vB Easy Archive - Extended Warranty, My Foot!

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Extended Warranty, My Foot!
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Posted by: nixter

Sent my HTC Touch away for repairs under my in store extended warranty which I was told covered anything by the rep who sold it to me. Now they tell me the problem with the touch screen is not covered and it will cost $175 to fix. $175 for an HTC Touch?? I can pick one up on CR for $99! They're trying to tell me it's physical damage when the screen is clearly separating from underneath, there's no surface damage.

I'm going to "sell" my plan and go with a provider that lets me use other phones than their own. Thankfully I have a great plan and it should be easy to offload. I think I'd buy it out anyways.

Posted by: dirtyjeffer

without seeing it, it is tough to say either way...i agree that it can be a difficult situation...i just finished a discussion with the Bay to exchange a pair of pants that did not "wear" very well...they gave me the "wear and tear" lines, along with the "you must have done something to these pants to wear a hole in them like that"...i finally got them exchanged, but i will never buy clothes there again...voting with your wallet is the only way to get a big company to listen.

Posted by: kei78

if its your touch screen that is delaminating...you can pick one up on ebay for $20...i just replaced mine as i had the same problem. LCD screen was ok, but the "touch" layer was coming apart.

Posted by: nixter

I think that's probably it. The screen was fine and looked good when on but when the screen was off you could see a dark patch in one corner with little trails emanating from it. Touching the screen in that area gave very inaccurate results. How do you replace it?

Posted by: Sharpo

not that hard. thats all i know.. the touch portion is like 20$ the lcd is like 40.. a housing is like 60 ish?

a used one is like 100-150...

Posted by: sheerin

I had the same problem with my first touch, i sent it off and it was replaced, no questions asked. I've had 4 touchs now, all have developed the same problem, or rather the beginnings of the same problem (the rainbow screen when under flourscent lighting).
My latest touch went to the full 'black hole' problem about a week ago and is completely useless. I'm trying to find a replacement for it as the warranty is now expired.

I've tried kiji, but i'm somewhat skeptical, as many of the people who are selling them are claiming the phone are a year or more old. I'm skeptical becuase I haven't had a touch last longer than a few months before developining the delaminating problem.

Posted by: scouzer

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheerin

I had the same problem with my first touch, i sent it off and it was replaced, no questions asked. I've had 4 touchs now, all have developed the same problem, or rather the beginnings of the same problem (the rainbow screen when under flourscent lighting).
My latest touch went to the full 'black hole' problem about a week ago and is completely useless. I'm trying to find a replacement for it as the warranty is now expired.

I've tried kiji, but i'm somewhat skeptical, as many of the people who are selling them are claiming the phone are a year or more old. I'm skeptical becuase I haven't had a touch last longer than a few months before developining the delaminating problem.

Really? The rainbow screen under lighting is the precursor to a broken touch screen? ****. Mine just started doing this recently...how long do I have until it's toast?

Posted by: nixter

If you google "HTC Touch digitizer" you can find the screens for about $10. If you are somewhat handy you can replace the screen yourself. That is what I'm going to do. I will then be offload my phone+plan and be done with Bell for good.

Posted by: scouzer

I'm not remotely handy. Hopefully it'll last until the HSPA is online

Posted by: nixter

Which warranty did you have? the $7/month one or the one time charge at purchase time? I ask because you got 4 touches and I get nothing for an otherwise INCREDIBLY well treated phone that's starting to delam.

Posted by: drunkgoat

Quote:

Originally Posted by nixter

Which warranty did you have? the $7/month one or the one time charge at purchase time? I ask because you got 4 touches and I get nothing for an otherwise INCREDIBLY well treated phone that's starting to delam.

Was your store extended warranty through a bell corporate store or another retailer?

Posted by: Hiatus

doesn't an extended warrant "extend" the original manufacture warranty only? and manufacture warranty does not cover physical or water damage or excessive damage such that if something happens to the screen it is considered physical. If the screen remains intact no crack or whatever then it should be covered by the extended warranty.

go beat them up.

Posted by: nixter

Bell store.

They're trying to tell me physical damage but that it total crap. I had the rainbow effect for months and then the black delaminated spot started appeared.

Posted by: Old Faithful

Quote:

Originally Posted by scouzer

Really? The rainbow screen under lighting is the precursor to a broken touch screen? ****. Mine just started doing this recently...how long do I have until it's toast?

Mine's been like that for months, with no other consequences. I got used to it.

Posted by: sheerin

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Faithful

Mine's been like that for months, with no other consequences. I got used to it.

Give it time. With my phones that have progressed to the 'end stage' it took on average 3 to 5 months to go from the rainbow screen to death.

The touch is a good phone, but it seems like they cheaped out in the manufacture of it.

Posted by: D-layer

you guys mentioned the rainbow screen of death..

Mine had lines, of all different colours.

It started out with one single white line across the top, then 2, then 3, then the entire screen went all different colours and was unreadable.
I was overseas at the time and replaced it for about $20 installed

Is this the same rainbow screen you are talking about?

Posted by: nixter

No that sounds like a problem with the screen itself. This is a problem with the touch surface and doesn't affect the visual display. This issue starts out looking like the surface rainbow effect you see when gasoline mixes with water.

Posted by: Croptop

Seems to me that these extended warranties that Bell sells don't seem to cover much. A number of years ago, I had a Samsung phone with Bell that I purchased an extended warranty on. Within about a year, the phone started to develop cracks around the antenna housing. When I took it in to Bell to have it fixed/replaced I was informed that my extended warranty didn't cover that.

It ended up being cheaper to buy a new phone than it was to send the original phone off for repair. Of course the salesman who just finished explaining to me why my current extended warranty was useless then proceeded to try to sell me an extended warranty on my new phone.

Wasn't long after that incident that I ended up jumping ship and moving to a different carrier. Nice to see that things haven't changed much.

Posted by: Sharpo

why bother with new phones with no warranties at all. plus you're signed to a contract. HAHAHAHA

this is with all the carriers.

Posted by: Old Faithful

Quote:

Originally Posted by Croptop

Of course the salesman who just finished explaining to me why my current extended warranty was useless then proceeded to try to sell me an extended warranty on my new phone.

Posted by: Old Faithful

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-layer

you guys mentioned the rainbow screen of death..

Mine had lines, of all different colours.

It started out with one single white line across the top, then 2, then 3, then the entire screen went all different colours and was unreadable.
I was overseas at the time and replaced it for about $20 installed

Is this the same rainbow screen you are talking about?

I believe he's referring to the polarized light effects under some lighting types. That to me would indicate possible failure or weakening of the touch sensitive layer.

BTW I've used my phone so much sice I've had it that the screen has developped wear marks around the virtual keyboard and Start areas

What you are referring to apears to be a defect in the LCD or LCD ribbon, something that should be fairly easy to fix once the device is taken apart (the contacts may be dirty)

That being said, the technology is nowhere near as nice and durable as the iPhone technology, with its sturdy glass screen and super responsive capacitive touch screen. If only we could get the device and be able to load whatever software platform we could wish and use the plan we like, of course, I 'd be using an iPhone.

But since I positiviely and unremitedly HATE Apple's arrogant business model (who in their right mind would want to be locked up in an intrasigeant interface and prisoner of a proprietary business model?!), it's not going to happen any time soon and I wil make do with inferior machines so that can keep MY choices open, because, in the end, a machine is NOTHING without the proper software.

On the PC front, however, we may yet get a break as they are moving away from their proprietary technology towards a more universal, intel based one which theroretically would allow one to buy the Apple technology, scrap their "Kids are Us" dumbed down interface and use the native power of their hardware to use it the way you want, just like any Windows (pre-Vista) or Linux machine.

Posted by: drunkgoat

Couple questions for those who experienced the rainbow effect as I'm trying to figure out if my cousin's touch is affected:

1) When you applied pressure to the area affected by the rainbow effect, did the effect subside when the pressure was applied?

2) Were you using or not using a screen protector?

Posted by: Old Faithful

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; PPC; 240x320) Opera 8.65 [en])

1) Think of it as moiré, or, for those familiar with old style photography, Newton's rings. Pressure does change things a bit. I only see it under fluorescent lighting.

2) No. These darn things are close to impossible to line up properly and the screen surface and the air must be pristine. Besides, it's got nothing to do with surface wear, but with the sensitive surface underneath.

Posted by: kei78

Quote:

Originally Posted by drunkgoat

Couple questions for those who experienced the rainbow effect as I'm trying to figure out if my cousin's touch is affected:

1) When you applied pressure to the area affected by the rainbow effect, did the effect subside when the pressure was applied?

2) Were you using or not using a screen protector?

1. No

2. Yes

Its a cheap easy fix...go on to ebay and purchase a new digitizer. Thats what the touch portion of the screen is called. The LCD is fine, but the digitizer itself has delaminated causing that rainbow effect. Cheap easy fix if you just buy the digitizer from ebay and replace the touch screen. Its about $30... I just did mine two months ago.

Posted by: kei78

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Faithful

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; PPC; 240x320) Opera 8.65 [en])

2) No. These darn things are close to impossible to line up properly and the screen surface and the air must be pristine. Besides, it's got nothing to do with surface wear, but with the sensitive surface underneath.

Actually its not "underneath"... its the top most layer called the digitizer that has delaminated.

There is only two parts to the screen, the digitizer (touch portion) then the LCD screen... If you can still see the picture, your LCD screen is fine. If there is a rainbow effect on top, then you need to replace your digitizer...

Posted by: kei78

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Faithful

That being said, the technology is nowhere near as nice and durable as the iPhone technology, with its sturdy glass screen and super responsive capacitive touch screen. If only we could get the device and be able to load whatever software platform we could wish and use the plan we like, of course, I 'd be using an iPhone.
.

100% Agreed...

Posted by: Sharpo

coincidentally, 80% of the griping in this thread is by htc touch users.

we all love you, nfsfan.....

Posted by: kei78

Yes, if it wasnt for NFSFAN, i would have switched phones already...

Posted by: Old Faithful

Quote:

Originally Posted by kei78

I agree it's in the topmost part of the display, but the part that is failing is in the digitizer itself, between its top surface and its lower surface, where the transparent pressure sensitive receptors reside.

I'm going to wait until it doesn't work anymore before getting it fixed under warranty. Fortunately, instead of getting the questionable Bell warranty I am covered for two years from having used my Visa to get the phone.

Posted by: Old Faithful

Quote:

Originally Posted by kei78

Yes, if it wasnt for NFSFAN, i would have switched phones already...

If it wasn't for the great apps that you can get for it, the extensive hacks and tweaks and the great plan Bell used to offer for it (UNLIMITED internet for $10!), I'd be using another phone and would have left Bell.

If you like to control what you have and want to do things your own way, As it stands, it's the BEST and ONLY phone on Bell that gives you the freedom you crave at a price you can afford. There is simply no other phone with that kind of value on Bell.

Posted by: sheerin

how do you replace the digitizier? I'm not exactly handy when it comes to things like that, but am looking for a cheap solution.

Posted by: Old Faithful

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheerin

how do you replace the digitizier? I'm not exactly handy when it comes to things like that, but am looking for a cheap solution.

get OSeven's PDF guide to the disassembly of the HTC Touch here

Posted by: longd

next time buy phone in futureshop with their product exchange plan, they'll exchange a new phone for you.....