Phone issues - Verizon is substituting on Fascinate returns

[aerichards1977]

Just an FYI - I have had a Fascinate for a while now. I have loved all of the different builds that I have tried on my phone and the support from this site has been awesome. I love Voodoo and the comrom has been AWESOME!

For the last few weeks, I have been having MAJOR issues with call reception from my phone. I am on my 6th Fascinate from Verizon - I have tried every modem combo because this is my problem - my phone doesn't ring. I know I have seen other posts on this issue and JaeKar99 at one time(a while ago) was even researching this because he was seeing several issues as well. I try to keep up with all of the posts but I never saw a real resolution to this. I know each person has different experiences and this is why I keep trying different things.

Well tonight, Verizon acknowledged to me on the phone that there was a memo sent to support today that as of now, they are supposed to send a different phone replacement (NOT a fascinate) because they are aware of issues with this phone and not sure how to resolve them. I was offered several other phones as a replacement because they cannot guarantee service with this phone (the Fascinate). I did NOT ask for another phone because I love the fascinate and am going to keep trying to get this resolved. They will send me one but very reluctantly.

This is meant as more of an FYI that Verizon knows of issues with this phone. (PS - they tried to send me a HTC incredible, Droid X, or a Droid 2 as a "similar" replacement.)

 

[Lttlwing16]

Good to know... thanks for the info

 

[bluevolume]

With all due respect to the OP, the conclusions you are drawing here are probably not accurate. This situation isn't specifically about the Fascinate, but about the tools that Verizon support people have to retain customers.

The number one job of the support people is to keep you content and paying your bill. Their second job (and its a very close second), is to minimize the cost to Verizon in doing #1. If you don't like your phone, wish the software was better, want something newer, etc.; you're probably not going to pay the termination fee and leave. So they aren't going to do much for you. But if your phone isn't working, especially if the voice service is bad, that's something that needs fixing to keep you on.

You've been through 6 Fascinates. Probably a bunch of refurbs and then a "special exception" was made to get you a brand new one. Now that phone isn't working for you either. Time for level 3. They obviously aren't going to fix your problem with another Fascinate, so they offer you a choice of similar phones. Notice that they aren't offering any of the new crop of phones; nothing that's significantly better than the Fascinate. Given those options, a lot of people would just stick with what they have. They aren't getting an upgrade for their trouble, so whats the point? You stay on as a customer, and cost to Verizon is minimized.

Whatever the support person told you about the memo was hogwash. Just like most of the other things they say to try and soothe their customers.

My point here? Verizon is not admitting some hardware flaw with the Fascinate. Back to business as usual.

 

[Final13]

I recently purchased a Fascinate. (read 8 days ago) I had to purchase online as they didnt have it in the store. (and it was 50 bucks online) The reason for this as told to me by two separate Verizon stores was because the Fascinate is a "phase out phone"...Im not sure if that has anything to do with your being offered another phone, but perhaps the memo may be referring to that? As we all know there are always newer phones and they want to sell the newer expensive ones of course, but I thought the info was relevant.

 

[aerichards1977]

I was just posting what I was told. This was told to me by a level 3 technical support person, the customer support person, and the tech support person who authorized the return on the call yesterday - 3 different people. They just acknowledged that there were widespread issues with this phone. Did any of their options make me happy - absolutely not. I understand your points above but I am far from satisfied. I want a working Fascinate, period. I love this phone. I also understand that it is being phased out - it has been out for around 8 months or so.

Like I said, just trying to let people who may be having phone issues know what Verizon will be telling them.

 

[Final13]

you would think that with the NE2 program verizon has, the period before "phase out" begins would be a little longer, but alas that is the nature of the biz i suppose...

 

[Lttlwing16]

For me it doesn't make sense they would "phase out" a handset that they just promoted a month ago (mother's day ad).

Maybe they're just trying to clear their Fascinate inventory...

 

[joebob2000]

For me it doesn't make sense they would "phase out" a handset that they just promoted a month ago (mother's day ad).

Maybe they're just trying to clear their Fascinate inventory...

Bingo, they want to make what they can on the last of the inventory. Smartphones on VZ have a 12 month life, max. There are many other phones they would rather start pushing, and the fascinate has 3 more months left, tops. People looking to get a new phone, unless they are hooked on the 4" AMOLED, are going to go DX2 (faster, lcd/long runtime), TB (4g), Charge (4g, amoled), or hold their breath for the iPhone 5.

 

[Chewy1576]

I started having the data drop-out issue this weekend. Went into a VZW store this afternoon and after soft and hard resets, the tech is having a certified replacement sent. Hopefully this fixes the issue.

 

[ellisz]

I have read of the 3g drop out issues but I have not really been able to determine what the symptom is. I have had spotty 3g service as of late but the big thing I am hearing is that people that call me keep going to my voicemail and I never get a missed call icon. Is this part of this issue?

 

[ayhowarya]

On the 3G droppage, I just finished on the phone with VZW and ended with a seemingly bricked Fascinate. All I was told is that they have very rare occasions of giving new (different) phones and I am being overnighted a new Fascinate.

 

[ellisz]

How are they doing the testing over the phone? Is there something that can show you that the signal is dropping in and out?

 

[mack]

I've been getting randomly losing data connectivity as well. Is this related? A reboot fixes it. Sometimes when I make a call, it starts to ring 1-2 times then instantly hangs up. After I try a few times, it just dials then rings. Eventually it won't dial at all (says dialing forever). A reboot fixes it every time. Some days it'll do it 2-3 times at a time.

Are you sure this isn't something with verizon? I mean ever since the icrap has been released on Verizon I've been having this issue. Never cropped up in the past.

 

[Chewy1576]

The tech in the store pulled the battery for a soft reset, then did the factory reset in settings > privacy as the hard reset. When he couldn't even get a connection to Backup Assistant was when he just put in the order for the like-new phone. Both of those things you could easily do at home on the phone with VZW support or on your own.

What the tech didn't know is that I was having the same issue after flashing ComRom 2.0, odin ED03, and odin DI01, then EA28 and ED03 OTA's.

 

[joebob2000]

I've been getting randomly losing data connectivity as well. Is this related? A reboot fixes it. Sometimes when I make a call, it starts to ring 1-2 times then instantly hangs up. After I try a few times, it just dials then rings. Eventually it won't dial at all (says dialing forever). A reboot fixes it every time. Some days it'll do it 2-3 times at a time.

Are you sure this isn't something with verizon? I mean ever since the icrap has been released on Verizon I've been having this issue. Never cropped up in the past.

I for one blame those 4g mothertruckers. It all started when 4g handsets started rolling out.

 

[Final13]

I for one blame those 4g mothertruckers. It all started when 4g handsets started rolling out.

agreed...all the "4G" nonsense is making everyone and everything go nuts

 

[Bengalfan1]

I stopped in a Verizon store and asked them about this. They said they have not heard of this and they are still selling Fascinates and have plenty in stock.

 

[freeoscar]

my phone was doing fine since the update, until the past few days. completely stock. all of the sudden i won't be able to place calls. if i re-boot it works fine, but then it goes out again a couple of days later. also, occasionally my wife will call and it doesn't ring, or show up as a missed call. i don't know if it is just from her, or from others, but they don't tell me. what have people been trying to fix this?

 

[Smithson15]

My fiance called tonight after issues with calls dropping constantly after loading Froyo and after going through a hard reset with Tech Support and having her signal constantly jump around, he said he could send her either a new Fascinate, Droid X, Incredible 2 or a Samsung Charge. She chose the Incredible 2 and it'll be here Thursday.

 

[Landshark]

my phone was doing fine since the update, until the past few days. completely stock. all of the sudden i won't be able to place calls. if i re-boot it works fine, but then it goes out again a couple of days later. also, occasionally my wife will call and it doesn't ring, or show up as a missed call. i don't know if it is just from her, or from others, but they don't tell me. what have people been trying to fix this?

Call verizon tech support, tell them you are not getting any 3G reception or cell reception, tell them you have done a factory reset which did not help. Tell them you need an ESN swap. If that does not fix it, you will need tier 2 tech support to do a DMU reset.