Verizon police - me? Behind bars?

[GADGETDUDE]

I have an HTC Rezound phone. There are apparently MANY reasons to root this phone. For example, to get rid of programs I have ZERO interest in and gain more memory space. Verizon tells me that if I root my phone that there is ZERO warranty on the phone. What I want to know is, how is any new phone user supposed to know that rooting is against the "Verizon lawbook in the cloud? I looked in my manual and this is not mentioned anywhere. Am I supposed to be able to read their mind? Maybe it IS in 2 point typeface somewhere in a 100 page contract I must have digitally signed somewhere along the line. This sounds very unfair. Anyone agree?

 

[Rukbat]

They tell you that you may only run Verizon-pproved software inb the phone. This means (even though they don't spell it out) that running su or SuperSU or any ther means of rooting the phone violates that policy.

Do I agree that this makes the carriers resemble vacuum cleaners? Absolutely. ROMs I can mainly live without, but without root? Try riding a bike with both feet tied behind your ears. That's what they're doing to us - not letting us use our phones.

 

[Hadron]

Do your warranty terms refer to modifying software? They don't have to use the word "root".

(I've never seen a Verizon warranty in person, but everything I read about them makes me pity those for whom they are the only carrier with viable coverage).

 

[mikedt]

Do your warranty terms refer to modifying software? They don't have to use the word "root".

(I've never seen a Verizon warranty in person, but everything I read about them makes me pity those for whom they are the only carrier with viable coverage).

http://www.verizonwireless.com/pdfs...mited_Warranty_or_Service_Contract_050807.pdf
"IV. WHAT THIS WARRANTY OR SERVICE CONTRACT DOES NOT COVER:
C. Defects or damage from improper testing, operation, maintenance, installation, adjustment, or any alteration or modification of any kind; "

I guess that might cover rooting, etc. as an improper or unauthorised modification. Doesn't matter if it's tiny or in a 100 page contract, you agreed to it. IANAL but I think it's down to the plaintiff to prove that it was an unreasonable and unfair condition.

 

[Hadron]

Well it says defects arising from, so if you had the time and money I'm sure you could challenge whether your faulty volume switch is because you modified the software. But these outfits know that most can't or won't do that.

Doesn't mean there isn't another clause in there that would cover them anyway. But yeah, that's the sort of thing I was expecting, a catch-all on modification.

 

[argedion]

Even though its in the policy most of the stores will still try to help you fix what is wrong with your phone. I boot looped my phone and they tried to help. Fortunately I was able to fix it myself but they knowing it was rooted did everything they could short of switching phones.

 

[zuben el genub]

TMO is pretty good about phones. I must have had 3 or 4 unlocked and mostly European phones bought from Amazon. They admired the Nokia c6 and did help with any problems with these phones. TMO also knew I rooted the SGS4G and didn't say anything except ask if I knew about the warranty disclaimer. Most of the employees in the store had rooted their phones, so that TMO version of Froyo must have really been lousy.

The last phones - Nexus S bought used, Nexus 4, bought from Google, both unlocked, so no concern of theirs what I did with the phone.

I don't like Verizon's policies, don't care if they have good coverage, I'm not using them. Had them once, and that was enough.

 

[Goodspike]

Well it says defects arising from, so if you had the time and money I'm sure you could challenge whether your faulty volume switch is because you modified the software. But these outfits know that most can't or won't do that.

I suspect that they either can't or won't claim a void warranty on something that is clearly a hardware issue, but with many problems that might be difficult to prove.

Think of it sort of like an automaker. They would be hard pressed to not cover a broken AC unit just because the owner didn't change their oil.

 

[Rukbat]

It's not just the carriers. I haven't actually gone through every word of every warranty for every phone I've owned, but I'm sure that modifying the software or firmware in any way other than that approved by the manufacturer (which they never spell out, so "you used your left hand" is covered)is spelled out in so many words as a voiding of all parts of any warranty.

Straight Talk used to cancel your account for streaming, even though they included the Youtube app on the phones they sold you.

The manufacturers and carriers know that covering all the lawsuits they'll every have to face over any of these issues will cost them less than their TV budget for one week in any major market. It's a cost/benefit thing. Make billions selling phones under conditions that would make Genghis Khan envious, and absorb a few hundred thousand in losses. If you sue they win and if you don't sue they win.

 

[Goodspike]

It's the manufacturer, not the carrier, that warrants the phone. In another thread I suggested looking up the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act to see on what grounds a warranty can be cancelled. Since I don't root I don't care enough to look it up.

 

[Codegerm]

Usually in the box your phone came in is the warranty information from the manufacturer. A simple solution is to have accident insurance on the device.

 

[Goodspike]

One thing just occurred to me. Sites/entities/people who provide information/software/etc. related to rooting and custom roms probably put in as many warnings as possible so that if something bad happens they can point to that warning to avoid liability. So it's in their interest to say the manufacturer won't cover the device.

 

[lunatic59]

Here's the dealy-yo ... if you signed the user agreement, you agreed to it.

Dealy-yo [deel-e-o] n. fr. d

 

[HanSolo]

Verizon blows. I finally ditched them and went to T-Mobile. Couldn't be happier.

When I got the Nexus 5, the guys at T-Mobile went on and on about how awesome it is with rooting. They told me to make sure to "unroot" it if I want to trade it in on the JUMP! program down the road.

I remember asking one Verizon employee about rooting my Galaxy Nexus. He shook his head very seriously and said that if I rooted my phone, it would break and be unusable.