Finally calling samsung re: shutdowns

[mnemonicj]

I'm pretty sure HTC is a safe bet, it is considered one of the more durable brands out there today, along with Motorola and Blackberry (From a malfunction standpoint).

Speaking from experience, Nokias are incredibly reliable, for the most part. The Samsung Captivate is only my second personal (non-work) cell phone I have ever had that was not a Nokia and I have had 12 personal cell phones. My last Nokia, the N95, had a software update that came out more than 2 years after the phone was released in the US, with some pretty good feature updates. I would like to see Samsung try and support the software on their phones for more than a year.

But, Nokia's downfall is Symbian. I am not saying they should use Android, but they should have updated their OS long before the N8 came out.

I agree about HTC. I will definitely be considering them when looking to replace my Captivate.

 

[Timberline]

Well here I was thinking I'd dodged all the bullets: GPS works fine, no shutdowns, no significant lags......

And then the past few nights I leave my Cap on over night only to wake up the next morning with the power off, so I guess I've got the random shutdown issue now.

I'll take mine into the store where I bought it to see if they'll do a real time swap there - if not, guess I'll call ATT.

 

[KMan94]

FWIW... I'm on my second Captivate. The first one had nothing GPS wise. The second is great (relatively speaking) for GPS but shut down randomly the first few days I had it but then stopped that behaviour. Going on 3 weeks now and it has been solid as a rock. I'm wondering why and if I should still return it although as I said, it has been fine for 3 weeks. Bought it through Costco so I have 90 days. Thoughts?

 

[arthur568]

there's a thread on XDA about a press release about random shut down.

At&t captivate shut down press release - xda-developers


Date Published: December 20, 2010
Manufacturer(s): Samsung
Model(s): i897 (Captivate)
Issue Type: Informational

Issue Summary

AT&T and Samsung are working together on a power off issue on the Samsung i897 Captivate. There is a small group of Samsung i897 Captivate devices which may experience power off when in standby mode. All devices manufactured after November 6, 2010 should not have this issue. Most customers are not expected to see an issue, however the following IMEI range could potentially have the issue and AT&T and Samsung want to ensure these customers have the best possible experience and quickly address customer care inquiries should they arise:

IMEIs manufactured before November 6, 2010: 352982040855394 or lower - 5393, 5392, etc.

If customers reports that their device is powering off when in standby mode please assist them with exchanging their device.

SKU: 65187

Critical Must Know/Must Do

Customer/Embedded Base: If a customer has the power off issue when in standby mode please exchange their device. Customers with the launch software version i897UCJF6 are more apt to have the standby power off issue. Meanwhile customers that have devices manufactured after November 6, 2010 should have software version i897UCJH7 which fixes the Power Cycling related to SW issues.
Existing Product: All devices that were manufactured before November 6, 2010 have the potential to be affected.
New Product: Devices manufactured after November 6, 2010 should not experience this issue.
Distribution Center: No action necessary.
Channel Instructions

Company Owned Retail: Continue to sell through existing inventory. If a customer has the power off issue when in standby mode please exchange their device.
Dealers: No action necessary.
National Retail: No action necessary.
Direct Fulfillment: Continue to sell through existing inventory. If a customer has the power off issue when in standby mode please exchange their device.
Customer Returns and Exchanges: Standard under 30-day returns are in effect for this issue.
Accountability/Responsibility

Distribution Centers: No action necessary.
Channels/Markets: Adhere to Standard Operating Procedures.
Returns Processing Center: Adhere to Standard Returns Processes.
Supply Chain: Please send questions or comments to SCM Product Advisory.

 

[tompac]

I had that problem, a new battery and re-boot has apparently solved the issue. I no longer charge my battery past the full charge indicator which in reality is 95%. Hope this helps

 

[Jack45]

I had that problem, a new battery and re-boot has apparently solved the issue. I no longer charge my battery past the full charge indicator which in reality is 95%. Hope this helps

First, welcome!

New battery: A senior AT&T warranty person confirmed to me that a replacement battery is a placebo and hasn't helped anyone with the shutdown issue.

95% charge level: You're settling. Don't settle. If you purchased a toaster that didn't operate properly you'd exchange it. This is much more expensive than a toaster.

Nothing's been solved.

 

[oglala.lakota.grrrl]

btw, has anyone had success with a factory reset stopping the random shutdowns?

No. I tried it on my own the second day after I received mine. It started turning off once a day the second day and now it turns off every time it sleeps (at least 20) times a day and I've had it since 12-3. Good luck. AT&T knew my phone was bad the first time I called, the second time I called and the third time I called when they decided to send a refurbished replacement. Of course I expect that one to "work as if new". This 2nd Captivate is the 4th replacement phone for the defective NEW BlackBerry I bought July 26, 2010, always replaced with what they call "reconditioned" by the factory.

 

[neo1973]

Just called ATT warranty - they offered to send me a phone or I could pick one up locally. No hassles. They know whats going on.

They said it was a refurb, but we'll see if they actually have any refurbs at the store or not.

More updates as the story progresses.

 

[jblaze5779]

If I bought my phone at walmart on opening day how do I go about getting my shutdown problems addressed? Do I need to call samsung directly? What is the warranty period on these phones?

 

[neo1973]

If I bought my phone at walmart on opening day how do I go about getting my shutdown problems addressed? Do I need to call samsung directly? What is the warranty period on these phones?

Call ATT support; its 611 on an ATT phone.

I believe the warranty is 1 year on the phone.

 

[neo1973]

Posted this on the Support & Troubleshooting too:

I bought from wirefly in September. ATT did not ask, I did not tell. They had me read them my IMEI number, check for water ingress, and advised me I could either get one shipped or pick one up locally. I chose the latter.

They exchanged it with smiling faces, no issues at all. Made sure all my data was backed up to my SD card, re-installed it on the new phone, and threw ATK on there for me.

This is a painless operation now, as ATT knows (though they didn't directly acknowledge it) that there is an issue with this phone. Stop beating your head in and exchange your bad Cappy.

 

[neo1973]

Interesting discovery...

I ran the *#06# on my phone, juuuuuuuust to see...

This phone is actually OLDER than my previous phone. I don't know what they could have refurbed, but I hope it was the right thing. Can't say I'm not completely apprehensive and mildly disappointed.

*fingers crossed*

 

[xeni0o]

I called ATT last night as well and as soon as I mentioned to him the random shutdowns he had me read the SKU number to him along with the IMEI and he told me that samsung created a bad batch of phones and the new phone that they are shipping out to me will have this issue fixed. I asked him if it also fixes the GPS issue and he said it should after I upgrade to JH7 (which I don't believe). I'll update again once the new phone comes in.

Between how can you determine the manufacturing date based on the IMEI?

 

[Jack45]

...how can you determine the manufacturing date based on the IMEI?

You need to register your phone on the Samsung Web site to see the build date.

Samsung

 

[xeni0o]

You need to register your phone on the Samsung Web site to see the build date.

Samsung

Thanks "(Manufactured: 08/23/2010)". I talked to ATT last night about the random shutdown issues and they told me they are aware of the issue and that they are issuing replacement phones. Let's see if this phone still has the issue and when it was manufactured.

 

[Timberline]

Well here I was thinking I'd dodged all the bullets: GPS works fine, no shutdowns, no significant lags......

And then the past few nights I leave my Cap on over night only to wake up the next morning with the power off, so I guess I've got the random shutdown issue now.

I'll take mine into the store where I bought it to see if they'll do a real time swap there - if not, guess I'll call ATT.

I may have solved mine after it had begun consistently shutting down each night and sometimes throughout the day. I uninstalled Battery Solo Widget and it hasn't shut down since. It's only been a couple days but it's already more stable than with this widget installed.

 

[Edge1978]

I am so glad Samsung is finally addressing the issue, because I did love the Captivate, I just couldn't deal with random shut downs. So I can once again get the Captivate in the near future

 

[a2gtinut]

I found reason for shut downs.My wife and i went skiing today to area with bad ATT coverage. Both of our phone switched off. Serial number of mine is newer than hers and not part of tis notice.
I will try to contact Samsung and see what they have to say about it..

 

[ripspawn]

Thanks! I bought from Wirefly as well, followed below instructions to a T. AT&T could not have been more helpful, drove 10 minutes to a AT&T center and was handed a refurb phone with all contacts switched over.
Phone alarm went off for the 1st time in a long time this morning, even got a few calls!
Make sure they ask for your IMEI number over the phone.

Posted this on the Support & Troubleshooting too:

I bought from wirefly in September. ATT did not ask, I did not tell. They had me read them my IMEI number, check for water ingress, and advised me I could either get one shipped or pick one up locally. I chose the latter.

They exchanged it with smiling faces, no issues at all. Made sure all my data was backed up to my SD card, re-installed it on the new phone, and threw ATK on there for me.

This is a painless operation now, as ATT knows (though they didn't directly acknowledge it) that there is an issue with this phone. Stop beating your head in and exchange your bad Cappy.

 

[El Niche]

Thanks! I bought from Wirefly as well, followed below instructions to a T. AT&T could not have been more helpful, drove 10 minutes to a AT&T center and was handed a refurb phone with all contacts switched over.
Phone alarm went off for the 1st time in a long time this morning, even got a few calls!
Make sure they ask for your IMEI number over the phone.

Same here, I bought from Amazon. Just went to the Repair Center, she opened my phone, checked water damage. 5 min later they were moving my contacts. Hopefully I wont have to come back 3 weeks from now.... I think battery life on the new one has changed tho....

 

[sremick]

Add me to this list of people who can confirm the validity of the memo. I have a decent inside contact at AT&T who's higher-up. His response after I showed it to him and asked him to confirm:

The ID code at the beginning of the document is real from an intranet site...I searched it and found the same document although it didn't come up in my normal feed.

Someone should be losing their job though for doing that!

 

[neo1973]

Just updating - 2 weeks in, zero shutdowns. GPS works better than before, although I am a lot more laggy on this phone than the previous one.

Downloaded text to voice and enjoyed Maps navigation for the first time last night. I was grinning the whole way

 

[qwertyaas]

My phone locked up last night (due to a buggy app I think)... After an up time of ~920 hours.

Not too bad

 

[Special K]

I exchanged my Captivate one week ago at an AT&T service center and here are the results so far:

1. No more random power downs (previously they would occur a few times per day)
2. No more random buttom presses (previously the home button would randomly start acting like it was being pressed over and over very quickly)
3. No creaky backplate release tab (previously the gray tab at the bottom of the back side of the phone that releases the backplate was loose and "creaky" when you touched it - you can find other people reporting this issue if you search)
4. GPS seems a bit faster to lock, but still needs improvement

Hopefully none of these issues return. My original captivate was manufactured in August 2010 and started experiencing the shutdown bug in mid-November, about 2 months after I bought it. As time went on the frequency of the shutdowns steadily increased.

I received a refurbished replacement. According to the AT&T rep at the service center, a refurbished unit may contain internal circuitry that has been used in a previous phone, but must contain a brand new exterior. This is just an FYI for anyone who was wondering.

The AT&T rep was aware of the random shutdown issue and exchanged my phone without any trouble. He also backed up all of my data and text messages (but not apps) and put them on the new phone.