Decided to return my hardware locked Vibrant...

[RichieHD]

for another Vibrant! HAHA. I wouldn't get rid of this bad boy. Too much potential. T-Mo is sending me a new phone. They ASSURED me the new batch was not hardware locked. Not only that, it's coming in a Vibrant box, not a brown box... she said there hasn't been a lot of returns on this phone so there is a 100% guarantee it's a new phone and not a refurb.

Yay for me!

 

[sano614]

Very nice!

If this one does turn out to be hardware locked as well, there is a way now to fix it. Just have to flash a file with ODIN and it works after that!

 

[VegasTouch]

What do you mean by hardware locked?

 

[SamsungVibrant]

What do you mean by hardware locked?

Using the 3 buttons does not give you access to recovery and/or download mode.

Meaning if you ever need to do a hard reset, or whatever, you can not do it via the 3 buttons.

There was a bad batch or something.

 

[SamsungVibrant]

for another Vibrant! HAHA. I wouldn't get rid of this bad boy. Too much potential. T-Mo is sending me a new phone. They ASSURED me the new batch was not hardware locked. Not only that, it's coming in a Vibrant box, not a brown box... she said there hasn't been a lot of returns on this phone so there is a 100% guarantee it's a new phone and not a refurb.

Yay for me!

How can they assure it will be new? Brown boxes are refurbs? how long have you had the phone?

 

[RichieHD]

They said the batches of phones they have at the warehouse are brand new since the phone is only 3 months old and there hasn't been many returns so there aren't many refurbs at the warehouse.

I also couldn't use ODIN. My phone would NEVER let me use it. It was so borked.

How would I use Titanium to transfer my apps from one phone to the next?

 

[Swizz]

When it comes to warranty exchanges and refurbs, the general rule of thumb is six months. Meaning, from the time a phone is released it takes six months for the first refurbished phone to be deemed in need of a warranty, sent back, processed, repaired and sent back out. So, regardless of the phone, doing a warranty exchanged within the first six months of launch can pretty much guarantee a brand new replacement.

 

[SamsungVibrant]

When it comes to warranty exchanges and refurbs, the general rule of thumb is six months. Meaning, from the time a phone is released it takes six months for the first refurbished phone to be deemed in need of a warranty, sent back, processed, repaired and sent back out. So, regardless of the phone, doing a warranty exchanged within the first six months of launch can pretty much guarantee a brand new replacement.

Is this why forum user pantelesspanguin got a refurb and it hasn't been six months since Vibrant's release? Only 3 months....So much for that 6 month theory.
http://androidforums.com/samsung-vi...e-glitch-im-getting-warranty-replacement.html

Plus there are bunch of people on xda who got refurbs last month also, and that was just 2 months after release.

 

[southplatte]

Personally, I don't care if my replacement is new or refurb as long as

1) it is NOT hardware locked
2) it is in 100% top functioning
3) it is in 100% top cosmetic

Besides, they come with a 1 year warranty new and the refurb carries out the remainder of the 1 years is what Tmo told me. If you have no standard warranty left, then you get a 90-day on it, again what Tmo told me.

 

[RichieHD]

UPDATE:
Got the new unit. Despite what they ASSURED me, it was a refurb unit. I'm actually okay with it. It is in PRISTINE condition. It is also not hardware locked. There is no lag and after updating to the J16, the GPS is actually better on this unit then the last. I am indoors and get a 10-20 meter lock. Before it was 30 in the same spot. Outdoors is spot on though, so yay me. Also, the Home/Back/etc. buttons are more responsive.