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[Q] Black Tie Program on Broken Inspire

Ok so heres my situation... I bought the inspire from best buy about 20 days ago on an upgrade, I decided to not get their black tie plan because I did not cause any physical damage to my old captivate so I thought I would be alright to pass on it this time. Until today that is... I had the phone in my back pocket and when I sat down I must have applied some extra pressure to the front and in result the screen in mostly shattered.
So I have decided to come to you guys in search for a few solutions. I noticed that you can add the black tie on up to 30 days from the purchase of your phone but I am doubting whether or not I could convince them to put it on my phone even though the phone is already broken but I was wondering if anyone here has ever had any luck getting this plan on after the damage had been done?
I would hate to think the best buy would really be so ignorant as to make me keep a phone with a shattered screen for the remaining 2 years that is on my contract (granted it is my fault it broke), I would like to think they would help someone in my position out to keep me happy and wanting to return back to their stores.
If there is no chance for this, then what would you guys recommend I do to get this fixed for as little cost as possible.
THANKS!

I just took a captivate that wouldn't turn on and they replaced it with an inspire. So I think they're pretty good about exchanging phones. Unless I just got lucky haha
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App

The way these employees can be,especially at bestbuy,seems unlikely. But give it a shot hello y not
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

Neathawk49 said:
Ok so heres my situation... I bought the inspire from best buy about 20 days ago on an upgrade, I decided to not get their black tie plan because I did not cause any physical damage to my old captivate so I thought I would be alright to pass on it this time. Until today that is... I had the phone in my back pocket and when I sat down I must have applied some extra pressure to the front and in result the screen in mostly shattered.
So I have decided to come to you guys in search for a few solutions. I noticed that you can add the black tie on up to 30 days from the purchase of your phone but I am doubting whether or not I could convince them to put it on my phone even though the phone is already broken but I was wondering if anyone here has ever had any luck getting this plan on after the damage had been done?
I would hate to think the best buy would really be so ignorant as to make me keep a phone with a shattered screen for the remaining 2 years that is on my contract (granted it is my fault it broke), I would like to think they would help someone in my position out to keep me happy and wanting to return back to their stores.
If there is no chance for this, then what would you guys recommend I do to get this fixed for as little cost as possible.
THANKS!
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With a phone that unquestionably has suffered physical damage, I don't think it's reasonable to expect them to go that far in wanting to keep their customers happy.
Unless this "black tie" thing pretty much effectively says "sure, throw your phone off a cliff, drive over it with a semi, we want you happy, so we'll keep giving you phones," then I wouldn't get your hopes up.
But like Matt said, you got nothin' to lose and everything to gain at this point...

You never know what they will do. In December I upgraded to an Aria for $0.01, I did get the black tie coverage. There was a slight issue with the earspeaker and I took it somewhere local so I wouldn't be without my phone for a matter of weeks. Needles to say, that was a mistake. The repair place screwed it up. I took it to best buy and long story short, after sending it off for repair 4 times they have me an Inspire.
I think it is a very good thing to get to know the ppl that work in mobile and not be one of those customers they hate to see come into the store. They all knew me by my first name.lol They have me my choice of phones and I chose the Inspire and have never looked back!
BB its usually quite eager to please the customer, they know if you are happy with their mobile dept. you may buy your next tv there also.
Sent from my stock HTC Inspire 4G

Perseids said:
You never know what they will do. In December I upgraded to an Aria for $0.01, I did get the black tie coverage. There was a slight issue with the earspeaker and I took it somewhere local so I wouldn't be without my phone for a matter of weeks. Needles to say, that was a mistake. The repair place screwed it up. I took it to best buy and long story short, after sending it off for repair 4 times they have me an Inspire.
I think it is a very good thing to get to know the ppl that work in mobile and not be one of those customers they hate to see come into the store. They all knew me by my first name.lol They have me my choice of phones and I chose the Inspire and have never looked back!
BB its usually quite eager to please the customer, they know if you are happy with their mobile dept. you may buy your next tv there also.
Sent from my stock HTC Inspire 4G
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Well, there's a teeny tiny bit of difference between a bad ear speaker and a "mostly shattered" screen, but, who knows...

brick it ..... That is the only solution O.O. I remember while back best buy told me if I bought their protection plan, I could walk out side drive my car over my phone bring it back in and get a new one/ fixed, never tested it though.

Obviously don't buy the Black Tie plan and then immediately whip the phone out of your pocket.... If it was me, I'd take the receipt in and say that I decided to go with the black tie plan after all. Then I'd take it in the next day, or the day after that. It might still look suspicious, but not as.

I took the black tie protection for my laptop and TV. Laptop got its hdd replaced twice, without a question. He opened it, took the old one out, put in the new one, and gave the old one back to me.
In my opinion, its worth the trouble/hassle for 3 years.

Thanks for your help and suggestions guys, I will hopefully go up there tomorrow and basiclly beg thats what I get for not adding it on when I got the phone, just my luck. Btw, I wasnt trying to say that they owed it to anyone to replace it, I was just saying would be a kind gesture to someone,who messed up. All they would have to do is change the screen then sell it refurbished for about 50dollars less than a new one.
Also, why do they allow you to add the black tie within the first 30 days but your excluded if you have already broken it then your not allowed to have it anymore. Just my thoughts on it, please pardon my ramblings..
Thanks again for taking the time to respond though!

mudknot2005 said:
brick it ..... That is the only solution O.O. I remember while back best buy told me if I bought their protection plan, I could walk out side drive my car over my phone bring it back in and get a new one/ fixed, never tested it though.
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Well that's actually encouraging for the op, then. Unless of course they were exaggerating for purposes of selling the program.
I guess the only thing that would concern me is the amount of time the op takes between signing up for the program, and "cashing" in on it, so to speak.
I also don't know if they would require physical inspection of the phone when signing up, if done after the initial sale, when of course the brand new phone is there in front of them...

Just a quick update, I took it in today and they were very kind and helping and because I had the protection plan on my old phone they said they could add it back and and say that the person who sold me the new phone had forgotten to transfer the plan to the new phone.
They told me to wait 2-3 before I bring it back in for repairs because they are usually not allowed to do this to an already broken phone but the manager gave the approval.
Just thought that I would poke back so anyone in this situation in the future will have a bit of hope. And that this is another reason why I continue to get my phones at best buy... great customer service (most of the time) and a protection plan that is too good to pass up.

Neathawk49 said:
Just a quick update, I took it in today and they were very kind and helping and because I had the protection plan on my old phone they said they could add it back and and say that the person who sold me the new phone had forgotten to transfer the plan to the new phone.
They told me to wait 2-3 before I bring it back in for repairs because they are usually not allowed to do this to an already broken phone but the manager gave the approval.
Just thought that I would poke back so anyone in this situation in the future will have a bit of hope. And that this is another reason why I continue to get my phones at best buy... great customer service (most of the time) and a protection plan that is too good to pass up.
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Congrats. Great news for you.
Try not to shatter the screen on the next one, will ya?
And thanks for posting back. It's always good to hear how these things play out.

Put it this way its like buying a car with out "protection" and just that one day after the 30 days you run into a wall.. Take the car back and say hey I would like to get the protection plan. 99.99% they will ask let me see the car. Just as in example. Its a business. But I have the Black tie and the buy back on my phone because just in case I do drop it its cover, I had it on my last phone they sent it out for a repair go it back in like a week brand new could not even tell. Rather then going through att paying 5$s on it if it get stolen and having to pay a delectable. Heck I even got water on my phone and it was covered. So its worth it to me. On the phones think about its your MOBILE phone you have it on you all the time rather it be in your pocket in case or in case on a belt clip you always have that chance of missing your pocket and your phone slips. and BOOM broken screen. And then your like AHH!! FML! lol

I would like to post one last time just to say Fallout 3/New Vegas FTW (i know off topic but had to give a shout out to a fellow vault dweller!)

Neathawk49 said:
I would like to post one last time just to say Fallout 3/New Vegas FTW (i know off topic but had to give a shout out to a fellow vault dweller!)
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Hell yeah man Im thanking you for just that my friend.. FTW man! PC/Console
sorry of topic I think Ill start a game thread about something like this if its not already start.. thanks your way

I work at Best Buy. The plan is accidental coverage. I walked into a freaking lazy river at Six Flags with my old iPhone and it was replaced rapidly.

tribestros said:
I work at Best Buy. The plan is accidental coverage. I walked into a freaking lazy river at Six Flags with my old iPhone and it was replaced rapidly.
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I dont know about rapidly, but they have always been good about replacing my damaged phones. I went through 2 captivates (both took a swim) and they replaced them both, but the process took over 2 weeks. And on my last captivate they let me switch to the Inspire since the Captivate was out of stock.

Here is my update, I took it in a few days after I got the plan added and the guy who helped was very nice. They said that they were doing to do a rapid exchange (still not quite sure what that means but I think it is something along the lines of receiving a refurbished phone) and that they would get my "new" phone in within the next few days which is better than the 27 days I waited to receive my Captivate from being fixed a while back.
What sucks is that I am using my miserably slow iphone 3g until I get the new phone in.
One last question, if I am on the best buy reward zone silver level, does the extended 45 day return policy apply to cell phones? And if so, would I be able to exchange the refurbished inspire for the infuse and pay the difference even though they would have technically given me a refurbished phone?
Thanks!

Phone warranty or lack there of

I've had a few running topics in the captivate section, I was playing around with my captivate and flashed a gb rom on accident (oops) I tried for a while to right the ship but nothing worked. I called att since its still under warranty and they told me they'd send me a new one. I finally got the captivate running again and I wasn't sure if I should keep the new one or send it back. I called att back today and told them my phone is fixed, they said great. They told me I could keep the new one and send back my original, even tho its fix "there still could be a problem"(wink wink). I told them I'll send it back, I don't want a $400 bill attached to my plan, just in case they find out the phones been messed with. She tells me the only way they'll be charge me the retail cost of the phone is if they find out the phone has been over heated, wet, dropped, chipped, cracked, or any scratches on the screen. So basically the phone needs to be mint. Wtf.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA Premium App

Yep same problem. The phone was bricked and I called the 1800 number. Lady informs me that the tiny scratch on the bottom of the phone voids the warranty... REALLY!!!?? Im having issues with the internal workings of the device, not the F'ing case! So i said ok thats fine i have insurance on the phone ill just pay the deductible HA. WRONG again When i signed my contract the deductible was 125, she tells me they have raised their rates and its now 200? THATS WHAT I PAID IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! are you kidding. I know damn well the phone is not worth 500? so i went an bought a new one off a guy in hard times for 160, but then un-bricked my original, so now i have a backup and the other one is in a full body case.

You might try taking it to an AT&T store.
I took my malfunctioning 7 month old Infuse to a local AT&T store, had the employee verify my phone was not working properly and they actually placed the call to support for me....and got the replacement process rolling. I had my replacement phone in 4 days with a package, instructions, tape, preprinted label , etc. for returning my old one
I was happy with the process.

HELP ME!!!!! Petition against Motorola!!!!! Fix My Phone Motorola!

I have a Motorola Triumph that i bought new from pre-order. Of course we all know most of the problems it had! Well i have one of those and it had the charging problem were you had to wiggle the cable around till it charged or have to not touch it or pick it up while charging, or if you did it would stop charging.
I sent the phone in for repair under my 2 year Motorola warranty.
When they received the phone (9/28/2011 @ 10:05AM) i called and asked how the repair was doing later that day and whoever i talked to said that everything was ok and it will be covered under warranty and that is already being repaired and it would take 5-7 business days to repair. so i waited patiently for it to return which is today (10/5/2011) i opened it up and saw 2 cards one saying pretty much that they are not going to repair it under warranty due to severe physical abuse and misuse, and the other card saying they will give me a 15% discount towards a new Motorola product at there store, but guess what they don't sell the Triumph in the Motorola store on-line, how convenient for them! and to top all of this off they took my PCB out of my old phone and the sticker with all the MEID's and put it in another phone and sent it to me! The one i sent to them had 2 scratches on the screen with no screen protector and no damage to the back of the phone. The one i get back has a huge scratch on the back, the paint around the camera is almost gone and scratched, the MEID sticker is damaged from trying to remove it when they switched it, and the screen has a screen protector with no scratches.
All im wanting from you guys and girls is to help me out and sign a petition (say agree or whatever stating that Motorola should A: Repair my phone for free or B: Replace my phone for free) to get my phone fixed/replaced.
I know there are alot of you out there with the same problem or different ones that Motorola needs to fix, so this is your time to help!!
So after all of that said, please agree or whatever stating that you feel like Motorola should repair or replace my phone for free!!! and I'm not trying to get one over on them you can clearly see by your own personal experiences with the phone that it is not from personal misuse or damage! I thank everyone here on XDA-Developers i've been here for a while and i'm never leaving!!

I didn't know Motorola took back phones like that... you probably should have contacted Virgin Mobile instead.
That much said... get Moto to send your phone back. Your original phone. This has a great amount of wtfness around it, but hopefully if it's the wrong MEID you'll be able to prove it by pointing to the MEID linked to your Virgin Mobile account.

primetechv2 said:
I didn't know Motorola took back phones like that... you probably should have contacted Virgin Mobile instead.
That much said... get Moto to send your phone back. Your original phone. This has a great amount of wtfness around it, but hopefully if it's the wrong MEID you'll be able to prove it by pointing to the MEID linked to your Virgin Mobile account.
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thank you for your response but they already sent it back if you read all the way i recieved a phone that was not mine they took the sticker with the MEID off of mine and put it on another and i am about to update this post so please read what else happend!

***Update***
After writing this i powered on my phone and it skipped the Moto symbol and went directly to the Moto symbol were it has the little swirl around it then goes to the virgin mobile screen and then on to lock screen. but that's not the kicker my screen has black lines through it as if it had water damage and the digitizer doesn't work (meaning when i goto unlock the phone or press the home or back button it doesn't read my touch!! so i called back and talked to a "manager" and they pretty much told me they never opened it and sent it back which is a lie because when i called the day the received it the person said they already started repairing the phone and it was covered under warranty...and she said that i sent the phone in like that! then tried to blame FedEx for swapping it out! You can see where they took my old sticker that has the MEID and put it on the phone i received! please sign this to help me out so this doesn't happen to anyone else!!!!!!!!

That sucks. I don't think it was Fedex at all. I'd like to help you but can you provide the link for the petition or are you still making one? I'll sign it.. I would have been pissed of...

nickmcnamara said:
***Update***
You can see where they took my old sticker that has the MEID and put it on the phone i received! please sign this to help me out so this doesn't happen to anyone else!!!!!!!!
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I meant, can you read the device's MEID via the Settings menu? I'm rather ADHD about long paragraphs on the computer but I think I caught that part
If the MEID under the battery doesn't match the MEID stored in the phone, you have a clear case of a mislabeled device. If not, well... bullcrap.
In the mean time, please do post pictures with as much detail as possible, taking care to blur out any personal information.

I had a charging issue too and i had virgin mobile send me a replacement under their one year warranty. they lagged but they did finally send me one. i also them check it to assure me they werent sending me another dud. hope this helps.

dont i have to pay that stupid $5 a month to have the 1 year warranty???

primetechv2 said:
I meant, can you read the device's MEID via the Settings menu? I'm rather ADHD about long paragraphs on the computer but I think I caught that part
If the MEID under the battery doesn't match the MEID stored in the phone, you have a clear case of a mislabeled device. If not, well... bullcrap.
In the mean time, please do post pictures with as much detail as possible, taking care to blur out any personal information.
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i would but the digitizer they put on doesn't work so i can't check....i can't unlock the phone!!!!

nickmcnamara said:
dont i have to pay that stupid $5 a month to have the 1 year warranty???
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No, you automatically get a 1 year through VMU

really? ok thanks im going to try that!!!!

Going via VM would have been the first thing I would have recommended.
WTF is a digitizer?

It's what goes over the actual LCD screen and picks up your finger presses. It's what allows phones to still pick up your finger presses even when the glass or plastic is cracked.

hmm actually I'm one of the first people who broke the Triumph (You can even see my post) and from first hand experience, I can say that the digitizer will not work at all when the glass screen breaks...

This pisses me off.
I mean hell, if I sent my phone in for repairs, got a whole different heavily f**ked up phone back, and they tried saying that was the phone I sent them, I'd contact a lawyer and ask "What settlement could I get and is it worth the lawyer fees?".
The only proof you need is that the MSID on the VirginMobile account is different then the one on the phone.

i wish they took the MEID sticker off the old phone and stuck it to the piece of crap they sent me as well as changing out the PCB to make everything match!! but no matter VM is sending me a new phone and i will receive it Monday!!! thank you crxmax and idbl_fanatic for sharing this info!!!!

nickmcnamara said:
i wish they took the MEID sticker off the old phone and stuck it to the piece of crap they sent me as well as changing out the PCB to make everything match!! but no matter VM is sending me a new phone and i will receive it Monday!!! thank you crxmax and idbl_fanatic for sharing this info!!!!
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Glad to hear it!!!

Replacement phone question.

I've had my shift since feb. Rooted since day one.
Phone works, keyboard works, speakers work, everything works. Battery seems to drain faster, but hell, its a year old and gets used extensively.
I have the $8 insurance thing through them since day one. Never once used it.
My phone has been dropped more times than a $10 crack whore. Dented, scratched, chipped, etc. But as I said, all works.
Do you guys think sprint would replace it with a new phone under the insurance plan? Has anyone done this? Does it have to be broken to be replaced? Does the deductable apply? Should I try to replace it in a sprint store, radio shack, or does it have to be done via phone/snailmail?
Sent from my PG06100 using xda premium

If the phone is still in good working order, cosmetic damage will not get you a replacement. Unless that damage is to the screen ( cracked screen ) . If your screen is just scratched they will not do it. As for a good place to try and possibly get a replacement. I would try the Sprint Authorized Repair CenterIt's where when I've had an issue with my phone It's been resolved every time. But experiences vary a lot from what I've heard.

Or if you really want a new phone just throw it on the floor till it does break and say someone tried stealing it and it fell in the middle of the street while a car ran over it

Find a friend at a sprint store and have them send you a REPLACEMENT. ASURION IS A LAST RESORT.

Thanks guys. I don't know if there's a repair center around here, but I'll check.
As far as the "accident", I've considered many options. Such as a drop in the potty during #2... and bringing it to the store in a bag with poo attached. Bet I wouldn't even have to unroot!!!
I will probably try the replacement path first. The salesman I used was a straight up guy, or seemed to be. I may take a ride up to huntsville this weekend and see if he still works there. Hopefully.
I guess I'm foolish for not knowing, but the insurance that comes from a true sprint store, is that assurion? I thought it was something they handled directly. I guess the confusion comes from different posts I've seen here. Didn't one of you guys break hinges a while back and get a new phone? What was your situation as far as sprint, insurance, etc.?
Sent from my PG06100 using xda premium

Well the cofusion usually comes from Sprint spliting up what they do " in house " , vs what they call an " insurance claim ". Although from my understanding if you do not have T.E.P. , then you cannot make an insurance claim. They do have guide lines, but I've seen different stores interperate them differently. The biggest thing IMO is that if they do not resolve the problem in house ( at the repair center / store ) then they try and make it an insurance claim. You then have to contact Insurian, that realy sucks. Because then you most times end up paying the deductable, which is now $100 .

my earpiece went out last saturday. i brought it to a repair center and they kept it for a few hours. They told me they couldn't fix it, so they ordered me a new one, but it was on backorder and didn't know when it will be in. Been calling everday and a no go.

jsp254 said:
I've had my shift since feb. Rooted since day one.
Phone works, keyboard works, speakers work, everything works. Battery seems to drain faster, but hell, its a year old and gets used extensively.
I have the $8 insurance thing through them since day one. Never once used it.
My phone has been dropped more times than a $10 crack whore. Dented, scratched, chipped, etc. But as I said, all works.
Do you guys think sprint would replace it with a new phone under the insurance plan? Has anyone done this? Does it have to be broken to be replaced? Does the deductable apply? Should I try to replace it in a sprint store, radio shack, or does it have to be done via phone/snailmail?
Sent from my PG06100 using xda premium
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updated reply from me: DO NOT REPLACE YOUR ORIGINAL PHONE IF THE ONLY PROBLEM IS COSMETIC DAMAGE.
I have swapped 3 Evo Shifts already. I speak from experience. I actually sent the last replacement back because the microphone did not work properly.

Hate when they open my phone!

I just went to my local T-Mobile to pick up an HTC One M8. I went to the store to save time on shipping. However as soon as I went in there I regretted it.
The guy would not give up trying to sell my useless accessories I was not interested in. Then he went and got the phone and when he came back he already had all his grubby hands around it. I was boiling but didn't say anything because the damage had been done. I don't even understand why they need to open the phones. I like to unpackaged things myself.
They completely ruin the experience. I am considering going back to the store right now and returning it for one sealed in the box. What do you guys think?

xVip3r said:
I just went to my local T-Mobile to pick up an HTC One M8. I went to the store to save time on shipping. However as soon as I went in there I regretted it.
The guy would not give up trying to sell my useless accessories I was not interested in. Then he went and got the phone and when he came back he already had all his grubby hands around it. I was boiling but didn't say anything because the damage had been done. I don't even understand why they need to open the phones. I like to unpackaged things myself.
They completely ruin the experience. I am considering going back to the store right now and returning it for one sealed in the box. What do you guys think?
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I think you should package your phone back up, mail it to yourself and then unbox it.

A few reasons I can think that they "handle" your new phone:
1. To make sure it turns on and works properly before you leave with it.
2. To make sure all the accessories that it's supposed to come with it are in the box.
3. To install your SIM card.
1 and 2 might be a requirement for the employees for liability/anti-scam reasons.

xVip3r said:
I just went to my local T-Mobile to pick up an HTC One M8. I went to the store to save time on shipping. However as soon as I went in there I regretted it.
The guy would not give up trying to sell my useless accessories I was not interested in. Then he went and got the phone and when he came back he already had all his grubby hands around it. I was boiling but didn't say anything because the damage had been done. I don't even understand why they need to open the phones. I like to unpackaged things myself.
They completely ruin the experience. I am considering going back to the store right now and returning it for one sealed in the box. What do you guys think?
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If they brought you a unpacked model then
I think you should have said it right then that you want a packed model
If they opened it in front of you then thats your fault you shouldnt have let them

If it bothers you so much you should have told the seller right away. There is supposed to be a seal on the box which says "do not accept when the seal is broken" (or something similar to this). Thus, I think you could have complained and asked for an sealed box. However, I am not sure whether the seller would exchange the phone now after you have already taken it home...

I've always had the same problem when going to get a new phone.
I would go and change it; tell them something is wrong with it like it turns off randomly, that's something they can't test manually.
For now on when you go in tell them to not open it and that you know how to do it, works for me every time.
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app

i was a little pissed when i went to Verizon to Get my Moto X, i enjoy unboxing stuff for the fun of it, the first time you pull off that Screen protector is the sweetest sound of new life. you should have seen the look on my face when he handed it to me the phone and pretty much ruined the first screen protector that he gave me that i paid $14.99 for three of them and i didn't even get to use the first one!