The Answer How To Tell If Verizon Sent You A Refurbished Handset..

[AndroidXTC]

So I find out that some replacement handsets are rebuilt and some are not. Here is how to tell. Only HTC installs the black screw cover with void printed on it. If this sticker is damaged, missing or replaced with a sticker of another color (usually green) the phone has been opened by someone other than HTC and is refurbished. That black void seal is only installed at the factory.

 

[zachnelson]

Refurbished devices also have a white sticker with a date on it under the battery.

 

[SleepyTheDon]

I took pictures of my certified replacement phone then I called Verizon then I sent the Damn thing back

 

[hal1]

I'm not sure I understand the whole thing about being bothered by a refurbished phone (or anything for that matter)

Your phone is in used condition after you've had it for a few weeks anyways

AND NOTE, most experts agree that anything refurbished is usually less problematic than new, since these things have actually been tested after being restored to near new condition.

Also, how long after initial purchase would one expect to receive a new device for replacement? I try not to spend to much energy on things that don't matter in a few months.

 

[JimMLINY]

I didn't need no stickin sticker!

I had a pic of some chick in car on my SD card when it arrived! It works fine and no problems rooted or unrooted so I aint making a stink but it is a dick maneuver by VZW for what they charged for it!

 

[nerdydesi]

I get a LOT of grief from customers furious why they are getting a refurbished phone under warranty from us instead of a brand new one which they paid for after the return period is up.

I sure wish my car manufacturer would send me a brand new car instead (complete with the in-car smell), when I have to get mine repaired.

Even if you sent your phone to HTC (or whoever) to get your phone repaired, they won't give you a brand new device, nobody will, it will be "used". Its still better to have a phone cross-shipped to you rather than sending yours back and waiting until they fix it and get it back to you.

 

[qbngator]

I get a LOT of grief from customers furious why they are getting a refurbished phone under warranty from us instead of a brand new one which they paid for after the return period is up.

I sure wish my car manufacturer would send me a brand new car instead (complete with the in-car smell), when I have to get mine repaired.

Even if you sent your phone to HTC (or whoever) to get your phone repaired, they won't give you a brand new device, nobody will, it will be "used". Its still better to have a phone cross-shipped to you rather than sending yours back and waiting until they fix it and get it back to you.

Bad analogy with the car because if your car cannot be fixed (under lemon laws) you are given a NEW one.

Also, I have my insurance through Wirefly, who writes it into their insurance policy that a NEW device is guaranteed...not a newly refurbished device, but a NEW device.

Now...

If you want to make the argument that some folks don't read their Verizon policies, which probably don't say anything about replacing with a new device, then that'd be more accurate.

 

[dhendriksen]

Verizon sent my wife and I each a "Certified Like New Replacement" sure to the fact that both phones are rebooting like crazy since the update and both phones had issues. One we decided to live with, but the other was a major problem! Both phones the screen wasn't suck down appropriately. On the right side they're raised up higher than the bezel, and if you press down on it you could feel it stock to the adhesive, but after 10 minutes it would be raised up again. One was worse than the other. On the one that was worse, within two minutes the black piece just below the screen fell off.

Certified "like new" my a$$. My brother in law works there at VZW and said they process 100,000 phones daily. The VZW tech said they take about a week to go through certification. Does that mean they have 700,000 people certifying these?

IMO the certification is a crock. I bet they spend 10 flashing the software, replace any parts that are cosmetically damaged, and 5 minutes making sure everything works.

 

[Edwill86]

I'm not sure I understand the whole thing about being bothered by a refurbished phone (or anything for that matter)

Your phone is in used condition after you've had it for a few weeks anyways

AND NOTE, most experts agree that anything refurbished is usually less problematic than new, since these things have actually been tested after being restored to near new condition.

Also, how long after initial purchase would one expect to receive a new device for replacement? I try not to spend to much energy on things that don't matter in a few months.

Id have to disagree with Most Experts. Every time I have a minor issue that I try to have fixed and vzw says.. "let me give you a new unit because we cant figure this out" the "new " unit is always a referb and ALWAYS has had bigger flaws and problems then my original out of the box. iv had about 5 referb units myself( 2 different phones), my mom had 2 referbs and my dad had 6( all the same phone) and never received a working referb. my mom wont stand for it so she got a new phone after the 2nd bad refurbished unit.I ended up giving my dad my upgrade so he could get out of the refurbished nightmare he was in. and I just sucked up having a phone with a bad mic for another year until I got my bolt. Most refurbished units still have major problems, at least in my experience anyway.

so thanks to the OP I will look for the black void sticker if i ever have to get a replacement bolt.

 

[SoDev]

It is funny though... I buy refurbished electronics all the time with zero issues, but it really bothers me the idea of paying for insurance every month, then the high deductible, and getting a used phone in return. Maybe because the one time I did it the phone looked like spray painted crap.

Anyway, I cancelled my ins. for those reasons. I have a 1 year contract and if something goes wrong I'll just get an old DINC for a couple bills or something to pass the time.

 

[wedgemoose]

I'll tell you why. I keep my phones in flawless condition. I treat it like it cost me a million dollars. I never drop it. I never touch the screen unless my fingers are spotless and clean. I press my volume(and other) buttons gently to keep that tight feeling. I take care of my phone. And when you get a refurbbed it's from someone else that most likely wasn't taking care of theirs. In my case it's not my fault the phone has a problem. So why should I get used stuff when I paid $650 for something new that was defective. My problem is the other side can't hear me unless I keep my lips basically on the mic. If I move the phone an inch away from my lips(up, down, away, etc) they can not hear me. I though it was just service till I finally tested and realized it was the phone. First off they will never be able to fix that so someone is going to get my junk phone someday. and it's almost impossible to diagnose because when you hold the phone normally it is fine. so if the tester or rebuilder talks on it and keeps the phone right at the normal spot, they won't think anything is wrong.

I can see refurbbed after a while. But not only a few weeks after the 14 day period. and like someone said when they re-glue the screens and such it's never as good as new. Human error is now in the picture. I think they should be replaced with new most of the times.

 

[AndroidRex1]

>Your phone is in used condition after you've had it for a few weeks anyways

Yes, but if it's defective, the fact remains that the carrier has never given you a new phone that was free of manufacturer defects. And that's what you paid for.

If you were fine with a refurb, then you could have purchased a refurb and saved some money. You didn't, though. You spent the extra money to purchase a new, ostensibly defect-free phone, and that is what the carrier owes you.

Buying a phone should not be a gamble. You should get what you pay for.

As for "most experts", it's up to them what to accept.

If what they say is true, however, I'd ask most experts why new phones are sold at a premium to refurbished phones if refurbs are better.

Refurbs may also have lower resale value, and some people are into that kind of thing.

Bottom line: If you're okay with a refurb, except a refurb and be happy. There's nothing sinister about wanting a new device, though. In fact, most people pay the new device premium because they want a new device.

And remember, it's not your fault if a phone has a defect. The notion that you should be punished, and not the manufacturer, is a bit like consumer Stockholm-syndrome

I find it really interesting from a psychological perspective that so many people agree to pay for new, but get used. After all, the defective phone they gave back is also used. But they wouldn't give it back were it not defective, and they should have that option. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be a phone's first owner. At least not in my opinion. That's why used stuff almost always costs less.