Replacement (Refurb) Phone Hell

[Lucidot]

Well, This just sucks. My first Eris had a blown speaker and made it so I could hardly hear it ring if it was in my pocket so I called up the store I bought it at and they had a new (refurb'd) unit shipped FedEx to me. I got it yesterday and wasn't able to do anything with it until very late in the evening. So I got it all activated and did the test call while talking to the rep on the land line. Everything seemed to work. So I put it on charge and went to bed.

This morning I came into work and hadn't used the phone yet. The phone rings and I answer it. I hear a hello on the other end and then nothing. I think well WTF. So I call them back and nothing. I can't even hear it ringing on the other end, just a hum coming from the speaker on the back of the phone. I try this a few more times and say screw it and call them back on my office phone.

In the meantime I do a battery pull and when it comes back up I am able to make a call and was talking for about 30 seconds and it did it again. At this point I am thinking it may be one of the 3 apps I installed on it. Google Voice, Mobile Defense and Zedge Ringtones. So I uninstalled all 3 and did another battery pull. I was able to talk again for about 30 seconds and this time the hum was considerably louder. So I do another battery pull and leave the battery out for quite a while. This time around I got about 10 seconds and I had to put my finger over the speaker because the hum was extremely loud. People 3 offices down heard it plain as day. I called the store and the first question they asked me if I had installed ATK and used it. I almost laughed at first. I told them the phone was junk and I wanted a replacement immediately. They said to bring it in and they would give me a new one.

 

[OfTheDamned]

So this would be your 3rd phone with speaker problems? That really sucks. I hope they do give you a brand new one this time. Let us know hoe it turns out.

 

[jdog94]

I just got a replacement from Verizon how do you know if its new or refurb?

 

[Lucidot]

Yep. 3rd one. After speaking to them again, I am over my 30 days by 4 days and they can't exchange it for a new one in the store and no stores have any warranty replacements yet so I have to wait to get another phone.

4 freakin' days.

 

[tjbessey]

Verizon replacement / refurbed phones are terrible and the Verizon Wireless Quality Control process is a joke. I had an issue with my BB last year and it took three weeks and four BBs before we could get a phone that worked. All the phones I rejected has keyboard issues. When I complained about the QC or lack thereof the Rep tried to tell me how they are rigorous standards. I cut him right off and asked him if he had ever used a blackberry? He had not. I told him that on a Curve all you had to do is run your thumb over the phone and that will tell you if a key is not working. He was surprised.

That whole nightmare caused me to have to reactive my enterprise service with my home office 6 times in three weeks. I was very popular.

tj

 

[Lucidot]

I just got a replacement from Verizon how do you know if its new or refurb?

There will be a round blue sticker in the battery compartment that has the letters NB and a date below that. The sticker is about the size of a pencil eraser.

 

[pkopalek]

The Verizon store will take care of you.

You haven't had the REPLACEMENT for 30 days. It's not the same as the one you got originally.

Besides that, it's a manufacturuer's defect anyway. HTC should be covering it if Verizon doesn't.

At the store, they should, unquestionably, be able to give you another one.

 

[Lucidot]

The Verizon store will take care of you.

You haven't had the REPLACEMENT for 30 days. It's not the same as the one you got originally.

Besides that, it's a manufacturuer's defect anyway. HTC should be covering it if Verizon doesn't.

At the store, they should, unquestionably, be able to give you another one.

They said since it is a replacement that the 30 days does not apply. I am talking to another store (large one) at the moment and asking for a manager to see if they can do anything for me. Sucks that I have been a VZW customer for 15 years or more and have never had an issue.

 

[bowerman]

I hear ya on the replacement devices. I went through 6 storm 2's in 6 weeks.

 

[jreed2560]

How does the warranty replacements on smartphones work on Verizon? Do they still just send you a phone sans battery in a white/brown box? Or does it come with everything in the original packaging?

 

[bowerman]

With the blackberry, it just came with the phone in a white box. no battery or anything.

 

[jreed2560]

Yeah that's the way it was when I worked there. I needed my phone replaced about a week ago due to an issue with dropped calls. I am outside. The thirty days so I figured I wouldn't get a brand new phone so I refused a replacement. No way I'm getting a fru smartphone.

 

[bowerman]

Yeah with the blackberry's the issues were all obvious within 3 minutes of using the phone. If they actually bothered to test them it would eliminate a lot of issues. I honestly think when they get a return, they don't even really check it. I'm having a wifi issue with the new eris they gave me instead of another blackberry. I think I'm going to just live with it, because I'm afraid that I will end up getting a more major problem with a replacement phone.

 

[jdog94]

There will be a round blue sticker in the battery compartment that has the letters NB and a date below that. The sticker is about the size of a pencil eraser.

well i guess i got a new eris i didnt have any kind of sticker in it

 

[bowerman]

You probably did get a new one. The Eris is fairly new so I bet they dont have many refurbs available yet. Good luck!

 

[antnyp85]

I think I'm on my 4th Eris lol... I lost count. Kept having issues and got like 3 NEW phones, and finally the 4th one had to be mailed to me. I was told it MIGHT be a "Certified Like-New Replacement" phone from Verizon (aka Refurbished)... But that this phone is so new, it would most likely be a brand new phone... I THINK I got a brand new one because usually Verizon puts a sticker that specifically says "Certified Like-New Replacement" right on it... I've had refurbished phones from them before, and they always had a sticker that said that... I MIGHT BE WRONG, just throwing in my 2 cents. Either way, this phone is working a lot better than the other 3 I had haha.

 

[bowerman]

haha good deal. I called today and they are sending me another brand new one. Hope it works out for the best for both of us haha.