Thinking of buying a "refurbished" at&t captivate. does anybody have any advice to if the device is worth buying if it is refurbished, if any of you guys have bought it that way..and also is it really worth it in att network or should I be warned and wait till MARCHH! to switch over to another carrier ?
currently have a iphone 3g but i really want to switch over to android
Mine is a insurance replacement so it is refurbed, have had other refurbed phones and haven't had any problemss out of either. I love the phone itself. Go to any sub forum and you can tell the phone has gps issues, some worse then others. This is my 3rd (first couldn't go into recovery, and second was lost), and gps is worse then all the previous ones. Even with the problems, I still wouldn't give this phone up. Probably because I love the hardware and its my first android device and apple wasn't a choice for me. As for the network I hadn't any problems with att since 2004. I'm sure that depends on you location tho.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Two weeks ago I bought the HTC Aria with rebate for $29. Then another employee wrote saying they wanted to upgrade their phone, and wanted the Captivate. I looked online and saw that it was $299. A few days go by and he agrees to the price, and when I go to order it, lo and behold ATT has refurb for $50 each! I bought two, one for him and one for me . I like the aria and it is now my backup, but I love the Captivate and for $50, it's hard to go wrong.
tl;dr, buy it.
Did the refurb unit have any signs of use or scratches or anything? I might get one soon too.
Go for it..it's a great phone. Just make sure you can check it out in person first,or can return it if broken.
Mac
I got a refurb.
And it's perfect. Looks brand new. And no problems
I have a refurb......... no major issues. One thing to look for though.......... I got my first one 4 days ago, worked fine, but after being on for a little bit the battery went completely dead after being on standby for 30 min. yeah, something was wrong with the battery, on top of that it would randomly exit me out of screens.
turned out they sent me one that had NOT been fixed yet, their boo boo. They sent me out a new one and I got it today. This one looked brand new, all the stickers from samsung still on it and everything. Let it charge and turned it on....... no more issues.
It lags a little and the battery life REALLY sux, but those are issues with brand new ones also. I turned on my task killer and put the security level to low so that I could kill everything but non essential apps. Now the battery life seems MUCH better. It seems like this phone takes a long time to charge as well though. I think i wll just allow the battery to fully drain then plug it in, see if that will work, maber get rid of any potential battery memory.
Thanks for the help, appreciate it....I ordered it already and should get it in 2-5 business days so i will post back on my thoughts!
cant wait to start using the android OS!!!!
I am on a refurb now. I love this thing. No [hardware] issues at all.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
i have a refubished phone and its better than the new one I had
I got a new Samsung Captivate and it keeps rebooting on me at random and the keys (especially back key) are really bad. They dont recognzie my touch half the time unless I press really hard on them.
My question is....if I get a replacment how will I be able to tell if its a refurb or not?
Are the refubs typically better since they have had more extensive testing?
Anybody have any thoughts on this?
with anything there are defect but these phones are built like a rock and if you think about it, if there is a x probability that a device has a defect the probability that it has 2 is x^2(in theory, obviously the nature of the defect factors in) so if the phone had a defect that was fixed there is a pretty slim chance that it will be defective after it is repaired.
i wouldn't worry about a refurbished phone, there may be cosmetic damage ect. but i would recommend this phone to anyone on build quality alone. wear and tear related problems should be minimal. id say go for it.
I had 3 refurb fuzes and 2 razr9s. Only real problem you have to worry about is physical defects. Hinges mostly. If there is a software or hardware problem you can send it back.
Edit: you can also get insurance on an unused refurb through at&t
From a phone on an app
Any one who has replaced a phone using insurance or warranty thru ATT is most likely using a refurbed phone. I have replaced every phone i have ever had in 10 years with ATT due to my being really hard on phones at work and all the replacements have been refurbed. I personally have never had an issue with a refurb, they all lokked and performe like new. I actually just got my cappy a few weeks ago and ordered the refurb cause i knew i would end up with one anyway.( and got lucky in doing so and got a batch 1007 phone so my 3button download mode doesnt get wiped.)
Works Perfecly and only set me back $50
I messed up my first captivate. Was able to return it through warranty and got a refurbished unit. I have been using it for 3 months with no issues. Of coarse there is no guarantee
Captivate
Cog 2.2
Related
I'm considering buying the refurbished Tilt from ATT premier. Are those any good? if problems, are they just something flashing can fix, or hardware?
I'd like to get some feedback, is it alright to take advantage of the refurbished deal.
Just picked one up.
Bought one last week with a little trepedation after reading some of the threads regarding ATT sending refurbs to replace defective units after 30 days. But for a $150, it was worth taking a look.
Got it in, checked it out and could'nt tell it from new. YMMV!
Glad I got it!
Tom
Referbished ATT Tilt
I just got mine two days ago and could not be happier with it. No signs of referb....looks new to me. Premier price after $25 discount = $125. No brainer.
It's a mixed bag. Refurb can mean many things. It could be a phone that someone bought, used for 10 minutes, and decided they didn't like it. Or it could be a phone that had problems. Either way they are returned to "factory settings" and then relisted for a discounted price. I have heard many stories of people getting a refurb phone and it working flawlessly. But there are also those, myself included, who have had problems with refurbs.
It basically comes down to the luck of the draw. Even if something is wrong with it initially, you can always return it for another one.
ugahairydawgs said:
It's a mixed bag. Refurb can mean many things. It could be a phone that someone bought, used for 10 minutes, and decided they didn't like it. Or it could be a phone that had problems. Either way they are returned to "factory settings" and then relisted for a discounted price. I have heard many stories of people getting a refurb phone and it working flawlessly. But there are also those, myself included, who have had problems with refurbs.
It basically comes down to the luck of the draw. Even if something is wrong with it initially, you can always return it for another one.
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Click to collapse
I am pretty sure besides returning it to factory settings, they also repair/replace whatever was wrong with them. I couldn't swear to this, but it just wouldn't make any sense if they didn't. If a hard reset would have fixed the problems it was having, it doesn't seem like it would have needed to be replaced, since hard reset is one of the steps you have to go through before they will replace your phone. ATT claims (I've asked them on the phone), that refurbs are repaired, and tested thoroughly.
With that said, I have had problems with BOTH brand new Tilt, as well as refurbed ones. So, I say yes, definitely try the refurb out, you will likely get the same quality as the new ones, which means f you are lucky, you will get a good one, if not you can exchange (same goes for the new ones).
All the refurb ones I have received from ATT have looked cosmetically new. In fact, they look so new, I wonder if they replace the housing on them. Not one has had even a tiny scratch.
got two myself, i agree, they probably replace the case. these are to replace the two 8125s in the house. what roms are you guys rolling with?
bought the wife a refurb about a week ago...its flashed and screaming like new...couldnt even tell its a refurb...and for 150..why not?
I got mine 2 weeks ago and it looked brand new when I got it. I'm still figuring which rom I like and the SNES emulators are slow, other than that its a cool gadget.
I got mine 2 weeks ago and it looked brand new when I got it. I'm still figuring which rom I like and the SNES emulators are slow, other than that its a cool gadget.
Nothing wrong with them. If you have a problem return it. Matter of fact... FLASH Hard SPL/a new ROM as soon as you get it.. I bet its already been done on the phone...
Nothing wrong with refurbs.
do u brought them off from the att website?
I got one after my original NEW one died. Can't tell the difference...works fine. Sprite backup is a lifesaver. Restored to refurbished one almost perfectly. Just had to re-input some registration codes and fix email (app to do that).
I got one last week. Innitially was planning to sell it and continue using my flashed 8125 but just couldn't do it.
The first one i got had a stuck pixel, so did an exchange and got another one. I did a little bit of complaining, so they overnight the replacement to me.
and also, according to the rep that i spoke to, these come with a 1 year warranty, so for $150 and still a 1 year warranty.......you just cant go wrong with that.
Reassuring
Okay, Thanks for the feedback guys. I'll order the premier refurb today! Is it wise to wait until warranty expire to flash/mod, or can I just dive in? after reading more about flashing/upgrading of course.
150$?
Ok, looking at picking up a refurb'd tilt, looks sweet.
I see the 150$ price, but only if I sign up for a 2 year contract...?
Is everyone on here signing a 2 year contract? or am I missing something?
Refirb is a mixed barrel. You will get some that were used/abused and then flashed and re-cased... other returns could simply be "It's not for me" with almost no usage...
However, some retailers have a "No Open Box" policy on phones, if its returned after a 5 minute call it's returned to the vendor -- It's mostly a legal issue, since it could have someone's private data/contact list loaded and unprotected -- this policy ensures they are not responsible if that gets out after the Manufacturer wipes it.
I bought a refurbished tilt. I was pretty apprehensive about it. but I figured, hey, I spent $360 on my 8125 and that was used from eBay, so...why not $150 on something that comes with a guarantee from AT&T?
Other then the sticker on the screen looking like it had been removed and replaced, there was no indication that anything about it was used externally. Inside, under device information, it counted 15 min for incoming calls and 36 min for outgoing calls. That's all. Maybe someone used it and found it too difficult? Or maybe they tried using a BT headset and promptly returned it because the BT stack SUCKS. my only real complaint about the Tilt and that has zero do it with it being refurbished.
My first Tilt had a very obviously defective keyboard, every key surrounding the right soft key didn't work and the softkey itself was raised up so high it would press itself most of the time when closed.
My second one has been good!
BTW, I've used 3 PCs, two headsets, and 1 GPS and no bluetooth problems. The only problem I've had is that I've discovered that if the Tilt is powered down (screen off... not totally powered down) sometimes the headset doesn't pair up, so I just hit the power button on the Tilt then on the headset, wait for the confirmation beep a few seconds later, then turn the Tilt back off.
They are on the regular site for $99.00 as of this morning. You have to click on the bundles or packaged deals. Don't just select the phone.
90 day warranty and 110 days after I buy it the keyboard starts to have letters that aren't working the first time I press them.
I know I have to replace it (myself), but I'm pissed off at AT&T for selling me a lemon!!!!
First of all a "lemon" is "[SIZE=-1]A vehicle, usually new, that has a large number of defects."
The Tilt is not a Vehicle. Nor can it be considered "new" is its refurbished. Also, one defect after warranty does not mean its a lemon.
And when you buy a refurbed anything, you assume the risk that it will break faster then a new. Hence why its so much cheaper.
Is it frustrating? Yes, it is no fun in the end. But such is that risk of Refurbed Items.
[/SIZE]
Ok, so not technically a lemon.
But I thought the real tradeoff in a refurb was taking something that had previously had a problem and was therefore scrutinized again and thus less likely to have another problem immediately?
You take a gamble when you buy a refurb. Chances are fairly good you'll get something that was returned because it was "too much", too expensive, confusing for the user or something along those lines where the unit itself is fine. But you're rolling the dice by paying considerably less than full price and you may well end up with something that has a serious problem. The manufacturer generally turns it on and makes sure it looks ok but nothing more. They're not going to test the wifi, the keyboard, camera, etc, before stuffing it back in a box with all the rest of the crap that the phone ships with and sends it out the door. And when you consider that HTC doesn't care all that much about their brand new stuff, you're really rolling the dice with an HTC refurb.
If the keys work the second time you press them, a new keyboard may not 'fix' anything.
Searching the forum for keyboard issues will yield a lot of results. I know I've read quite a few threads about keyboard lag and missing letters while typing. Most seem to center on T9 and other auto-complete or auto-correct settings. You may find that you don't need a new keyboard after all - some software tweaks may solve your problem.
I bought a refurb Tilt, knowing it was a gamble. Thankfully, I haven't had any problems yet...
I got two junk Tilt's from AT&T before I got a good one. If the third one had also been garbage I would have probably been in serious trouble for what I would have done to one of their stores.
What really annoyed me MOST about it was when I got the second defective one I told them "LOOK, I've 'owned' this phone for 3 weeks and have yet to use it because you keep sending me CRAP!" and they said "Okay, look, tell us where you live and we'll get you to the nearest corporate store and swap it out tonight."
Of course I arrive at the store and they won't touch refurbs. At all. No question.
I got back on the phone in the parking lot and yelled at a few supervisors until they overnighted my new Tilt and took another $50 off of the $50 that it had apparently dropped in the last week, down to a total of $100 for it. Luckily the third one has been fine.
First two had serious keyboard problems.. One the keyboard had a big 'bump' in it and the keys around the right softkey would not work and the softkey was pressed by the screen all the time. The other one the screen freaked out whenever I opened it.
Okay, I reverted to an older rom and it is definitely a keyboard issue. It only affects the b, v, and space bar.
The question is whether I just need the replacement keyboard for $29 or much more...and can a noob replace it without totally effing it up.
Honestly I can say that I have a refurb, had it for about 6 months now, and haven't had problem one with it. Could have just been a fluke thing perhaps?
recently i have been having a lot of problems with my phones. when i bought the phone it was great until about a month ago the accelerometer got messed up and everything went into landscape for no reason, so after two weeks of dealing with that problem i called t-mo and they had me go through the usual troubleshooting steps which i had already tried. they asked if the phone was rooted and i acted like i had no idea what that meant, and they sent a replacement(refurb) about a week into using the refurb i was having really bad battery life of about 20 minutes, i called t-mo again and told them my battery was shot and what was going on. they decided that the phone was broke but they would send me another battery as well.
then i got the phone 4 days ago and it seems now that the touchscreen is going out. i went to pull my notification bar down cause i had an email and my app bar came up, when i tried to close it nothing happened. right now it seems that the entire screen thinks i am touching 3 inches below where i am and so i have been using the phone without touching the screen(not fun), so i called t-mo again. first thing they asked me was if the touchscreen not working was inhibiting my everyday use of the phone, obviously it is affecting my usage of the phone since i got it because it was a touchscreen. t-mo told me after a few minutes of looking up my info that since they have sent three phones out(even though i told them not to on one of them) that i have to take it up with HTC. HTC is telling me that i have to take it up with t-mo. if i am not mistaken all refurbs come with either a 90 day warranty or the remainder of the one year on the original phone whichever comes first. i know there are some t-mo employees here, so please tell me who i should talk to or what i should say to get my phone fixed, this is ridiculous that i got the rufurb and it doesn't even work. aren't they supposed to test each one before they send it out?
thanks in advance guys
Yes they are suppose to test it out but those big companies... ahhh. I'm convinced that T-Mobile should be the company you should talk to for a replacement. They should provide you with another one since it's within the 90 day warranty. If they tell you to talk to HTC tell them HTC told you to talk to them. Not much but I can say Hope you have better luck!
Sounds tough dude! I've been lucky enough to always have re-furbs work for me, but sounds like you're not having my luck :/.
I have an insurance plan with T-Mobile, $7 a month, and lets you replace your phone, no questions asked, anytime you want. You can try seeing if you want to sign up for that and then they take care of it through the company that does the insurance for T-Mobile, and skips HTC and T-Mobile altogether.
Best to call T-Mobile and get them to get in touch with HTC direct to try and solve the issue.
As for the screen always going to Landscape mode, this used to happen to me. I figured out a fix when I noticed the Fancy Animation setting was causing the issue in Spare Parts. I disabled it and the screen was auto-rotating fine.
After disabling the Fancy animations in the settings too and then re-enabling them back and in Spare Parts, all was well.
I've got my Nexus One, in pretty much fantastic condition. Zagg cover since day one and no major issues.
It does have the common bug where screen becomes unresponsive when you connect a charger to it but I was told that there's no fix for that.
It's got a few extras: screen protector, cover, UK adapter, cleaning cloth
Bought in April, then 3 weeks later I got the Desire so this has been sat around doing nothing much.
I'm looking to get rid of it now, but have no idea what it's worth. I don't plan on selling it on here but just want to know if someone can give me an idea of how much I can expect for it!
Thanks in advance
well my N1 never had that common bug. I checked again after your post and nothing as you described.
For excellent condition and unlocked, I would say on average in the range of £240-270. For brand new, £290-320. If the bug is very noticeable prob in the range of £180-220 ( few noticeable dents and marks). £250 is the sweet spot for most N1 in good condition. Try Hotdeals Uk.
Thanks, I was certain that I'd read something like that on Modaco, maybe it was something else then.
If it is faulty hardware then I should be able to get it fixed as it's still in warranty. If not I'll list for the cheaper price you said.
I guess the first step is to start using the phone again for a couple of days and see if that issue's still there
Thanks for the help, at least I've got an idea of how much to expect for it
Well I (6 weeks or so ago) sold a brand new, in box, Nexus one on eBay to a chap in Ireland for £325.
Also, might be worth considering unlocking the boot-loader and flashing a popular Rom and adding that in to the selling notes. The normal people love words like "Unlocked" and so on. I bet you could reach the same kind of price if you sell it well (even if it is used).
Dude, YOU CANT SELL nexus one. Because its best phone. I dont thing you want to just quit mobiloty or you want to?
Those of you experiencing issues with the screen display being garbled, it finally became listed as a known issue for Sprint. This is good for those of you having it! You should be able to get into a store and get the phone replaced for free even without insurence. It will say in the "known issues" area for techs to waive the exchange fee if thats the reason its being replaced.
I had the issue and the reps said it's a known issue. Seems to be related to a certain batch of phones and the latest update. They tried replacing the screen first and it didn't fix it then he went to the spring employee forum and then he seen its a widespread issue and they replaced my phone for me. Hope this helps
Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk
I just started to notice this today in some apps where the screen will split in two then have just snow in certain portions. Is that what you all are seeing?
wilsonch1551 said:
I just started to notice this today in some apps where the screen will split in two then have just snow in certain portions. Is that what you all are seeing?
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Click to collapse
Yes. That is the exact issue. I did a factory reset on mine. I dont have the issue as much. Only when it gets warm. But i am going to get it replaced
Sent from my LGLS991 using xda premium
Yeah, where it it displays Snow on half the screen. We just got an offical email about it today to say that its now listed as a "known issue" for the device with an exchange waiver. So hopefully any of you with the issue can go in and get it fixed. You should be able to do so even without insurence. If they argue you that you need to pay tell them to check the site...it will say "waive fee"
I haven't gotton the chance to check since I've been off today.
Thank you for this I had to argue with the Sprint Tech support last night about this and they came up with a deal to pay my insurance for a month to swap the phone out and are sending me a new one. I reset my phone as well and haven't messed with the DPI and I have even heated it up a few times and don't seem to have the issue. I also quite running Google Now launcher and don't seem to have any problems today. Odd. Almost feel like it don't need to swap the phone but maybe I'll do the Xposed mod on this one as a test and still swap it when the other one comes....
Well it looks like they went back on the known issue and won't replace for free till LG admits its an issue. I replaced out a screen and the issue persisted for a person. Makes me wonder if it's motherboard issue. I'll keep you guys posted once it becomes official.
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA Free mobile app
soulysephiroth said:
Well it looks like they went back on the known issue and won't replace for free till LG admits its an issue. I replaced out a screen and the issue persisted for a person. Makes me wonder if it's motherboard issue. I'll keep you guys posted once it becomes official.
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Are there any current known issues that they will replace the phone? I am having random reboots which is very infuriating. However, I was stupid and bought from Best Buy so I am not even sure a Sprint store could help me as they can't even activate my old phone! I have to go into Best Buy for them... I don't think I am technically a Sprint customer anymore but a Best Buy one with this weird plan they got me on that "saved" me money. $5 a month is not worth it for all this craziness I am now gong through!
Anyway, sorry to hijack this thread but I don't know if the screen issue relates to the random reboots people have been having but it seems that the first batch may have faulty CPUs according to another post. I really don't want to claim insurance because I want to be positive I don't get another phone that is the bad batch. I heard LG have been sending some people new phones so maybe I will try to go that route as the likely hood of them still having stock from the bad batch is less likely then Sprint or Best Buy.
This is the worst electronics purchase I have ever made!
It's not a listed known issue so sprint won't replace it unless you have TEP. If you do just take into a repair center and have then do all their tech crap and once they see its still rebooting randomly theyll replace it. My ATT one never did any of these stuff that sprint ones seems to be having issues with.. Makes me wonder about model numbers lol
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA Free mobile app
Update
wilsonch1551 said:
Thank you for this I had to argue with the Sprint Tech support last night about this and they came up with a deal to pay my insurance for a month to swap the phone out and are sending me a new one. I reset my phone as well and haven't messed with the DPI and I have even heated it up a few times and don't seem to have the issue. I also quite running Google Now launcher and don't seem to have any problems today. Odd. Almost feel like it don't need to swap the phone but maybe I'll do the Xposed mod on this one as a test and still swap it when the other one comes....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it started again this weekend and I think it is tied to the phone being hot. If I am running intense video play back or high graphics games it will happen. I have left everything stock just to test it out and it has returned. As long as the phone is cool then it doesn't happen but the minute it starts to warm up from prolonged screen use then the problem returns. FYI.... Hopefully the new one gets here today and doesn't have the same problem.
Newest Update. I have been discussing this issue on Facebook on the Sprint page because they don't seem to understand the difference between "Warranty" and "Insurance". They are seeing it my way but does bring to light the BS they are shoveling that you have to buy insurance on your devices for things that should be covered by a Warranty. They need to review their policies on this and make things easier on folks who have defective merchandise and aren't just clumsy with phones.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/440497.html
Oh so now I am told that the LG G4 from Sprint is on back order.....
soulysephiroth said:
Well it looks like they went back on the known issue and won't replace for free till LG admits its an issue. I replaced out a screen and the issue persisted for a person. Makes me wonder if it's motherboard issue. I'll keep you guys posted once it becomes official.
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait I thought EVERYONE was having this issue. If you get the patch of visual "snow" on your screen occasionally, you're saying the phone should be replaced completely?
My phone also gets REALLY hot sometimes. Pretty annoying. Obviously tanks the battery
send device into LG
I had the same issue where the screen would get garbled, show different colors (pink/purple/blue/green etc..) all screwed up. The camera app would crash when I would constantly switch from front facing to rear facing camera. My device got really slow had to reset/reformat it a few times. I thought it was due to rooting it or whatnot. I don't think that was it. I think it was a bad batch. I sent it in to LG two weeks ago and got it back today. Their message back on the paper was replaced flash/memory.
They actually sent me a completely new device. I think the touch screen issues are gone as well as the original issue. This feels like a brand new device not part of a bad batch. I'm glad I sent it in. You should do the same. It's probably part of the same problem posted in this thread. I'm a happy camper now.
Warranty is covered by LG. Thus you go to LG after 14 days you need insurance to get sprint to replace it normally. There's no issue that's just how it works and the termology backs it.
Devices get it everyone in a while, the thing is when half the screen us garbled and it happens frequently
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA Free mobile app
Difference between Warranty and Insurance
soulysephiroth said:
Warranty is covered by LG. Thus you go to LG after 14 days you need insurance to get sprint to replace it normally. There's no issue that's just how it works and the termology backs it.
Devices get it everyone in a while, the thing is when half the screen us garbled and it happens frequently
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue I have is that I shouldn't have to pay insurance for a company to warranty something they sold me. If I didn't break the device then they should be the one to handle it for me with the manufacturer that they represent. I shouldn't have to go back to the manufacturer because they didn't sell me the device. If I had dunked it or broken it I agree I should have to pay out of pocket but that's not what happened.
This answer explains it and since I am already paying Sprint for cell service I shouldn't have to be inconvenienced as the customer to get a warranty item taken care of.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/440497.html
A Google answers thread isn't policy. Sprint guaranteed the phone to work in the first 14 as per policy. The warranty you're claiming is a manufacturing one, not sprints warranty. It's lgs warranty for a year.
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA Free mobile app
Here's a straight answer to your issue with warranty vs insurance.
THE WARRANTY IS THROUGH LG. They are the only ones who guarantee the phone to work for a year.
Sprint Asurion insurance: Will cover your phone for 2 repairs/replacements for free in a year, after that 25 dollars a repair or replacement, and if you have a lost, stolen, water damaged, or cracked display over an inch will be a deductible.
If you don't have TEP, then after 14 days Sprint will not cover replacements for your device UNLESS its a KNOWN ISSUE. As of right now, Sprint doesn't have anything officially listed as known issue till LG admits they have a problem and work out a deal with sprint to pay for the replacements.
You're arguing that Sprint has to honor LG's warranty, which is simple not the case. If that was the case Sprint wouldn't offer insurance at all.
I appreciate your take on things and having been with other more expensive carriers the question of insurance is a matter of perspective. With At&t within the first year they will just swap the phone out. Now this may be because they charge you more for their service and as they see it they would rather reduce the hassle and take care of the device with the manufacturer. With Sprint they have chosen to try and compete on a price model that requires that they charge for insurance as they don't have the money built into the plans to cover these sorts of issues. They may never admit that openly but in seeing how the two companies have addressed similar issues that would be the appearance of it.
Either way I now know that if it want to have anything close to the device coverage I had with At&t then I have to pay for Sprint "Insurance" so be it.
I am having the vertical split screen issue as well...it's just started happening and I am up to 1 month of ownership. Where is the best place to go to inquire about an LG warranty replacement?