Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick Wall?

[Sta11i0n]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

Yesterday, I spend the entire day between 2 local stores and talking with the national tech support line trying to get Charges to replace the 2 Fascinates on my plan since the missed call issue was very problematic for me the day before that. I own/operate a catering company as a side business and was cooking for a funeral luncheon. Hours before serving, which should still be ample time, I had to go shopping for more supplies due to last minute changes. While I was out, one of my employees tried calling me 7 times to give me updates, as well as 4 calls I tried to place to another employee of mine with a Fascinate, all not going through. No indication of missed calls or voice mail alerts were received on either phone. This ended up costing me 2 extra trips to a restaurant supply store 15 miles from the facility I was serving at. Normally, I am a huge advocate for this phone, and Samsung products in general, but this was the last straw. I was even to the point of telling a supervisor that I was completely done using the Fascinate, and if they couldn't give me an alternate, I would be going to another provider to get one (the Infuse from AT&T looks real nice). They still acted like their hands were tied. I finally decided to give them one last shot, and let them send me 2 replacement Fascinates after much reassurance that Samsung had corrected the problems on the ones they were sending out now (which we all know is ****). It really saddens me that I things have resorted to this. I've been a VZ customer for 8 years now and normally only had good things to say about them, but this game is getting old really fast.

 

[THARD11]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

The rooting and ROM is starting to sound interesting to me and would hopefully give me a phone that works much better than current. Can someone tell me the easiest and best/stable GIngerbread one to go with? Thanks

 

[rapideyemovement]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

I want to throw it at a brick wall, while driving at around 170 MPH, then take a poop on its corpse.

My phone was running great for a while. Then it started messing up all over the place. I'm tired of tinkering, I'm tired of customizing, I'm tired of it all. I appreciate all the work the community does and all, but I'm spent. Android is a sloppy OS. It just is. It can't even cut n paste across apps. I dunno how many times I needed to copy something from the browser with no way to do it. The lock screen button works 50% of the time. Its not a hardware thing, its not. Its all the software.

I'm just done. Thanks Samsung for bringing me to something new. I needed a change from iOS. I will miss the Google Navigation the most. But I won't miss how incredibly ... sloppy Android is. Thats the only word I can think of to describe it. Sloppy.

I will most likely be getting the iPhone 5 sometime early next year when I'm eligible for a discount. One of the main reasons is the support the phone gets. Android is getting too crowded. Apps are sloppy without a proper (even Nazi-like) QA program in place. Yes its open, great. I don't want open. I'm not a dev (yet). I want stability, and this has been inconsistant at best. I know my iPhone wasn't always great too. But it wasn't as bad or as frequent as this. Not in the first year I had it. Nope. Samsung doesn't give two craps about this phone in the weeks after it ships. Its already on its next phone. The shelf life of android devices is too short. I'm over it.

See later, little green buddy.

 

[anon268366]

The rooting and ROM is starting to sound interesting to me and would hopefully give me a phone that works much better than current. Can someone tell me the easiest and best/stable GIngerbread one to go with? Thanks

I would stay away from gingerbread for now. It can fry your sd card with no fix. But folks that risk it seem happy with CM7 (nightlies, which are like betas). Although there are a couple of 'big' bugs on CM7. Again I wouldn't risk the sd card unless you have an old one just lying around.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

 

[Gamecock#AC]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

Interesting how some start altering the stock software and blame the phone for any problems. Maybe the phone isn't the problem. Cause and Effect.

 

[MunkinDrunky]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

Interesting how some start altering the stock software and blame the phone for any problems. Maybe the phone isn't the problem. Cause and Effect.

No, no.... That logic would be sound if stock users without root had no problems what so ever. Call problems, reception issues, gps issues, all that (in the past an up to now) have affected every type of fascinate user- to those who root and truly customize their phone with custom roms and kernels to those who only use verizons updates and don't root.... Thats what is truly interesting. And for too many what is truly frustrating with this phone. It can now be renamed to the samsung frustrunate. It still has awesome hardware spec wise if that means anything now.

 

[Gamecock#AC]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

I noticed, what seemed like, a majority of the people wanted to exchange their Fascinate for a different phone were also talking about having to re-install the stock software or "going back from" such and such ROM . I just don't understand how Samsung or Verizon should be responsible for 3rd party software screwing with the phone. I know personally, I've tried multiple ROM and mods and they usually always somehow screw with the phone and make it less stable. I would rather stay stock and have a stable, dependable phone, IMHO. I do root and remove bloatware, but stick with the Samsung tested version. No missed calls that I've noticed and picks up GPS quickly. Only problems I have is when an app I installed starts screwing with things, which when I figure out which it is, I uninstall. That's just my preference though.

 

[THARD11]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

Interesting how some start altering the stock software and blame the phone for any problems. Maybe the phone isn't the problem. Cause and Effect.

Never have even tried to root mine and have all sorts of problems.

 

[Gamecock#AC]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

Never have even tried to root mine and have all sorts of problems.

Did you have all your problems straight out of the box or once you started installing apps? Only reason I ask is just about every issue I had could be traced to an app I installed. That may not be the case with everyone but it's worth looking into.

 

[heckfm]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

I had problems with my Fascinate with the stock Froyo OTA update from Verizon. I attributed the problem to bloatware and a poor update. I have used FrankenClean, SuperClean, UKB 2.0 and 2.1, and now I'm on MIUI with JT's Kernal. This is the best my phone has worked since I got it, so I don't think you can blame it on rooting or flashing. You just have to be willing to do some trial and error to see what works best for you.

 

[lpt2569]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

Did you have all your problems straight out of the box or once you started installing apps? Only reason I ask is just about every issue I had could be traced to an app I installed. That may not be the case with everyone but it's worth looking into.

I can see how some apps may cause issues, but does that mean we can't use any apps on the phone, other than what it comes pre-loaded with? What's the point in that? I hardly have any apps, but I have a few. And I can understand folks repeating the mantra "root, root, root"...but again, the majority of customers using these devices are not even aware of rooting, let alone trying to do it. It's a faulty device, IMO, and it's driving me crazy. When you buy a piece of technology, it is supposed to work out of the box. Period. My Dell Laptop has worked flawlessly for over two years. My iPod has worked flawlessly for over 4 years. If these Android devices do not work "as they are meant to" out of the box, without "hacking" it, then what does that say about Android as an OS at this point in its development? Is it really still just for folks who like to and want to tinker constantly? And there is plenty of evidence that not even a rooted device is going to be a completely glitch-free experience, from what I've seen in these forums.

I loved my Blackberry after years of non-smartphones, and then I fell in love with Android when I started playing with it on the different devices that were around last year (Droid X, Droid 2, Incredible, Fascinate), and the more I started reading on this and other forums, I couldn't wait to get my hands on one. I guess I made the wrong device choices (Continuum/Fascinate), but I loved the specs on the Samsung Devices...so was it really a poor choice, given the fact most people had no idea these devices would end up being basically abandoned by the mfg and the carrier as dead ends?

This all has left me, so far, with a not-so-happy customer experience over these last 8 months or so. And I have two other Android devices in my possession (not on any network) from HTC and Motorola, and yes they work fairly well, but I don't use them as phones, simply as media devices (music/video/games/internet over wifi). So I have had plenty of hands-on experience with multiple devices...and all of them have stability issues. Yes, I know these are "just phones, so get over it", but my monthly bill for two devices on Verizon say otherwise. Almost two grand a year for the devices and service is not "just a phone", and it is like a kick to the groin every time my phone doesn't work, which is on a daily basis...again...on my third Fascinate with the latest updates. At least I don't have to depend on my phone for work like a lot of folks do. But I do depend on it as a communication device, and it simply doesn't work properly. During the hurricane this past weekend, when our power went out, my phone died overnight because it never went into sleep mode, which I didn't notice until a few hours later. Not that big a deal, but frustrating and completely avoidable nonetheless.

Here's hoping the newest round of devices coming out this fall will offer more stable, satisfying consumer experiences out of the box. Unfortunately I will not be able to partake, my contract with the Fascinate goes through next summer.

Rant over.

 

[Sta11i0n]

Interesting how some start altering the stock software and blame the phone for any problems. Maybe the phone isn't the problem. Cause and Effect.

As others have stated, things couldn't be quite more opposite with this statement. There are many totally stock users that have had problems with this phone off the bat. Samsung would try to release a patch to fix whatever issue at hand, but it usually doesn't. If anything, our developer community is trying to fix these devices with their modifications built into ROMs. Just look through the ROMs/kernels/themes sticky and see how many things there are noted as attempted fixes. Most recently is the missed call issue that people are writing kernels for. Or even look back to DL09 and prior ROMs to see how many GPS fixes there are built into things. Sure, there may be issues that come up based on modifications. But I don't blame Samsung for making an unstable device after I overclock and undervolt it and it freezes. It's the other key functions of the phone that are troublesome. As mentioned, the missed call issue is because of THEIR radio, not our developers mods. Sure we have a large community here of people who like to make/use these mods, but we are still the minority when compared to all Fascinate users. That being said, when Samsung/Verizon acknowledge a problem, it is definitely not cause by or only effecting us here. Our developer community deserves all the credit for keeping a lot of us Fascinate users going here. Without them, we would all be stuck at the hands of Sammy and VZ, which we can clearly see is not the place to be with this phone.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

 

[Gamecock#AC]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

I can see how some apps may cause issues, but does that mean we can't use any apps on the phone, other than what it comes pre-loaded with? What's the point in that? I hardly have any apps, but I have a few. And I can understand folks repeating the mantra "root, root, root"...but again, the majority of customers using these devices are not even aware of rooting, let alone trying to do it. It's a faulty device, IMO, and it's driving me crazy. When you buy a piece of technology, it is supposed to work out of the box. Period. My Dell Laptop has worked flawlessly for over two years. My iPod has worked flawlessly for over 4 years. If these Android devices do not work "as they are meant to" out of the box, without "hacking" it, then what does that say about Android as an OS at this point in its development? Is it really still just for folks who like to and want to tinker constantly? And there is plenty of evidence that not even a rooted device is going to be a completely glitch-free experience, from what I've seen in these forums.

I loved my Blackberry after years of non-smartphones, and then I fell in love with Android when I started playing with it on the different devices that were around last year (Droid X, Droid 2, Incredible, Fascinate), and the more I started reading on this and other forums, I couldn't wait to get my hands on one. I guess I made the wrong device choices (Continuum/Fascinate), but I loved the specs on the Samsung Devices...so was it really a poor choice, given the fact most people had no idea these devices would end up being basically abandoned by the mfg and the carrier as dead ends?

This all has left me, so far, with a not-so-happy customer experience over these last 8 months or so. And I have two other Android devices in my possession (not on any network) from HTC and Motorola, and yes they work fairly well, but I don't use them as phones, simply as media devices (music/video/games/internet over wifi). So I have had plenty of hands-on experience with multiple devices...and all of them have stability issues. Yes, I know these are "just phones, so get over it", but my monthly bill for two devices on Verizon say otherwise. Almost two grand a year for the devices and service is not "just a phone", and it is like a kick to the groin every time my phone doesn't work, which is on a daily basis...again...on my third Fascinate with the latest updates. At least I don't have to depend on my phone for work like a lot of folks do. But I do depend on it as a communication device, and it simply doesn't work properly. During the hurricane this past weekend, when our power went out, my phone died overnight because it never went into sleep mode, which I didn't notice until a few hours later. Not that big a deal, but frustrating and completely avoidable nonetheless.

Here's hoping the newest round of devices coming out this fall will offer more stable, satisfying consumer experiences out of the box. Unfortunately I will not be able to partake, my contract with the Fascinate goes through next summer.

Rant over.

I bring up the apps installed as Android doesn't test the apps on the market. I have installed apps that have caused problems with my phone before, particularly an app that allows you to remove any stock apps. I was getting a force close every time I started the phone. It wasn't the phones problem it was an issue with the app. I probably have over 150 apps installed. Some are running in the background and may slow the phone down but I've gotten rid of any that FC or made the phone freeze. It's a trouble shooting issue.
My phone may be different than some but I never had a problem until I started screwing with it myself. My fault, I take responsibility.
Maybe it's my cynicism, I just assume people who are on a forum intended for those who want to alter/customize their phones may have indeed altered/customized their phones.
I agree, if my phone was faulty or not working properly, and it wasn't something I did to it, I would have returned it immediately.

 

[drjohnson89]

I've had this phone for nearly ten months. I'm currently on my second one as of a month ago. I've tried countless roms, kernels, etc, and have constant problems with 3g and missed calls. In terms of speed, my phone flies right now running miui and glitch kernel, however, it's terrible as a phone. I'm hoping I can get it running properly soon with the help of this forum soon, otherwise I'm going to bend over for verizon again, and use an upgrade.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

 

[lpt2569]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

I bring up the apps installed as Android doesn't test the apps on the market. I have installed apps that have caused problems with my phone before, particularly an app that allows you to remove any stock apps. I was getting a force close every time I started the phone. It wasn't the phones problem it was an issue with the app. I probably have over 150 apps installed. Some are running in the background and may slow the phone down but I've gotten rid of any that FC or made the phone freeze. It's a trouble shooting issue.
My phone may be different than some but I never had a problem until I started screwing with it myself. My fault, I take responsibility.
Maybe it's my cynicism, I just assume people who are on a forum intended for those who want to alter/customize their phones may have indeed altered/customized their phones.
I agree, if my phone was faulty or not working properly, and it wasn't something I did to it, I would have returned it immediately.

I totally get it, and I am aware that if someone does something to alter the functionality that comes stock with the device, they are responsible for the outcome - good and bad. I have never rooted, nor installed anything beyond Launcher Pro Plus and a few widgets and games. I prefer to keep my device as simple and minimal as possible to avoid potential problems. How ironic. However, as unfortunate as it is, this phone has had nothing but problems since I've had it. Just this morning when I turned it on, it launched in safe mode, which it does almost every other day now. And sometimes it launches with a brand new wallpaper, yet everything else is the same. WTF? And at this point, I'm sick of hearing myself go on and on about it, as I'm sure others are as well

 

[Gamecock#AC]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

I totally get it, and I am aware that if someone does something to alter the functionality that comes stock with the device, they are responsible for the outcome - good and bad. I have never rooted, nor installed anything beyond Launcher Pro Plus and a few widgets and games. I prefer to keep my device as simple and minimal as possible to avoid potential problems. How ironic. However, as unfortunate as it is, this phone has had nothing but problems since I've had it. Just this morning when I turned it on, it launched in safe mode, which it does almost every other day now. And sometimes it launches with a brand new wallpaper, yet everything else is the same. WTF? And at this point, I'm sick of hearing myself go on and on about it, as I'm sure others are as well

I would be disappointed too. Probably would have taken it back within first 30 days.
FYI, the Safe Mode issue was the same problem I was having with Root Uninstaller. Once I deleted it, my problems went away. If it were me, I would do a factory restore and delete the cache, run it for a day without installing any apps and see if it still did it. Doesn't sound like your issue though, as you say it's been that way since you bought it.
Someone more knowledgeable than me about Logcats could probably help you pinpoint which app is forcing you into Safe Mode. Hell, it could be you have a corrupted operating system.

 

[THARD11]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

Did you have all your problems straight out of the box or once you started installing apps? Only reason I ask is just about every issue I had could be traced to an app I installed. That may not be the case with everyone but it's worth looking into.

Main probs seem to be after the OTA Froyo update. 3 calls straight to VM already today

 

[lpt2569]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

Main probs seem to be after the OTA Froyo update. 3 calls straight to VM already today

My wife just called (from her office phone), letting me know she missed 3 calls yesterday afternoon and 1 this morning on her Fascinate. All straight to VM. This is a perfect example of my point...she has no interest in rooting, and would never let me or anyone else root it. So she is stuck with a faulty device, even after the latest updates. And she NEEDS to get her calls, she is the primary caretaker for her sick, elderly parents.

@Gamecock - we didn't have these issues (for the most part) until the update to Froyo and then the last supposed "fix" a few weeks ago. Things have gotten worse, not better, since these updates. So we did not have the option to return the phones, only to get refurb Fascinates, which have the same issues, since the issues have never really been fixed by anyone! AAAHHHHH!!!! I feel like I'm on crazy pills!! (A big hi-five to anyone who gets that reference).

 

[Sta11i0n]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

My wife just called (from her office phone), letting me know she missed 3 calls yesterday afternoon and 1 this morning on her Fascinate. All straight to VM. This is a perfect example of my point...she has no interest in rooting, and would never let me or anyone else root it. So she is stuck with a faulty device, even after the latest updates. And she NEEDS to get her calls, she is the primary caretaker for her sick, elderly parents.

@Gamecock - we didn't have these issues (for the most part) until the update to Froyo and then the last supposed "fix" a few weeks ago. Things have gotten worse, not better, since these updates. So we did not have the option to return the phones, only to get refurb Fascinates, which have the same issues, since the issues have never really been fixed by anyone! AAAHHHHH!!!! I feel like I'm on crazy pills!! (A big hi-five to anyone who gets that reference).

Let them send you refurbs. I would normally be totally against getting them myself, but I gave VZ one last shot with them when I was demanding Charges to replace my Fascinates. I figured I'd play their game, and if the replacements still had problems, that would be more fuel for me to get a different device. Turns out, Samsung might have actually done something with the replacements they are sending out. The build sticker under the battery is dated 08/01/11 and the new ones are running about -10dBm better on signal. So far so good. No missed calls this week. I think I actually like my phone again.

 

[THARD11]

Re: Is Anyone Else About Ready to Throw this Phone Into a Brick W

We have 4 Verizon phones in the same location right now, 2 Fascinates, a DroidX and a LG the Fascinate's signal strength says -100, the X says -88 and the LG -89 that should tell you something is just not right with the radio in this phone. The X and LG have 4 bars and the Fascinate has 1 bar.