Defective thunderbolts?

[worwig]

I'm still on my original from over a year ago. Other then the paint peeling on the sidestand, all is well.
That, and I do need to put a replacement screen protector on.

 

[anon(394005)]

Some appear to have bad luck and others good. Luck of the draw I guess. I'm still on my first precious from April 2011. It's starting to show some wear cosmetically; a few dull spots on the kickstand, a couple rub marks on the bottom housing from the holster, and a few scuffs on the battery door. But operationally it works great! As long as your hardware is working properly, the software has been refined to the point of making the device very stable and mature. Because of that and how much I really like this phone, if I had an issue I think I'd take as many refurbs as needed until I got a good one again.

 

[Mortiel]

I have had Verizon 9 years. Bought a Thunderbolt JUne of 2011, by Jan it was defective, they sent me a "Cetrtifiifed Like-New Replacement" which was ALSO defective, then a 3rd that was ALSO defective... has anyone else has this problem? When I called to complain they terminated my service ... PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE HAD SIMILAR TREATMENT BY VERIZON.... I HAVE SOME THINGS TO TELL YOU THAT I WILL NOT SAY HERE.

Yes, because Verizon has a strict policy that if you ever complain they shut off your phone on the spot.

That was sarcasm.

Did you know the word "defective" is a rather vague term? In other words, asking people if they have experienced "this problem" in reference to a very vague is kind of discredits the statement. Furthermore, a phone does not just "become" defective. Something has to happen in order to cause a device to have issues unless it was defective when you bought it.

Things that can cause device to function improperly? Well, OTA software updates are the most common problem I hear causing malfunctions. Otherwise, it is most generally caused by an application on the phone, whether installing a new application, or an old application updating with new instabilities.

Why did I not mention anything about rooting or flashing ROMs/kernels? Well, the large majority of the people flashing customer firmware and software on their phones know what the hell they are doing. They generally know when an application has updated and is now causing issues. If they don't, well that's on them.

So sum it up: Yes, there are defective phones. Yes, having to get a replacement sucks. Did Verizon terminate your service because you complained? I highly doubt it. Many people complain about many things with Verizon. So whats the other side of the story you are selectively leaving out?

 

[dpham00]

I have had Verizon 9 years. Bought a Thunderbolt JUne of 2011, by Jan it was defective, they sent me a "Cetrtifiifed Like-New Replacement" which was ALSO defective, then a 3rd that was ALSO defective... has anyone else has this problem? When I called to complain they terminated my service ... PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE HAD SIMILAR TREATMENT BY VERIZON.... I HAVE SOME THINGS TO TELL YOU THAT I WILL NOT SAY HERE.

if they really terminated you for no apparent reason, then you should have grounds to pursue legal action against them. to help you better, please provide us with the mp3 recording of the call in which your service was terminated. after all, from what you wrote, Verizon is in the wrong, and you did or said nothing that would cause them to have just cause to terminate you. somehow, i doubt that, but, i am willing to keep an open mind until i hear the recording.

 

[Mortiel]

if they really terminated you for no apparent reason, then you should have grounds to pursue legal action against them. to help you better, please provide us with the mp3 recording of the call in which your service was terminated. after all, from what you wrote, Verizon is in the wrong, and you did or said nothing that would cause them to have just cause to terminate you. somehow, i doubt that, but, i am willing to keep an open mind until i hear the recording.

You are absolutely correct. Per the contract a Verizon customer signs with Verizon upon signing up for service dictate that Verizon may not terminate services unless for very specific reasons (i.e. non-payment or manipulation of services with malicious intent). Complaining is most certainly not in that specific list.

Furthermore, even if your contract had expired, there is a term in the contract stating that all previous contract terms apply even after contract expiration, except the early termination fee, of course.

I have previously had acquaintances tell me that they would not pay their cell phone bill until they got a working phone. I personally advise against it without consulting an attorney first, or you could potentially end up on the wrong end of a collection agency. This demand for "working phone before bill payment" is not a statute covered by contract with Verizon Wireless' ToS, and since Verizon did not agree to that at the time you signed a contract, it is not substantiated. However, you can, through proper channels, get out of your contract without an early termination fee for having a "lemon" phone, depending on your region's lemon laws. Those laws, however, do provide that Verizon make a best effort to resolve it (i.e. provide a *like-model* alternative at no charge, which Verizon actually will go beyond the standard provisioning as a good-faith measure) before it gets to that, so you have to be prepared for some patience.

 

[dpham00]

You are absolutely correct. Per the contract a Verizon customer signs with Verizon upon signing up for service dictate that Verizon may not terminate services unless for very specific reasons (i.e. non-payment or manipulation of services with malicious intent). Complaining is most certainly not in that specific list.

Furthermore, even if your contract had expired, there is a term in the contract stating that all previous contract terms apply even after contract expiration, except the early termination fee, of course.

I have previously had acquaintances tell me that they would not pay their cell phone bill until they got a working phone. I personally advise against it without consulting an attorney first, or you could potentially end up on the wrong end of a collection agency. This demand for "working phone before bill payment" is not a statute covered by contract with Verizon Wireless' ToS, and since Verizon did not agree to that at the time you signed a contract, it is not substantiated. However, you can, through proper channels, get out of your contract without an early termination fee for having a "lemon" phone, depending on your region's lemon laws. Those laws, however, do provide that Verizon make a best effort to resolve it (i.e. provide a *like-model* alternative at no charge, which Verizon actually will go beyond the standard provisioning as a good-faith measure) before it gets to that, so you have to be prepared for some patience.

i always pay first and dispute later, and that is what I advise anyone who asks regarding not just cell phone but really any bill. you don't want to have a late payment, not only could it go to collections, but it might also hurt your credit, which is especially crucial if you plan to buy a house or a car. '

i find that verizon is one of the more accomodating companies that i have dealt with. so long as what you ask for is reasonable and you do your due diligence, then they will most likely honor your request. of course, if you are rude and arrogant, then it won't get you far.there are of course, some csr's that aren't great, that is as with any large company. i do not know the inner workings of verizon, but i have to assume that any major decision such ascancelling an account would most likely require supervisor approval, so i doubt that even one mindless uncaring csr could cancel an account on their own.