Fascinate Swap?!

[Alan Gordon]

My Fascinate is a POS.

I joined Verizon in November of last year, and use their family plan. When we signed up, we got four Samsung Fascinates.

Shortly after getting the phones (a month maybe?), I was playing a game of Angry Birds when my phone became unresponsive. I had to take off the back and take the battery out, and then restart the phone. Since that time, this is becoming a daily, or even twice daily occurrence (dependent upon how much I use it that day) ... and unlike my experience with "Angry Birds", I no longer have to be doing anything CPU intensive. The other day, I opened "CONTACTS" and it locked up after telling it to call one of them. There's been times I wasn't even using the phone, pick it up and I can't get it to respond to anything.

I NEED to replace it. It's simply not worth the money spent on it each month. However, before I contact Verizon about it, what do I need to do?

• Do I need to write down all my apps, or will I have access to them once I sign into my Google account with the replacement?

• My battery life is RIDICULOUSLY BAD!! Should I mention that to Verizon, or just forget it?

Two of the other three Fascinates on my account have issues, but nothing as bad as mine. I read where you can get Droid X or Droid Incredible replacements, and I was planning to ask for a Droid X replacement, but I already have the docking station as well as a belt holder for the Fascinate, so I think I'm just going to try my luck with another one. If an iPhone 4 was a choice, I'd probably forget about the cost of the case and dock, but since it's not an option...

~Alan

 

[mozar]

I haven't had the problems you've had but i've had the same common problem that most fascinates have. I went to the verizon store near me and was told not given the choice to switch phones. So i should be getting my new fascinate sometime today.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using DroidForums

 

[Alan Gordon]

I haven't had the problems you've had but i've had the same common problem that most fascinates have. I went to the verizon store near me and was told not given the choice to switch phones. So i should be getting my new fascinate sometime today.

Does one HAVE to go to the store, or does one have the choice of calling Verizon?!

~Alan

 

[TBV]

Make sure your contacts are backed up via Backup Assisitant or GMail or both, connect the device to your computer and save all of your pics/videos to your computer (something that should be done routinely anyway). If you do not know what your Gmail user name and password are, find out and write it down.

Check to make sure you are running the most recent software (s/w)...the easiest way is to bring down your notification bar, and if you see that airplane icon on the top right, you are running the 2.1 s/w and need to update to 2.2.

I apologize if you are already on 2.2 and I am stating the obvious, but just in case you are not and do not know how to do so, here we go:

Settings > About Phone > System Updates > Check New

If you are on old s/w you will be prompted that there is an update available, go ahead and dload and install, it should take no more than about 5 minutes or so.

After the update, perform a hard reset...here's the path:

Settings > Privacy > un-check 'auto restore' and 'Back up data' (I will explain why) > Factory data reset.

After the reset go through the steps of activating the phone...pretty basic stuff, the phone walks you through it.

The reason I earlier advised to back up you pics, and other media on your CPU is because although the hard reset is not designed to wipe your memory card, you never know what a computer may do, so rather be safe than sorry.

The reason I advised to uncheck 'auto restore' and 'Back up data' is because IMO, if you do a hard reset and have everything automatically restore as it was previously, you may be defeating the purpose of the hard reset (just speaking from my experience in the stores, others may differ).

Bottom line, whether you call Customer Care or go into a store (if people are following the methods and procedures), this process needs to be performed (making sure device is running most recent s/w and performing hard reset) before any replacement (which BTW will be the same device, not a different one, as the Fascinate is not out of stock in the warehouse) will be sent out, so I would not want you to go into this with an unrealistic expectation. TBV

 

[mozar]

Does one HAVE to go to the store, or does one have the choice of calling Verizon?!

~Alan[/QUOTE]

I called first and they wanted me to do all the tech stuff, but since i only have my cell i had to go to the store so they could do most of the over the phone tech. I did bring up that i read up on the problems my phone has been having, and was told they don't offer different phones bevause of the problems i've been having.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using DroidForums

 

[Alan Gordon]

Bottom line, whether you call Customer Care or go into a store (if people are following the methods and procedures), this process needs to be performed (making sure device is running most recent s/w and performing hard reset) before any replacement (which BTW will be the same device, not a different one, as the Fascinate is not out of stock in the warehouse) will be sent out, so I would not want you to go into this with an unrealistic expectation.

I'm currently running the most recent software.... the one from last month. I was previously hoping that 2.2 would fix the problems with my phone, and for a day or two, I thought the one from last month fixed my problems, but it didn't.

My contacts are already backed up via Backup Assistant, and there are some photos I'll need to back up, which will unfortunately be a lot of fun since my phone won't currently connect to my computer. Mainly I'm just curious as to whether or not I'll need to write down my apps?

I've already tried a hard reset on the phone to see if it fixed my problems. It didn't, but I know it was going to be done again...

As far as the different phones go, I've read multiple postings of posters who continued to press hard and get a different model, and I thought I would try it, until I thought about how much money I had invested in accessories for the Fascinate. My only hope now is that I get a decent Fascinate (as I said earlier, of the four we have on our plan, three of them have issues... mine is the worse though).

~Alan

 

[TBV]

Although performing a hard reset is rather basic and anyone could execute it, it is best to take it into the store (sorry I didn't mention this above) because when we do it in the store, we will remark the account that the step has been performed (if the person is doing their job correctly), so if the issues still arise and we can duplicate the issue in the store, we do not have to go through that process again.

It is not as if we do not believe a person when they say that they already did a hard reset, but without having done it ourselves and/or find the documentation in the account that it has been done by someone else, we have to do it again anyway as required by the M&P's... TBV

 

[Alan Gordon]

Although performing a hard reset is rather basic and anyone could execute it, it is best to take it into the store (sorry I didn't mention this above) because when we do it in the store, we will remark the account that the step has been performed (if the person is doing their job correctly), so if the issues still arise and we can duplicate the issue in the store, we do not have to go through that process again.

I'm not looking forward to going into the store... no telling how long it will take... especially if they intend on trying to recreate the "issues" associated with the phone.

~Alan

 

[TBV]

Both my wife and I have the Fascinate and have very few issues, other than after the 2.2 update the device was acting very strange... performed the hard reset (the only one I have had to do in the 10 months or so that I have had it) & the phones have been great.

I'm not super-techie (but one of my sons is ), but if I had one gripe on the Fascinate it would be that the device would probably be smoother across the board if it had more RAM...to offset that, I just stay on top of clearing out the email and messaging folders, and throughout the day clearing the cache using the Task Manager app that is native to the phone.

I truly believe by following those simple steps, I have kept the device from experiencing the little freezes and glitches I have hear/read/seen people complain about. (shrugs shoulders) TBV

 

[Alan Gordon]

to offset that, I just stay on top of clearing out the email and messaging folders, and throughout the day clearing the cache using the Task Manager app that is native to the phone.

I get about 10 E-mails a week on the Fascinate, and delete them all right after receiving them. I also use the Task Manager app that is native to the phone as well...

I do not delete my text folders, but my Mom does with her Fascinate, and she's starting to have her phone lock up from time to time as well. She never had that problem prior to Froyo, and at least hers is not as frequent as my issues.

~Alan

 

[mozar]

Got the new phone yesturday and the problems still there. So i talked to verizon today and i'm getting a "like new" droid charge as a replacement.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using DroidForums

 

[turbodroid2]

I just called Verizon regarding my wifes Fascinate... battery life sucking, screens doing weird crap, phone getting hot, non-responsive, etc...
The rep I talked to had a Fascinate w/the same issues and apparently they've been trying to correct the issues with updates and stuff. However, they do have a program in place and I was given the choice of 4 phones as replacements:

- Fascinate
- X2
- HTC Incredible 2
- Samsung Charge

She's goin with the Incredible 2.

Best of all, it's free and covered under the warranty and the phone she'll be getting is BRAND NEW!

So, no complaints and I'm happy with the customer service...

 

[regkilla]

How u get Verizon to give u a replacement like a Droid Charge, Incredible 2, or Droid X2. What u tell Verizon?

 

[turbodroid2]

Just told them the truth... the battery life sucked, got hot, it would freeze at diff times on diff screens, sometimes take a screenshot of the screen it was frozen on, buttons and widgets would act like they were having seizures, etc...
Told them I've tried the factory reset, soft resets, remove the battery, etc...

I was expecting them to have me go thru all of that on the phone, but they didn't. Told me about the new "program" and what phones she could get. She went to the local Verizon store, checked em out and called me to let me know she wanted the I2. I called Verizon and told them, her brand new phone will be here by weeks end.

Total time on the phone w/Verizon: 8mins
Cost of brand new HTC Incredible 2: $0
Happy wife: PRICELESS!

 

[archercap]

No such luck for me

I called VZW and gave them a similar list of issues (dropped calls, overheating, freezing up, poor reception, etc.) I explained that I was hoping the 2.2 update would address these issues but it doesn't look like it has. They said the best they could do under my set of circumstances was to send me a replacement Fascinate. I was really hoping for a choice of different models but no such luck.