Database Develop

Anyone sent in their Xperia for repair in the US

Question is for anyone who has sent in their xperia to get serviced in sony ericsson/pts electronics in the us. Do they keep the phone serial number and all that in a database? Reason why i asked is because i sent mine in to get repaired and they said it was out of warranty because the white sticker in the phone turned pink. But the funny thing is the batter part didnt turn pink ...
Now i want to get my phone repaired seriously and it didnt fall into water or anything like that but somehow moisture got into it.
Can i swap the label that has the phone serial and put it onto a newer xperia outer body and send it again? Or will they know that the phone was sent in already by the serial?
Thanks

Warranty is voided whenever you disassemble the phone. They have their way of knowing when you do this. So I don't think your plan woiuld work.

nah...whenever the sticker turned pink, it means is water damage...
i sent mine back b/c the button is working properly somehow, can they couldn't fix it and sent me a new one

It is VERY likely that "they" would and will put this into their database with all the data they can gather from you and the phone and the circumstance. That is what ALL companies (and others) are doing nowadays.
On the other hand, SE should have offered you to repair it and you pay for it...didn't they offer that?

they didnt, they just sent it back, no emails or phone calls.

so much for customer service

they claim its liquid damage and it caused corrosion. im told they wouldnt even repair it even if i wanted to pay them to.
this is horrid.

BuddyLee said:
they claim its liquid damage and it caused corrosion. im told they wouldnt even repair it even if i wanted to pay them to.
this is horrid.
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bump it up to a supervisor tell them your battery indicator never changed color. just call a few times make sure you get the supervisors name's and details so you remember it for the next time you call. Unless you actually dropped it in water or something.
what was broken on the phone where you needed to get it repaired?

ibeQuint said:
bump it up to a supervisor tell them your battery indicator never changed color. just call a few times make sure you get the supervisors name's and details so you remember it for the next time you call. Unless you actually dropped it in water or something.
what was broken on the phone where you needed to get it repaired?
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you know the problem with the headphone jack that some people even in the forums say? like the headphones jack would make the phone think the headphone is plugged in but it isnt. And with that i cant use the phone without having the headphone plugged in or bluetooth headset enabled.

Where is this liquid detection sticker located?

in the battery compartment

Also on the battery itself the two white stickers. And on the phone mother board ... near the headphone jack if i remember correctly

Nexus One swap, Will they charge me for unlocking?

Did any of you here swap your phone with HTC and your phone was unlocked?
My phone's defects are obviously hardware: Power button failing and Screen has a gap around sides, (Dust gathers around screen everyday, have to clean manually).
Can they charge me for unlocking and rooting it, even though these issues are hardware specific? Anyone has a story to share?
During the call, the HTC Rep told me that "we will charge your credit card for any non-warranty problems." Does unlocking count as one?

yes they will charge you for having your phone rooter,cause is out of the warranty that's what they told me over the phone...

I heard some Reps are unaware that HTC honors Hardware warranty. Maybe they said that to you because they are just reading a script that says "unlocking = void" I've read stories here that they still repair though. Is it true?

I just had my Nexus One (unlocked bootloader) replaced through HTC without a charge for a similar hardware defect. When I called, I didn't mention anything about it being rooted, nor did he ask. I received my replacement, HTC received my defective unit, and I was told my ticket was closed with no charge on my account.
The replacement I received has a new defect and I'm currently awaiting another replacement to swap it out as well. I don't think they care, but I wouldn't parade around talking about it. Just be courteous and flash everything back to stock as much as you can.

Ok, thanks for the info! It would be great if they didn't charge me for this.

Please keep us informed on how everything turns out. Several people have said they've had no trouble. It would be nice to get a list if reasons for RMA with success rate. I have a fairly strong feeling as long as it's hardware related and involves no root caused problem (led from n1 torch, speaker from louder music, etc.) the rate would be pretty high. HTC really, in all the times I've had any problems has been one of my favorite call centers to contact.

I have successfully swapped my phone. I had the dust under screen issue and i called them up. Not questions asked about unlocked. I got my phone and they waited a week or so and i saw my ticket was closed. Now im calling back because my replacement one now has dust under the screen also.

Did you guys get these phones new that you are able to do this?
I just bought my N1 used from someone and I'm wondering if this will apply to me if incase i get the dust issue

I have a question regarding replacement swapping as well.
My phone has the power button defect and I'd like to swap it for a new one.
However, I dropped my phone on asphalt recently and there are minor scuffs on 2 edges and a ding on the top left edge. Will this be a problem in swapping?
Will I get charged or something after they receive my phone? The defects are not related to me dropping it.

Coderedpl said:
Did you guys get these phones new that you are able to do this?
I just bought my N1 used from someone and I'm wondering if this will apply to me if incase i get the dust issue
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I got mine on Craigslist. I traded my Iphone 3gs for it. Wonderful trade. Android fanboy since G1, but wanted to see what all the hype was about for the iphone. I never saw it. haha.
So I called HTC. Told them the IMEI they asked if i still live blah blah address(the original owner). I told them nope. Gave them new address and name. They got my CC number and off we go. Got a replacement phone in 2 days. Sent the other one back. Case closed. All is good, until yesterday when I saw just under my replacement one also. Its been 3-4 weeks. Now i'm waiting for another replacement.

I got mine on craigslist too, not that AWESOME of a deal since i pretty much just got the phone (the charger barely charges) and the usb i got from a small cell store at a mall doesnt work...pfftt
so I need: Data cable, charger & car charger.
bleh

futango said:
I got mine on Craigslist. I traded my Iphone 3gs for it. Wonderful trade. Android fanboy since G1, but wanted to see what all the hype was about for the iphone. I never saw it. haha.
So I called HTC. Told them the IMEI they asked if i still live blah blah address(the original owner). I told them nope. Gave them new address and name. They got my CC number and off we go. Got a replacement phone in 2 days. Sent the other one back. Case closed. All is good, until yesterday when I saw just under my replacement one also. Its been 3-4 weeks. Now i'm waiting for another replacement.
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you didn't have to show proof or purchase/receipts?

blt51 said:
I have a question regarding replacement swapping as well.
My phone has the power button defect and I'd like to swap it for a new one.
However, I dropped my phone on asphalt recently and there are minor scuffs on 2 edges and a ding on the top left edge. Will this be a problem in swapping?
Will I get charged or something after they receive my phone? The defects are not related to me dropping it.
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I'd like to know the answer to this too. My phone has a stuck pixel but I also dropped it and now there is a crack in the screen. I'm wondering if they'll charge me for the swap.

I've had my N1 replaced almost 5 times, so I have some experience with this. Everything was perfect with my first phone except for one dead pixel, which was only visible from certain angles. However, considering the price that I paid for the phone, it wasn't acceptable from my perspective.
I read a lot about people having successes with replacements so I decided to do a swap. My recommendation is to think about doing a swap very carefully. Each time a replacement was sent to me, I found new problems with the phone.
For example, one replacement had a weak vibrate while another had a camera that took oversaturated photos. One of the phones had minor scratches on the screen. Another replacement turned out to be the replacement that was sent to me which I sent back (but with a different sticker and IMEI).
So I think that if the phone is not damaged significantly, such as huge cracks, they will not charge you any fees. So minor scratches on the phone and "normal use" damage is fine.
Also, if you purchased your phone from someone else, you will still be under the warranty and do swaps. I've asked this through the phone twice and both times I was told that they decided to honor warranty transfers.

HTC gave me a new one was well with unlocked bootloader. The problem with my phone was a software issue too. No questions asked.

This is great to hear.
I traded my iPhone 3GS for a N1 on craigslist only to discover it has some sort of hardware problem - Strange rebooting - not sure if it's heat related (doesn't seem so) or bad RAM (I've seen many reports). Went the replacement route (that's another story all together - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=698156) and am awaiting the new unit. Just got my return shipping label, hopefully they wont charge me either!

x986123 said:
I heard some Reps are unaware that HTC honors Hardware warranty. Maybe they said that to you because they are just reading a script that says "unlocking = void" I've read stories here that they still repair though. Is it true?
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I had my Nexus One rooted and it was sent it to HTC for "power button failure" and they fixed it for no extra charge. Came back with a more firm-feeling power button and relocked.

They tried to charge me but after some reasoning with the right person on the phone they dropped the charge. You can also file a ticket with the Google Sales team and they will make sure you are not charged if you have a manufacturing defect unrelated to your phone being unlocked.

I bought mine from someone locally in salt lake, and after I had bought it, i noticed some dust under the screen. When I called HTC, they wouldn't replace the whole unit because there was an engraving on it. But they said they would send me a packing slip and i could send them the phone and they would take it apart and fix it. So hopefully it works.

adamhlj said:
I bought mine from someone locally in salt lake, and after I had bought it, i noticed some dust under the screen. When I called HTC, they wouldn't replace the whole unit because there was an engraving on it. But they said they would send me a packing slip and i could send them the phone and they would take it apart and fix it. So hopefully it works.
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Hey, I would try calling HTC again and talk to another representative if you want to do a swap for a replacement; sometimes the customer representatives tell you what they know and so they give different responses.
The warranty specifically says:
If you have engraved your phone with a personal message, the device that you receive will not include the engraving, and the engraving on the defective device will not be sent back to you. If you want to keep your engraving, you can opt for the express repair option.
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That is, unless you want to keep the engraving.
Good luck!

How do I know I got a new phone?

Is there a "life" counter like there was in old nokias where you couldnt reset it and it showed the number of minutes the phone was used (both incoming & outgoing) ?

Hm... check the IMEI, every motherboard / phone should have a unique number.

EarlZ said:
Hm... check the IMEI, every motherboard / phone should have a unique number.
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I bought a new phone and I have a feeling it is not new.. thats why I want to know.

oholic said:
I bought a new phone and I have a feeling it is not new.. thats why I want to know.
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Ah.. there are lots of signs if a phone is used, a bit hard to put it into words but when you get it you can really tell.

I alway look for the protective film on the screen to be perfect, I have never had a new phone that isn't. I also look at the accessories and their packaging and if there have been any tamper stickers removed from the box. A friend once bought new N96 from a well known web site that was in actual fact was reconitioned, no protective film on screen and the box had already been opened. But sorry I do not know how to check the phones software.

Its pretty hard to find it through firmware, because a firmware flash resets almost everything. Even in old Nokia phones you can reset the lifetime counter.
Check the manufactured date of the battery, if its only few months old (i.e Oct or later) then chances are the phone is new. Other than that you have to rely on physical signs, condition of the accessories and box. What about the screen protector ? It comes with a screen protector that has some logos printed on it, make sure its there and no dust particles are trapped underneath (an indication that it has been removed and placed back again). The box also has a seal, but most stores breaks it to check for the contents and put warranty stickers or put SIM cards in. Other than that the the phone usually has a fresh new plastic smell.
Its relatively easy to spot a used phone when you carefully examine it, for example if you can find dust under the battery door, in speaker grills , or see fingerprint smudges etc. The battery is usually shipped half full, if you find it dead or 100% charged that might indicated the phone has been used before (at least for a brief period). Also take a closer look at the charger especially the power pins. These are some of the ways you can check, but none of these are guaranteed ways to make sure.

I think you need to enter engineer mode to see some sort of life timer.
You can also check the battery's contact.

ROOT your phone, get root explorer and check system folders creation dates. My oldest files are december 2010 and i bought phone in january.

icsterm said:
ROOT your phone, get root explorer and check system folders creation dates. My oldest files are december 2010 and i bought phone in january.
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Good idea!

Help - Was I scammed?

Hi. So I recently bought a used Note 3 on craigslist. The phone works perfect. I inserted my Sim and have been using the phone with no problems. I decided to stick with my G3 and tried to sell the Note online. Come to find out there is something weird about the IMEI number. The number on the status screen comes up as blacklisted. There is a different IMEI number under the battery that comes up as valid.
As I said the phone works fine, but I dont know what is going on. The seller is obviously not being very helpful with my questions.
I have read about people illegally changing the IMEI numbers on phones. Is this what happened?
Why is the number under the battery the valid one? I assumed that if someone messed with the software the number on the status screen would be valid and the one under the battery would be blacklisted. The sticker under the battery looks legit.
Any help is appreciated.
Thank you

They could have changed it, but what I think is more likely is that they changed out the screen at some point and left the wrong sticker on it. On most newer Samsung phones the IMEI sticker is on the screen assembly, so when you install a new screen you have to swap the stickers too. I'm a phone tech and I always swap the stickers whenever I put a new screen on a device just to avoid this kind of confusion.
I personally would aggressively pursue a refund cause you could end up with an expensive paperweight even though it works fine at the moment. Involve the police if the seller decides to get salty about it, cause it's technically fraud.

Thank you for the response. Why would swapping out the screen change the IMEI? Which IMEI is the phone currently using?
The seller is no help.

Open the dialer screen and press *#06#
Don't press send. It will give a notification of what imei the phone is using.

I did this. The blacklisted one comes up.

I don't doubt what you're saying is true. But who says it's blacklisted? If it's an internet source I'd call the carrier. The carrier can tell you why it's blacklisted, and depending on the case it can un-blacklist it.
I also don't understand how a blacklisted device is working.
Unfortunately if it is blacklisted, you've been scammed. Contact the police. The more info you have, the more they can help you. If you have the sellers phone number, address, and description of them you might have a chance. Otherwise all you can do is sell it as a blacklisted device.

You are as confused as I am. Hence my post. Lol
I used Swappa to verify.
The number on the Status screen is definitely different than the one under the battery.

kabuk1 said:
They could have changed it, but what I think is more likely is that they changed out the screen at some point and left the wrong sticker on it. On most newer Samsung phones the IMEI sticker is on the screen assembly, so when you install a new screen you have to swap the stickers too. I'm a phone tech and I always swap the stickers whenever I put a new screen on a device just to avoid this kind of confusion.
I personally would aggressively pursue a refund cause you could end up with an expensive paperweight even though it works fine at the moment. Involve the police if the seller decides to get salty about it, cause it's technically fraud.
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440bro said:
Open the dialer screen and press *#06#
Don't press send. It will give a notification of what imei the phone is using.
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Green1534 said:
You are as confused as I am. Hence my post. Lol
I used Swappa to verify.
The number on the Status screen is definitely different than the one under the battery.
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Ignore the IMEI under the battery it's just a sticker I think what @kabuk1 is saying is that it could be different because of a careless error during a repair. The IMEI that shows up on the device is the IMEI of the phone and the one you should care about. If that is the one that swappa says is blacklisted then you should take @440bro and @kabuk1 s advice and investigate further with the carrier or just contact the police.
Sucks if you got scammed, but if you bought it through swappa they're really helpful with whatever you need. I bought a phone from a seller who turned nonresponsive immediately after the paypal payment cleared and they guys at swappa were really helpful getting my money back...slightly different situation but there is hope!

Thanks everyone for the feedback.
Just weird the phone works perfect.

Green1534 said:
Thanks everyone for the feedback.
Just weird the phone works perfect.
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It could be blacklisted on a different carrier than the one you're using. Usually what happens is that if a phone is blacklisted by T-Mobile, you won't be able to use it on their network but if the phone is unlocked you could still use it on other GSM networks.

The phone is AT&T model and I am using it on AT&T

how to check battery has been replaced?

Hi, I'm going to send my phone for battery replacement. Does anyone know how to check does battery was replaced? Is it any way/app that u can check battery serial number etc? I want to have an option to make sure that battery has been replaced.
Please help

x7nofate said:
Hi, I'm going to send my phone for battery replacement. Does anyone know how to check does battery was replaced? Is it any way/app that u can check battery serial number etc? I want to have an option to make sure that battery has been replaced.
Please help
Click to expand...
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Install AccuBattery from playstore....
After few cycles it will show you estimate battery capacity as well as battery health so you will know if its new or bad.... Easy as cake bro. You will see whats inside.. i changed battery twice...and twice for fake...so watch out
Take care

Thanks you for your answer. Is this only one option a art of phisicaly check battery by serial number?

x7nofate said:
Thanks you for your answer. Is this only one option a art of phisicaly check battery by serial number?
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Just check if the back cover as signs of already been removed. If phone already been serviced outside samsung, most likely you'll be able to remove it just using fingernails (carefully of course) if was not glued with strong liquid glue.
If was liquid glue was used, check for imperfections or discoloration in between case and cover. Most of the times its noticeable.
Even if serviced by samsung, i've seen very standard (to say the least) work by samsung official service but it could be very well outsourced to do so!

x7nofate said:
Hi, I'm going to send my phone for battery replacement. Does anyone know how to check does battery was replaced? Is it any way/app that u can check battery serial number etc? I want to have an option to make sure that battery has been replaced.
Please help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you could check phone info -samsung app, but im not sure if it shows battery serial nr, i remember it shows charging cycles ore something like that, even though im not sure again if that will change with the new battery, it didnt have to chage my phones battery yet.

ubejd said:
you could check phone info -samsung app
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Have you got a link?

x7nofate said:
Have you got a link?
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its in playstore ore check apkmirror or just google it and it will show.
phone info samsung apk

Install 'Charge cycle battery stats' by Cerebrum Development from app store. It will show how many times battery has been charged. Alternately you can also see this information in hidden menu in many Android phones but i am not sure if *#0228# will work on your note or not as it depends which carrier sim/firmware you are on.

яι¢αя∂σ said:
Just check if the back cover as signs of already been removed. If phone already been serviced outside samsung, most likely you'll be able to remove it just using fingernails (carefully of course) if was not glued with strong liquid glue.
If was liquid glue was used, check for imperfections or discoloration in between case and cover. Most of the times its noticeable.
Even if serviced by samsung, i've seen very standard (to say the least) work by samsung official service but it could be very well outsourced to do so!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This may work... so many sloppy techs.
A physical inspection inside would reveal more if the tech failed to use a OEM back cover seal and/or battery.
A properly done replacement/repair can be very hard or near impossible to detect.
OP, at this point it doesn't really matter as obviously it needs service. It's important to use a tech you can trust. Techs should be wearing ESD wrists straps and using ESD mats that are earth grounded whenever they work inside these devices. The individual detached subassemblies can be easily damaged by static electricity when out of circuit.
If shipping to be repaired take detailed images of the phone's condition the day it's shipped. Double box and pack it well. Insure the shipment. Use UPS or FedEx if possible and get a receipt.

Android# said:
Install 'Charge cycle battery stats' by Cerebrum Development from app store. It will show how many times battery has been charged. Alternately you can also see this information in hidden menu in many Android phones but i am not sure if *#0228# will work on your note or not as it depends which carrier sim/firmware you are on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This didn't work on a Note 10+ battery replacement... still showed the same numbers as before.