Boot loop problem and my factory repair story

[Adam Frix]

OK, so 9 days ago my V10 went into boot loop. Tuesday night 12/6. I thought about a V20, but T-Mobile annoyed me so I hit Swappa and got a very very very nice used V10 for a great deal. So by Friday afternoon I was back in business.

But over the weekend I thought about it, and decided to send my original back to LG and see what they said. There was no downside, after all. So Monday I sent it off, on their dime, and they got it Wednesday--yesterday.

According to their repair tracking, they logged it in just before noon their time (Texas). By 10:30pm yesterday--10.5 hours later--they had it boxed back up and a label on it. It now awaits FedEx to pick it up and transport it back to me.

Color me shocked.

Now, there's a punch line to all of this: I bought this V10 used, and have zero paperwork for it. All I know is, I got it the day after Thanksgiving, 2015. That's all I told LG. When I entered my information, they asked for my purchase paperwork--but because I don't have any, I left that blank.

I did describe the phone as having the "dreaded boot loop" in my description. Maybe that's all they needed. Or maybe they know that some serial number ranges all need fixed, no matter what. I do remember seeing that they've extended the warranty an extra 3 months; by definition, all V10s are in warranty, right? Maybe that's it. Or maybe they're trying to avoid getting bad press like Samsung did with batteries. Who knows.

I halfway expected a call or an email outlining how they know how to fix it, and it will cost $X. Or maybe just an email telling me, too bad, so sad, we fix only warranty issues, you didn't present this as a warranty claim with any paperwork, so we're sending it back. And maybe that's what they've done, who knows.

I'll know in a few days.

 

[muckrakerX]

Glad to hear you got it fixed under warranty.

 

[kixfan]

OK, so 9 days ago my V10 went into boot loop. Tuesday night 12/6. I thought about a V20, but T-Mobile annoyed me so I hit Swappa and got a very very very nice used V10 for a great deal. So by Friday afternoon I was back in business.

But over the weekend I thought about it, and decided to send my original back to LG and see what they said. There was no downside, after all. So Monday I sent it off, on their dime, and they got it Wednesday--yesterday.

According to their repair tracking, they logged it in just before noon their time (Texas). By 10:30pm yesterday--10.5 hours later--they had it boxed back up and a label on it. It now awaits FedEx to pick it up and transport it back to me.

Color me shocked.

Now, there's a punch line to all of this: I bought this V10 used, and have zero paperwork for it. All I know is, I got it the day after Thanksgiving, 2015. That's all I told LG. When I entered my information, they asked for my purchase paperwork--but because I don't have any, I left that blank.

I did describe the phone as having the "dreaded boot loop" in my description. Maybe that's all they needed. Or maybe they know that some serial number ranges all need fixed, no matter what. I do remember seeing that they've extended the warranty an extra 3 months; by definition, all V10s are in warranty, right? Maybe that's it. Or maybe they're trying to avoid getting bad press like Samsung did with batteries. Who knows.

I halfway expected a call or an email outlining how they know how to fix it, and it will cost $X. Or maybe just an email telling me, too bad, so sad, we fix only warranty issues, you didn't present this as a warranty claim with any paperwork, so we're sending it back. And maybe that's what they've done, who knows.

I'll know in a few days.

They aren't all under warranty. I know mine is no longer under warranty. It's one year and I bought mine Nov 13th 2015. Makes me wonder if they would fix a boot loop issue regardless of warranty instead of stirring the pot and having people publicly complain and ending up with bad publicity. The fact that they sent it back so quickly leads me to believe they are just sending it back untouched unless the fix is really that fast. I'd be curious to see what they tell you. Please let us know how you make out when you get it back.

 

[priceslss]

When I sent mine back they fixed it in a day, they replaced the motherboard. It took longer to ship it there than for them to fix it. LG knows this is a common issue. I just wished I trusted it again.... I sold it as soon as I got it back.

 

[Adam Frix]

Well, overnight they sent me an email that they've shipped it back. Included is the repair information:

Defect:
Power-No power with cable Payment Type: NOT APPLICABLE
Repair Results:
Flash Memory Repair Cost: $ 0.00
Warranty Status:
In Warranty Tax: $ 0.00
Total: $ 0.00

 

[delrey1900]

Nice. Let's just hope it's actually fixed and works for a while.

 

[Rukbat]

Out of warranty, no paperwork at all, and a free repair? Quick, buy 1 powerball ticket and 1 ticket to the Irish Sweepstakes - you're on a "can't lose for winning" streak. Drop your phone, the president's limo will drive over it and you'll get free phones for life. (Can I rub you? Some of it might rub off.)

 

[Adam Frix]

You know, I had zero to lose. I had already bought and configured the replacement, and I was looking at simply hammering my original into bits before throwing it out--but I figured, let's just see what happens.

I was kind of surprised when the LG process gave me a shipping label. I'm even more surprised that they did some kind of repair. We'll see when it comes back.

Remember, the answer is always no if you don't ask...

 

[Adam Frix]

So I got it back today. The repair order said they replaced the flash RAM. It does boot up as a fresh, out of the box unit. I didn't go any further than that. Not sure if I'll set it back up and have two active phones, or will just keep this as fresh just because.

 

[BBSeattle]

Well, after a rock solid experience my V10 suddenly and without warning went into "Boot Loop" the other night.
First it froze and then nothing, pulled the battery and restarted and it looped on and off the LG screen.
Nothing I could do to get it up and running. Out of warranty and no help from Verizon.
Saw this post and immediately filled out the LG repair form. It hung up when I put in the model number and the IMEI, said they didn't match??
Called support on a Sunday...someone was there....!! Went through the process with the fella and he sent via email a FedX prepaid freight label; dropped it off today at FedX. I am cautiously optimistic but understand that they may do nothing.
On a different vein, when I mentioned that I got the dreaded boot loop the guy said that he was aware of the G4's issues with boot looping but was not familiar with any similar issues with the V10. I said that he is either living a sheltered life or that he was obligated by LG not to confirm issues with the V10.
I told him to Google V10 Boot loop and he would get plenty of information or go to any reputable V10 forum and do a search....he wasn't having it.
Nevertheless, it's in their hands and I hope they do the right thing. Interestingly enough, the Verizon rep I spoke with said that she has handled many calls regarding the V10 boot loop but says that LG has not taken responsibility and it is out of Verizon's hands for now.

 

[Adam Frix]

Well, I went ahead and set my repaired unit up all the way. I am an LG fan for life now. I used the mechanism for "transfer from another phone", said it was an LG phone, and away it went. It transferred my email accounts instantly, then took about 15-20 minutes to do a backup on my working phone, move the backup over, and a restore on my newly repaired phone.

Yeah, I could have done a backup and restore on my computer, but I really wanted to try this out. Worked like a champ.

I've heard all sorts of uninformed conjecture about the cause of this problem; my repair paperwork is the first I've ever heard of it being a problem with the flash RAM.

 

[beer_leaguer]

I received the same email as Mr. Frix with regards to my ebay-purchased G4. In fact, our experiences are remarkably similar aside from the fact that I sent a screen shot of my "you bought this item" page as my proof of purchase. I'll find out Friday how well it works, but your experience has me very hopeful.

 

[tardus]

This is bad and good news. Bad that V10's are boot looping, and good that LG is holding up on their end of the bargain.

Please remember to backup anything that you might need in the future. If you need sms/mms, backup nightly, automated with SMS Backup and Restore. Also use LG Backup to backup at least once a week. Keep important docs on the sd card and don't keep anything in the main memory that you can't afford to lose. If we do lose everything it is ultimately our own fault.

 

[Adam Frix]

yeah, that's one of the two reasons I insist on SD card: keep important things on the SD card, plus that's where I put my entire music library.

A 16GB phone nowadays is a sucker's bet, because the operating systems are getting bigger and bigger, but especially so if the phone doesn't offer SD card. While it's nice that my photos are in the cloud, the cloud isn't the answer.

When I set up my repaired unit, I simply let Google restore from the cloud--and that worked like a dream. All my apps and settings came right back. Nice. If I were to stick my SD card in, all my photos and music would be there. We're to the point where swapping phones is pretty easy and quick.

 

[Adam Frix]

I received the same email as Mr. Frix with regards to my ebay-purchased G4. In fact, our experiences are remarkably similar aside from the fact that I sent a screen shot of my "you bought this item" page as my proof of purchase. I'll find out Friday how well it works, but your experience has me very hopeful.

yeah, the dude in the clapped out Chevy on the wrong side of the tracks didn't have anything to offer me with regard to paperwork, frankly. ;-)

(I found out later that T-Mobile wouldn't unlock my phone because he hadn't paid for it. But they let me use it... I paid $4 for an unlock code, problem solved.)

 

[BBSeattle]

Received my V10 back today from LG. They replaced the board at no charge. Everything appears to be working fine. Considering the boot loop issue is a known problem with several models, it was the least they could do.
Glad it's working, can't wait to sell it. Goodbye LG, fool me once.....

 

[Adam Frix]

Received my V10 back today from LG. They replaced the board at no charge. Everything appears to be working fine. Considering the boot loop issue is a known problem with several models, it was the least they could do.
Glad it's working, can't wait to sell it. Goodbye LG, fool me once.....

So LG fixed it for free, eh? And you're upset by that?

It's not that a man stumbles; rather, it's how he recovers that is a measure of the man.

LG recovered very well from this, for both you *and* me. I compare that to Samsung; my Galaxy S3, after an update to Android 4.1.2 or something, became unusable. Neither T-Mobile nor Samsung could do anything other than point fingers and deny accountability, despite the entire internet having the same story as I did.

I swore off Samsung at that point. They stumbled, but then they didn't recover from it. THAT'S the problem.

I now have two V10s, one of which was factory repaired, and both are running as smooth as any V10 out there--with the addition of incredible battery life. I suspect the short battery life had to do with whatever bad memory chips they used early in production (that caused the boot loop problem), because with replacement memory chips as well as with a later built phone the battery lasts MUCH longer than my original unit when it was new.

 

[tardus]

Received my V10 back today from LG. They replaced the board at no charge. Everything appears to be working fine. Considering the boot loop issue is a known problem with several models, it was the least they could do.
Glad it's working, can't wait to sell it. Goodbye LG, fool me once.....

Glad you got it fixed. I'll move away from LG once there's an alternative with all the good stuff - quality DAC, removable battery, sd, etc. In other words I'll be with LG for a long time!

 

[BBSeattle]

Thank you Tardus, I as well am glad they fixed the unit. I hope you continue to have a good experience with them.

Glad you got it fixed. I'll move away from LG once there's an alternative with all the good stuff - quality DAC, removable battery, sd, etc. In other words I'll be with LG for a long time!

 

[BBSeattle]

A measure of a man, really? Yes, I am not a sheep and do not have my self worth and identity tied up in an inanimate object. I have no loyalty towards consumer goods when the manufacturer has no loyalty to their customer base.
LG fixing my phone was the very least they could do. They know they have a problem, a problem that has plagued several models and
has hurt and cost many customers.
It is irresponsible for LG to not proactively act upon this information.
Some people like turning the other cheek, I never do.

So LG fixed it for free, eh? And you're upset by that?

It's not that a man stumbles; rather, it's how he recovers that is a measure of the man.

LG recovered very well from this, for both you *and* me. I compare that to Samsung; my Galaxy S3, after an update to Android 4.1.2 or something, became unusable. Neither T-Mobile nor Samsung could do anything other than point fingers and deny accountability, despite the entire internet having the same story as I did.

I swore off Samsung at that point. They stumbled, but then they didn't recover from it. THAT'S the problem.

I now have two V10s, one of which was factory repaired, and both are running as smooth as any V10 out there--with the addition of incredible battery life. I suspect the short battery life had to do with whatever bad memory chips they used early in production (that caused the boot loop problem), because with replacement memory chips as well as with a later built phone the battery lasts MUCH longer than my original unit when it was new.