contract. All they can do is say no. You should just tell them Samsung isn't working for you.

 

[Doomstang]

The Intercept upgraded to FroYo, so it has Flash now.

My apologies...I meant camera flash. I should have been more specific with the word 'flash' especially on an Android site

Whenever she gets back from class we will head up to the Sprint store and see what they decide... the Evo Shift would be ideal but I think that's a long stretch

 

[tqlla]

howiesf got stuck with a $10 fee, because he had to replace his hero.

Hopefully, you wont face the same fate.

 

[Doomstang]

Well we just got back. They were able to reload the OS onto the Moment but noticed another hardware problem (it only recognizes USB cables and not cables that plug into the wall). They offered another refurb Moment, a refurb Hero with no charger, or a refurb Intercept. I explained how we were really unhappy with it etc and the guy was awesome. He went and spoke to the manager and said they don't normally do it but they offered a brand new Transform. Needless to say, we took the deal.

Thanks everyone for your advice/input on this.

 

[tqlla]

Well we just got back. They were able to reload the OS onto the Moment but noticed another hardware problem (it only recognizes USB cables and not cables that plug into the wall). They offered another refurb Moment, a refurb Hero with no charger, or a refurb Intercept. I explained how we were really unhappy with it etc and the guy was awesome. He went and spoke to the manager and said they don't normally do it but they offered a brand new Transform. Needless to say, we took the deal.

Thanks everyone for your advice/input on this.

Did you get stuck with the $10 fee? Click on "analyze plan" under your account to find out

 

[pastafarian]

Well we just got back. They were able to reload the OS onto the Moment but noticed another hardware problem (it only recognizes USB cables and not cables that plug into the wall). They offered another refurb Moment, a refurb Hero with no charger, or a refurb Intercept. I explained how we were really unhappy with it etc and the guy was awesome. He went and spoke to the manager and said they don't normally do it but they offered a brand new Transform. Needless to say, we took the deal.

Thanks everyone for your advice/input on this.

Excellent news! Good luck with the new toy.

 

[Doomstang]

Did you get stuck with the $10 fee? Click on "analyze plan" under your account to find out

I thought about this on the way home. The guy never mentioned anything about it so I wanted to double check. We tried to log into the account on the Sprint site but my gf didn't know the password (since it's her mom's account). We will find out eventually when she has to pay her mom her portion I guess.

@pastafarian: thanks

 

[Rigmaster]

Aren't the fees only at the time of renewals on contracts or for new contracts?

Glad you got a newer, better phone.

 

[tqlla]

Aren't the fees only at the time of renewals on contracts or for new contracts?

Glad you got a newer, better phone.

I heard that the cashgrab... err fee, applies to any new phone activation.

 

[Rigmaster]

I heard that the cashgrab... err fee, applies to any new phone activation.

You can make the argument that this isn't a new activation - it's a replacement. You didn't ask to buy a new phone, you asked for a replacement. If it's under the existing contract, it's not a new activation.

 

[BenChase7]

Well we just got back. They were able to reload the OS onto the Moment but noticed another hardware problem (it only recognizes USB cables and not cables that plug into the wall). They offered another refurb Moment, a refurb Hero with no charger, or a refurb Intercept. I explained how we were really unhappy with it etc and the guy was awesome. He went and spoke to the manager and said they don't normally do it but they offered a brand new Transform. Needless to say, we took the deal.

Thanks everyone for your advice/input on this.

Excellent news! Cant beat that... Always nice to be offered a NEW phone! Now, how are your experiences with the Transform?

Edit: I think I predicted this in post 2.

 

[tqlla]

I dont know, hopefully the OP doesnt get stuck with the FEE. This guy sounds like he got stuck with the Fee.

The problem here is that yes, "most people" knew the contract about fees and services some did not. However the whole "I activate a new 3G Androd now because of my 5th broken Hero and I suddenly have to pay $10.00 more? WTF? No loyalty for a customer since 98? Sprint is the still the best value for cost. Period. But considering they are still #3" this new 'fee, premiere change, etc is BS !!!!

 

[Doomstang]

Excellent news! Cant beat that... Always nice to be offered a NEW phone! Now, how are your experiences with the Transform?

Edit: I think I predicted this in post 2.

So far she's loved it. I looked it over and changed some settings for her etc but the only real drawback I've notice so far is that there's no notification LED
She's had much better battery life, much better performance, and it's reliable (the old Moment would have ringer delays and lags that she could rarely even answer a call). It's no Evo (like I have) but it's sufficient for her. She will be eligible for upgrade in 3 months (1 year on primary line of premiere account) so we will see if she wants to go to an Evo Shift, Epic, or maybe hold off and see what this summer brings.
And yes, you did predict it, good job

 

[tqlla]

So far she's loved it. I looked it over and changed some settings for her etc but the only real drawback I've notice so far is that there's no notification LED
She's had much better battery life, much better performance, and it's reliable (the old Moment would have ringer delays and lags that she could rarely even answer a call). It's no Evo (like I have) but it's sufficient for her. She will be eligible for upgrade in 3 months (1 year on primary line of premiere account) so we will see if she wants to go to an Evo Shift, Epic, or maybe hold off and see what this summer brings.
And yes, you did predict it, good job

Hopefully she will be eligible in 3 months. But Sprint has changed their Premier plan. The premier upgrade will be a thing of the past unless you are a 10 year customer... or have a huge family/individual plan.

Sprint has been awesome for the last 8 months.
1) Premium data Fee, even though the CEO said that 4G cost less, and could be provided at no additional cost to the customer
2) No more discounts on additional lines on a family plan
3) Premium Data fee added to all smartphones.
4) Removal of annual upgrades. (unless your BASE plan is $90 ind/$170 family - excluding premium data fees)

Word on the street is, if you qualify for an upgrade after April 1, 2011... too bad for you.

 

[Rigmaster]

Upgrades aren't a thing of the past. It's a slow evolution off the subsidized phone model. You can get any phone you want without the "upgrade" and add it to an existing account. Carriers are dropping upgrades because they don't want too many people jumping to these superphones at the same time because the networks aren't ready for the traffic and don't have the coverage.

After LTE is firmly in place, the upgrades will come back. Ebb and flow, ebb and flow, ebb and flow.

 

[oOMavrikOo]

I'm supposed to be eligible around June. I've really had my heart set on the Evo or better. Will I really not be able to upgrade? If so, I'm totally buying out and going to Verizon.

 

[tqlla]

Upgrades aren't a thing of the past. It's a slow evolution off the subsidized phone model. You can get any phone you want without the "upgrade" and add it to an existing account. Carriers are dropping upgrades because they don't want too many people jumping to these superphones at the same time because the networks aren't ready for the traffic and don't have the coverage.

After LTE is firmly in place, the upgrades will come back. Ebb and flow, ebb and flow, ebb and flow.

I just got a letter from Sprint. Premier upgrades are gone. Unless your base indivdual plan is $90 or $170 for Family.

Not sure if we get a last chance to upgrade though. The rumor mill says no last chance to upgrade.

 

[Doomstang]

I just got a letter from Sprint. Premier upgrades are gone. Unless your base indivdual plan is $90 or $170 for Family.

Not sure if we get a last chance to upgrade though. The rumor mill says no last chance to upgrade.

Being a customer for 10+ years also makes you eligible for the higher status to continue the same upgrade schedule.

 

[tqlla]

Being a customer for 10+ years also makes you eligible for the higher status to continue the same upgrade schedule.

So did you find out if you are getting the premium data fee on your Wifes line?

 

[oOMavrikOo]

I just got a letter from Sprint. Premier upgrades are gone. Unless your base indivdual plan is $90 or $170 for Family.

Not sure if we get a last chance to upgrade though. The rumor mill says no last chance to upgrade.

That sucks. I will be on the phone with Sprint later this week. If they take away my eligibility before my contract is out, then I should be able to leave them without paying an etf. For people who actually care what phone they're using, this is almost as bad as buying a Super Bowl ticket, flying to Dallas, then being told you have to watch the game on a giant tv screen outside the stadium... in the cold!
I'm thinking about a Thunderbolt all of a sudden, maybe even an iPhone. Anything's better than putting up with Sprint's inconsistency.