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Hello All,
I wanted to ask, if you buy your device from the google play store and had to do a warranty replacement, does google use refurbished devices like Motorola or do they send out new in box devices?
I am just trying to decide where would be a better place to buy the phone from, Amazon or google.
As price is the same, return policies and warranties would be the only difference.
Thank you!
backdown00 said:
Hello All,
I wanted to ask, if you buy your device from the google play store and had to do a warranty replacement, does google use refurbished devices like Motorola or do they send out new in box devices?
I am just trying to decide where would be a better place to buy the phone from, Amazon or google.
As price is the same, return policies and warranties would be the only difference.
Thank you!
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Click to collapse
Google sent me new in box.
prdog1 said:
Google sent me new in box.
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how long ago was this?
backdown00 said:
how long ago was this?
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1st of March.
They're all new. They don't repair or refurb. They send you a new one, which puts a hold on the handset value on your card. They release the hold once you send your old one back
danarama said:
They're all new. They don't repair or refurb. They send you a new one, which puts a hold on the handset value on your card. They release the hold once you send your old one back
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this is very good to know. I have heard Motorola sends out refurbs, but if google only sends out new devices, no reason to not buy from them.
backdown00 said:
this is very good to know. I have heard Motorola sends out refurbs, but if google only sends out new devices, no reason to not buy from them.
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Click to collapse
Another reason is google won't care of the bootloader is unlocked.
I called google support for the hell of it and they said that they actually replace devices with refurbished units, which contradicts everything said here. Was this rep mis-informed? Is it possible they only use new in box devices for the first year of the device until they have a good amount of refurbished ones?
backdown00 said:
I called google support for the hell of it and they said that they actually replace devices with refurbished units, which contradicts everything said here. Was this rep mis-informed? Is it possible they only use new in box devices for the first year of the device until they have a good amount of refurbished ones?
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Maybe he was misinformed. They charge you full price for the replacement phone if they discover the one sent back voids warranty. They cannot charge you full price for a refurb.
The one I got today looks brand new. Brand new, Sealed box, the works.
danarama said:
Maybe he was misinformed. They charge you full price for the replacement phone if they discover the one sent back voids warranty. They cannot charge you full price for a refurb.
The one I got today looks brand new. Brand new, Sealed box, the works.
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I will say this, Motorola does the same thing. They put a hold on your credit card for roughly $500 until you send the older device back. I am going to order through the play store I think, there is no real benefit to ordering elsewhere other than amazon for an extra 2 week return period.
random question, what was the build date of the brand new unit you just received?
backdown00 said:
I will say this, Motorola does the same thing. They put a hold on your credit card for roughly $500 until you send the older device back. I am going to order through the play store I think, there is no real benefit to ordering elsewhere other than amazon for an extra 2 week return period.
random question, what was the build date of the brand new unit you just received?
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I'll check it in a bit, i'm just copying data to it at the moment.
FYI how the Google RMA works, they send you a link and you use the Google play online purchase to get your replacement unit. The only difference is that you don't actually get charged, But you add it to your cart and purchase it like you do the first unit
During the early part of the life cycle of the device, they replace with new units. Later on, towards the end of life of the device (like when nexus 6 was about to come out and I replaced a nexus 5), they will offer refurb. If you look at the link you are provided, if it does not say refurbished when ordering, it is a brand new unit. When I received links for refurbished, they provided me with another link that clearly stated refurbished. Google for the most part will just give you a brand new unit. I am talking from personal experience with 2 different nexus 5 units and my nexus 6...all of which went through the RMA process.
backdown00 said:
random question, what was the build date of the brand new unit you just received?
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31st January
danarama said:
31st January
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Thank you dan. Question for you, is that the date from the boot loader or the box? The reason I ask is I've found some large discrepancies on manufacture date between the box and boot loader.
If you wouldn't mind, could you run your imei through the below link and reporting the manufacture date it has there?
https://imeidata.net
The warranty section shows the actual manufacture date of the device. I'm curious if google is reboxing repaired units or is truly sending out new units.
January just seems like either its extremely old stock or it was reworked.
qnzesc0bar said:
During the early part of the life cycle of the device, they replace with new units. Later on, towards the end of life of the device (like when nexus 6 was about to come out and I replaced a nexus 5), they will offer refurb. If you look at the link you are provided, if it does not say refurbished when ordering, it is a brand new unit. When I received links for refurbished, they provided me with another link that clearly stated refurbished. Google for the most part will just give you a brand new unit. I am talking from personal experience with 2 different nexus 5 units and my nexus 6...all of which went through the RMA process.
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So basically when we roll around to October of this year - if you had a defect it'd more than likely be a refurb device and not a new one?
backdown00 said:
So basically when we roll around to October of this year - if you had a defect it'd more than likely be a refurb device and not a new one?
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Well, depends if they have new units still. If they still have new units, you'll most probably get a new unit. Once they are out of new units, you would get a refurb.
If Amazon won't let us root, how about letting us unlock the bootloader for tablets withOUT special offers? There's a $50 version of this tablet with ads, and a $65 version of this tablet without ads. IIRC, you can buy an upgrade to remove the ads, no? What if purchasing the $15 upgrade (hell, make it $25 if it's not at the time of purchase) to disable the ads also gave you the option of unlocking the bootloader? Rather than just demanding that Amazon allow us access to the hardware they sold us with the intent of getting us to use their services/ecosystem, we are paying a "fee" to not use their services and unlock the device. It's essentially the same thought as not using their ads, but taking it one step farther.
There are a number of mutually beneficial perks:
1) Income for Amazon. How many people would right now pay $15-25 to unlock their device? Considering the amount of people on here waiting for a root exploit for 5.3.2.1, I would say it's not insignificant. So rather than demanding something from Amazon that represents a capital loss on their end (time to develop software changes, loss of customers seeing ads, etc), we are proposing a capital gain, as the people who want to root/rom/etc are probably not going to be purchasing those services anyways.
2) Better ROMs. Even if we got root working on 5.3.2.1, it's still a locked-down device. With an unlocked bootloader, we can flash a TWRP recovery, wipe everything, and install custom ROMs. custom kernels. No more locked down to 5.1 LP. This opens up the XDA community by giving them a wide-open field of anything-they-want. Amazon already provides the source for their kernels, IIRC.
Thoughts?
crazyates said:
If Amazon won't let us root, how about letting us unlock the bootloader for tablets withOUT special offers? There's a $50 version of this tablet with ads, and a $65 version of this tablet without ads. IIRC, you can buy an upgrade to remove the ads, no? What if purchasing the $15 upgrade (hell, make it $25 if it's not at the time of purchase) to disable the ads also gave you the option of unlocking the bootloader? Rather than just demanding that Amazon allow us access to the hardware they sold us with the intent of getting us to use their services/ecosystem, we are paying a "fee" to not use their services and unlock the device. It's essentially the same thought as not using their ads, but taking it one step farther.
There are a number of mutually beneficial perks:
1) Income for Amazon. How many people would right now pay $15-25 to unlock their device? Considering the amount of people on here waiting for a root exploit for 5.3.2.1, I would say it's not insignificant. So rather than demanding something from Amazon that represents a capital loss on their end (time to develop software changes, loss of customers seeing ads, etc), we are proposing a capital gain, as the people who want to root/rom/etc are probably not going to be purchasing those services anyways.
2) Better ROMs. Even if we got root working on 5.3.2.1, it's still a locked-down device. With an unlocked bootloader, we can flash a TWRP recovery, wipe everything, and install custom ROMs. custom kernels. No more locked down to 5.1 LP. This opens up the XDA community by giving them a wide-open field of anything-they-want. Amazon already provides the source for their kernels, IIRC.
Thoughts?
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Wishful thinking. Let's say 10K owners choose to unlock the bootloader at $25 USD a pop. So $250K "income" for Amazon. Woohoo!! Amazon's 4Q16 revenue was $43.75 BILLION. Hello?
Improved custom ROMs? Why is that a motivation for Amazon? I would argue Amazon would rather not see independent development that could pull future customers away from their closed ecosystem.
Bottom line: if you want an easily rooted/unlocked device it would be best to shop elsewhere. There is zero business case for Amazon to move in a different direction.
Personally I can't see it happening. The tablet is a bargain for the price and I feel Amazon sold it at such a cheap price in an attempt to gain revenue through their 'system'
I do not use any Amazon service (tablet was brought for me) so I have not registered it, although it was with special offers I do not get the annoying adds on the lock screen.
Davey126 said:
Wishful thinking. Let's say 10K owners choose to unlock the bootloader at $25 USD a pop. So $250K "income" for Amazon. Woohoo!! Amazon's 4Q16 revenue was $43.75 BILLION. Hello?
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I never said it was going to made/break the companies profitability. Right now, there's no incentive for Amazon to unlock the bootloader. Zero. If there was a business model and reason for them to do so, maybe they would.
These things are popular because they're $50. Would buying it for $75 but having a custom ROM still maintain its attractiveness? Not sure.
stonedpsycho said:
I do not use any Amazon service (tablet was brought for me) so I have not registered it, although it was with special offers I do not get the annoying adds on the lock screen.
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I'm not using any of the Amazon services either. I have mine using the Fire Nexus ROM, and I use it to Chromecast Netflix to my TV, something I can't do on the stock firmware. And Amazon wants me to use a Fire Stick, which doesn't work with my Nexus and laptops running Chrome.
crazyates said:
I never said it was going to made/break the companies profitability. Right now, there's no incentive for Amazon to unlock the bootloader. Zero. If there was a business model and reason for them to do so, maybe they would.
These things are popular because they're $50. Would buying it for $75 but having a custom ROM still maintain its attractiveness? Not sure.
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Sure. Let's make the unlock fee $250 USD. Still no economic insensitive for Amazon to unlock the bootloader given the small numbers involved and potential damage to their model if unlocked devices suddenly took off. Take a look at reviews on Amazon's site. Some folks have a hard time figuring out how to perform the most basic functions. The target audience is not those who hang out on XDA.
Related post: https://forum.xda-developers.com/amazon-fire/general/5-3-2-1-root-t3547136/post71645003
People might as well start taking the tablets apart and modifying the motherboard itself to see if something can be done to unlock it. Or maybe just create custom motherboards for it. Not sure how ideal that would be, but at least it's something to combat Amazon's ridiculousness.
Jake1702_ said:
People might as well start taking the tablets apart and modifying the motherboard itself to see if something can be done to unlock it. Or maybe just create custom motherboards for it. Not sure how ideal that would be, but at least it's something to combat Amazon's ridiculousness.
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Or just purchase another device that can be rooted/unlocked ...
Davey126 said:
Or just purchase another device that can be rooted/unlocked ...
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Hmmm... that may actually convince Amazon to start allowing it. If there's a dramatic drop in sales because of this, it may be a good idea.
Jake1702_ said:
Hmmm... that may actually convince Amazon to start allowing it. If there's a dramatic drop in sales because of this, it may be a good idea.
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Click to collapse
A "dramatic drop in sales" is hard to envision under any scenario.
Davey126 said:
A "dramatic drop in sales" is hard to envision under any scenario.
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Not if we purposely try to cause a dramatic drop in sales.
Jake1702_ said:
Not if we purposely try to cause a dramatic drop in sales.
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Click to collapse
The weather on a particular day is far more likely to impact overall sales than if the entire XDA community vowed to never purchase another Amazon device again. Neither would likey show up on Amazon's radar unless some junior data miner (let's call him Skippy) went for a deep dive.
Davey126 said:
The weather on a particular day is far more likely to impact overall sales than if the entire XDA community vowed to never purchase another Amazon device again. Neither would likey show up on Amazon's radar unless some junior data miner (let's call him Skippy) went for a deep dive.
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Just saying, you'd be surprised as to what even a small group of people can accomplish as long as they continuously GAIN supporters.
Not to be a Debbie downer for anyone looking for an uprising against Amazon devices, but not only would a boycott by the XDA community not likely change anything, but it's likely you'd only get a small fraction of this actual community to do it. For the money, it's really hard to complain about Amazon Fire tablets. You get a cheap tablet with decent specs that's customizable or at least semi-customizable for those willing to put in at least a minimal amount of effort. I just recently purchased a new one with the understanding that I probably wouldn't be able to root the device, since 5.3.2.1 isn't rootable at this time. I happened to luck out and get a device that shipped with 5.3.1. But even without that, it was worth it to me to get the cheap tablet, customize it to the extent that I could without root and just sit and cross my fingers hoping for a future exploit that would give me that access.
That brings me to my second point. This is a community of amateur to professional tinkerers. Part of the appeal of this device is taking it and doing with it exactly what they don't want you to do with it. People actually enjoy the challenge of it. Why pay Amazon money to do something that we can eventually figure out how to do ourselves? I mean, unlocking the bootloader may not be within reach right now, but what's life without the occasional holy grail?
My point is that not only is it not in Amazon's financial interest to unlock the bootloader, but it's also not going to be worth it to most people here to even bother begging Amazon for the opportunity to pay to do that. The Fire tablet is what it is in part due to the low price that we're paying for it. If it were more than what it is, we'd all be paying a lot more money for it. And if that were the case, it probably wouldn't be worth buying in the first place.
Has anyone gone through a trade-in with Squaretrade to geth their 5th gen Fire 7 tablet replaced under warranty recently? I am wondering what version of the FireOS they received. I have an old one that is rootable and would like to get one in replacement. Just not sure if they will give replacements that are current.
STEyeAndroid said:
Has anyone gone through a trade-in with Squaretrade to geth their 5th gen Fire 7 tablet replaced under warranty recently? I am wondering what version of the FireOS they received. I have an old one that is rootable and would like to get one in replacement. Just not sure if they will give replacements that are current.
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Given the value of this device I suspect SquareTrade will simply write a check.
I had called them asking them about replacements and the representative looked in their system and said that Amazon still has stock so they would ship the same model out.
STEyeAndroid said:
I had called them asking them about replacements and the representative looked in their system and said that Amazon still has stock so they would ship the same model out.
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Click to collapse
In that case you'll probably get a refurbished 5th gen with FireOS 5.3.2.1+.
Its a total crap shoot. Sometimes if they have not been connected in a while they come with a rootable version. I ask people on craigslist to look for me. Get one fro! Square trade and check Craigslist and swap it.
Is there anyway to root or downgrade this so i can install a ROM any ideas? because otherwise, it's just a piece of junk that is annoying me.
Negative on root and not for the foreseeable future. I actually just sold mine the other day. $30. I bought it for $20 used, put a tempered glass protector and a case on it. All in all, if you got a decent deal on it (or if you still have the box) you can get pretty much all your money back selling second hand.
Technocian said:
Negative on root and not for the foreseeable future. I actually just sold mine the other day. $30. I bought it for $20 used, put a tempered glass protector and a case on it. All in all, if you got a decent deal on it (or if you still have the box) you can get pretty much all your money back selling second hand.
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Yep - easily sold an unrooted 5th gen on CL. Still have a pair of boxed 5th gens with 5.0.1 bootloader that I might unload before the batteries go bad. While Fire 7s are quite serviceable (especially with one of @ggow's custom ROMs) I prefer the crispness/responsiveness of higher resolution screens on devices with at least 2GB of memory. Several options in the $50 USD range satisfy that criteria. Still use my remaining Fire 7 on occation; has never let me down.
Davey126 said:
Yep - easily sold an unrooted 5th gen on CL. Still have a pair of boxed 5th gens with 5.0.1 bootloader that I might unload before the batteries go bad. While Fire 7s are quite serviceable (especially with one of @ggow's custom ROMs) I prefer the crispness/responsiveness of higher resolution screens on devices with at least 2GB of memory. Several options in the $50 USD range satisfy that criteria. Still use my remaining Fire 7 on occation; has never let me down.
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What tablets are out there in the $50 USD range that run normal android (maybe with the option to load custom Roms)
upcboy said:
What tablets are out there in the $50 USD range that run normal android (maybe with the option to load custom Roms)
Click to expand...
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I am partial to (used) 3rd gen Amazon HDX devices. Bootloader can be unlocked opening the door to a full suite of custom ROMs. Hardware is far superior to anything in the current Fire line-up.
Davey126 said:
I am partial to (used) 3rd gen Amazon HDX devices. Bootloader can be unlocked opening the door to a full suite of custom ROMs. Hardware is far superior to anything in the current Fire line-up.
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Click to collapse
Any current hardware you would recommend with stock android? I see quite a few other tablets in the $50 range now. . .and all three of my boys have destroyed their tablets in the two years they have had them (one fell off a car, another cracked in a backpack, and the other got stepped on). Two are still in use with screen protectors, but they should get replacements. . .but without root, not really interested in the Amazon devices anymore. . .
mbholm said:
Any current hardware you would recommend with stock android? I see quite a few other tablets in the $50 range now. . .and all three of my boys have destroyed their tablets in the two years they have had them (one fell off a car, another cracked in a backpack, and the other got stepped on). Two are still in use with screen protectors, but they should get replacements. . .but without root, not really interested in the Amazon devices anymore. . .
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Sounds like your boys are tough on electronics. In that case a HDX would not be a good choice. You might be better off going with a prepaid handset such as the Motorola G4 which can be had for <$40 at Walmart. Don't activate; just use as WiFi gizmo. Better technical specs than any 5-7th gen Amazon tablet. No root - but really isn't needed w/Android 7.1.
Davey126 said:
Sounds like your boys are tough on electronics. In that case a HDX would not be a good choice. You might be better off going with a prepaid handset such as the Motorola G4 which can be had for <$40 at Walmart. Don't activate; just use as WiFi gizmo. Better technical specs than any 5-7th gen Amazon tablet. No root - but really isn't needed w/Android 7.1.
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Hm. Thanks. So 5.5" screen instead of 7" it appears. . .not sure lack of root is an option to lock down with Kidsplace properly.
Davey126 said:
Sounds like your boys are tough on electronics. In that case a HDX would not be a good choice. You might be better off going with a prepaid handset such as the Motorola G4 which can be had for <$40 at Walmart. Don't activate; just use as WiFi gizmo. Better technical specs than any 5-7th gen Amazon tablet. No root - but really isn't needed w/Android 7.1.
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Click to collapse
<$40? Am I looking at the wrong device. . .when I search for the Motorola G4, it shows at above $100. . .
mbholm said:
<$40? Am I looking at the wrong device. . .when I search for the Motorola G4, it shows at above $100. . .
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Sorry - it is the E4 which is a slightly better device than the G4. You can compare specs online. Following link valid in the US as of the date of this post. Perpetually 'out of stock' online but usually available in stores. There is no further up-front commitment if not using cellular service (not does it matter if Verizon is available in your area). Note I'm not pumping this device; just offering it up as an example of what's available per my original post. May or may not meet your needs.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Verizon-Motorola-E4-Prepaid/953073971
Davey126 said:
Sorry - it is the E4 which is a slightly better device than the G4. You can compare specs online. Following link valid in the US as of the date of this post. Perpetually 'out of stock' online but usually available in stores. There is no further up-front commitment if not using cellular service (not does it matter if Verizon is available in your area). Note I'm not pumping this device; just offering it up as an example of what's available per my original post. May or may not meet your needs.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Verizon-Motorola-E4-Prepaid/953073971
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Thanks! I'll check it out.
So I got one on amazon that was supposed to be new and a us warrantied model.
Turns out it's not a us model. Also the box wasn't sealed and Sony says that the warranty info says it would expire over a month prior to a year past my purchase date... indicating to them that it has been previously activated.
I noticed best buy occasionally has them refurbished with a 90 day geek squad warranty.
Any thoughts on which is the better option?
Thanks in adavance
I wouldn't buy a refurbished phone, but that's just me. Too bad you can't get the US version sold by Amazon anymore, and too bad that seller shafted you - looks like they are the only NEW seller on Amazon currently.
Do you have any international sellers in mind? Perhaps depending on the vendor, you could at least have some kind of return option for the worst case scenario of a DOA phone.
I hope you can get this all resolved. And partly because I'm hoping you'll share the exact steps you take to get root/fingerprint/t-mo all working on the phone so I can replicate it. Good luck.
camaro322hp said:
I wouldn't buy a refurbished phone, but that's just me. Too bad you can't get the US version sold by Amazon anymore, and too bad that seller shafted you - looks like they are the only NEW seller on Amazon currently.
Do you have any international sellers in mind? Perhaps depending on the vendor, you could at least have some kind of return option for the worst case scenario of a DOA phone.
I hope you can get this all resolved. And partly because I'm hoping you'll share the exact steps you take to get root/fingerprint/t-mo all working on the phone so I can replicate it. Good luck.
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Click to collapse
I'm sort of leaning towards the international one, but i have my doubts that this one they sent me is new. I should have no problem flashing the modified firmware to keep the fingerprint sensor and enable wifi calling/vo-lte. I just worry about the battery lifespan mostly.
Regardless by the time I'm finished unlocking and rooting I won't be sending it in to sony for any repairs.
POMF2K said:
I'm sort of leaning towards the international one, but i have my doubts that this one they sent me is new...... I just worry about the battery lifespan mostly.
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I would feel exactly the same. The battery unknown is a big reason why I would avoid refurbed phones. Even though you bought from a 3rd party on Amazon, you should have some protections from amazon, especially in the case where the item is not as described. Sounds like you have proof of that, so I would pursue trying to return that.
As far as where to get a replacement though, I'm not sure, unless you want to buy from a European supplier such as Clove.
camaro322hp said:
I would feel exactly the same. The battery unknown is a big reason why I would avoid refurbed phones. Even though you bought from a 3rd party on Amazon, you should have some protections from amazon, especially in the case where the item is not as described. Sounds like you have proof of that, so I would pursue trying to return that.
As far as where to get a replacement though, I'm not sure, unless you want to buy from a European supplier such as Clove.
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Click to collapse
Never heard of Clove. Pretty reputable? As long as exchange is good it should still come in under $400 us.
I've actually asked the amazon company if they would exchange for a sealed in box model or give me a discount since it wasn't as described. They have pretty good feedback, I just worry about the battery.
I recently got a brand new international model from Ebay.
POMF2K said:
Never heard of Clove. Pretty reputable? As long as exchange is good it should still come in under $400 us.
I've actually asked the amazon company if they would exchange for a sealed in box model or give me a discount since it wasn't as described. They have pretty good feedback, I just worry about the battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't personally used Clove, but they've been mentioned by XDA users over the years as a good source of unlocked phones. Or, like Dean says, there is always Ebay if you end up having to return your Amazon phone.
POMF2K said:
So I got one on amazon that was supposed to be new and a us warrantied model.
Turns out it's not a us model. Also the box wasn't sealed and Sony says that the warranty info says it would expire over a month prior to a year past my purchase date... indicating to them that it has been previously activated.
Thanks in adavance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At least here in Germany the phones did not come sealed (we bought 3 phones so far) and the Warranty started at a date that was much earlier than our purchase date. Dropping an email to Sony fixed the problem
I'd get a new one, and it's not like region matters if you're planning to flash an international firmware to get the fingerprint sensor working anyway
POMF2K said:
Any thoughts on which is the better option?
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Click to collapse
You could buy a new one from Amazon Germany AND save some money. Then the fingerprint scanner will work out of the box.
Didgesteve said:
You could buy a new one from Amazon Germany AND save some money. Then the fingerprint scanner will work out of the box.
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Click to collapse
This is a good find, but why you guys do not recommend buying used phones from Amazon? For example this one: Amazon.de blue xz1c.
I mean, the only concern would be the battery, right? Because there is no info about how much and for how long it has been used.
I am also looking for auctions on eBay.
Didgesteve said:
You could buy a new one from Amazon Germany AND save some money. Then the fingerprint scanner will work out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming I got a fair exchange rate it would still be right around $400 us for a new one. Even if shipping it here wasn't crazy expensive I'd still have to wait for it.