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hey i was looking to get a new phone and some guy offered me a preproduction unit. the price of it was 200 less then local sellers so its an intriguing offer, but even he couldnt tell me what a pre production unit ment.
sooo whats it mean? is it a test unit? whats the biggest downside to buying a pre production unit?
it's like beta hardware
so in worst case you can never use the softwareupdates of the
finished product on it
oh...would i be able to send it in for reapairs or would i have to go through a third party
You wont be able to send it for repairs to the authorised service center. I once used a engineering sample Motorola E398, a lot of the hardware was'nt the final products specifications. THe display and such were of a lower quality. Personally I reccommend against purchasing a pre-production unit.
Iconia A500 new for 350+Tax. Has the basic 1 year warranty.
or
Walmart.com for a $279 refurbished one. Has the 90 day refurb warranty.
What would you do????
Or if there is another ~$300 tablet you could recommend???
Thanks!
Hello -
90 day warranty refurb - not enough for me. I'd think about the fact that refurbs might just be someone elses problem. And, now you're taking it on. You have no way to assess what the item was returned for, why it came back? It's a risk and you have to weigh the pros and cons.
If you want the A500, go the extra mile. But first, check out TigerDirect. I find they often will run weekly/monthly deal cycles on specific types of hardware like tablets. I just got an email blast a couple of weeks ago highlighting tablets on sale. I think I saw the A500 less than $350 but more than $279. Check the ad carefully; TD can and does sell refurbs too.
I have a new A500 and it is outstanding. It's a beauty and I've had nothing but success with it. And, I've not had to use the warranty service on it. But if I do, I know I have a place to turn to, for the next year at least. Many people go further with extended warranty purchases. I'm thinking about it. But again, it's personal choice mostly.
Good luck.
H
Tough decision...
Like H said above you maybe taking someone elses problems that they didnt want to deal with. But on the bright side of that is you can still claim warranty from the company itself with valid proof of purchase from were you got it from. Trust me when i say this because I usual get refurbs from KMart and Walmart and call in customer services 3 hrs later to confirm if I can claim my warranty, Acer, and usually you would need to send in your device with your copy of the receipt to claim the one year with them.
Now if you want a total replacement then and there from where ever you bought it then buy it new. I only suggest the refurb because I buy alot of device and I usually run out of money so yeah.
Go with the new one though if you have the money or wait to see if anything better comes out.
Why not pick up a new 32Gb Lenovo K1 for under $280?
my a500 was a refurb (from best buy) and its flawless, good as new.
(with the exception of the stupid barcode sticker i had to scrape off the back)
I have an A500 and think it's great.
90 days should be enough time to see if there are any problems with the tablet.
mtmerrick said:
my a500 was a refurb (from best buy) and its flawless, good as new.
(with the exception of the stupid barcode sticker i had to scrape off the back)
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I would do this.
I've heard great Best Buy reviews for refurbished A500s.
Why is there so much hate towards the Nvidia Shield ? I went to gamestop and see if they have any accessories and the rep replied, why would want to buy accessories ? The Shield is a piece of crap. It's not just the rep but other people have said the same thing. I bought my Shield two days ago and love it.
dia_naji said:
Why is there so much hate towards the Nvidia Shield ? I went to gamestop and see if they have any accessories and the rep replied, why would want to buy accessories ? The Shield is a piece of crap. It's not just the rep but other people have said the same thing. I bought my Shield two days ago and love it.
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It does have issue. Wait till the flex cables starts getting bad in another few months. The you can only use it while connected to HDMI. The flex cable is part of the LCD. So when the parts do become available they will be pricey.
So i bought a device for $200 just so it doesn't work in a few months ?
dia_naji said:
So i bought a device for $200 just so it doesn't work in a few months ?
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Some have been lucky and have not seen the issue. But others like myself, not so..
Here is a thread on the issue.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2511870
And another as well.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2620432
You might be one of the lucky ones. Seems to be split about 30% bad and 70% ok.
Why so much hate towards the iPhone when it first got out? Because it is a new, largely misunderstood product and those who call it crap typically never touched it.
The relevant thing about the SHIELD is that the vast majority of its owners seem to love it. The opinion of uninformed people doesn't matter.
Think also that Gamestop might not be very happy at the idea of a device for which you cannot come and buy games at their stores.
Solarenemy68 said:
You might be one of the lucky ones. Seems to be split about 30% bad and 70% ok.
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How do you come with that estimate?
If you have a problem with the flexi-cable, this is clearly a hardware defect and you should have your unit RMA'd. The feedback on NVIDIA's service has been very good so far.
Gnurou said:
Why so much hate towards the iPhone when it first got out? Because it is a new, largely misunderstood product and those who call it crap typically never touched it.
The relevant thing about the SHIELD is that the vast majority of its owners seem to love it. The opinion of uninformed people doesn't matter.
Think also that Gamestop might not be very happy at the idea of a device for which you cannot come and buy games at their stores.
How do you come with that estimate?
If you have a problem with the flexi-cable, this is clearly a hardware defect and you should have your unit RMA'd. The feedback on NVIDIA's service has been very good so far.
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Did you not even read any of the post I quoted? Based on the ones saying they have issue and the ones saying they do not it is about the split that I said it was. Also if you had read any of the post you would have seen that I bought the unit on Ebay under the impression it had a power problem which would be an easy fix. it however is not a power problem but a flex cable issue.
So since I bought used on ebay for 40 bucks, sending it in for repair or RMA is not an option. I will just wait till parts become available. Or throw it away and count a 40 dollar lose. No big deal for me unlike those who did spend 200+ on it.
Solarenemy68 said:
Did you not even read any of the post I quoted? Based on the ones saying they have issue and the ones saying they do not it is about the split that I said it was. Also if you had read any of the post you would have seen that I bought the unit on Ebay under the impression it had a power problem which would be an easy fix. it however is not a power problem but a flex cable issue.
So since I bought used on ebay for 40 bucks, sending it in for repair or RMA is not an option. I will just wait till parts become available. Or throw it away and count a 40 dollar lose. No big deal for me unlike those who did spend 200+ on it.
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Well I have read the posts and my answer was not specifically targeted at you, but first and foremost to the people who spent 200+ on it and specifically to the OP who was worried his unit could stop working after a few months.
It is possible that your unit is a pre-production one that was handed to developers. These are known to be of lesser build quality and had flexi-cable issues. The production units I own since launch do not show this issue so far and I am a quite heavy user.
Just wanted to point out that your estimate of failing units is anything but reliable, so hopefully people won't start making ideas based on it.
What's about those from Europe who get the white screen of death and try to RMA it, will Nvidia accept and repair it on warrenty?
I'd also have to go with the whole "The only people who hate on it are the ones who have never touched it" reason. I bought my Shield to replace my PSP and my HP Touchpad as an emulation/Android gaming device ~couple months ago and I've yet to regret the purchase. The main reason I didn't buy it when it was announced was because I thought the price was a bit too steep, but now that it's (still) $200 I think it's definitely worth it.
nex86 said:
What's about those from Europe who get the white screen of death and try to RMA it, will Nvidia accept and repair it on warrenty?
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As long as you have proof of purchase from the US or Canada then they must honor the warranty regardless of where you live. What they will do is stick you with shipping cost most likely both ways.
I unfortunately do not.
I bought it off a german seller, but maybe I can ask there.
Hi everyone,
I want to share my journey with the Z3, and the experience with buying from eBay, specifically from a seller, techno.trading.house (Steph, Ed). I bought two brand new Z3 (D6603)--a black one for myself, and a white one for my girlfriend. The order was smooth, and the phones came in pretty much brand new (open box though) with their plastic peel-screens on the glass, untouched. After using the two for a few hours, I noticed that my black one had a defective sensor (photo). The seller advertised "hassle-free" exchanges/refunds, so I reported the defect and had the black one exchanged right away.
After a week, the new one came, the same brand new (open box) condition as the previous phones. However, there was a slight manufacturing defect with the USB flap--it closes completely at a slant (photo). I spelled out the issue with the seller, and here was how it went:
SELLER: I'm sorry to hear that! We will certainly replace it for you, I believe that your phone would be damaged underwater if that or any other flap was not closed properly. (I also do strongly suggest to avoid wetting the phone just in case). Please return the phone to...
ME (after 2 days delivered to them): Hi, have you receive the package yet, and have you ship out the new phone?
SELLER: Your return has been received. If you had chosen to receive a replacement, it will be sent within 2 days. If you have opted for a refund, it will be issued within 24 hours minus applicable restocking fee.
ME: Do you have tracking info? Thanks!
SELLER: Our records indicate that we have already sent a replacement. You have reached out to us to let us know that the replacement has the same issue. In order to avoid another occurrence, we recommend that we proceed with a refund for this item. Please let us know if this is okay.
ME: Sorry, I am not sure what you are saying. Are you talking about the previous replacement or the 2nd replacement being shipped out? I am currently waiting for the 2nd replacement. You said "sure" on the second replacement last week.
SELLER: We are talking about the previous replacement. We believe since both- the original phone and the replacement phone- has had the same issue, that a refund might be best. Let us know if this is ok.
ME: That is not correct. First phone had a defective camera. Second one had a manufacturer defect on the flap. You agreed for the second exchange, so I am not sure why you are backing out now? I need the phone as I have been using an old dumb phone for work for a week already.
SELLER: I'm very sorry for the confusion. I just read back through the emails and you are indeed correct. We will have your replacement unit shipped today. Here is your tracking number. Again, I am sorry for the confusion. Have a great day!
ME: Thanks. I just hope the new one does not have any defect--I will be checking it. If it's not shipped out yet, anyway you can inspect these? Thank you.
SELLER: Hello, Not a problem.
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So the 2nd replacement came (third phone), and the phone came in a used/open condition. There were no plastic peel-screens on either side of the glass and the USB wire was laying in there without its plastic wrappers. I knew immediately this was used, so I began close inspection of the phone. I found that the power button had a noticeable dent on one side, as if it was dropped on a table before. At this point, I don't know what to do with the phone. I have summoned the seller to see what they plan to do with this situation.
It appears that the seller recycles their returned phones and try to sell them as new, or whatever it is. I am extremely disappointed with this seller, and I want others to know so they may not fall into the same trap.
I checked the current feedback, and it appears someone had the same situation (photo). Go figure!
To me this sounds like a fair seller and a picky buyer. 832 positive reviews and 6 negative ones in a month is a ratio I would buy at if I wanted to save a hundred bucks by buying without factory warranty.
It could have been an honest mistake. I doubt he purposely gave you an opened one, just work with him to solve the problem. eBay is much harder on sellers than buyers and he would ruin his reputation if he did it on purpose. Looking at his rating I would say it was an honest mistake.
I understand if he wants to refund you, he is just trying to cut his losses. At the same time it was your misfortune to get a bad device/s. Since this phone is known for cosmetic/other issues as its in early production you are better of buying from Sony/carrier making replacement easier.
abhinav.tella said:
It could have been an honest mistake. I doubt he purposely gave you an opened one, just work with him to solve the problem. eBay is much harder on sellers than buyers and he would ruin his reputation if he did it on purpose. Looking at his rating I would say it was an honest mistake.
I understand if he wants to refund you, he is just trying to cut his losses. At the same time it was your misfortune to get a bad device/s. Since this phone is known for cosmetic/other issues as its in early production you are better of buying from Sony/carrier making replacement easier.
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remember me?
I'm sorry to hear that. It was really a frustrating moment you went through. If I were you I would probably be really angry.
If you want, just buy it from Sony store. I got mine and it's perfect so far (except some cosmetic minor faults).
I bought two phones directly from the same seller. The price was cheaper on their own site vs eBay or Amazon. Both phones are perfect. They came in non sealed boxes. I've got no complaints.
android404 said:
To me this sounds like a fair seller and a picky buyer. 832 positive reviews and 6 negative ones in a month is a ratio I would buy at if I wanted to save a hundred bucks by buying without factory warranty.
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I may be a picky buyer, but who wouldn't be when you receive a defective product, and even worse when you get a used one on your third one. Feedbacks mean jack when you are on the short end. They are only good for initial decision about the seller, hence I trust them like you would too.
abhinav.tella said:
It could have been an honest mistake. I doubt he purposely gave you an opened one, just work with him to solve the problem. eBay is much harder on sellers than buyers and he would ruin his reputation if he did it on purpose. Looking at his rating I would say it was an honest mistake.
I understand if he wants to refund you, he is just trying to cut his losses. At the same time it was your misfortune to get a bad device/s. Since this phone is known for cosmetic/other issues as its in early production you are better of buying from Sony/carrier making replacement easier.
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I hope you are right on the honest mistake.
bluesky2111 said:
remember me?
I'm sorry to hear that. It was really a frustrating moment you went through. If I were you I would probably be really angry.
If you want, just buy it from Sony store. I got mine and it's perfect so far (except some cosmetic minor faults).
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Yeah, I really regret not buying from Sony store, or even T-Mobile here. At this point, I might just say screw it, keep the phone, and move on with my life. Maybe the Z4 will entice me in few months. :good:
I purchased 3 different Z3 D6603 from Techno Trading, Never-MSRP, and Sony Direct all off ebay.
Techno Trading shipping a Central America version of the D6603 (White) to me and it had no seals whatsoever on the box (US Charger). This model would not show LTE indicator until I flashed a generic TFT. Booting with Encryption shows the Pin Entry text in Spanish but quickly changes to English. Seller Feedack: Shipped very quickly but using subpar shipping materials. Shipped from Miami.
Never-MSRP shipped a Central Europe version of the D6603 (Copper) to me and it HAD seals on the box but also included a Sony Screen Protector (Non-US Charger). This model had the LTE indicator from start. Booting with Encryption shows the Pin Entry text in English. Seller Feedback: Shipped same day and was packaged very well. Unfortunately, they are located in Houston so I had to pay tax.
Sony Direct shipped a Generic North American model of the D6603 (Green) to me. This one had seals on the box but didn't include the Screen Protector. LTE shows from start and includes a US Charger. Plastic on the front and back of phone is totally different than the other two. Its hard to describe but the other phones came with a very very thin plastic protector. This model shipped with much thicker protectors on front and back (still meant to be removed because they have tabs on the side). Additionally, the other two phones were inside a cellophane bag but the this model was not in cellophane. Shipped from Sony in Romeoville IL. Shipped within two hours of purchase using FedEx for free. Unfortunately, Sony charges tax everywhere. Packaged well but not great.
My point...
Sony packages models different based on their intended destination. It might not be that you ever got "open box" devices but rather they were intended for an area which Sony (for whatever reason) chose not to use seals.
mwep said:
My point...
Sony packages models different based on their intended destination. It might not be that you ever got "open box" devices but rather they were intended for an area which Sony (for whatever reason) chose not to use seals.
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That is interesting. Before buying from techno, I bought a white one from tropical_mobile (in which I sold quickly due to being D6653), who stated they were located in Tennessee, but shipped from Singapore. However, the phone was sealed with two white rounded "sealed" stickers on the box. The phone also was sealed in a clear plastic slip and had protective screens on both sides.
This whole Z3 deal has been pretty bad luck for me. Maybe it is not meant to be. But good news--the seller techno.trading.house got back to me, and is willing to refund me $20 for the dented power button, or do another replacement. I'm planning to take the refund, and live with it as I am sick of all the exchanges. Who knows, the replacement might have even weirder issues.
If you spend $500 plus on an item, you the buyer, have every right on this planet to be as picky as you like.
Nobody has to settle for anything less than perfection.
So no, you don't have to accept a defective camera, or flap or indeed a previously returned phone.
As I mentioned before but was lambasted in another thread, Sony may be using premium materials, but they are certainly not using premium construction. Not when some people have to go through six boxes in store to find a unit without light bleed and gaps.
I myself had two exchanges within the first two weeks. My first unit was simply not waterproof and had a leaky flap and my second one didn't charge on the magnetic dock and now I have light bleed but no energy to fight it anymore.
It's almost as bad as an iPhone. All my iPhone friends have had multiple exchanges... Some as many as 5 in a year.
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app
More recent feedbacks to prove my point.
stop accepting being called a picky buyer.... ur paying top dollar for the phone, that said u should receive a product good for the purpose, if the camera doesn't work its not good
if the phone isnt water proof it isnt good
if there is a dent in the design it should state it before being bought. so it's not the buyer nor seller (purposely) its a unlucky sale.
I purchased mine at t-mobile. I paid 100% upfront despite being with t-mobile and they unlock it on the spot. When I registered with Xperia Care (sonymobiles product registration) I entered my IMEI and it has till Oct 2016 on warranty.
However on the 2nd day of owning the device The bottom speaker stopped working and was making a static noise. I went to my t-mo store I purchased it and they swapped it out. I didn't even pay a restocking fee. The manager said as long as I get the same phone and since I bought it back so promptly that he would just swap a new one. This one has been perfect since. Sometimes the convenience of having a store near by is better than having to deal with shipping my phone back and forth!
Alot of people dont want the tmobile Bloatwear but like I said, 32 GB + Local customer support outweight > No bloatwear & 16 Gig with mail in issues. (since i have no sony store near by, id still have to mail in for repairs and exchanges)
Me too, I'm glad I bought it from TMO with an EIP, exchanged mine 3 times on my 4th now, no hassles or fees.
So I have another thread where I talk about some issues with the Snapdragon headunit.
I didn't like it, the "new" software I think is pretty buggy and I don't feel their built-in software works well at all. They advertise them as being capable of steering wheel controls, however when I questioned them about it, they flat out told me it was not capable with my vehicle. They denied any form of accountability saying I did not consult them before purchase or they would have told me not to buy it for my vehicle, as their engineer has not had time to work on these headunits to figure out any CANBUS options, and they refused to offer ANY support or suggestions to get steering wheel controls to work. They told me to research options with Axxess, etc. But again, offered no suggestion on how this would work, or even if it WOULD work.
I finally managed to convince them to let me return it with a loss of shipping (OUCH!) and 10% restocking fee. They sent me a long and detailed list of instructions on how to send it back, that I must include every single thing that came with it, I MUST mark the item as only $40 in value for customs declaration and that if I didn't follow their instructions to the letter, the item would be refused and returned back to me with loss of shipping and would not be accepted for refund. Then they told me I must do this within 1-3 days or they would not accept it. I then negotiated further with them saying I couldn't just have my wife driving around with an empty hole in her dash and all the accessories I purchased including cameras and antennae, etc., had been professionally installed and I needed to have them removed. I didn't have the ability to have all this done in 1-3 days.
So, the compromise was that I purchased ANOTHER Joying head unit, one they guaranteed would retain ALL my factory functions (another untruth), I shipped that unit in, uninstalled the original Snapdragon unit and installed the new UIS7862 unit with the in-place accessories, then boxed up the Snapdragon with the new and unused accessories and shipped it back to them - letter for letter, word for word with the instructions they provided. At an exorbitant shipping cost to China.
Then I leave on vacation, I sent them the tracking number and they said once they received it, they would refund my money (less 10%).
So when I come back yesterday, I find the box on my doorstep. It had apparently been opened by customs and returned to me with a notice that it was insufficiently declared and needed a new customs form filled out.
So Joying has told me tough luck, it must be my fault in how I filled out the form, as others have been able to send things back with no problems.
So now I am out:
Original purchase price - $562
Additional installation accessories, harnesses, etc - ~$100
Professional installation costs - ~$200
Return shipping cost - $110
Not to mention the time and effort I have put into this crap, I'm out nearly $1000 for a head unit that they admit doesn't do what their webpage specifically says it does and they will not support (ANY steering wheel controls), and due to their ridiculous requirement that I declare this item they sell for over $500 to be listed as $40 in value, customs inspected and rejected it and returned it to me.
I've got some choice words for Joying, but the filters would catch them, or I'd get banned. Now I'm stuck with this 8" headunit I can't use and am out almost $1000.
Thanks, Joying, for your stunning lack of customer support and your overhyped and poorly supported product.
DO NOT BUY A JOYING SNAPDRAGON HEADUNIT. In fact, given my experiences thus far, I don't think I'll ever be buying anything from them again.
Can you imagine buying a branded unit locally.
The cost.
The support of local businesses and the local economy.
In person support.
<rolleyes>
tRidiot said:
<rolleyes>
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Did you get what you paid for
Have you tried reselling it? Asking as I might be interested if the number is right. Also what vehicle do you have? Seems their key controls should be universal and work with an interface. Just trying to offer solutions if you haven’t had any yet.
Not trying to side with them, but I was looking into this unit myself and in two places on the that page I noticed that if you're not sure to contact them. It does say that it has the steering wheel controls, but further on it states that if it's CANBUS you'll need to purchase an extra harness. Not sure if they threw that information in after, but you would expect with buying from a company that's not as easily accessible as local dealers you would have done a little more research.
Sorry to hear about your experience, but a company over in China with as much of a gamble with their products, is just as much with them knowing about our customs and border patrol.
Best of luck with selling that model.
SO... As my year and a half old IDoing Unit just fried itself and I was sure they would point out the 1 year warranty, I have mixed feelings on this.
First they offered to ship new unit on receipt of tracking number for the return unit. They did not charge me for a new one waiting on return.
Yes USPS shipping to China i Nuts! Not their problem, they told me to use the cheapest shipping possible.
Yes they told me to put some crazy low value on the customs form, but since it's busted it's not really false and since I didn't pay for the second item I don't really care if Customs returns it.
I got replacement in just over a week.
Now here's where I'm torn:
1) Obviously these things are not the highest Quality. I always Knew this
2) It cost me nearly 100 dollars to ship back. Still not their fault.
3) the whole process seems a little shady with customs, but Meh.
BUT
1) Anything even close to this functionality in the US will cost you 1500 dollars and to be honest it's not even close to the functionality
2) While Quality is better from mainstream MFR good luck getting any warranty replacement(still need to pay shipping) even under warranty and after warranty FORGET IT.
3) Mainstream MFRs lie about features and compatibility just as badly and you'll have no recourse but to return to them at a loss as well.
On your specific case, while I empathize with your canbus issue when you buy from these place you NEED to do a lot of reading and ask very specific questions to make sure what you are buying will work with your setup and I have found they usually are very good at answering these questions. Personally I probably would have stuck with the one you had and waited for the SWC app to be updated for your car. I doubt you'd need a new CanBus. I'm also surprised yo had to pay 100 dollars for a harness and on top of that they didn't call out that the harness you were buying was for a car the stereo wasn't compatible with. Did you order all the parts separately rather than asking them what parts you needed for your car?