Is the boatloader's unlockability covered under warranty? - Asus Transformer TF700

Unfortunately I got one of those tabs that won't OTA or unlock. I've contacted asus and told them that I can't receive OTAs, and I got the canned "flash the updates manually".:silly: This is an unacceptable solution because for one it's a PITA to update it that way, and I still won't be able to unlock the bootloader.
I have avoided mentioning the un-unlockable boatloader problem to the asus rep because I'm not sure it is covered under warranty. But the has me thinking: Could I argue that the device is being sold as unlockable and my device does not meet that spec and is therefore defective? If not, could I argue the same for the fact that it won't receive OTAs?
I am also wondering if the reason it won't function properly is because I got it as an exchange from Best Buy instead of buying it fresh. Has anyone gotten it the same way and not had the same issue?
I'm still within my 30 days, but I'm afraid if I exchange it I'll get another un-unlockable tablet.

I'd advise you to:
1) not argue that unlockability is a device 'feature', since pretty much all Android devices are sold locked, and since you purchased it in that state -- not even knowing if the unlocker will become become available or not -- signifies your accepance of the device even in a locked state;
2) press the fact that you canot receive OTAs and that workability suffers as a result. At least under European consumer law, ASUS would be responsible for selling a finished and workable product. The state in which the TF700 has shipped so far is suboptimal to say the least, and the fixes since have brought tangible improvements. Saying "oh, flash the updates manually yourself" in my mind is the same as a automobile manufacturer opting to NOT do a calllback of sold vehicles due to some ailment (faulty brake discs, or safety belts or something) but instead shipping the parts to their customers and saying "well, you can handle a pair of scissors and a screwdriver, right? Do it yourself then." -- I say, screw them. If this argument fails as wel, you have a support rep with only a few glands where the brain should be located (probably only a visual cortex to be able to type on a keyboard and find it way to the toilet). If that is the case, first drop Gary Key a line, since he has offered to intervene on a customer's behalf before. That might be a second line of rescue.
3) If all else fails, exchange nonetheless, the risk of receiving another essentially-faulty unit notwithstanding. If OTAs and the bootloader issue are a sign of ASUS not having your serial number in their database, you might get into trouble if in need of warranty later on. I'd prefer a few returns to issues down the way (even though I know the feeling of having to wait yet again, and having to run the setup again and so on, and so on), but hey, that's just me.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T

1. I guess I could say that because asus released the bootloader unlock, and it works on most of the tablets except for mine, that my tablet is not receiving the same services due to a technical glitch. Heck I could even say the same for the OTA updates.
Fear Not, I am avoiding this argument religiously. I don't even want to mention the "b word" to asus, it would complicate the issue more than it needs to be.
2. I am leaning hard on getting the OTA updater fixed. At the moment it's what I am most concerned about. ASUS telling me to flash the updates manually is less than acceptable. It's simply not convenient or practical for me to continue to flash them manually. The problem is that the problem is beyond the tech support people. Which is not surprising. The engineers are the only ones with the actual knowledge and they don't deal with customers. The tech support are merely handed a card with questions and responses. My only hope is to press the rep until they hand the matter off to someone more knowledgeable. The bootloader I guess is what is driving me to get the problem fixed.
My problem at the moment is trying to prove that the ota's are broken. The rep told me that the .26 update probably hasn't been released to my district yet and I should wait. I say BS, the .26 update has been out for long enough I should have gotten it. I even gave the bootloader unlocker a shot: network error. Yup, I would be gray long before the update to hit my device. Problem is I can't say that to the rep without mentioning the aforementioned "b word".
Fortunately, I read a thread here (I'm too lazy to look it up now) about a prime user who successfully RMAd for the same issue, and got it fixed.

rightonred said:
1. I guess I could say that because asus released the bootloader unlock, and it works on most of the tablets except for mine, that my tablet is not receiving the same services due to a technical glitch. Heck I could even say the same for the OTA updates.
Fear Not, I am avoiding this argument religiously. I don't even want to mention the "b word" to asus, it would complicate the issue more than it needs to be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a plan to me.
2. I am leaning hard on getting the OTA updater fixed. At the moment it's what I am most concerned about. ASUS telling me to flash the updates manually is less than acceptable. It's simply not convenient or practical for me to continue to flash them manually. The problem is that the problem is beyond the tech support people. Which is not surprising. The engineers are the only ones with the actual knowledge and they don't deal with customers. The tech support are merely handed a card with questions and responses. My only hope is to press the rep until they hand the matter off to someone more knowledgeable. The bootloader I guess is what is driving me to get the problem fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, you're caught in a protocol. Not bad in itself, but when you;re experiencing soething that isn't covered by the protocol, you're pretty much screwed unless you can get through to their second line of defense.
My problem at the moment is trying to prove that the ota's are broken. The rep told me that the .26 update probably hasn't been released to my district yet and I should wait. I say BS, the .26 update has been out for long enough I should have gotten it. I even gave the bootloader unlocker a shot: network error. Yup, I would be gray long before the update to hit my device. Problem is I can't say that to the rep without mentioning the aforementioned "b word".
Fortunately, I read a thread here (I'm too lazy to look it up now) about a prime user who successfully RMAd for the same issue, and got it fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that you should have gotten the update by now as well. It seems to have been delivered worldwide, so there's no reason for you to be exempt from the bliss the rest of the owners are already experiencing. The bootloader not unlocking due to a network error is an argument believable for two or maybe three tries, but when it stubbornly keeps refusing to be unlocked, well, that is symptomatic of something else.
I did hear several reports of Prime users getting their units succesfully RMA'd, but also at least one user reporting that he received his unit in an locked state, from which he was no longer able to unlock. That might be a problem in your case...
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T

Its a shame though, the tablet works perfectly other wise. The wifi and gps reception is excellent. no dead pixels, hot pixels, dark or light spots, dust under display, scratches, etc. The screen is bonded frimly to the back and is not loose. In fact I think it's one of the nicer tabs out there. It's just that the thing won't update (or unlock).

rightonred said:
Unfortunately I got one of those tabs that won't OTA or unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There must be a problem with some of these tablets and OTA updates. I received my Infinity a week ago with the. 21 firmware. No matter what I did it would not update OTA to 22. I did a manual update to. 22 which was very easy. A couple days later. 26 was available on their website. Again no OTA update and again I did it manually with no problem. My Infinity was neither rooted or unlocked at the time though I rooted after the. 26 update. I have read post on various forums with other owners with the same exact update issue while others did receive their updates OTA. I guess that shows that there are differences between this same model being it a software or hardware problem. Other than the OTA update issue my Infinity is working great. Much better than the 3 Primes that I owned.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium

Eddie Hicks said:
There must be a problem with some of these tablets and OTA updates. I received my Infinity a week ago with the. 21 firmware. No matter what I did it would not update OTA to 22. I did a manual update to. 22 which was very easy. A couple days later. 26 was available on their website. Again no OTA update and again I did it manually with no problem. My Infinity was neither rooted or unlocked at the time though I rooted after the. 26 update. I have read post on various forums with other owners with the same exact update issue while others did receive their updates OTA. I guess that shows that there are differences between this same model being it a software or hardware problem. Other than the OTA update issue my Infinity is working great. Much better than the 3 Primes that I owned.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have a strong hunch that the issue is on ASUS' end, probably the serial numbers not being available in their database of shipped units, and therefore a) preventing OTA and b) preventing bootloader unlocking (since that's another instance of serial number checks against said database). Has any one of you run the unlock app already? I'd bet a beer on it it fails as well.

MartyHulskemper said:
We have a strong hunch that the issue is on ASUS' end, probably the serial numbers not being available in their database of shipped units, and therefore a) preventing OTA and b) preventing bootloader unlocking (since that's another instance of serial number checks against said database). Has any one of you run the unlock app already? I'd bet a beer on it it fails as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't loose that beer.
The I-can't-unlock-or-update club is picking up quite a few members. I'll have to remember to bring donuts and coffee to the next meeting.
Anyway, I've given up on tech support. If it's affecting a significant number of people, asus will find out about it and fix it. At the moment it's a pain, but I'm not too worried.

Related

how long does it take for 3.1 update to be pushed to device?

I purchased a Transformer yesterday which will be my second one. I returned the first one. Wondering why I have not received the 3.1 update on new device. The first one updated over night. Anyone have any idea what the time frame is for the 3.1 update? I have a full battery and great wifi signal. I have checked in about phone for updates many many times. I have done a search and nothing seemed to come up regarding this. Any and all help is appreciated.
I received mine today... connected to my wifi... 5min later it updated.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1111474
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1141057
best bet is to just download it yourself, or ull be waiting a while
http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_TF101/#download
I don't get it... Why can't people just download from Asus and update it manually.
There a lots threads about this.
makec3rt said:
I don't get it... Why can't people just download from Asus and update it manually.
There a lots threads about this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must admit and also agree i cannot understand why people cant just download the update from the asus website.
I think it is an issue though maybe with the lack of a decent manual,if it was mentioned when you opened the box up that firmware can be manually updated from the site we wouldnt hae to view the same posts all day.
Also it may mean we have a lot of new users which means they are selling the transformer like hot cakes.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
makec3rt said:
I don't get it... Why can't people just download from Asus and update it manually.
There a lots threads about this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because the serial number on my TF is invalid. When I checked in to register the device it kept coming back "invalid serial number" I contacted Asus and was told to take the device back for exchange or refund as they have an internal investigation as to why units were being produced but not entered into data base and they have no time frame for resolution. Seems it is spread throughout the globe, look in this forum and you will see it is an issue for numerous devices. No valid serial number means NO warranty down the line. So what good would it do to manually update when you have no warranty??? Also why should an individual settle for a $400.00 device not functioning as it should out of the box??Yes not having a valid serial number and no warranty and no update are unacceptable. Please excuse me for asking a question on this forum. I got a refund as they had no Transformers on hand for exchange. I now have decided not to purchase until they get this serial number issue sorted out,(if they ever do)or perhaps looking into the Toshiba Thrive.
You should return it if you have a invalid serial number, your going to have warrenty issues if you ever need to send it back for repair
Sent from Optimus-Prime's Transformer
Optimus-Prime said:
You should return it if you have a invalid serial number, your going to have warrenty issues if you ever need to send it back for repair
Sent from Optimus-Prime's Transformer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes Exactly what I did. I checked the display ASus in Office Depot where I purchased the device and it has not been updated either and has full wifi signal and plugged into power supply and I did a manual check and it came back no update available.. I wonder if it has the invalid serial number issue as well. I would really like to know how wide spread this "invalid serial number" is.
well i had to manually update mine. because it never got the update. but when i registered it, it registered fine.
makec3rt said:
I don't get it... Why can't people just download from Asus and update it manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No one can, not even acer iconia users or motorola xoom users... maybe google has something to do with this
todders said:
I must admit and also agree i cannot understand why people cant just download the update from the asus website.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Worry do not. No one can, its not asus issue but also acer and motorola (and maybe more honeycomb tablets manufacturer).
tenbeau said:
Yes Exactly what I did. I checked the display ASus in Office Depot where I purchased the device and it has not been updated either and has full wifi signal and plugged into power supply and I did a manual check and it came back no update available.. I wonder if it has the invalid serial number issue as well. I would really like to know how wide spread this "invalid serial number" is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Iconia users (me) suffer from delayed updates and then they're pushed 1 or 2 days (by states or regions) then pulled away, so, some are stock, some updated and some have 3.1... wich I think is worse.
Justray said:
No one can, not even acer iconia users or motorola xoom users... maybe google has something to do with this
Worry do not. No one can, its not asus issue but also acer and motorola (and maybe more honeycomb tablets manufacturer).
Iconia users (me) suffer from delayed updates and then they're pushed 1 or 2 days (by states or regions) then pulled away, so, some are stock, some updated and some have 3.1... wich I think is worse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually yes you can just download it and flash it. thats what i did.
I bought mine today and recieved it OTA within 15 minutes of hooking into my WiFi.

Asus Transformer Infinity just lost lead CM developper

This is a very sad sad day!!!
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I'm sure someone else will pick it up soon. Some of his post doesn't make sense though. If you can't OTA, the unlock tool definitely won't work. These issues are one in the same. Also if he tried to unlock when the servers were not responding, that would cause it to fail. And the I/O issues are completely software related and not even present on the .26 firmware.
Edit: my tab has no build issues and received OTAs from Asus as well as properly unlocked the bootloader on the first try. Guess I'm lucky... it sounds like he's blowing these problems way out of proportion when his trouble could be fixed by an RMA. I mean he could at least try a replacement before scrapping the whole thing just cause his first one wasn't perfect.
P!X3L said:
I'm sure someone else will pick it up soon. Some of his post doesn't make sense though. If you can't OTA, the unlock tool definitely won't work. These issues are one in the same. Also if he tried to unlock when the servers were not responding, that would cause it to fail. And the I/O issues are completely software related and not even present on the .26 firmware.
Edit: my tab has no build issues and received OTAs from Asus as well as properly unlocked the bootloader on the first try. Guess I'm lucky... it sounds like he's blowing these problems way out of proportion when his trouble could be fixed by an RMA. I mean he could at least try a replacement before scrapping the whole thing just cause his first one wasn't perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I certainly nevet got any ota updates.
P!X3L said:
I'm sure someone else will pick it up soon. Some of his post doesn't make sense though. If you can't OTA, the unlock tool definitely won't work. These issues are one in the same. Also if he tried to unlock when the servers were not responding, that would cause it to fail. And the I/O issues are completely software related and not even present on the .26 firmware.
Edit: my tab has no build issues and received OTAs from Asus as well as properly unlocked the bootloader on the first try. Guess I'm lucky... it sounds like he's blowing these problems way out of proportion when his trouble could be fixed by an RMA. I mean he could at least try a replacement before scrapping the whole thing just cause his first one wasn't perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My first tablet has worked, too. The ones my friends got got all their update within minutes after the first start. There are always people with tough luck, and servers can be busy, no need to cry because of that.
bird11 said:
I certainly nevet got any ota updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed - neither did I. When you read through all the different posts for the Prime, T300 and now T700, the same problem is there for all of them. Some people can unlock/OTA, others can't. It's a real crap shoot. And apparently Asus' response is to 'RMA' or 'Reset'. That's it - no acknowledgement that there are issues going on with about half of the units they're sending out to people. Although I absolutely love the Infinity, it may be going back as I approach the 30-day after purchase mark because of these problems.
paysen said:
My first tablet has worked, too. The ones my friends got got all their update within minutes after the first start. There are always people with tough luck, and servers can be busy, no need to cry because of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder if you would say the same if your tablet wouldn't update after months of waiting for the unlock to wait.People owning the older version of transformer still waiting for their to unlock while the lucky ones are using CM 10 rom.
They paid the damn thing with the same money like you... or maybe your money is better than their money?I'm sure not.
That being sad i do feel for these unlucky folks even if my TF700 unlocked just fine,so please before you do post like this wait a moment, try to put you in their situation and then tell us how you feel.
I don't want to protect Asus but it is clearly stated that you lose OTA when unlocking.
Also it is no where stated that you will get a device that you will be able to unlock. As sad as it is.
Although I did not unlock and have not received OTA as well.
But I couldn't wait too long
The I/O that is an issue but .26 shows improvements and this just a few weeks after the release.
So let's see what they can do with the jelly bean release.
Still sad to hear that he turned his back.
That's incredibly disappointing. Having seen his work on the Nook and the Touchpad, we lost an amazing dev today. I really hope Asus gets their act together with this unlocking, because they're really starting to irreparably damage their reputation.
Well, i guess no one can be perfect. I have always had Samsung products, phones and tablets and their work for the dev community is amazing, the phone is always so easy to root, the tools are always available for the community to build on, but the updates suck big time. The Galaxy S 2 LTE had some pretty annoying issues, a lot of them and they were just never patched. But on the other hand, asus can update their hardware 2-3 times a month but they are crap when they come to helping the community. On one hand, i rather have a periodical official software update then custom roms, but i know most people think the opposite.
There will likely be others. I really enjoyed Team EOS and Wookies work on the Prime and hopefully they come on over. Not sure why he didn't try to return his device and keep trying but I guess he was just fed up with waiting.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Pretoriano80 said:
I wonder if you would say the same if your tablet wouldn't update after months of waiting for the unlock to wait.People owning the older version of transformer still waiting for their to unlock while the lucky ones are using CM 10 rom.
They paid the damn thing with the same money like you... or maybe your money is better than their money?I'm sure not.
That being sad i do feel for these unlucky folks even if my TF700 unlocked just fine,so please before you do post like this wait a moment, try to put you in their situation and then tell us how you feel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't wait months as its no problem to exchange your tablet for a new one.
paysen said:
I wouldn't wait months as its no problem to exchange your tablet for a new one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, like i've said in other posts sometimes it looks like everyone live in the "electronics heaven" where you can exchange and get refunds without any reason and everytime you want. Asus doesn't consider this as an issue so is not sure you can ask a RMA for it or even worse could tell you to not cry about because unlocking is not an official feature so there's no issue.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app
Limited Electronics Heaven
Well, it seems that some of us are stuck with just "a little slice of heaven" in that we can rma and such but getting ahold of the electronics themselves can be discouraging. Took me a week to get my infinity from best buy because the local store doesn't have them in stock. So for me to do an exchange would be quite a long turn-around time. For others that are stuck with buying from a different state or country, the task can be even more daunting.
On a side note, I'm still on .21 with no OTAs available. It makes me wonder if I should root and unlock the bootloader just to verify that I have the "right kind" of TF700. What do you all think? Should this be part of the initial tests I should do to verify my tab?
alienedd said:
Well, it seems that some of us are stuck with just "a little slice of heaven" in that we can rma and such but getting ahold of the electronics themselves can be discouraging. Took me a week to get my infinity from best buy because the local store doesn't have them in stock. So for me to do an exchange would be quite a long turn-around time. For others that are stuck with buying from a different state or country, the task can be even more daunting.
On a side note, I'm still on .21 with no OTAs available. It makes me wonder if I should root and unlock the bootloader just to verify that I have the "right kind" of TF700. What do you all think? Should this be part of the initial tests I should do to verify my tab?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well. i rooted mine the same day i bought it and you can do it without to much to worry about (i'm quite sure that OTA issue has nothing to do with rooting) because you can always unroot.
Unlocking the device will make you loose the warranty (i unlocked mine yesterday) so at least make sure that you checked your tablet for good (headphones, Bluetooth, HDMI connection., all the hw part) before you do it.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
Although I understand the inconvenience of not having your device at hand for two or three weeks while it is turning around in RMA, I would like to stress that it is not a dialysis machine -- it is in no way a life-saving or system-critical device, it is a luxury item. All devices have the potency to break down, pretty much none of them is perfect and if it is, it soon will no longer be.
No offense meant, really, but if returning your device because it is faulty is too much, I do not think the initial love for the TF700 went very deeply inside.
---------- Post added at 03:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:28 AM ----------
Pretoriano80 said:
Well. i rooted mine the same day i bought it and you can do it without to much to worry about (i'm quite sure that OTA issue has nothing to do with rooting) because you can always unroot.
Unlocking the device will make you loose the warranty (i unlocked mine yesterday) so at least make sure that you checked your tablet for good (headphones, Bluetooth, HDMI connection., all the hw part) before you do it.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If so far you haven't received any OTA (neither .22, nor .26) I'd almost wager a finger that you will not be able to unlock anyway. That means I'd opt for an RMA, if at all possible.
My TF700T works perfectly other than the OTA issue. I for one am not going to RMA this thing to Asus for the OTA issue when every thing and I do mean every thing else works great. I have downloaded both .22 and .26 update files from the Asus service site and did a manual miniSD card upgrade. I am hoping that the Jelly Bean release will clear this issue up.
Maybe this is an issue that 'Gary' the Asus guy could address for us if hes watching!
Pretoriano80 said:
Well. i rooted mine the same day i bought it and you can do it without to much to worry about (i'm quite sure that OTA issue has nothing to do with rooting) because you can always unroot.
Unlocking the device will make you loose the warranty (i unlocked mine yesterday) so at least make sure that you checked your tablet for good (headphones, Bluetooth, HDMI connection., all the hw part) before you do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely intend to do exactly that. Kick the tires, check the AC, make sure the toast comes out golden brown, and that the coffee has that rich texture. Kind of like fishing - you wouldn't keep an unhealthy one even if it was huge, though you'd still reminisce about how you held it in your hands for a time no matter how brief.
MartyHulskemper said:
Although I understand the inconvenience of not having your device at hand for two or three weeks while it is turning around in RMA, I would like to stress that it is not a dialysis machine -- it is in no way a life-saving or system-critical device, it is a luxury item. All devices have the potency to break down, pretty much none of them is perfect and if it is, it soon will no longer be.
No offense meant, really, but if returning your device because it is faulty is too much, I do not think the initial love for the TF700 went very deeply inside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No probs as I get exactly what you are meaning :good:. However, I have lived in a few countries and see it all the time when someone buys such a luxury item in a foreign country only to find out it is lacking after returning home... The most extreme case I saw was someone that bought a Verizon phone then wondered why it didn't work in South America, not knowing the difference between GSM and CDMA. I would just like to make sure that the device can be made functional in all aspects regardless of whether ASUS chooses not to support it further and to where I am.
In any case, if the TF700 doesn't perform as expected (hardware-wise), then I can always do something else. "Go big or go netbook" I told myself. I'm really hoping that I stay at "Big" :fingers-crossed:.
Pretoriano80 said:
Yeah, like i've said in other posts sometimes it looks like everyone live in the "electronics heaven" where you can exchange and get refunds without any reason and everytime you want. Asus doesn't consider this as an issue so is not sure you can ask a RMA for it or even worse could tell you to not cry about because unlocking is not an official feature so there's no issue.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's no "electronics heaven". Just a law in germany you don't have:
"Since you cannot examine the goods before the purchase, you have after the remote paragraph law the right to return the received goods without indication of reasons within two weeks by return of them." (only if you buy it @ internet shops or per telephone)
Maybe unlocking is no official feature, but getting updates or registering your device is one. And if Asus tries to be awkward - there is maybe another issue you recognize, unfrequently reboots or something like that :angel:
paysen said:
It's no "electronics heaven". Just a law in germany you don't have:
"Since you cannot examine the goods before the purchase, you have after the remote paragraph law the right to return the received goods without indication of reasons within two weeks by return of them." (only if you buy it @ internet shops or per telephone)
Maybe unlocking is no official feature, but getting updates or registering your device is one. And if Asus tries to be awkward - there is maybe another issue you recognize, unfrequently reboots or something like that :angel:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes we also have that kind of law here and some big electronics retailer (Mediaworld) follow that law even for products bought directly in-store (you have 8 labour days to return it and get another product in the same price range but you will never get your money back) but with small retailers you better hope to have a good product or else it will become a neverending story.
Always had a great respect for Germany laws and always heard giod things abour warranty so thumb up.
Now that the Bootloader Unlock tool is working for all Infinity devices lets try to convince the official CM10 dev to come back into the fold. You can find the original post here
https://plus.google.com/114860410994043943287/posts/ixpfnNgpmTh

[Q] returning an unlocked tablet?

hi,
i bought my tf700 at a bestbuy in portland. i still have this whole month for returning the tablet and i am looking for potentially deal breaking defects... one thing i am worried about is that if i unlock it, i cannot "technically" return the tablet anymore because it cant be relocked... so how likely do you think it is that best buy will notice that i am returning an unlocked tablet?
How about checking it for these deal breaking defects before you unlock it?
Edit:
Also, it's not about whether or not they'll notice it, it's whether or not you should return an unlocked tablet. Which you shouldn't.
Einride said:
How about checking it for these deal breaking defects before you unlock it?
Edit:
Also, it's not about whether or not they'll notice it, it's whether or not you should return an unlocked tablet. Which you shouldn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i understand this. but i am not going to argue about ethics when a $500 product has been conveniently pushed into the market with rampant cases of defects/software issues/ota failures. besides afaik best buy will not lose anything on the replacement. a defective tablet is the vendor's fault. further, unlocking the bootloader hardly does any damage to the tablet itself. asus can easily relock it if it wants - such cases are well known for primes gone in for repair.
i am just asking for experiences of people. it does not make me happy to do this either. but its $500 afterall
You're talking about returning it within a month, which seems to be the store's return policy. If you then return it, Asus plays no part in that since it's the store taking it back. Not Asus. I doubt that the store will contact Asus to check whether it's been unlocked or not.
That would be a problem since they'll sell the tablet to someone else, maybe with a $20 discount since it's been returned. That customer will then end up with a device that doesn't have a warranty from Asus since it's been unlocked.
If you're RMA-ing it, that's different. Asus handles it then.
The way that I understand it, when you return something to Best Buy (or any retailer for that matter) and tell them that it was defective, they simply return it to Asus and they get their money back as well. Now, if you tell them that it works fine and you just didn't like it, they *may* re-sell it as an OpenBox item.
I'd suggest that you claim it is defective so that nobody else ends up with an unlocked bootloader when they didn't want one.
In my eyes, if it can't be unlocked, it's defective. While the unlock app does void the warranty and Asus won't support the app, it should still work! By releasing the unlock app, they are essentially saying that it's possible to unlock the bootloader on the device. If you can't do so, then it's defective.
At least thats my opinion on the matter!
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
silenced3 said:
hi,
i bought my tf700 at a bestbuy in portland. i still have this whole month for returning the tablet and i am looking for potentially deal breaking defects... one thing i am worried about is that if i unlock it, i cannot "technically" return the tablet anymore because it cant be relocked... so how likely do you think it is that best buy will notice that i am returning an unlocked tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you receive the ota
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
gmfeny said:
Did you receive the ota
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope no ota for me. im stuck with the .21 firmware. plus i am getting an impression of the speaker burning smell too
the reason i posted the OP was because i was expecting something like the speaker burning issue to crop up. now that it has, i am not going to unlock it. its going back X(
silenced3 said:
nope no ota for me. im stuck with the .21 firmware. (
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is probably a moot point since apparently if you can not get OTA updates you probably can't unlock.
silenced3 said:
hi,
i bought my tf700 at a bestbuy in portland. i still have this whole month for returning the tablet and i am looking for potentially deal breaking defects... one thing i am worried about is that if i unlock it, i cannot "technically" return the tablet anymore because it cant be relocked... so how likely do you think it is that best buy will notice that i am returning an unlocked tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First I would check to see if you can receive the OTA update. If you can't, then you can't unlock. I would make a case that the unit is defective because you can't get updates, but normally BB doesn't ask any questions (I'm in Portland too and have done plenty of returns/exchanges).
FWIW, I exchanged my unlocked TF300 for the TF700 and they didn't notice. Normally if it is something that is defective, they'll send it back to Asus anyways and they would re-lock it.
I unlocked my TF700 mainly to see if it would since so many people could not and will be returning it to B&H this week as i'm not happy with the performance of the tablet. I'm within the return window and don't anticipate any problems doing so.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA Premium HD app
I see no moral issues with returning a device that is defective or not as expected due to bugs and performance issues. Now I would not mod the heck out of it for 29 days then take it back, but a detached screen, terrible lag, failure to update, and other issues have no bearing on whether its unlocked or not unless you have done something to cause these issues. I have returned several devices over the years to retailers and none have ever been checked for root/roms except at a T-Mobile store where the guy asked how I liked the ROM as he was trouble shooting before boxing it up and giving me a new one. He didnt care one bit. Most Best Buy employees don't know a thing about how to check for this and wouldnt even know a custom ROM by looking at it, there are exceptions however so no offense to anyone here that may have this type of job. Most of these folks just want to get you taken care of so they can move to the next person so they will check receipt, check that the serial number matches and so on then do the refund/exchange.
Returned an unlocked TF300 to Bestbuy and picked up a 700 in return. No issues at all.
Are returns to BB fairly easy? I kinda want to give the tab a test run, but don't want to commit right away.
689 dollars is a small fortune.
upstandingcitizen said:
Are returns to BB fairly easy? I kinda want to give the tab a test run, but don't want to commit right away.
689 dollars is a small fortune.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get the 32gig version for $500 + tax. As far as return policy they are about on par with anyone else out there. Expect a line and other inconviences, but they did away with their re-stocking fees on everything except special order items, and thats a hefty 25%. Regardless, I wouldnt recommend modding anything untill you know your going to keep it. Here's the link to the return policy.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Returns...es/pcmcat204400050025.c?id=pcmcat204400050025
upstandingcitizen said:
Are returns to BB fairly easy? I kinda want to give the tab a test run, but don't want to commit right away.
689 dollars is a small fortune.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just erase/format the tablet before you return it. The BB employee will turn it on, see that you already erased everything and then give you your money back. Super easy.
richB7 said:
I unlocked my TF700 mainly to see if it would since so many people could not and will be returning it to B&H this week as i'm not happy with the performance of the tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm curious: What, specifically, are you unhappy with? I assume that it's not a physical defect?
I had the original 101 and liked it. Then got the 201 and even though it performed nicely I couldn't get past the WiFi and GPS defects. Returned two. Then went with the Samsung 7.7 and liked it well the responsiveness really took of after installing jelly bean. When the A700 came out tried that but it was way too slow. Waited for the tf700 got it and even though it was less choppy than the acer still pretty lame in moving between screens,browsing or just about anything. Heck Netflix on my $75 mk-201+ device works far better than it does on the 700 for $700.
This weekend I upgraded my phone to a Sammy sgs3 and I was blown away by how responsive it was. Yes they are different devices but it just made it very clear to me just how sluggish the 700 was in comparison. I won't criticize you who love the device, to each his own, but I expect better for this kind of money. Hope you get jb soon....
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA Premium HD app

[Q] Unlock Tool doesn't unlock repaired tf700

Hi all,
I sent my Infinity in a couple of weeks ago and after a whole lot of waiting I finally got my hands on it again today!
Sadly, as we all know, you get it back with a locked bootloader.
Usually that's not an issue but the Unlock Tool doesn't work for me.
I tried it a couple of times but no luck so far.
Do I have to revert to ICS to make this work or anything?
Or is there another trick/workaround to solve this issue?
Any help (*ANY* help) would be appreciated
Thanks
adelancker said:
Hi all,
I sent my Infinity in a couple of weeks ago and after a whole lot of waiting I finally got my hands on it again today!
Sadly, as we all know, you get it back with a locked bootloader.
Usually that's not an issue but the Unlock Tool doesn't work for me.
I tried it a couple of times but no luck so far.
Do I have to revert to ICS to make this work or anything?
Or is there another trick/workaround to solve this issue?
Any help (*ANY* help) would be appreciated
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really just a guess ... but I think I have read something in other threads about MAC address and mainboard serial number not matching any more once the board has been exchanged. As far as I know, the unlock process contacts the Asus servers and does some kind of checking. I have read from others that had success in contacting Asus support and have them match all the items again.
Please take this with all care, just guessing here ... but maybe you can carry on your search in this direction.
adelancker said:
Hi all,
I sent my Infinity in a couple of weeks ago and after a whole lot of waiting I finally got my hands on it again today!
Sadly, as we all know, you get it back with a locked bootloader.
Usually that's not an issue but the Unlock Tool doesn't work for me.
I tried it a couple of times but no luck so far.
Do I have to revert to ICS to make this work or anything?
Or is there another trick/workaround to solve this issue?
Any help (*ANY* help) would be appreciated
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FordPrefect said:
Really just a guess ... but I think I have read something in other threads about MAC address and mainboard serial number not matching any more once the board has been exchanged. As far as I know, the unlock process contacts the Asus servers and does some kind of checking. I have read from others that had success in contacting Asus support and have them match all the items again.
Please take this with all care, just guessing here ... but maybe you can carry on your search in this direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This ^^ sounds about right -- I'm sorry, adelancker, but you're the latest in a loooooong line of TF700 owners who got their repaired device with a permlocked bootloader. (And to add insult to injury: I've never heard of anyone getting into contact with ASUS and resolving it -- although one guy tried three times over, and then reported he had contacts within ASUS now that could help resolve the issue. He was selling that unlock ability, but you had to pay a pretty amount in advance... Nice scheme, huh? ) Actually, I've heard of only three XDA-ers having it returned to them with the ability to unlock retained.
Man, this sucks. I really do feel sorry for you!
MartyHulskemper said:
This ^^ sounds about right -- I'm sorry, adelancker, but you're the latest in a loooooong line of TF700 owners who got their repaired device with a permlocked bootloader. (And to add insult to injury: I've never heard of anyone getting into contact with ASUS and resolving it -- although one guy tried three times over, and then reported he had contacts within ASUS now that could help resolve the issue. He was selling that unlock ability, but you had to pay a pretty amount in advance... Nice scheme, huh? ) Actually, I've heard of only three XDA-ers having it returned to them with the ability to unlock retained.
Man, this sucks. I really do feel sorry for you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If this is true, this takes a whole lot of the joy of getting it back away!
Hopefully I will be able to convince them to set things straight.
I'll keep you posted, but I fear the outcome...
Any trick you know of that'll speed my infinity up, without going to custom roms?
I guess rooting should still be succesful? And then what? Install systemtuner, fstrim, browser2ram and see if that's enough?
Doesn't seem like I have an option here
adelancker said:
If this is true, this takes a whole lot of the joy of getting it back away!
Hopefully I will be able to convince them to set things straight.
I'll keep you posted, but I fear the outcome...
Any trick you know of that'll speed my infinity up, without going to custom roms?
I guess rooting should still be succesful? And then what? Install systemtuner, fstrim, browser2ram and see if that's enough?
Doesn't seem like I have an option here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, rooting should still work -- I haven't really looked into the downgrade path options and if it requires a custom recovery, though. I'd root it if possible, and then tweak the hell out of it.
I fear as you do, but you might drop ASUS a line anyway -- you've got next to nothing to lose. Take care, and good luck!
I can post up a few build.prop tweaks but without a custom kernel you may still suffer.
Best thing you can do is update to 10.4.4.25 and disable all the asus bloat for now.
What has been said about the MAC address is correct. The success rate of people shipping their tablets into RMA to fix the MAC address issue does not seem very high. People are reporting they get the tablet back with the same issue regarding the unlock tool and unable to get the device tracker or OTA updates to work.
Email Asus support and flat out ask them to check the servers in Taiwan and find out if the MAC address listed in your tablet is the same one on the servers. They have the serial number already will just need you to supply the MAC address. If it comes back saying it is not and you need to RMA it, good luck. Question then becomes did the person responding to the email really check or just saying to RMA it so they can close out your email ticket.
The response I got last week was my tablet not matching what they have on the server and send it in. I'm debating if it's worth spending 15-20 bucks to mail it in, wait 2-3wks, only to get it back with them saying there is nothing wrong with the tablet and still be unable to unlock. That seems to be general outcome. In the email I explained I'm unable to use device tracker, receive OTA updates, or use the unlock tool. I explained the issues with MAC addresses for devices being incorrect on the servers in Taiwan as a known issue causing these problems. I supplied my MAC address that the tablet gives and asked to have them verify what they have.
Sorry to say but only Asus can fix this problem. If you search the forums for this topic you will find threads on it. Some had mentioned trying it with the sd card removed has worked. Give that a try. If you disabled the two tracking programs Asus has in their stock build, turn them back on when you try to unlock. Just keep trying a few times randomly and you might get lucky.
If I ever get my issue resolved I will for sure post in the forums for others.
We had already a thread for this, albeit for new devices:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2146543
Mine works now.
The only success I have read about is 2-3 people asking Support to contact Taiwan / transfer the ticket to Taiwan as they seem to be able to correct the MAC in the systems.
After a week or so they fixed the MAC in their systems and the unlocking works again.
I have requested ASUS Germany to contact Taiwan 1,5 week ago but no luck yet. Still hoping they can work things out and I will keep on pushing.
sbdags said:
I can post up a few build.prop tweaks but without a custom kernel you may still suffer.
Best thing you can do is update to 10.4.4.25 and disable all the asus bloat for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! That's what I have done right now Except for the build.prop tweaks.
I can't do those all by myself
adelancker said:
Thanks! That's what I have done right now Except for the build.prop tweaks.
I can't do those all by myself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wary of you doing the build.prop cos if you cause a boot loop you can't restore form recovery. You could reflash the full asus update though right? You comfortable with that?
Also don't forget to force gpu in developer settings.
DarkFire1985 said:
The only success I have read about is 2-3 people asking Support to contact Taiwan / transfer the ticket to Taiwan as they seem to be able to correct the MAC in the systems.
After a week or so they fixed the MAC in their systems and the unlocking works again.
I have requested ASUS Germany to contact Taiwan 1,5 week ago but no luck yet. Still hoping they can work things out and I will keep on pushing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be careful here - the problem is not always the MAC-address.
For my TF700, Asus had the correct MAC-address stored, but OTAs, Device Tracker and unlocking did not work nevertheless.
From my Logcat entries I saw that the server refused to 'talk' to my tablet, so I assume that the Asus server in Taiwan just didn't know my tablet.
The issue is fixed now BTW, Asus Germany forwarded the ticket to Taiwan.
So if you talk to Asus support, do not insist that the problem is the MAC-address - if your MAC address is correct and you still insist that it is wrong the Asus support won't take you serious anymore.
sbdags said:
Wary of you doing the build.prop cos if you cause a boot loop you can't restore form recovery. You could reflash the full asus update though right? You comfortable with that?
Also don't forget to force gpu in developer settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already did! Checked force gpu, disabled all animations,etc.
Just doesn't match up to what did with CRomI
I'll first need to get root, but my tablet isn't recognising the EP201_768_SDUPDATE.zip as an update, I am afraid.
And without that, I can't even get root lol
By the way: I sent a mail to Asus, and they told me to send it in to get the unlock bootloader issue fixed.
Why on earth would they need me to send it in (once again!)?
adelancker said:
Already did! Checked force gpu, disabled all animations,etc.
Just doesn't match up to what did with CRomI
I'll first need to get root, but my tablet isn't recognising the EP201_768_SDUPDATE.zip as an update, I am afraid.
And without that, I can't even get root lol
By the way: I sent a mail to Asus, and they told me to send it in to get the unlock bootloader issue fixed.
Why on earth would they need me to send it in (once again!)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To get that $125 from you a second time?
MartyHulskemper said:
To get that $125 from you a second time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahaha ^^
They haven't charged me yet!
Maybe because I was super mega angry in my mail and mentioned the EU-consumer law a million times.
doesn't unlock and presumably void your warranty? I'm surprised they even let you send it in? Or are all of these instances non warranty repairs?
NegativeOne said:
doesn't unlock and presumably void your warranty? I'm surprised they even let you send it in? Or are all of these instances non warranty repairs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What can I say? I am a good negotiator I guess...
Just kidding. If you're European, you can always use this EU consumer protection law, which always has your back for the first 6 months after purchase.
Well I'm just asking because I just got my tablet yesterday and am still deciding whether or not to unlock it.
It seems like asus is pretty nice about repairing unlocked devices though.
And no, I'm in the USA
NegativeOne said:
Well I'm just asking because I just got my tablet yesterday and am still deciding whether or not to unlock it.
It seems like asus is pretty nice about repairing unlocked devices though.
And no, I'm in the USA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're from the US, I can only recommend you to buy a third party warranty such as the Square Trade one.
After that, you can do whatever you want and you'll never have to worry about losing warranty after unlocking your tf700 ever again.
As a side note, unlock your device as soon as you have time! It makes your device that much quicker.
Just sucks that Asus somehow prevents me from unlocking it after the RMA.

[SOLVED][Q] Can't UNLOCK the bootloader of TF300TL

**********
FINALLY, 2 full months of waiting and talking mindlessly to customer service (thread posted on April 30th, and it's June 30th now), and this morning when I saw the app and decided to try again, it prompted me to input the PIN! After reflashing the stock firmware and logging into Google, the tablet was unlocked! What a long run... and right before I was about to sell this and buy another tablet (I am going to buy it anyway, I guess).
**********
Yeah, it's me again.
Prior to this I have asked about the compatibility of ROMs on the TL variant, with few answers. I thought it would be an easy trip after I have the tablet in hand - I can try things out anyway and can restore to stock if anything goes wrong - but what happens now had wasted me hours of time and had totally f*cked me up. Yep, this thing comes with a locked bootloader at Android 4.2.1.
It doesn't look like a great deal, since the official Unlocker V8 app claims to support WW 4.2.x, but in reality it simply won't do, usually claiming "An unknown error occurs, which may be network connection issue, please try again later".
Now, I've done quite some searches in the past few hours and got some seemingly viable answers. First, it seems the S/N of my tab does not match that on my box, so after digging up Ratchet and its source code, I found this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2243521, and using similar steps I successfully modified my S/N to the one on my box, which now shows up correctly in Settings-About-Status. Second, many complain that it won't work that nicely on a rooted device, so I reflashed stock and wiped data, which eliminated every single trace of root. Third, I'm in China so network might be a problem, so I hooked up my VPN also.
But none of the above worked. After clicking the unlock button, it either takes seconds or minutes, but all it shows is the same error message.
I've seen people sending the device in to ASUS for registration or something like that, but since it's a used device and goes from US AT&T (while I'm in China), I can't do that, and I doubt the customer service won't give any effective answers for a tablet that's mostly obsolete.
So now I'm out of ideas... Anyone?
EDIT: I've registered the device on ASUS's website, and also contacted their live chat support, but as the rep said, my serial number is valid and this means it's already in the database, so there's nothing he can do.
Finally able to send a ticket to ASUS for the issue, hopefully they'll respond just as effective as they responded to other people.
Also, even though the bootloader is LOCKED, I managed to downgrade the thing back from JB 4.2.1 (WW_epad-user-10.6.2.10) to JB 4.1.1 (WW_epad-user-10.4.3.9). Even the bootloader is downgraded, as reported on screen, which in my eyes is unbelievable. Flashing anything unsigned is still a no-go, though.

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