For those that have had to get a refurb unit, what has your experience been like so far? It seems no two phones are created equal for some odd reason and I'm running out of options to restore 4G compatibility to my never-rooted, 4G killing HTC OTA upgrade infected phone. Haven't had any light leak, screen separation and have a Epson screen, which I prefer. Would love to keep my unit, but would love to have working 4G back also. Responses appreciated.
What's your experience with refurb units?
- Thread starter kashmir
- Start date
I just got a refurb unit this past Friday. My first Evo (got it just two days after launch) started going crazy. The screen wasn't responsive, and some times it would start selecting things and calling people without me even touching it. At any rate, the refurb unit is working just fine so far, absolutely zero problems.
I assume all refurbs are kind of the same. I'm on Verizon and had 4 Droids that were refurbished and not ONE of them was a good phone. Most of them lasted a day or two, one broke after it was activated for like 3 hours. I'm nervous that now my Fascinate is officially past one month it's going to break and I'm going to have to go through the refurb cycle again. Trying to stay positive though..
And who knows, I hate Motorola so MAYBE refurbs from other carriers aren't as bad.
And who knows, I hate Motorola so MAYBE refurbs from other carriers aren't as bad.
Its not really fair to compare refurbs from different manufactures. It actually doesnt make amy sense at all. I have a refurb myself since last week. So far the build quality seems much better. The back door is nice and flush. The screen doesn't have wide gaps at the edges on the sides. The sxreeen feels nice and firm to the body. I also noticed the capacitive buttons have a nice blueish tint to it now too when lit which is pretty cool. Overall I have to say I'm VERY happy with this refurb so far..... if only Tue processor was as overclocking friendly as my let one 
Dave Blake
Well-known member
- May 7, 2010
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I have not gotten a referb EVO yet but I have been very happy with other referbes I have gotten from Sprint on other devices. I wouldn't hesitate to take a referbished EVO from Sprint.
Later,
Dave
Later,
Dave
Meh, luck of the draw, really. But all HTC devices have a one year warranty, so even if your refurb craps out on you, you can always get it replaced.
What's wrong with yours? It might be able to be fixed. I just had a new screen put on mine and as of now this is the only EVO I have had with zero problems.
I have half a refurb (cant remember if the front or back of my device is from a refurb) but either way, I'd say my device is actually a bit better since it being fixed.
Either way, i've had a few devices replaced through Sprint and I've never given much though to them being refurbs. If you're unhappy with the replacement phone try talking to a manager at the store that replaced it. Typically people at the store will be very cool and more than happy to work with you if it means gaining a loyal customer, of course as always, YMMV depending on the store.
Either way, i've had a few devices replaced through Sprint and I've never given much though to them being refurbs. If you're unhappy with the replacement phone try talking to a manager at the store that replaced it. Typically people at the store will be very cool and more than happy to work with you if it means gaining a loyal customer, of course as always, YMMV depending on the store.
4G stuck in continuous scanning because of a bad 4G MAC address after the last OTA update. Both Sprint and HTC have offered no working solutions.
I've never seen a store give out a refurb, they are usually new out of the box. Sprint however will mail you a refurb. I got an evo refurb last week and the battery cover seems to not stay on as tight, there was some minor scratches on the camera bevel and when i plug in the usb it seems cocked a bit one direction. Not deal breakers, but I did notice still.
I just got a refurbed EVO a few weeks ago. I did everything I could to try and fix my EVO (random rebooting) before I called Sprint about a replacement. I didn't want a "used" phone, that most likely was return for some problem of it's own.
I have to say, that I am very happy with this one. I checked the status when i received it, and it was actually used (minutes) almost the same amount as my original. It looked brand new. No scratches or scuffs or anything. Looked as if it came straight out of the box. And it has worked perfectly so far. I have had refurbs from Sprint before, and I have always been pleased with them.
When you get a refurb, you have fifteen days to return your original phone before they charge you for it. This gives you some time to put it through it's paces to make sure you are happy with it.
I have to say, that I am very happy with this one. I checked the status when i received it, and it was actually used (minutes) almost the same amount as my original. It looked brand new. No scratches or scuffs or anything. Looked as if it came straight out of the box. And it has worked perfectly so far. I have had refurbs from Sprint before, and I have always been pleased with them.
When you get a refurb, you have fifteen days to return your original phone before they charge you for it. This gives you some time to put it through it's paces to make sure you are happy with it.
Phones are idiosyncratic and can have troubles that come and go and are difficult to diagnose. So I'd be a bit nervous about accepting a refurb that someone had been unhappy with.
On the other hand, when I dropped my old Treo 650 several years ago, Sprint gave me the option of buying a new phone or trading in the wreckage of my old one for a $39 refurb. The refurb didn't look new, the cosmetics on it weren't as good as my old phone. But it worked fine, and served me well for a couple of more years. Odds are that your refurb will be fine.
On the other hand, when I dropped my old Treo 650 several years ago, Sprint gave me the option of buying a new phone or trading in the wreckage of my old one for a $39 refurb. The refurb didn't look new, the cosmetics on it weren't as good as my old phone. But it worked fine, and served me well for a couple of more years. Odds are that your refurb will be fine.
I've recently had two refurb'ed EVOs, coincidentally also to fix the non-working 4G on a non-rooted phone (hosed MAC address syndrome). They were both mailed to me by Sprint. There was one available at a local repair center, but it was a h/w version 0002 release-day phone, which I didn't want, since I'd previously had a h/w version 0003 phone.
In general the refurbs were good phones without any troubling flaws. The only minor difference I could tell between either of the two refurbs and my original was that the power button on one was more flush with the body of the phone, which I didn't like (less button "travel"). It was subtle, and I probably wouldn't have ever noticed or cared if it was the only EVO I'd ever had. The second refurb phone felt pretty much exactly like my original phone, which was perfect. (I returned the first refurb because of an apparent problem that turned out to be a software/firmware flaw with the compass, which I later determined affects all EVOs)
The screens were perfect on both refurbs, and there were no signs of any scuffs, scratches, flaws, etc., anywhere on the phone. Each refurb came with a new battery cover.
They did have varying levels of previous usage when looking at the ##786# stats. I'm not sure I believe the call stats, since even my original only showed I'd made like 200 calls, which I'm sure is much lower than reality. The refurbs showed similar call numbers. Data usage on one was in the neighborhood of 2 GB and the other was ~500 MB.
I think it's obviously luck of the draw what you get, but chances are a refurb will be ok. I think the days of getting a new-in-box-never-used phone as a replacement are gone, now that EVOs have been out for awhile and Sprint has a supply of refurbs (at least via mail). Of the 5 repair centers in my general area, there was a total of one EVO available as a replacement (the h/w 0002 one). None of the repair centers or retail stores were willing to provide a new phone as a replacement.
Good luck!
In general the refurbs were good phones without any troubling flaws. The only minor difference I could tell between either of the two refurbs and my original was that the power button on one was more flush with the body of the phone, which I didn't like (less button "travel"). It was subtle, and I probably wouldn't have ever noticed or cared if it was the only EVO I'd ever had. The second refurb phone felt pretty much exactly like my original phone, which was perfect. (I returned the first refurb because of an apparent problem that turned out to be a software/firmware flaw with the compass, which I later determined affects all EVOs)
The screens were perfect on both refurbs, and there were no signs of any scuffs, scratches, flaws, etc., anywhere on the phone. Each refurb came with a new battery cover.
They did have varying levels of previous usage when looking at the ##786# stats. I'm not sure I believe the call stats, since even my original only showed I'd made like 200 calls, which I'm sure is much lower than reality. The refurbs showed similar call numbers. Data usage on one was in the neighborhood of 2 GB and the other was ~500 MB.
I think it's obviously luck of the draw what you get, but chances are a refurb will be ok. I think the days of getting a new-in-box-never-used phone as a replacement are gone, now that EVOs have been out for awhile and Sprint has a supply of refurbs (at least via mail). Of the 5 repair centers in my general area, there was a total of one EVO available as a replacement (the h/w 0002 one). None of the repair centers or retail stores were willing to provide a new phone as a replacement.
Good luck!
It's weird. In my mind, my EVO is perfect. Nothing wrong, except 4G. Yet, if I gave it to someone else who has one, they'd probably be able to spot several flaws with it. I'll wait out Sprint and HTC hoping for some solution. Do miss 4G though.
That's exactly how I felt about my original phone. I finally convinced myself to remedy the problem, if for no other reason than because I'm paying the $10 "EVO tax," and as a matter of principle I want to have a fully-functional phone. The reality, though, is that I almost never use 4G since it kills my battery.
Not to burst your bubble, but as I understand the problem, I wouldn't hold my breath for Sprint or HTC to fix the problem. In many/most of these 4G-not-working cases, the device-specific RSA certificate(s) have gotten blown away, in addition to the 4G MAC address getting reset. I don't think there is a simple way to restore the certificate(s) since they're unique to every phone.
Good luck...
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