Really unhappy with HTC Repair techs' conclusion - T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide

Just received my repaired MT4GS about an hour again, and I am just spitting nails about the absolute failure to communicate by the HTC Repair techs. Yes, this is a rant and a vent. You can move on to other posts if you don't want to read my growling and hissing.
I thought that the techs would make their diagnosis on the actual hardware malfunction of my phone (in a nutshell, I had weird condensation that occurred out of the blue, no exposure to moisture on my part, and then the display failed after four days of flickering), but no, their conclusion was that I had "the wrong software" on my phone. And for this they charged $185 for a new mainboard.
Yes, the phone was rooted/s-off with the most recent CWM, but once the display went bye-bye, I couldn't do much about it. And the state of the software did not cause the display failure! To top this off, when I asked--twice!--through the online e-mail form for a clarification of how they came to this conclusion, I never received an e-mail reply. I paid for the repair because I need my phone, and find out today that the morons called the cell number and left a message! Not my home phone, not via e-mail--the effin' cell number! For the phone they had in their hands! So an hour ago, I listened to this message, which I could barely hear with the volume maxed, and just about threw my phone across the room when the tech got to the "wrong software" part.
The new mainboard gives the phone a new serial number and new IMEI number, so it's like a new phone, but the trackpad button is weirdly angled up and the power button is a little floppy. And to add insult to injury, hboot is now 1.44.0013 and the software at version 1.55.531.3, so I have to figure out how to root with the stupid update, so I can get CWM back and restore from my last Nandroid backup.
So...pissed...off. Stupid, stupid HTC techs! Wrong software my a$$.
Okay. Rant finished. I'm off to find the rooting method for 1.55.531.3.
Siiiighhhhh --
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KingCheetah

Man, that sucks however it is commonly know that rooting voids your warranty If they find out. It still sucks though.
Sent from my Bulletproof_Doubleshot using XDA App

Major suckage...yep
My understanding was that gaining root/s-off only voided the warranty if the damage was directly caused by the unlocked state--e.g. if I had loaded a ROM that overclocked the CPU and caused damage to the chip. This wasn't the case, I was still running stock ROM, and the display failure occurred over a period of five days in a very strange fashion. I guess it was hoping too much of these individuals to exercise some Sherlockian deduction and verify the details I included in the letter shipped with my phone.
At any rate, my growliest complaint by far is the failure of the tech(s) to communicate with me regarding the quotation for repair. I can't help but feel that a discussion may have changed that tech's mind. At the very least, it would have allowed me to make my case instead of the tech coming to, what I view as, a rather knee-jerk diagnosis.
Thanks for commiserating with me --
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KingCheetah

That sucks so bad. Now I will definitely be sure to unroot, and put the stock rom back on and s-on if I need to send it in for warranty repair. Ugg. I had heard of lots of people sending their phones in while rooted, with no problem, Thanks for warning the rest of us that it isn't always the case.

Aside from unnecessarily changing your phone's mainboard, what did they do to get the touchscreen working? Sounds like it was an easy fix to me but had to find a way to justify the $185
sent from a Nokia 3210

I have no clue how replacing the mainboard addressed the display failure, since there was an utter lack of communication from the HTC techs (as per my initial growlings). I did explain in the letter shipped w/ my phone that it was operating normally right up until the screen died; and even then appeared to boot okay, even if the response wasn't visible.
Suffice to say the repair was successful, but I doubt I'll even get an answer to the logic (or illogic) behind the techs' repair diagnosis.
Still having poofy fur over this a bit --
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KingCheetah

Related

AT&T complaint

If this is not an appropriate place to make a complaint about a carrier, I apologize and understand if this post is locked, moved, or removed.
I have a Tilt 2 which recently and suddenly began not sending or receiving on its USB port. The phone would charge, but no data would move. In fact, neither the computers nor the phone itself even made notice that a device had been connected. I also noticed the battery discharging abnormally fast. So fast that even with the phone off, the next day, it would not power on. I called AT&T to get the phone replaced as it's less than a year old.
I was put through the ringer, as expected on a first call. I was then forwarded to business tech support where I was met with a seemingly slightly more intelligent person, who obviously had no experience actually using a Windows Mobile device, but had no issue reading from a guided instruction on using a WM6.1 device, for a phone using a WM6.5.
This person then contacted HTC and put me in touch with them, where I got the most intelligent person I'd spoken to all that day (an I work in a call center myself). After software removal and resinstallation as well as option swapping, I was told to take the phone to a store to see if it was both my laptop running Device Center and my desktop running ActiveSync in conjunction with the 4 cables I used, including the stock one, were at fault... I was told if they were, that the phone needed replacement.
Fine.
The next day, I discover the aforementioned battery drain to the point of no power on. I take it to the store, where they are unable to test it as it won't stay on (due to complete discharge), and am instructed to call AT&T's warranty line. I spent the next 12 minutes on the phone with the warranty rep, who, through my description of the problem, decides the best thing to do is to REPLACE THE BATTERY... I asked the rep something to the tune of 'So, are you saying that a failed battery would cause the data port not to work, when the phone is receiving power through the same cable as the data would be going through?'
To which I am replied something like 'Well, sometimes...' at which point I pulled the phone away from my head to avoid screaming at this person. I do not like being treated like an idiot. I have been using WM devices since 2003, and HTC's since 2007. It would be obvious to anyone on these forums that what this phone is doing is a hardware failure. It's been reported multiple times in the Rhodium forum that this is occurring to all forms of the Rhodium.
Anyway, the rep confirmed my information and told me to expect this battery in 2 days. Upon checking the email confirmation, it's an extended battery. Adhesive bandages for broken necks.... Once I got home, I called again and laid out my contempt for this process and negation of the word of the manufacturer. This person connected me to the warranty line and I was greeted by someone who could actually comprehended the problem and did not attempt to point fingers after accusation had been made.
I will be receiving a replacement soon. But I must say, the 2.5 hours spent talking to the collective uninformed reps at AT&T makes me think twice before buying a new device ever again. On the other hand, the singularly knowledgeable rep at HTC was a pleasant surprise. In my line of work (appliances), the relative show of knowledge and comprehension skills far exceeds anything I've encounted in the whole of the company I work for.
Bravo, HTC. Shame on you, AT&T.
Er... could this all have been avoided if you had contacted HTC in the first place? Because that's what your post sounds like. (Just curious!) Or did your warranty only apply though AT&T?
The warranty was through AT&T, per the HTC rep. If there's a manufacturer's warranty as well, I would have much rather went with them.
As a side note to the fiasco, the replacement battery made it to me. I called and was told to keep it.
Here's the best part:
It's an extended battery. The downside? No replacement back cover, so it won't fit in the case... Way to go, AT&T...
Your story is one of the reasons I found myself moving to Big Red last year. My TP2 (RHOD500) has not seen any of the issues mentioned here.
If you want to read about my "adventure" in AT&T-land, check out this thread from my Tilt days.

Legal recourse if warranty denied because of root/unlock?

Before throwing a quick answer out to me, please read this quick blurb that describes my situation:
I have a Nexus S. On my 51st week of ownership (aka last week of warranty), the power button decided to bite the dust. This has been documented by other owners as well, notably the one and only simms22 himself. This is a common problem with Nexus S owners. Anyways, while I was trying to flash it back to stock, just my luck the TWRP recovery app crashes, leaving me with a wiped /system and a few other partitions seemingly out of whack. As a result, I have a non-booting phone. I can get as far as the Google logo with the unlocked padlock, at which point it of course cant find an OS to load (/system is blank). Anyways, I was unable to recover it back to stock because for some reason, if the power button doesnt work, then the bootloader and fastboot do not work properly. Basically, the bootloader is unresponsive unless the physical buttons are actually functioning.
I have no doubt that this phone is more than fixable. A simple repair of the power button and I'll be on my way. But of course, I was unable to do that, so I had to send it in today (in the state I just described) with a note explaining that I'm a developer, and work with various systems. This may have been a stretch, but I figured it'll help. I explained that I am 100% sure the problem is hardware-related, and independent of any software. I said that I had tested many versions of Android and have determined that since the phone doesnt respond to power presses when OFF, that it is NOT software related.
Anyhoo, I know I've got myself into some ****, so I'm curious: what kind of legal recourse do I have if they try to deny my warranty claim? I'm aware of the following:
1. The bootloader on a Nexus S specifically states that unlocking the bootloader or modifying software MAY void the warranty. It doesnt say it DOES, but that it MAY. I believe that is a strong word to use, and may very much help my case if I have to fight it. It would seem to me that this leaves Samsung with the burden of proof showing that software mods caused a button that communicates 1-way (lol) to fail, which is impossible. It's physically impossible to set the software to 'fry' the power button. It's a physical button...software simply detects presses and acts based upon it.
2. The 1975 Magnuson-Moss Act has been used frequently in the automotive sector, though its language is in no way geared towards cars. It helps to keep manufacturers from claiming things like 3rd party stereos voiding drivetrain warranties.
I'm fully prepared to fight them on this one if I have to, but I'm hoping someone can help give me some additional ammo here. I'm hoping that I won't have to, and that Samsung will do the right thing and repair it without charge. I'm a faithful customer of theirs.
Thanks!
I don't have anything but I suggest you look into your state laws as well.
You may have some extra protections given to you by your state laws.
t1n0m3n said:
I don't have anything but I suggest you look into your state laws as well.
You may have some extra protections given to you by your state laws.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what I'm doing right now, but I've had no luck so far. It seems that Australia, on the other hand, is all over that kind of stuff. Damn Aussies
Anyways, if anyone can assist me with USA-wide or TN-specific consumer/trade laws that protect me, I'd greatly appreciate it. Or if someone has a similar experience to share, please do!

How to UN-ROOT and go back to stock??

After a bunch of ROMS with near Zero support for WiFi Calling/MMS, Im left with no choice but to go back to stock as TMO has no coverage in my community.
The closest I've gotten is by "RELOCKING" the bootloader and trying to load the latest stock rom, but I get this error;
Hboot version is older! Update Fail! Press <power> to reboot.
Any ideas?
You could always run Bulletproof, MikTouch, or Undeads Expresso. They are all based on stock (MikTouch is the latest and is basically stock). This will allow you to pull nandroids and back up your apps using the root required apps that are available. I don't remember the stock ROMs doing MMS over wifi but if they did those ROMs would do it too.
I have no advice for getting back to stock other than using the search fcn. Then again I don't see what the point is in going back when there are ROMs that do everything the stock one does and more.
Hastily spouted for your befuddlement
Warranty Return
I would like to know how to return to factory-delivered S-ON. I've read that many people return HTC phones S-Offed and unlocked and such, with no issue, but I still prefer to put it back to factory condition. I had a digitizer hardware failure completely unrelated to ROMs and I don't want to give them any reason to snub their noses at me.
I've gotten the phone back to a factory ROM but when I go into bootloader it says "*** RELOCKED ***" (kinda like, "we know what you did last summer"). Anyone know how to get back to the original locked state?
I'm currently S-ON, never S-Offed. Was rooted, and fastboot flashed my kernels and recovery flashed my ROMs, and to return to stock ROM I used the PG59IMG.ZIP from November 2011. The 1.55 one. It wouldn't let me do the 1.28 one.
cj chitwood said:
I would like to know how to return to factory-delivered S-ON. I've read that many people return HTC phones S-Offed and unlocked and such, with no issue, but I still prefer to put it back to factory condition. I had a digitizer hardware failure completely unrelated to ROMs and I don't want to give them any reason to snub their noses at me.
I've gotten the phone back to a factory ROM but when I go into bootloader it says "*** RELOCKED ***" (kinda like, "we know what you did last summer"). Anyone know how to get back to the original locked state?
I'm currently S-ON, never S-Offed. Was rooted, and fastboot flashed my kernels and recovery flashed my ROMs, and to return to stock ROM I used the PG59IMG.ZIP from November 2011. The 1.55 one. It wouldn't let me do the 1.28 one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you'll go to This Thread & scroll down to the HBoot section I have a link to the OTA HBoots that were sent by TMobile that match your build. Two of them look like they would probably match your issue (not positive which one). Both being OTA they have to be the signed ones and would most likely give you a "Locked" bootloader. Good Luck.
I thought I had an OTA, and flashing it returned me to stock build with stock apps and no root, but didn't return the bootloader to the factory state. I'll download one of these that matches and maybe have better luck?
Are these supposed to relock the bootloader?
Also, there is an "HTC Update" available when I go on wifi and check. I should avoid using that, right?
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Turns out, there are three OTAs I found (I couldn't find your handle there specifically, but I found the OTA links) and I have the middle one. The kernel, the HBoot version, and the radio all match up byte for byte.
And just to be clear (I think you know what I'm doing, just making sure), going S-ON isn't what I need, as I never was S-OFF. I had the HTCDev-unlocked bootloader and upon relocking it, it says "Relocked" like a tattletale. Does T-Mo care if that's even on the phone as far as warranty goes?
From everything I heard, they couldn't care less since it was provided by HTC in the first place. I returned my last one with S-Off and all they did was check the little tattletail moisture dot. Had a new one in 3 days.
Yeah, I understood you were just looking to get a "locked" header again that's why I kinda figured the OTA HBoot would get you there. It did everyone that accidently took the OTA when they were already S-Off and they ended up Locked, S-On with the 1.45.xxx HBoot and had to do the wire trick to get back to where they were before. I DO think you're worrying about something you don't need to though.
Just flash a PG59IMG.zip via bootloader if you really want to unroot.
WeekendsR2Short said:
From everything I heard, they couldn't care less [...] I returned my last one with S-Off and all they did was check the little tattletail moisture dot. [...] It did everyone that accidently took the OTA when they were already S-Off and they ended up Locked, S-On with the 1.45.xxx HBoot and had to do the wire trick to get back to where they were before. I DO think you're worrying about something you don't need to though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, then I shall quit worrying about it. Thanks!
I'll go ahead and download the HTC update then, too, just to see what it does. Since I'm not keeping this particular phone anyway... Before I do, I'll say, I expect it not to go back to locked because if they're going to go through the trouble of making it tattle like that in the first place, they'll check for that particular tattle in the updates and not reset that part of it. But I could be wrong. Lemme OTA update this thing and see what happens! :highfive:
Thanks again!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Congratulations! My phone has been updated successfully to version 1.63.531.2 710RD. Sys Info says radio is 11.59.3504.00_11.16.3504.20_2. Seems to match the latest offering here.
Okay, let's reboot to bootloader and see what it says.
Nope, still "*** RELOCKED ***". Oh well, no biggie.
Those stinkers! LOL. You were right. I guess they're just not going to allow us the cover THOSE footprints. I sure do appreciate the feedback!
WeekendsR2Short said:
Those stinkers! LOL. You were right. I guess they're just not going to allow us the cover THOSE footprints. I sure do appreciate the feedback!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured this was coming. I've said for months that HTC is starting to adopt crApple's business model, and now they're starting to sell phones with no replaceable battery and no SD slot in addition to no hardware keyboard (the One series).
Sent from Spaceball One.
Yep. In my searching around here, someone was asking how it was done that e.g. Revolutionary and Juopunutbear were able to change their banners. If there were a tool or method for that, I'd consider it, but since HTC and T-Mo don't seem to care (and since I have a hardware issue and I never messed with anything that could have damaged that particular piece of hardware) I'm really no longer worried about it.
I've been on Google+ too much lately. I keep wanting to +1 the posts I agree with.
blackknightavalon said:
I figured this was coming. I've said for months that HTC is starting to adopt crApple's business model, and now they're starting to sell phones with no replaceable battery and no SD slot in addition to no hardware keyboard (the One series).
Sent from Spaceball One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BOY! They're sure going to loose alot of support if they start adopting those ideas! And I'd not even heard about the "no replaceable battery" issue. That alone will cause me to jump ship considering the lousy battery they insist on using. I'm not about to buy one of those car batteries to hang off my belt so I can make phone calls in the afternoon PLUS I just don't trust a car charger after I cooked my CrackBerry on one.
---------- Post added at 10:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:37 AM ----------
cj chitwood said:
Yep. In my searching around here, someone was asking how it was done that e.g. Revolutionary and Juopunutbear were able to change their banners. If there were a tool or method for that, I'd consider it, but since HTC and T-Mo don't seem to care (and since I have a hardware issue and I never messed with anything that could have damaged that particular piece of hardware) I'm really no longer worried about it.
I've been on Google+ too much lately. I keep wanting to +1 the posts I agree with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is just a guess on my part but I ASSUME that a person would have to decompile the code for that particulat HBoot then find the area that the graphics for the banner is contained in, then with a hex editor change the text that it displys then recompile it again. BUT.....I'm no programmer either.
WeekendsR2Short said:
BOY! They're sure going to loose alot of support if they start adopting those ideas! And I'd not even heard about the "no replaceable battery" issue. That alone will cause me to jump ship considering the lousy battery they insist on using. I'm not about to buy one of those car batteries to hang off my belt so I can make phone calls in the afternoon PLUS I just don't trust a car charger after I cooked my CrackBerry on one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't believe it until I had a coworker's brand-new One S in my hand. My first question was "how do you change the battery in this thing?" Then I looked it up and saw that you actually had to take the phone apart for that.
blackknightavalon said:
I didn't believe it until I had a coworker's brand-new One S in my hand. My first question was "how do you change the battery in this thing?" Then I looked it up and saw that you actually had to take the phone apart for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GEEZE! What are they afraid of? Someone will put one in that doesn't overheat the cpu & kill it prematurely?
blackknightavalon said:
I didn't believe it until I had a coworker's brand-new One S in my hand. My first question was "how do you change the battery in this thing?" Then I looked it up and saw that you actually had to take the phone apart for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The HTC EVO LTE is the same way with the battery. A buddy of mine got a brand new one when they came out and shortly later it hard bricked overnight on charge and was replaced with a refurb. So this is the crap we are gonna have to start dealing with from HTC.
Sent from my myTouch 4G Slide using Tapatalk 2
strapped365 said:
The HTC EVO LTE is the same way with the battery. A buddy of mine got a brand new one when they came out and shortly later it hard bricked overnight on charge and was replaced with a refurb. So this is the crap we are gonna have to start dealing with from HTC.
Sent from my myTouch 4G Slide using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"We" are not dealing with this. If Samsung keeps coming out with slider phones with high-end specs like the Relay I won't be dealing with HTC's bulls**t.
If this is the path that HTC has chosen for their future then they are well on their way to becoming the Hasbeen Telephone Corporation.
@BlackKnightAvalon: Fully agreed.
If I may go further OT for a moment here, this nonsense about hermetically sealing the phones together reminded me of shopping for the G1.
See, back then, I made a list of things I required in a phone. It was to be my first phone, one I would pay for myself (instead of using someone else's old hand-me-down they no longer were using). My now wife at the time had the old Sidekick LX, which while not a smartphone by today's standards opened my eyes to a realm of possibilities beyond handheld computers like the Palm and iPaqs. I had a personal cheapie freebie Nokia bar phone, and my work phone was the top of the line version of the same form factor. Then work provided me with a flip about the same time my wife upgraded from her flip to a Sidekick. So at the time, I had her flip, and it was more than I needed. But the work flip, being a motorola, was hackable, by design. I was able to put my own sounds, ringtones, bootup sequence graphics, all that into it. So I knew what I wanted.
My list included a few things:
Be Linux based or at least open source so I could hack it to suit my tastes (I was thinking more along the lines of theming)
Be GSM so I can swap SIMs when I need to (if another phone borks, and I want to loan them mine without giving out *my* number to everyone...)
have a qwerty keyboard and not just a number pad (I hadn't considered the possibility of a touchscreen keyboard)
have a camera
have a standard USB charging port
have Internet capability (back then this wasn't on every phone you could buy)
have wifi
GPS was a plus, but not a requisite
Bluetooth was a plus
And a whole slew of other things, but basically, the G1 satisfied that list and more.
Because of iPhone and now HTC practices, I'm now forced to add a few things to that list, and I'm not sure my next phone won't be a Samsung. I really hate the bluish hue of the AMOLEDs, but it may be worth it. Depending on whether Google can bring Motorola out of crapzone I might consider a moto. Anyway, the new list will include all of the old one, plus:
Removable battery of at least 1800mAH rating
PHYSICAL keyboard -- my MT4GS just proved the need for that, though admittedly if the screen wasn't a slider the cable inside might not have failed
PHYSICAL Call Start/Stop buttons a definite plus, almost a requirement
REMOVABLE media
Headphone jack
TV Out, whether HDMI (MHL/microUSB) or composite (headphone jack)
For that matter, digital TV OTA receive and low-power transmit
FM Radio receive, preferably transmit
HD Screen
1.5GHz+ dual+ core
Doodooflinger capable
2-meter and 70-cm Amateur Radio band capable, a definite plus (should be not too difficult to do methinks and would help for those times when I'm out of signal in the mountains). The 33- and 23-cm amateur bands should be easy enough to come into, at the very least.
Satellite TV dish aiming
Dishwasher autoloader
... ?
EDIT: Add Police scanner and aircraft band receive...
Clearly, I have raised the bar by which I will judge handset manufacturers.
I'm not joking about that amateur radio bit. That's some serious geek creds waitin' to happen right there.
But yeah, back on-topic, I think I'm okay with HTC / T-Mo knowing I rooted the phone, as long as they don't start holding software choices against me in the realm of hardware failure. After all, I know the difference, and nothing I've done with the software had any bearing on their hardware breaking down before designed lifespan is up.
Here's something to be sure NOT to include:
Genius button
.com/www. button
duplicated buttons from the faceplate on the slideout keyboard
similar stupidity
cj chitwood said:
[*]PHYSICAL keyboard -- my MT4GS just proved the need for that, though admittedly if the screen wasn't a slider the cable inside might not have failed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll risk a failed cable
( neither of my doubleshots have that problem - my original one has slid the keyboard in/out in the terminal command cycle so much words simply can't express the heightened level of wear it's suffered through...consider how much dev i've done on the device...)
Over a worthless, aggravating, real-estate stealing, non-feeling, spelling error making (chrome-dome, etc...etc... - enter tin-tin)
...
Seriously, my spelling and grammer have dropped significantly. I pretty much only type in landscape because portrait is just impossible.
I've gotten to the point where I just let some go through in defeat, simply because I have to edit EVERY OTHER WORD on this worthless S3.
The bigger screen is nice, but losing the feel of individual buttons pretty much guarantees what you intend to type is only a close approximation of what appears on the screen at the best of times.
From now on I am either going to have to figure out how to get one of my doubleshots back on service that reaches nowhere, usa like the verizon S3 does, or move on to some qwerty device "the network" can handle.
I mean, my professional image is being held hostage by a lack of proper hardware. Sometimes I may only have a minute, maybe two at the most to snap out a reply.
So either I send something that looks so unprofessional I might have been better off just not sending it and forging a reputation for being unreliable, or preserve the respect of those above me in my company as far as the grasp of language goes and embrace that horrid representation of myself as someone who couldn't be bothered to respond to someone who needed my response.
Seriously, I don't have time to turn on bluetooth and connect s keyboard, even if I could carry it on shift, and then deal with keeping it powered too on top of it.
I sure can't talk-to-text when talking about a client within earshot, amongst a variety of other situations where the information i'm conveying is confidential to the people around me
I'm really not liking losing the keyboard, it's literally and solely ruined my android experience by making me dislike to the point of _hate having to input textual data. Be it commands or communication I see having to do so as a chore, one I hate, one I can't stand and annoys the living .... outta me.
It makes trying to work on the device downright scary, if not the equivalent of playing russian roulette. When the result of spelling errors in your command can have disastrous results, 10 times out of 10 I abstain. So here I sit with a device i'm afraid to hack on because I know i'll miss catching something stupid and wreck it.
To be quite blunt - having to fix every other word, if not every word for the majority of all of this reply has taken gargantuan strength not to snap the phone in half on my steering wheel. If I wasn't nestled in the depth of a valley located in a state park miles from any kind of civilization, i've freakin had it with this and this just could've been that time.
This S3 owes nature big time.
I'll never own an android phone without a hardware keyboard again, and being required to have a smartphone for my job will see me end up rocking froyo or something if it comes to it.
Sorry for all the hate, but really passionate about this. The S3 has become my most hated and aggravating electronic device i've ever owned. I'll never get another like it.
Quick question.
I got a warranty exchange last week BUT, turns out the cursed headphone jack does not work on the "new" replacement plus the camera has a circular area where its a tint of red, not too noticeable tho. i want to return it to stock even with a relocked bootloader but i was wondering, since i have a backup of the stock rom (which is what im restoring to on nandroid right now), can i just relock the bootloader or do i have to flash the PG591IMG.zip?

[Q] Nexus 5 came back from LG Repair with different software

Hello ALl,
I am not a developer and do very little tinkering with my android phones. That being said, I recently shattered my Nexus 5's sreen and sent it into LG to get repaired. They sent it back as "not repairable: Epoxy Crack." I turned it on as it was still fully functional (minus the screen) when I sent it off. The phone booted up with a letterboxed version of the Nexus 4 boot screen and after going through an initial set up, I went to settings to find that the phone now says:
Android version - KeyLimePie
Baseband version - M8974A-1.0.25.0.15
Kernel version - 3.4.0-gaf7416a-00002-g97abe44 / [email protected] #1 / Thu Apr17 10:56:17 KST 2014
Build number - aosp_hammerhead-userdebug KeyLimePie / FAC140417_KRT01B PDK853385 test-keys
Also, under runtime, I can chose between Dalvik, ART, and ART Debug mode. Lastly, there are a few diagnostics apps installed on the phone.
I am not sure if any of this is helpful to any developers out there, but if it is, please let me know and I can try to pull an image of the phone for you to use.
I suspect it is some old Android image that they flash onto every phone to do repairs, but since they did not reset the phone to stock, I am happy to try and get the software to any of you if you want it.
mrfochs said:
Hello ALl,
I am not a developer and do very little tinkering with my android phones. That being said, I recently shattered my Nexus 5's sreen and sent it into LG to get repaired. They sent it back as "not repairable: Epoxy Crack." I turned it on as it was still fully functional (minus the screen) when I sent it off. The phone booted up with a letterboxed version of the Nexus 4 boot screen and after going through an initial set up, I went to settings to find that the phone now says:
Android version - KeyLimePie
Baseband version - M8974A-1.0.25.0.15
Kernel version - 3.4.0-gaf7416a-00002-g97abe44 / [email protected] #1 / Thu Apr17 10:56:17 KST 2014
Build number - aosp_hammerhead-userdebug KeyLimePie / FAC140417_KRT01B PDK853385 test-keys
Also, under runtime, I can chose between Dalvik, ART, and ART Debug mode. Lastly, there are a few diagnostics apps installed on the phone.
I am not sure if any of this is helpful to any developers out there, but if it is, please let me know and I can try to pull an image of the phone for you to use.
I suspect it is some old Android image that they flash onto every phone to do repairs, but since they did not reset the phone to stock, I am happy to try and get the software to any of you if you want it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
na, its an old pre kitkat prerelease, and has been known about for a long time. whats odd is thats what they flashed, instead of anything more recent. unless thats what their technician have, odd they didnt go with the factory img.
simms22 said:
na, its an old pre kitkat prerelease, and has been known about for a long time. whats odd is thats what they flashed, instead of anything more recent. unless thats what their technician have, odd they didnt go with the factory img.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is even more odd as I have done a factory reset before sending it in so as to ensure that my account data and info was off the phone in the case that they were to send me a new phone instead of swapping out the components of the original. It was fun looking through the random debugging and testing apps they left on the phone. Thank fully my fiancee reads and speaks Korean and she could tell me what the on screen buttons said.
Anyway, thanks. I have decided since LG won't repair the screen, I will. I ordered the screen, digitizer, and front bezel from ETradeSupply and will try to save the phone myself once the part arrives. If all goes well with the replacement, I will flash hopefully back to factory original and then upgrade to 4.4 again.
In the meantime, it looks like a few more days with the Moto G (purchased as a back up phone while sorting out the screen on the Nexus 5).
Interesting to see that the Test Version's Kernel date is 17th April 2014...
LG has two kind of firmware for their devices: FACTORY and USER. Factory image is used to test the phones hardware like bluetooth, wifi, screen etc... and enables some more options for LG testers to make it sure the phone works perfectly. The user image for nexus 5 is the same what google offers for us.
@mrfochs try to do a backup if possible. Kernel, system and radio that is what we need. Also please check the bootloader version if it somethig new then make a backup. You will have problems using LG flashtool in the future, but it can be solved easily. If you ever have to use lg flashtool to return to stock just contact me and we make your phone compatible again with LG flashtool.
While that build is technically old, like @vin4yak said, that kernel date is what's really throwing me off.
I'm on stock right now and KTU84P kernel reads it was created on March 17th, 2014
You should try and extract those troubleshooting apk's and share them with the community.
bitdomo said:
LG has two kind of firmware for their devices: FACTORY and USER. Factory image is used to test the phones hardware like bluetooth, wifi, screen etc... and enables some more options for LG testers to make it sure the phone works perfectly. The user image for nexus 5 is the same what google offers for us.
@mrfochs try to do a backup if possible. Kernel, system and radio that is what we need. Also please check the bootloader version if it somethig new then make a backup. You will have problems using LG flashtool in the future, but it can be solved easily. If you ever have to use lg flashtool to return to stock just contact me and we make your phone compatible again with LG flashtool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am happy to try and make a backup, however I haven't the slightest clue how to go about doing it (like I said in original post I=newb).
mrfochs said:
I am happy to try and make a backup, however I haven't the slightest clue how to go about doing it (like I said in original post I=newb).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlock bootloader, flash twrp recovery make a backup where you select system and boot then you upload the backup somewhere.
mrfochs said:
Anyway, thanks. I have decided since LG won't repair the screen, I will. I ordered the screen, digitizer, and front bezel from ETradeSupply and will try to save the phone myself once the part arrives. If all goes well with the replacement, I will flash hopefully back to factory original and then upgrade to 4.4 again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is so strange. I have the EXACT same situation happening to me. I got my phone back from LG as unrepairable due to "epoxy crack" and now it has this testing Key Lime Pie version that is impossible to update from.
Please let me know if you're able to successfully do the repair yourself or flash back to factory original. From this thread, it seems it's not easy to.
Which part did you order from ETrade Supply?
http://www.etradesupply.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=nexus+5
There's zero reason for this to be happening except extreme incompetence on LG's service tech's part. I would get in contact with them and demand some free service because of this. It's bad enough they can't repair the phone, but it's 100x worse that they send the phone back to you in even worse condition.
No excuse for this. I would be looking for compensation, personally.
Sadly I've heard other worrying things about LG's "repair" service. They don't even seem to realize there's a final clip that needs to be engaged on the back of the phone or else NFC and Qi don't work. That's basic stuff and gives me no confidence in their tech's abilities.
LG Flashtool affects Sideloads?
bitdomo said:
LG has two kind of firmware for their devices: FACTORY and USER. Factory image is used to test the phones hardware like bluetooth, wifi, screen etc... and enables some more options for LG testers to make it sure the phone works perfectly. The user image for nexus 5 is the same what google offers for us.
@mrfochs try to do a backup if possible. Kernel, system and radio that is what we need. Also please check the bootloader version if it somethig new then make a backup. You will have problems using LG flashtool in the future, but it can be solved easily. If you ever have to use lg flashtool to return to stock just contact me and we make your phone compatible again with LG flashtool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have given up trying to get the app files off this phone as the current version of Android that is installed on here keeps crashing popping up "Google Play Services failed to load" or a handful of other popups indicating apps that have failed to launch. I set up the drivers on my computer to sideload 4.4.4 through ADB, but I keep getting "File Signature Verification Failed." Is this a result of trying to sideload the OTA while ADB is seeing a different firmware as a result of the LG Flash tool you mentioned?
I contacted LG to ask them how to get the factory software on the phone and they want me to ship the phone back to them in Fort Worth as their paperwork "doesn't indicate that anything was done to the phone." I would prefer to find a way to install stock back to the phone without having to mail my phone again (especially since I just replaced the screen).
mrfochs said:
I have given up trying to get the app files off this phone as the current version of Android that is installed on here keeps crashing popping up "Google Play Services failed to load" or a handful of other popups indicating apps that have failed to launch. I set up the drivers on my computer to sideload 4.4.4 through ADB, but I keep getting "File Signature Verification Failed." Is this a result of trying to sideload the OTA while ADB is seeing a different firmware as a result of the LG Flash tool you mentioned?
I contacted LG to ask them how to get the factory software on the phone and they want me to ship the phone back to them in Fort Worth as their paperwork "doesn't indicate that anything was done to the phone." I would prefer to find a way to install stock back to the phone without having to mail my phone again (especially since I just replaced the screen).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It'll fail if you're using stock recovery?
mrfochs said:
I have given up trying to get the app files off this phone as the current version of Android that is installed on here keeps crashing popping up "Google Play Services failed to load" or a handful of other popups indicating apps that have failed to launch. I set up the drivers on my computer to sideload 4.4.4 through ADB, but I keep getting "File Signature Verification Failed." Is this a result of trying to sideload the OTA while ADB is seeing a different firmware as a result of the LG Flash tool you mentioned?
I contacted LG to ask them how to get the factory software on the phone and they want me to ship the phone back to them in Fort Worth as their paperwork "doesn't indicate that anything was done to the phone." I would prefer to find a way to install stock back to the phone without having to mail my phone again (especially since I just replaced the screen).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Contact me on hangouts: [email protected]
Then I will make it work to flash google's rom. Only thing you have to do is let me connect to your PC through team viewer and connect your phone in fastboot mode to your PC.
Let me provide and update and go on a rant here for a bit. For anyone who cares to listen.
It took me 1 chat, 1 failed supervisor call back, and 3 consequent phone calls ultimately escalating to a supervisor to get LG to understand they made a mistake and send me a shipping label so they can get the factory test OS removed.
Here is a copy/paste from my first uncanny chat with an LG representative:
Mariangie: Unfortunately the OS they tested is the way they use to repair the phone and since it was not responding on that mode (service mode) that's when the phone is deemed unrepairable
Mariangie: and regretfully no it cant be put back into normal (customer) OS
lifeinpictures: that makes no sense
Mariangie: My sincere apologies
lifeinpictures: controls work just fine
lifeinpictures: it worked fine before I sent it
lifeinpictures: and controls and touch work just fine now
lifeinpictures: you cannot tell me that you guys purposely send items back with a testing operating system, meant for techs and not users
lifeinpictures: at the least, I should be able to get my product in the same state I sent it in
lifeinpictures: not WORSE
Mariangie: I truly apologize again for the inconvenience this may caused, I personally understand your position. I will certainly forward your comments and dissatisfaction about this matter.
lifeinpictures: I don't need you to forward anything, I need you to fix it.
lifeinpictures: you broke it
lifeinpictures: therefore you should fix it
Mariangie: I wish i have other options available, unfortunately the phone cant be put back into normal OS. It seems to have a physical damage that result in internal part not working
Mariangie: techs try to putting the phone into service OS but it is not working
Mariangie: making it not possible to have it repair
Mariangie: and no way to put back on normal mode
lifeinpictures: Mariange, I really doubt you know enough about the testing hammerhead OS to know what you're talking about
Mariangie: My sincere apologies
raul takahashi: an OS is not reliant on physical, operating parts
lifeinpictures: I understand, you feel upset about this
lifeinpictures: I truly apologize again for the inconvenience this represent
lifeinpictures: And again I wish i could have other options to supply you with
lifeinpictures: I'm afraid no other options to provide you with
Mariangie: Sorry Mr. LifeinPictures.
lifeinpictures: this is pretty much against the law Mariange
lifeinpictures: this is like giving you my car to repair a cracked window
lifeinpictures: and you give it back to me with a broken engine, which wasn't broken before
Mariangie: My sincere apologies, Again I wish i could have other options to supply you with, I'm afraid no other options to provide you with.
It took me all evening, but I finally reached a supervisor to resolve (interestingly, it's the exact same supervisor I had escalated to just 2 weeks ago. read below if interested. He immediately accepted the mistake, and finally offered a ship label to get the phone shipped back and fixed.
I have lost complete faith in LG as a company and will do everything I can to avoid them.
Previous history, copied and pasted from Google forum thread about cracked screen:
To quickly recap my history and experience with Nexus 5.
1. Buy Nexus 5.
2. Drop it on carpet from coffee table 2 feet tall, screen completely shattered. 4 months after purchase. (Owned 12 phones in my life, all handled way more abuse)
3. Pay LG $140 to repair.
4. LG sends me refurbished unit, not my original one repaired. I'm ok with this.
5. Buy heavy duty case because apparently this thing is fragile.
6. Lunch in an outside restaurant patio. Sunny day. Table is warm to the touch, but nothing anyone notices or cares about as they eat. I put my phone face down, glass on table. Pick up phone to leave, there is a crack from side to side of the phone. Just great. Can't even handle everyday situations, less severe than a hot car (for example).
7. Crack very soon start expanding to the rest of the phone. Now entire screen cracked.
8. Send to LG for repair, again.*
9. Phone comes back as unrepairable due to "epoxy crack". (B.S. this was less severe than my 1st one and phone is fully functional, electronically and mechanically. Research proves many recent attempts by other Nexus 5 owners sending cracked phones for repair have been denied)
10. Phone comes back worse than it was when sent, with testing factory OS instead of user OS. Unable to update from.
*=Customer service: 4 days go by since LG has possession of my phone. I call to ask for status, rep says "wait until we call your or email you". Next day, I get a UPS notice that phone is being shipped back. I call to find out why, speak to 3 reps, none can tell me anything other than "it's not repairable". 4th call reaches supervisor, who tells me it's due to "damaged electronics". It's a lie, but I give up.
(My theory on these newfound lack of willingness to replace screens:
LG / Google is aware they skimped on glass quality to keep the price low. They made a (decent) business decision to first do "whatever it takes" to keep customers happy and loyal. This includes fixing screens "outside of warranty" (since they know it's impossible for customers to prove a cracked screen is manufacturer fault) for a very reasonable cost of $140 which is close to cost (parts + labor) or potentially at a loss. This keeps the majority of owners at bay. Now, Nexus 6 is on the horizon and the loss or lack of revenue from these Nexus 5 screen repairs has surpassed expectation so they have advised their repair stations to deny them. They've done their part with an acceptable level of damage control and soon everyone will get a Nexus 6, move on, and forget the Nexus 5 was a debacle.)​
lifeinpictures said:
This is so strange. I have the EXACT same situation happening to me. I got my phone back from LG as unrepairable due to "epoxy crack" and now it has this testing Key Lime Pie version that is impossible to update from.
Please let me know if you're able to successfully do the repair yourself or flash back to factory original. From this thread, it seems it's not easy to.
Which part did you order from ETrade Supply?
http://www.etradesupply.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=nexus+5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lifeinpictures said:
Let me provide and update and go on a rant here for a bit. For anyone who cares to listen.
It took me 1 chat, 1 failed supervisor call back, and 3 consequent phone calls ultimately escalating to a supervisor to get LG to understand they made a mistake and send me a shipping label so they can get the factory test OS removed.
Here is a copy/paste from my first uncanny chat with an LG representative:
Mariangie: Unfortunately the OS they tested is the way they use to repair the phone and since it was not responding on that mode (service mode) that's when the phone is deemed unrepairable
Mariangie: and regretfully no it cant be put back into normal (customer) OS
lifeinpictures: that makes no sense
Mariangie: My sincere apologies
lifeinpictures: controls work just fine
lifeinpictures: it worked fine before I sent it
lifeinpictures: and controls and touch work just fine now
lifeinpictures: you cannot tell me that you guys purposely send items back with a testing operating system, meant for techs and not users
lifeinpictures: at the least, I should be able to get my product in the same state I sent it in
lifeinpictures: not WORSE
Mariangie: I truly apologize again for the inconvenience this may caused, I personally understand your position. I will certainly forward your comments and dissatisfaction about this matter.
lifeinpictures: I don't need you to forward anything, I need you to fix it.
lifeinpictures: you broke it
lifeinpictures: therefore you should fix it
Mariangie: I wish i have other options available, unfortunately the phone cant be put back into normal OS. It seems to have a physical damage that result in internal part not working
Mariangie: techs try to putting the phone into service OS but it is not working
Mariangie: making it not possible to have it repair
Mariangie: and no way to put back on normal mode
lifeinpictures: Mariange, I really doubt you know enough about the testing hammerhead OS to know what you're talking about
Mariangie: My sincere apologies
raul takahashi: an OS is not reliant on physical, operating parts
lifeinpictures: I understand, you feel upset about this
lifeinpictures: I truly apologize again for the inconvenience this represent
lifeinpictures: And again I wish i could have other options to supply you with
lifeinpictures: I'm afraid no other options to provide you with
Mariangie: Sorry Mr. LifeinPictures.
lifeinpictures: this is pretty much against the law Mariange
lifeinpictures: this is like giving you my car to repair a cracked window
lifeinpictures: and you give it back to me with a broken engine, which wasn't broken before
Mariangie: My sincere apologies, Again I wish i could have other options to supply you with, I'm afraid no other options to provide you with.
It took me all evening, but I finally reached a supervisor to resolve (interestingly, it's the exact same supervisor I had escalated to just 2 weeks ago. read below if interested. He immediately accepted the mistake, and finally offered a ship label to get the phone shipped back and fixed.
I have lost complete faith in LG as a company and will do everything I can to avoid them.
Previous history, copied and pasted from Google forum thread about cracked screen:
To quickly recap my history and experience with Nexus 5.
1. Buy Nexus 5.
2. Drop it on carpet from coffee table 2 feet tall, screen completely shattered. 4 months after purchase. (Owned 12 phones in my life, all handled way more abuse)
3. Pay LG $140 to repair.
4. LG sends me refurbished unit, not my original one repaired. I'm ok with this.
5. Buy heavy duty case because apparently this thing is fragile.
6. Lunch in an outside restaurant patio. Sunny day. Table is warm to the touch, but nothing anyone notices or cares about as they eat. I put my phone face down, glass on table. Pick up phone to leave, there is a crack from side to side of the phone. Just great. Can't even handle everyday situations, less severe than a hot car (for example).
7. Crack very soon start expanding to the rest of the phone. Now entire screen cracked.
8. Send to LG for repair, again.*
9. Phone comes back as unrepairable due to "epoxy crack". (B.S. this was less severe than my 1st one and phone is fully functional, electronically and mechanically. Research proves many recent attempts by other Nexus 5 owners sending cracked phones for repair have been denied)
10. Phone comes back worse than it was when sent, with testing factory OS instead of user OS. Unable to update from.
*=Customer service: 4 days go by since LG has possession of my phone. I call to ask for status, rep says "wait until we call your or email you". Next day, I get a UPS notice that phone is being shipped back. I call to find out why, speak to 3 reps, none can tell me anything other than "it's not repairable". 4th call reaches supervisor, who tells me it's due to "damaged electronics". It's a lie, but I give up.
(My theory on these newfound lack of willingness to replace screens:
LG / Google is aware they skimped on glass quality to keep the price low. They made a (decent) business decision to first do "whatever it takes" to keep customers happy and loyal. This includes fixing screens "outside of warranty" (since they know it's impossible for customers to prove a cracked screen is manufacturer fault) for a very reasonable cost of $140 which is close to cost (parts + labor) or potentially at a loss. This keeps the majority of owners at bay. Now, Nexus 6 is on the horizon and the loss or lack of revenue from these Nexus 5 screen repairs has surpassed expectation so they have advised their repair stations to deny them. They've done their part with an acceptable level of damage control and soon everyone will get a Nexus 6, move on, and forget the Nexus 5 was a debacle.)​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good on you for standing up to their B.S. as there's just no excuse for that to happen. We can't argue with their reasoning for not repairing (it's up to them to decide if they want to attempt a repair for $140, after all) but they can't be so lazy/incompetent as to not reload the proper software on there. It would take them what, a couple minutes? Similar to how they're not engaging people's NFC/Qi charger on the back of the phone which should be obvious to techs who's job it is to work with these devices.
Don't forget you can always bring your phone into an independent repair shop, they won't refuse your money though I doubt their attention to detail will be much better than your average LG tech.
remove lg version?
I have the same problem. Is it possible to root this phone and remove the LG flash version and put KitKat on there?
naparama said:
I have the same problem. Is it possible to root this phone and remove the LG flash version and put KitKat on there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you the one who contacted me on email?
yes
bitdomo said:
Are you the one who contacted me on email?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, that was me, thanks.
loop after flash
naparama said:
yes, that was me, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi, I flashed the stock android after unlocking bootloader, but now it is stuck in a boot loop. I also I noticed that when it flashed, after finishing, it said boot.sig recovery.sig system.sig werent found. when I tried to boot in the safe mode, the little green android man was on his back with a red exclamation point. any thoughts?

Beware the Asus Service Center

I thought it important to share this experience.
Background:
I purchased my tablet in Sept 2012, unlocked it, and after awhile, settled on a CleamRom version that hit the sweet spot and left it that way for 3 years. Recently I got curious about the current custom ROM's and, forgetting what I used to know, screwed up and soft-bricked the tablet. I recovered it by pushing the stock firmware back onto it, but that process relocked the tablet.
I tried the unlock tool for weeks but just kept getting the dreaded "network connectivity issue" error. I contacted Asus customer support, and to my surprise, they (EmmaZhang) tried to help. She said they reset something at the Asus database and to try again, unfortunately I had the same result.
I was told to get an RMA and send the tablet in (N American service center, Grapevine, TX), and with some reluctance, I did as advised. After about a week or so, I got an email with an invoice for $341 to replace the motherboard and I had to pay or they would send the tablet back. I had packed the tablet extremely well and was sure there was a mistake. Weeks of back and forth emails ensued, I won't get into the level of frustration I experienced with the different and frankly ignorant responses I received from them but I was told that the tablet would not boot to the OS, and the only way to proceed was to replace the motherboard, and I was constantly urged to pay the invoice amount or they would send the tablet back. I was also told emphatically that they do not help with unlocking a device (what's up with that EmmaZhang ?) Eventually, they got tired of my protests and sent the tablet back.
Guess what? The tablet boots just fine, it's exactly as it was when I sent it in, and to my surprise, the unlock tool worked first time, and I am happily running ZombiPop with 9000 Quadrant scores. What is my take on this? The level of incompetence and/or lack of communication would have to be so high that I can't believe it. I can only believe that this was a deliberate attempt to defraud me of $341, and I wonder how many times they've done this.
Believe want you want, but again, I thought it was important to bring this experience to light.
Moderator Edited
Post edited - selling is not permitted on XDA.
I've had similar happen with ASUS notebook repair. There are plenty of horror stories to be found on the net about that.
I sent in a notebook because of a defective LCD and they replaced the LCD with one that had a deep gouge in it. As if it had been sliced with a knife.

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