Froyo chat with Samsung. FYI - Captivate General

Just thought I would pass this along. From a chat I had today.
General Info
Chat start time Dec 31, 2010 2:15:14 PM EST
Chat end time Dec 31, 2010 2:36:20 PM EST
Duration (actual chatting time) 00:21:06
Operator Sylvester
Chat Transcript
info: Please wait for a Samsung Agent to respond.
info: You are now chatting with 'Sylvester'
Sylvester: Hi, thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. How may I help you today?
Visitor: When will the Captivate be getting Froyo? Why doesn't Media Hub work yet?
Sylvester: I understand that you want to know when will Froyo be available for your phone, am I correct?
Visitor: Yes. Does the phone have to have Froyo for Media Hub to work?
Sylvester: I am sorry, but we are unable to speculate when/if this software revision might be available due to the fact that this might lead to inaccurate information and confusion
Sylvester: However, media hub is a different application and is not related to the Froyo update.
Visitor: Is this your response or the "Canned" response put out by Samsuing? Are you saying that it may not ever be available for the Captivate?
Visitor: How do you get Media Hub to work?
Sylvester: It is not a canned response, you will get the update very soon.
Visitor: Which update? Media Hub or Froyo?
Sylvester: Media Hub is only available for the Galaxy Tab and the Epic phone.
Sylvester: The Froyo update.
Visitor: One of the reasons I got this phone was for Media Hub. Samsung represented that is was feature of the phone.
Sylvester: I can understand your concern, but there will be an update very soon for your phone for both Froyo and the Media Hub.
Sylvester: Not to rush you , are we still connected?
Visitor: Can you speculate as to how soon? WIll it be over the air or a Kies update? I have not been able to get Kies to see my phone.
Visitor: Will the update come from Samsung or AT&T?
Sylvester: It will be an over the air update and it will be posted on our website in the Samsung Download Center
Sylvester: It will be from the Samsung and the Froyo update is provided by both.
Visitor: Do you have any idea of how soon we should see it?
Sylvester: I can not speculate the estimated time of approval, but i can assure it will be in the next few days.
Visitor: So I am to understand that it has not been approved yet? If so, how can it be coming out in the next few days? A few days sounds like less than a week!
Visitor: Approved by Samsung or AT&T?
Sylvester: I can assure that it will be released soon because the update has been released fo rthe Samsung intercept phone and it was successfull.
Visitor: What about the indefinite postponement of the Vibrant update? Will that have any effect on the Captivate update
Visitor: Soon is very vague. Will it be in a few days or soon?
Sylvester: It will definitely be in the next few days for sure.
Visitor: Thanks for your help. I look forward to the update.
Sylvester: You are welcome and wish you a very "Happy New Year."
Visitor: You too!
Sylvester: Thanks.
Sylvester: It was a pleasure assisting you. Thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. If you have a minute, please click on the blue “X close” button to receive a transcript of your chat and fill out a brief survey to help us serve you better. Have a wonderful day!
info: Chat session has been terminated by the Samsung Agent.

Thanks for sharing but unfortunately the wait is stil on indefinite.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I forgot to mention, I don't beleive him!

LBCaptivate said:
I forgot to mention, I don't beleive him!
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Did you post this over at the AT&T wireless forum, or did you just copy and paste this from the AT&T wireless forum?
http://forums.wireless.att.com/t5/S...-Captivate-or-in-general/td-p/1992573/page/18

I posted there too! Different screen name from my old smart phone days.

Come on man...do we really need another BS thread about when Froyo will be official? Use the media hub from the Epic. These threads are pointless.

flashman2002 said:
Come on man...do we really need another BS thread about when Froyo will be official? Use the media hub from the Epic. These threads are pointless.
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It may be pointless to you but others may or may not find it usefull.

LBCaptivate said:
It may be pointless to you but others may or may not find it usefull.
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Considering how many of these threads that are posted with no information of value i would highly doubt most users find these threads useful. Your chat has no info at all that clarifies the froyo issue. So what is useful when you chat with a rep giving standard and or bs answers to keep you happy.
This is my captivate. There are many like it buy this one is mine.

i for one, do appreciate OP for the info.

xiaoali said:
Samsung & AT&T will release it whenever they damn well please. Samsung twitter & facebook are filled with unhappy posts.. and they still go unheeded.
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The real thing that should be advertised is the way that ATT & Samsung are doing to their U.S. customers. Facebook & Twitter is overwhelmed by 2.2 froyo requests and yet they go unanswered.

I have gone through this thread and cleaned up the off-topic posts. A reminder that members have two options when visiting a thread:
Option 1
Responding with helpful and constructive information as opposed to "use the search", "try Google", etc.
Option 2
Move on. There is absolutely no reason to respond in a rude tone or to make someone feel stupid ... it is not constructive and serves no purpose.
There seems to be a significant amount of animosity in Android-related forums. I'm not certain as to why this is, nor do I want to hear any reason for justification; what I do know is that it is unacceptable.
XDA is about bringing together folks who have similar passions about mobile technology. As the forum is accessed worldwide, you will encounter all types of folks from different walks of life; some of these folks will be extremely technical, others not. In all cases, it is the responsibility of all members to remain respectful of one another. We all have different opinions, we do not all have the same level of knowledge, and some folks are looking to feel like they are learning while trying to contribute.
Thread closed.

Related

Tell Samsung yourself that GPS is worthless - www.galaxyshelp.com

Samsung just released their official help site for the Galaxy S. I just finished a chat session with tech support concerning the GPS issues. Basically, he said they are aware of it and the engineers are working on it. If enough of us report the issue, I'm sure they will feel the pressure to release a fix to us ASAP.
You dont need to register, when it ask you if you have registered you phone, just hit "yes". Then it will bring you to ways you can contact them.
ultra spikey said:
Samsung just released their official help site for the Galaxy S. I just finished a chat session with tech support concerning the GPS issues. Basically, he said they are aware of it and the engineers are working on it. If enough of us report the issue, I'm sure they will feel the pressure to release a fix to us ASAP.
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I must have gotten a bad agent, cause she told me there was no patch or fix (at least at the time), and she told me to try everything I've already done. *Sigh* I think I just have bad luck when talking to people online or over the phone.
How will annoying them get it done faster? The help agent isn't going to tell the software engineers to work faster.
caelestis2 said:
How will annoying them get it done faster? The help agent isn't going to tell the software engineers to work faster.
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Most help lines mark down the general reason for a call. Later the stats are compiled to determine trends. If gps ranks high someone will probably notice and decide it is important.
yup!
Anyway I don't have a big issue with the gps. Just wait 60 seconds and it's good ( in Los Angeles, suburban areas. )
k2snowboards88 said:
Most help lines mark down the general reason for a call. Later the stats are compiled to determine trends. If gps ranks high someone will probably notice and decide it is important.
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This is how we do it at Sprint.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S
I have no gps issues after changing the settings.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
ultra spikey said:
Samsung just released their official help site for the Galaxy S. I just finished a chat session with tech support concerning the GPS issues. Basically, he said they are aware of it and the engineers are working on it. If enough of us report the issue, I'm sure they will feel the pressure to release a fix to us ASAP.
You dont need to register, when it ask you if you have registered you phone, just hit "yes". Then it will bring you to ways you can contact them.
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Any chance you can provide the link. Do a search on Google and all kind of stuff comes up.
ewingr said:
Any chance you can provide the link. Do a search on Google and all kind of stuff comes up.
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Uh...it's in the title of the thread
Emailed them and sent them links to all forums that discusses GPS issues.
Got on galaxyshelp.com and talked to a rep. The second I mentioned GPS he gave me a phone number to call and said that higher up reps would have to discuss the issue with me. I'll try calling sometime this weekend and see what I can find out.
zorphnog said:
Uh...it's in the title of the thread
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Sorry. Didn't notice. I'm accustomed to people putting clickable links to use.
While you are at it, tell them you want them to fix the IO glitch, add some more audio codecs, fix the fm radio, and optimize touchwiz for the next patch.
ewingr said:
Sorry. Didn't notice. I'm accustomed to people putting clickable links to use.
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http://www.galaxyshelp.com/
ultra spikey said:
Samsung just released their official help site for the Galaxy S. I just finished a chat session with tech support concerning the GPS issues. Basically, he said they are aware of it and the engineers are working on it. If enough of us report the issue, I'm sure they will feel the pressure to release a fix to us ASAP.
You dont need to register, when it ask you if you have registered you phone, just hit "yes". Then it will bring you to ways you can contact them.
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Click to collapse
wow i said this about a couple of days ago in a diff post and no one replied
This is the email I received from them:
Thank you for your inquiry. We understand your distress concerning the GPS feature of your Samsung Captivate. We recommend obtaining the initial lock while outdoors in clear view of the sky.
You can also try this steps:
You must select Settings > Location and security > Use wireless networks or Use GPS satellites.
Regarding your concern on the GPS capabilities of your phone, Samsung Mobile is aware that under certain conditions, the GPS on our U.S. Galaxy S devices may not be meeting performance expectations. We are diligently evaluating the situation and will provide an update as soon as possible.
We are committed to your satisfaction and would like to assist you in finding a resolution to this issue. We invite you to call Samsung Customer Support by phone at our toll free number 1-888-987-4357 between the hours 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, Central Standard Time. You will be transferred to a high level of support regarding your GPS problem on the phone.
Again, we do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Thank you for your continued interest in Samsung products. We hope that your future dealings with Samsung are much more enjoyable.
It is our hope that you will allow us another opportunity to serve you.
Sincerely,
Technical Support
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Not keeping my hopes up since this just could be a uniformed message.
Samsung must suck at gps it was broken on the moment
My friend has Samsung from uscellular and now galaxy that's 3 diff models with Android from Samsung that I know of gps being broken out of box
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
jhego said:
This is the email I received from them:
Not keeping my hopes up since this just could be a uniformed message.
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I got the same message so that is their current canned response.

Super Bad News: JH7 is it!

Just chatted again with Samsung Support and there is no additional update coming out to fix the GPS. Anyone wanting to jump ship waiting for a fix, can jump now.
here is my chat log...
Please wait for a Samsung Agent to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Alice '
Visitor: hello alice
Alice : Hi, thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. How may I help you today?
Visitor: I had chatted with support last week about the over the air update to my captivate phone via att.
Visitor: the samsung rep told me not to do it
Visitor: which i did not.
Visitor: I did notice that a Kies mini application is now listed on your website
Visitor: should i install that? will that give me the update to my captivate phone?
Alice : Yes, that's correct.
Visitor: I understand from my previous chat session that a gps update was coming
Visitor: before the end of september
Visitor: is the update from this Kies mini program that update? or something else?
Alice : The update was for the firmware and to fix the GPS issue as well.
Alice : I'm sorry, the update is not for Kies.
Visitor: I was told that the update, wasn't the gps update
Visitor: and it wasn't ready yet, and that when it would be ready it would be on the samsung website
Alice : I'm sorry for the mis-communication.
Visitor: after speaking with my friend who applied the update, he said his gps didn't get any better
Alice : The update was for the firmware which also enhances and fixes the GPS issue.
Visitor: is the over the air update the same as the one from the Kies mini?
Visitor: so is it fair to say, that this is "the update" and no other ones are coming out to fix the gps issue?
Alice : No, the firmware only updates the connectivity name from Samsung Kies to Kies.
Visitor: i do not understand your last reply
Visitor: once i load the mini kies software, it will push out an update with the last letters JH7
Alice : I understand your concern.
Visitor: this firmware or fix is the one to fully address the gps issue?
Alice : Yes, that's correct.
Visitor: there are no other updates coming out before end of september?
Visitor: so i am to expect the next update will be android 2.2 operating system?
Alice : Please click on the link given below to access the article with instructions to update the handset:
Alice : http://ars.samsung.com/customer/usa...ID=2&PROD_SUB_ID=557&PROD_ID=558&AT_ID=339171
Alice : The Update is not for Android 2.2.
Alice : In the future, the device should be upgradeable to Android Froyo 2.2.
Alice : Important Notice: Samsung Customer Care has no knowledge of when/if a release will be made available prior to official release.
Visitor: what i am trying to get at.. is there any other gps fixes or updates coming out to make the gps respond better
Visitor: i think there maybe an issue with my phone because i am unable to check for a software update
Visitor: it says it can't connect to att servers
Alice : The link provided is to update the handset and if the fix for GPS issue.
Alice : In this regard, I suggest you try updating the handset after a while as the network to update is now al a maximum load and may take some time.
Visitor: i read the article
Visitor: and it does not say there is a gps fix or update in it
Visitor: sorry
Visitor: see it now
Visitor: ok will try kies mini route.
Visitor: if my gps is still not working properly what do you suggest?
Visitor: a replacement?
Alice : Typically Samsung warranty covers repair only, unfortunately I do not have the authority to offer any exchanges at this time. If you would like to only discuss an exchange at this time, I can recommend that you contact our Voice support at 1-888-987-4357, Mon-Fri: 7 AM - 9 PM (CST), Sat: 9 AM - 6 PM (CST).
Visitor: I of course have to try the update first...
Visitor: but in your opinon, should i request an exchange if it does not work?
Alice : If you experience any issue after updating the handset, please call the above provided phone support for the options available according to the situation.
Visitor: ok thanks for your help
Samsung supports are typically clue less. Don't take their words for anything. For all I care, you might just chatted with a bot.
great bot! check out the link the bot sent me... clearly it says gps update.
Krad said:
great bot! check out the link the bot sent me... clearly it says gps update.
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Yes, that's what the info they got. Remember Samsung publically said the same thing when JH7 is first released. Support CSRs are the last person to know any upcoming updates. That shows how bad Samsung support really are.
Great, Samsuck totally screwed us with this
I'll give Samsung/ATT until the end of September to get an actual GPS fix out, like they said they would.
I have already called AT&T about the issue and they are prepared to give me another phone of my choice if I decide to send it back to them.
Otherwise, I will probably sell it and go back to a Nexus One or maybe attempt to get a Telus Desire. I think it has the ATT 3G bands.
Alice seems to frequent these forums from Samsung chat logs. She never seems to know whats going on either.
I just went up through the ranks of Samsung customer support right before posting this. Chat first, won't waste your time posting it here as it has already wasted enough of my time. Second, phone call to "tier 2" support, had me do a battery pull and restart, obviously a waste of time, got transferred to "tier 3" support, apparently the highest level of support and where I was really trying to get anyway. Had me go into settings and turn on "wireless networks", yet another complete waste of time. However, I wasn't looking for him to fix it over the phone, I only wanted information.
Believe me when I tell you I held his feet to the fire looking for some information on whether or not there was ANY information or ANY update coming out AFTER the JH7 OTA update. He assured me there was no information on any other update in the pipe other than JH7 which had obviously already been released. I did get him to divulge that they have had "a few" other calls from people who's GPS was still not working even after the update and that the calls that had come in so far were only for the samsung captivate and that they hadn't had any other calls in regards to the other Galaxy S phones on the other carriers which seems suspect to me since to the best of my knowledge, all the other Galaxy S phones share the same GPS problems. He said all he could do was take down my information and pass it on to "research and development". I even tried to get him to transfer me to research and development to no avail.
In the end, the only recourse I had was to mail a letter to "Customer Relations" or some such thing in Texas explaining my situation. I really believe that the only thing I took from the conversation that was of any real use is that the only way they are going to do anything about the problem is if they get enough people calling and complaining about it.
Do yourself and all of us a favor and call in to voice your concern with getting the problem fixed. It only takes a couple of minutes and maybe someone will be able to get more information than I was able to. 1-888-987-4357. Sorry I don't have better news to report.
topshelf95 said:
.... thing in Texas explaining my ....
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What city, I might drive there
From a phone on an app
samsungs crappy support ftw!
Another post about an uninformed service rep - taken as gospel.
I really wish all the people that posted and believed this stuff would actually jump ship - then the forums would have less junky alarmist posts.
I have to say, that was somewhat painful to read. You pretty much railroaded her. You kept making multiple unrelated statements and mixing them with multiple questions before giving her a chance to respond. I don't feel like you could learn anything that way.
k2snowboards88 said:
I have to say, that was somewhat painful to read. You petty much railroaded her. You kept making multiple unrelated statements and mixing them with multiple questions before giving her a chance to respond. I don't feel like you could learn anything that way.
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Good point, it was really hard to read that. It may be an automated bot it may not be, but the questions were so all over the place that it was impossible to tell what was going on.
Again, if this was a person making matter of fact statements - it is not someone in the know. It is just a 1st or 2nd level tech support person and they never know what is really happening in the dev world.
I didn't think there would be such a backlash against me about this thread. I was trying to be helpful and let others know that according to support, there isn't another update for GPS.
If you want to believe it is a robot, or canned, or some dumbass they put on the chats is your right. But my bubble has been burst and I don't think another fix is coming.
My strategy was to try and see if Alice would slip and let me know if there was a gps update coming out. She did not falter.
I would love to be proven wrong and would love to see the magic bullet gps fix, but i have zero hopes of that now.
The gps is big for me, but the rest of the phone is great.
I think everyone can agree this was a debacle for Samsung, and my next phone will probably be an HTC.
I will also keep most things to myself as well because clearly they are unhelpful in this forum.
We all know there is Froyo update that will be coming in a month or two. Samsung has the time to tweak the GPS more or even fix it in Froyo build.
But I don't think there is any Eclair 2.1 GPS fix in the works. All indications are Samsung has decided to move on.
Nothing personal against OP but I personally will not trust anything Samsung support said over the phone or in a chat session. Have been there many many times before.
Today a Samsung rep told me the sky would be falling...
Okay all jokes aside and as someone who has worked support before, reps are bottom feeders. They do not know anything about their company, their companies mission, or current development/progress. They are given a task, and their task is to find a way to keep you from calling in again while making sure that you buy a product from them in the future.
From the responses, she is not a bot. Thinking it is a bot is just silly, however, this does look scripted. Likely samsung is using India, the phillipines, etc.
If you allow this interaction to shape your feelings about your phone, I would like to question your intelligence. You're going to get this from any company. The grass isn't any greener on the other side.
Don't expect better from htc. The evo was capped at 30 fps. All the reps told anyone who asked that this would be unfixable in software because it was a hardware cap. They stuck to their story until a few days ago, when they removed the cap in software. That's not an isolated incident either. I remember when they sold phones with great gpus and advertised that fact. They didn't actually have drivers for it in the phone, so the gpu just say there inert. They never fixed that. Htc regularly lies to their customers, just like samsung.
foxbat121 said:
We all know there is Froyo update that will be coming in a month or two. Samsung has the time to tweak the GPS more or even fix it in Froyo build.
But I don't think there is any Eclair 2.1 GPS fix in the works. All indications are Samsung has decided to move on.
Nothing personal against OP but I personally will not trust anything Samsung support said over the phone or in a chat session. Have been there many many times before.
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I'm curious as to how you "know" a Froyo update is coming in a month or two? AT&T has never once officially committed to releasing a 2.2 update. The only thing that's been official is that the I-9000 was supposed to get 2.2 by the end of september, and now that's slipped back to some time in October, probably the end of the month. Samsung has to get any updates approved by AT&T. Maybe I'm missing something, but I have not seen one official word from AT&T concerning this, just speculation on top of conjecture from people on here "in the know"...
Alice and Kies-Min
I'm in the USA so technically according to *Alice* with which I also chatted online, Kies is not supported. (of course that person provided the link to Kies Mini anyways) I was clearly told this is the JH7 update which WILL fix the GPS. From other forums I have read I will lose PC/Internet (tethering). Alice indicated yes, I'd lose that then.. oh wait, no I wouldn't.. it'd be a choice I could chose. So I downloaded and installed KiesM. I connected my phone and no surprise it didn't recognize it. I rebooted the phone. I am rooted, 1click lag fix and att bloatware removed. The KiesM found my phone and said it was unregistered and would not allow me to update it. I then closed the app and opened up normal Kies. It found there was a new version of Kies (assumed it included the JH7 update) and it downloaded etc. It also said it could update my firmware. When i attempted I get an error showing my pda, phone and software versions and states (while none are jh7) that it could not be updated. I also have tried the over the air option and continue to get no updates available. So, I can't even get this (what about half say sucks other half love) update even if I wanted to. Pretty disappointing. I really do love this phone EXCEPT that it doesnt connect to my alpine ida-x001 which I have scoured forums everywhere to see why the usb continually connects and disconnects and this second issue, poor, terrible GPS functionality. Last night was the first time I actually needed it but fortunately I can read a map and street signs fairly well and didnt need the locator beacon, just the actual address. Point of my long post, if you know how to get the update via kies let me know. If you know that it being rooted and ATT's bloatware will prevent it from installing, respond to let me know and I can try the update. I'm not opposed to it... however reluctant i am according to the negative posts..
derek4484 said:
I'm curious as to how you "know" a Froyo update is coming in a month or two? AT&T has never once officially committed to releasing a 2.2 update. The only thing that's been official is that the I-9000 was supposed to get 2.2 by the end of september, and now that's slipped back to some time in October, probably the end of the month. Samsung has to get any updates approved by AT&T. Maybe I'm missing something, but I have not seen one official word from AT&T concerning this, just speculation on top of conjecture from people on here "in the know"...
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In the US Galaxy S release party, Samsung publically promised Froyo 2.2 for all US Galaxy S variants. AT&T didn't say otherwise. So, we will take the Samsung's PR or marketing's words for granted.

XDA/Samsung

Hello Guys,
My name is John, I recently became the social media analyst at Samsung mobile. I wanted to start opening the lines of communication between XDA and Samsung. First I wanted to say I have noticed your work on our devices on the XDA forums. I think you guys do an outstanding job, I myself am a developer for mobile devices. So let’s get down to business, we’re going to be in Austin from March 10-15 for the SXSW(south by southwest http://sxsw.com/convention). I was wondering if any of you guys are going so that we could meet up and share a couple of ideas I have. I am looking forward to meeting some of you GREAT developers!
Thanks in advance,
John
Social Media Analyst
Samsung Mobile USA
Twitter: @SamsungJohn
Is this for real? Please provide some proof you work for samsung.
Sooooo...what's the hold up with Froyo, John?
wonner said:
Sooooo...what's the hold up with Froyo, John?
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+1
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
I honestly hope you are authentic. It is about time that the people who make the phones embrace the superior developmental process.
Pikabob said:
I honestly hope you are authentic. It is about time that the people who make the phones embrace the superior developmental process.
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Or at least attempt to embrace some kind of something. That'd be a start for Samsung.
Sounds like BS advertising to get people in seats at this event.
Interesting...go through his previous posts once, not exactly his first time posting on the forums...
So let’s get down to business, we’re going to be in Austin from March 10-15 for the SXSW(south by southwest http://sxsw.com/convention).
The link doesn't work....
Troll.....
Yeah, sounds troll to me, but it will be nice for them to show here...and learn a bit of how things are done
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
Real
Yes I am the real deal, I am a developer/social media analyst. I don't mind taking a picture of my badge or something to prove my credibility.
SamsungJohn said:
Yes I am the real deal, I am a developer/social media analyst. I don't mind taking a picture of my badge or something to prove my credibility.
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I think he's legit, folks.
If you are indeed an analyst for Samsung, welcome to XDA. I'm sure you've already noticed by now that there is a lot of cynicism both for Samsung and your claim of being an employee. Simple reason for this is that most everyone here feels that Samsung has ignored their pleas for help, didn’t deliver promised upgrades, and left millions of Galaxy S owners with buggy software/hardware, etc.
If your goal is to reach out to Samsung users at the grassroots level, you're in the right place. However, you also have a tough job ahead of you. The disenfranchisement runs deep and it will take a lot of effort to fix.
Here are some suggestions for you to escalate internally within Samsung:
1. Support the development efforts of the XDA developers. There are many talented people working quite hard to customize, fix and generally improve Samsung firmware. Samsung should make some effort to provide these developers with source code, tools, and help.
2. Take an honest and upfront approach to product defects that find their way onto store shelves (e.g. GPS, battery, etc). I guarantee the cost of addressing the problem will be fully offset by the shift in customer loyalty. An unreliable product is perceived many times worse if the OEM denies or ignores the issues.
3. Set a release schedule with carrier partners and stick to it. Apple has set the benchmark for frequent over the wire software updates. Android applications are updated with fixes and improvements on a regular basis. In stark contrast, our firmware lags far behind Google’s releases and FOTA is failing more than it’s working. This has to change. Samsung needs to push out regular firmware updates that are applied seamlessly without loss of data. Forget FOTA and do it like Apple does OTW (over the wire).
4. Allow users the option of switching to AOSP. Some people like TouchWiz and some don’t. Give them the choice.
BTW, in addition to being an informed consumer, I work in the mobile industry. I know a fair amount about how it should work. The Samsung Galaxy product suite is performing very well but the real question is how long will it last. Loyalty takes effort to maintain and is easy to lose.
P.S. I may very well be at SXSW but I won’t know for sure until a week or so beforehand.
I understand I have a lot of work ahead of me. As I said before, Im here to establish a partnership with XDA developers. Inbox me to let me know if your going to be there so i can arrange somewhere to meet.
If he was legit, one of the Admins would be announcing that SamsungJohn is a rep from Samsung; he wouldn't be doing it himself as a post in the forum.
paulbh said:
If he was legit, one of the Admins would be announcing that SamsungJohn is a rep from Samsung; he wouldn't be doing it himself as a post in the forum.
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^^^^^^ that's a good point!
SamsungJohn said:
I understand I have a lot of work ahead of me. As I said before, Im here to establish a partnership with XDA developers. Inbox me to let me know if your going to be there so i can arrange somewhere to meet.
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If you are in fact telling the truth, I warmly welcome you to the true birthplace of the galaxy s.
paulbh said:
If he was legit, one of the Admins would be announcing that SamsungJohn is a rep from Samsung; he wouldn't be doing it himself as a post in the forum.
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Why? There's quite a bit of speculation in your claim--why would he have to go through admins to post here?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Kubernetes said:
Why? There's quite a bit of speculation in your claim--why would he have to go through admins to post here?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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You would think that someone who is in the position he claims to be in, would come in a little more professional than just a random post.
He said he has been lurking the forums and likes what he sees. So he has also seen all the dissapointment that is running through these forums as well.
If you were in his position would you not want to come in here, with support and proof of who you are? (there is multiple threads of the same post in other categories, all have been asking for proof for hours)
I'm not saying hes not who he says he is, just think he could have introduced himself a little better.
Guys, do a little research. Pretty easy to figure out that he is either very thorough or he's actually legit.
Maybe we should tell him that it is a welcome first step to see him here.
He is an analyst so he's going to have to escalate pretty far up the food chain to be effective. Hope you're a good communicator John.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Contact Samsung directly in regards to Bootloader

Hey guys, instead of only filling complaints with the FCC/Verizon, we should also be pursuing Samsung. I already went ahead and sent out a message on their contact site. It isn't a direct letter to a CEO or anything like that, but, one would believe that enough attention will get a letter slipped through the cracks.
Remember, use tact, type grammatically correct, and be extremely respectful. They may "work for us", and we may "own the product", but without them directly breaking a law, we have no reason to get out of line.
For those of you who have yet to file a complaint with the FCC, might as well spend the time doing that as well in the same sitting.
Here is the letter I sent, as well as the link to their form.
https://contactus.samsung.com/custo...MailQuestionProduct.jsp?SITE_ID=1&titleCode=1
Sir or Ma'am,
I am writing today in regards to the issue with the locked bootloader on the Verizon SCH-i535. In many regards this is one of the greatest phones I have ever used, I also have the Verizon Nexus device. My issue, along with thousands of other Verizon subscribers, is that we would like the capability to unlock the device for free use.
Verizon was just recently fined for not allowing certain apps like tethering to be used on the network by the FCC. I know this doesn't hold any relevance much to the bootloader, however, it seems as if with Verizon being the only network requiring such locks that there must be some other underlying decision. Manufacturers like HTC have taken measures to allow unlocking of their devices on Verizon with their HTC Developers portal. This may only be a personal, or small community opinion, but I believe the device would sell significantly better, at least among the knowledgeable developers/modders, if it was unlocked, or unlock-able.
There have been several petitions past around, as well as dozens of e-mails, tweets, and the like to try and understand why we are being forced to be locked down unlike the other carriers. It doesn't seem appropriate that the Galaxy Nexus should be capable of being unlocked, while this device cannot. How does locking one device prevent harming the "integrity" of the network? If this were truly an issue, I would assume any and every device would be locked before they were even introduced to the network, as well, other carriers would follow suit.
In a side note, many willing customers have been awaiting the "Developer Edition" device. We are all aware that there really is not difference between this device and ours, aside from being capable of unlocking. So, how can there be 2 of the same devices on the same network, yet the device we hold cannot be unlocked? It really seems as if you guys are trying to work FOR us, the customer, while Verizon is working against all of us.
In the end, really I am just another loyal customer curious as to if/when we could see a utility that would give us the capability of unlocking out device to use at our liking? We are all well aware that it may void our warranty, but in our eyes the benefit outweighs the risk.
I would like to ask politely if my concern be passed along to all of those that may be concerned, specifically Samsung Mobile US CEO and such.
Thank you all for your time, I look forward to a response.
Respectfully,
Andrew Lemacks
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I will do the same with your template. Thank you sir
No problem. This tactic has worked on HTC devices, I would assume Samsung should follow suit. Although, Samsung has less to lose.
Very nice letter, hopefully you can get a response or have your letter be passed along to somebody who can say something that doesn't sound like automated message.
Will do. Thank you!
Sent mine.
JetBlue said:
Very nice letter, hopefully you can get a response or have your letter be passed along to somebody who can say something that doesn't sound like automated message.
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Realized auto-correct isn't automatically correct after re-reading it, lol. *out* instead of *our*
duxup said:
Will do. Thank you!
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detta123 said:
Sent mine.
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Awesome, the more the better.
Anyone who hasn't seen, you may want to follow up with using EDNYLaw's template for filing your complaint in about the best manner possible. He couldn't make it any easier! When they FCC gets flooded with complaints like that, it's a lot harder to look the other way as you shred what look like "legal" documents. Take the time people. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1820634&page=8
Good luck!
No need for luck.
Already sent the FCC complaint, not just did this as well.
Awesome, let's continue the push everyone!
Edit: tapatalk thinks I'm on a nexus, lol.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Looks like I got my reply.
Code:
Dear Chris,
Thank you for your inquiry about your Samsung Galaxy S® III (Verizon)(SCH-I535) and we understand that you're having concern with the locked bootloader of the phone.
We also understand that you're requesting to have the option to unlocked the bootloader of the phone, instead of purchasing a Verizon's Developers Edition Galaxy S3 phone.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We appreciate hearing from our customers, as your comments are vital for us to continue improving our products, as well as our business.
There is no configurable option on the handset to unlock the Bootloader, as this may affect the software of the phone and also can cause unstable performace. The phone was designed manufactured to the specifications of Verizon Wireless for whom they are produced. We will forward your feedback request to the appropriate parties for further review and consideration.
Do you have more questions regarding Samsung Mobile Phones and Accessories? For 24 hour information and assistance, we offer our new FAQ/ARS System - Automated Response System at http://www.samsung.com/support.
Thank you for your continued interest in Samsung products.
Sincerely,
Victor
Technical Support
I haven't even received a standard reply yet. I didn't even get an automated response stating they got my inquiry. I may need to resubmit, unless this means they are actually reading what we say and replying in kind.
ddggttff3 said:
Looks like I got my reply.
Code:
Dear Chris,
Thank you for your inquiry about your Samsung Galaxy S® III (Verizon)(SCH-I535) and we understand that you're having concern with the locked bootloader of the phone.
We also understand that you're requesting to have the option to unlocked the bootloader of the phone, instead of purchasing a Verizon's Developers Edition Galaxy S3 phone.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We appreciate hearing from our customers, as your comments are vital for us to continue improving our products, as well as our business.
There is no configurable option on the handset to unlock the Bootloader, as this may affect the software of the phone and also can cause unstable performace. The phone was designed manufactured to the specifications of Verizon Wireless for whom they are produced. We will forward your feedback request to the appropriate parties for further review and consideration.
Do you have more questions regarding Samsung Mobile Phones and Accessories? For 24 hour information and assistance, we offer our new FAQ/ARS System - Automated Response System at http://www.samsung.com/support.
Thank you for your continued interest in Samsung products.
Sincerely,
Victor
Technical Support
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AtLemacks said:
I haven't even received a standard reply yet. I didn't even get an automated response stating they got my inquiry. I may need to resubmit, unless this means they are actually reading what we say and replying in kind.
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I never got a confirmation email from sending the message, but that showed up in my inbox today, so im guessing they are reading them one by one.
ddggttff3 said:
I never got a confirmation email from sending the message, but that showed up in my inbox today, so im guessing they are reading them one by one.
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Well that is a good sign! Here's to hoping I get something good this weekend!
AtLemacks said:
Remember, use tact, type grammatically correct, and be extremely respectful. They may "work for us", and we may "own the product", but without them directly breaking a law, we have no reason to get out of line.
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This. This! 1,000 times this!
The fastest way to get any communication to a company round-filed is to be disrespectful, to not meticulously grammar-check your writing (seriously, have at least one other person check it for you before sending), and to resort to foul language of any sort (even milder stuff like "damn", "hell", etc can give your letter an offputting tone).
As AtLemacks said, they're not breaking the law, and they've done this under the direction of Verizon. As crappy as Samsung can be in the software arena, they are not ultimately to blame for this (though they could bear some culpability for not pushing back).
So please, check your writing, have someone else read it, read it again, put it down and go to bed for the night, then read it again when you get up in the morning before you send it out.
I got a response from Samsung today and I just had to post it here. My emotions as I initially saw that I had this but then started, and completed, reading it: :victory: -> ->:rofl: -> :crying:. I have not altered ANY of this email including the names. As you read it, keep in mind my letter was extremely polite and grammatically correct...and my name is NOT Rick.
Dear Rick,
Thank you for your inquiry. I see that that you have question of unlock the bootloader so you can customize the phone.
As of now We still do not have updates about that, and as of now verizon lock the bootloader.But if we have update about unlocking the bootloader will be posting it to the website so please do visit our website(www.samsung.com/us).
At your earliest convenience, please call Samsung Customer Support by phone at our toll free number 1-800-726-7864. Please choose the following options by pressing 1 – Customer, 2 – Tablet, and then 3 – Wi-Fi Galaxy Tablet.
We appreciate your continued interest in Samsung products.
Sincerely,
Claire
Technical Support
I got the good ole generic reply back too, that it has been forwarded. Now, if there is any weight to the statement, lets keep the push going and fill up a few e-mail inbox's!

Samsung CS: "Push email service is not available in Samsung devices..."

I sent an email to Samsung support yesterday about the erratic behavior of push (sometimes works, usually doesn't). I'm surprised to have gotten a response so quickly, but more surprised at the response itself.
Thank you for contacting Samsung Telecommunications America.
We do understand your concern.
We should inform you that the Push email service is not available in Samsung devices as of now. However, should this service become available, it will be posted on Samsung website. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused.
Should you have more questions regarding your Samsung Mobile Phone, you can also reach out to our chat support team by accessing the following link. Live Chat is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Have a wonderful day!
Link: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/contact
Thank you for your continued interest in Samsung products.
Sincerely,
Aaron
Technical Support
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I can't even tell if this is supposed to mean:
"It's broken, but we're working on it."
"It's not supported and don't expect it."
"My name is Aaron and I don't know what push email is..."
I'm going to go with -----
"My name is Aaron and I don't know what push email is..."

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