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Droid Bionic the most expensive Brick I've ever purchased

I just want to know when in November this update is going to happen.

This is almost worse than the gingerbread nightmare. I had a Droid2 which worked up until the Gingerbread update, then I purchase a "not-ready-for-primetime" Droid Bionic.

It took 6 months for my Xoom to become 4G, this when they said it would only be 90 days.

How long will I have to wait for my Bionic to do anything.

It's so bad that the fix to turn on airplane mode doesn't work now and half the time the phone doesn't even recognize it IS in airplane mode.

This has been this biggest Mongolian cluster ******** of a phone launch. God help those who upgrade to the RAZR with a battery that can't be removed.

I called to complain and received a refund on one month's data, but really why should I have to call on a phone that should work out of the box.

I love the phone I just want it to do what it's supposed to..

So again I ask, When can we expect the update VERIZON???

I'm just tired of the blame game, Verizon blames MOTO and then we find out some of the issues are because VERIZON wanted specific "proprietary mods" to the system...

Please update the phone soon..

Comments

PhilipB

It's not going to be in the beginning like they said. It has been pushed back toward the end of November now, probably just to get pushed back again. With the Razr out (which is what Verizon is focusing on), do you think we will get the update quickly? No. We should've had it by now. In fact, we shouldn't need an update period. I'm doing playing around with customer service and not getting a solution I'm happy with. I've emailed executive relations and am hoping for a response but I'm not sure if I will get one, I left a message for someone on Wednesday and haven't heard back. I want this phone returned, period. I've got introuble twice with work now because my phone did not recieve some important calls and I almost gave my mother a heart attack (I ALWAYS pick up for her and one night she called and called and called and my phone never rang once, few hours later I notice I had a few voicemails). Customer service isn't even sending out replacements anymore. They admitted to the Bionic plague and that every phone has the same issue.

Like you, the "airplane mode fix" doesn't even work for me. I have to pop the battery and even then it doesn't always work.

I'm almost tempted to copy and paste the email I sent because Ive had a crap shoot with this phone. What really ticked me off is the fact that I was conned into getting a "free" accessory when I could've got $50 off the phone. Who wants a battery dock with two batteries. I dont want to sit there and have to switch batteries once a day.

I want to quote a Verizon executive relations rep from two years ago when I was following the Omnia 2, someone had inquired about release dates.

--------------------

Good morning Mr. X,

We are in receipt of your correspondence to Mr. Lowell McAdam concerning the release of the Samsung Omnia II. We appreciate your enthusiasm and anticipation of the release of the new device.
While we are aware you are anxiously awaiting the launch, at this time, we cannot provide a definitive date for the release. We do not like to set false expectations about a release date and then have to push it back, and instead only announce a release date when we get closer to the actual release. Verizon Wireless has a responsibility to our customers and prior to the release of any device; we want to ensure the device passes our standards. That includes superior performance on our network, our staff is fully trained, and inventory is available to meet the needs of our customers. We'd rather wait to get the product right rather than rush out a product that causes problems. Please check our website periodically for a news release about upcoming phone announcements.
Thank you for your feedback. We value your opinion as well as your business.

Sincerely,

********* **********

NE Area Executive Relations

---------------------

Take note of what I bolded and underlined. Either Verizon changed their "responsibilities" in the past couple years, or they just aren't doing their job.

Will keep you guys updated. Hopefully I'll finally be able to get another phone that actually has the service that I've been paying for. I will say though if I do not hear back from the last executive relations rep I emailed, I'm filing a complaint with the FCC, the attorney general, and filing a dispute on my credit card. Maybe I won't get a new phone but with my last step I'll at least not have paid for a worthless phone.

PhilipB

Well, I actually got a reply finally, but it's just being forwarded to someone else since she does not deal with my part of the country. Hopefully the next response will be just as quick...

Will keep you guys posted

pappy53

"Customer service isn't even sending out replacements anymore." So what are they doing?

PhilipB

Well they said they can send out a replacement but it will not do any good. They admit to all the phones being flawed. Their recommendations were for me to activate my old phone or buy one at full retail. Why did I buy the phone right away and spend $300 just to wait months on end for them to get it right and use my old phone? Especially when the price has already dropped once.

THIS IS REDICULOUS VERIZON. Do you not see how many people are having problems with this phone? YOU ARE RUNNING AWAY CUSTOMERS.

I spend about $2500 a year on service, the phone is $300. Why would you want to steer a customer away that spends $2500 a year (which is mostly profit) for a $300 phone (which is mostly profit for Motorola) that you buy once every two years. A smart business owner would just replace the phone and keep the thousand dollar customer. I'm assuming most of you also spend close to $1000 a year on service even if you are just a single line.

C'MON Verizon, don't let this get more out of hand than it already is. I registered on this forum just because of how disgusted I am at Verizon lately. The Razr even has problems. Not to mention, I'm still waiting on three calls back from different Verizon people, and its already been months. Ever since Android came out Verizon has been going down the **bleep**ter imho.

gerio

My issues with the Bionic are no secret, as is my eventual solution to those issues.

But what and where are you reading about gthese issues with the Razr?

Geri O

PhilipB

What is you proposed solution? Not sure if this forum has PM's but send me a PM if you want to be private about it. I have some stuff up my sleeve too if I don't get the phone returned and they give me a new one at 2 year price with my $50 discount I was conned out of. That includes filing a complaint with the FCC, attorney general, and then filing a dispute with my credit card. At least I'll get my money back. BUT I'm not doing this until I hear back from the executive relations rep.

And I read about the issues in the general Android forum. Someone having the same issues as the bionic data connection. I'll see if I can dig it up again. Verizon just wants to get these phones out now. No matter if they work PERFECT, just as long as they somewhat work. If Verizon really tested these phones how they should be tested before being released, they too would have had the same issues we are having. It happened to me on the first day of owning mine but I had no idea it was the phone, I thought it was just the area, until I read other people having the same issues.

PhilipB

http://community.vzw.com/t5/Android-Discussions/My-Razr-has-quot-loss-of-data-connection-quot-problem-really/td-p/723311

It's been out one day only so lets see if more issues come up. But having one already is not a good sign.

Someone in a post below said a tech told him that it was cause so many people got the Razr it was putting a strain on their network - highly doubt that. I did not hear of anything like that with the iPhone 4s and I know FOR SURE Verizon sold more of those then they did Razr's.

pappy53

I am running the new 5.7.893 update, and the Bionic is running great, as it should have in the first place. Hopefully, they won't be long in releasing the update.

gerio

"What is you proposed solution? Not sure if this forum has PM's but send me a PM if you want to be private about it."

I didn't propose anything, and my solution, which I doubt will curry any favor around here, was to buy an iPhone and sell the Bionic (more than ade my money back and whose buyer tells me he loves it. Go figure). No big secret or anything. It activated in a matter of seconds, it has never dropped the data connection or froze up, I don't have to reboot it frequently, and despite the iPhone's inferiority to some of the recent Android offerings (not my words, BTW), that matters more to me these days than a phone that I can install a custom screen on. In fact, I hadn't ever rebooted it until this recent (and admittedly uncertain effectiveness) software update.

Having said all of this, I still follow the Android world and look forward to what developes in the near future.

Geri O

PhilipB

Pappy, what is this update you speak of and where can I get it?

pappy53

You wouldn't believe me if I told you, as you have already accused me of lying.

PhilipB

LOL Most likely cause there is none.

vidguy7

PhilipB wrote:
What is you proposed solution? Not sure if this forum has PM's but send me a PM if you want to be private about it. I have some stuff up my sleeve too if I don't get the phone returned and they give me a new one at 2 year price with my $50 discount I was conned out of. That includes filing a complaint with the FCC, attorney general, and then filing a dispute with my credit card. At least I'll get my money back. BUT I'm not doing this until I hear back from the executive relations rep.

And I read about the issues in the general Android forum. Someone having the same issues as the bionic data connection. I'll see if I can dig it up again. Verizon just wants to get these phones out now. No matter if they work PERFECT, just as long as they somewhat work. If Verizon really tested these phones how they should be tested before being released, they too would have had the same issues we are having. It happened to me on the first day of owning mine but I had no idea it was the phone, I thought it was just the area, until I read other people having the same issues.

The fact is that each and every Verizon 4G phone has, at times, these same data connectivity issues. If you guys read the other threads for the other 4G phones, you'll see the same complaints, over and over and over.

I had far worse problems with the Samsung Charge which lost data more times than I could count. I've been much more fortunate with the Bionic as the data issue happens only very occasionally. I think this is more of a Verizon network issue than a phone issue...but I could be wrong.

lucyhenley

Oh my....I can't even believe what I'm reading here! I bought the Bionic a few days ago and had my first full day with it today....and it dropped all connections several times while I was away from home and didn't have access to wifi. It also lost all connections for 3 whole hours tonight and it has never even switched to 4G at all so far! This is just unacceptable and from what I'm reading, unfixable. This is extremely dissappointing, and I hope that Verizon will be able to give me a new phone that works.

I'm also dissappointed with the camera...it's very, very slow to take a picture and the flash doesn't flash until well after you think it's not working and then you don't get the picture at all.

I had the Droid X for a year and it always kept the connection everywhere I ever went and the camera wasn't the best as far as shutter timing, but it was much quicker than this phone.

Iphone?

Joey301

lucyhenley wrote:
Oh my....I can't even believe what I'm reading here! I bought the Bionic a few days ago and had my first full day with it today....and it dropped all connections several times while I was away from home and didn't have access to wifi. It also lost all connections for 3 whole hours tonight and it has never even switched to 4G at all so far! This is just unacceptable and from what I'm reading, unfixable. This is extremely dissappointing, and I hope that Verizon will be able to give me a new phone that works.

Iphone?

at least you can still take it back. I would also consider a Windows smartphone now. Google has not impressed me with updates lately. My Google TV sucks and my Android Bionic sucks. Neither gets any support either.

elc2389

In complete agreement here. Worst phone next to the samsung saga I ever had (a windows phone that would physically crash mutiplr times a day). Most of the time I have no data connection, which angers me that im paying $30 a month for something im not able to use, and when it decides to work, it gets dropped, and since the air plane mode trick doesn't work, I have to yank not only the battery, but the sim card as well out. And im doing this AT LEAST four times a day, but yesterday, it was four times in one hour. Beyond the no data activity issue, facebook won't sync, it gives me a "an internal error has occurred, please try again layer."....ulcers been trying since September when I got the phone. And the supposed update doesn't seem to sexist, according to my phone. When trying to retrieve it, I get a message saying that "checking for updates is not available at this time. Try again later." Well, I don't think later is ever going to come. Its pretty sad when a friend of mine who works as a sales rep said its a horrible piece of crap, and that I wasted my money on it.

Elitist_Jerk

This whole thread really makes me glad I don't work in tech support or any customer service type industry

I mean really everyone is making some small issues sound like its the most dramatic thing going on in their life

"why should I have to do anything, it should just work" <--- yah, good luck with that. With anything you buy ever. And why? Because its your phone..

So many self entitled people here, GUYS its a CELL phone.. Just in case you forgot

Have any of you called the maker of the device to voice your conerns??

Joey301

So many self entitled people here, GUYS its a CELL phone.. Just in case you forgot

Have any of you called the maker of the device to voice your conerns??

Of course we have, and this is sort of the response that we got. No one seems to care, which amazes me. Everyone should be ip in arms that Verizon is not taking care of this problem. If the update does not work, I think they owe us a replacement phone. This is false advertisement for one thing. Verizon still touts their fantastic network, which is a total lie. They may have towers, but they do not work.

Joey

gerio

"Re: Droid Bionic the most expensive Brick I've ever purchased
12-16-2011 05:10 AM

So many self entitled people here, GUYS its a CELL phone.. Just in case you forgot

Have any of you called the maker of the device to voice your conerns??

Of course we have, and this is sort of the response that we got. No one seems to care, which amazes me. Everyone should be ip in arms that Verizon is not taking care of this problem. If the update does not work, I think they owe us a replacement phone. This is false advertisement for one thing. Verizon still touts their fantastic network, which is a total lie. They may have towers, but they do not work.
Joey"

Geez, so many wacky statements, so little time...

Of course it's a CELLPHONE, dude. But does that mean that we have to put up with hourly data drops, freezing, reboots, and dropped calls? I'm 53 years old, not part of the "me, me, me, I want it all and I want it now" generation at all. Being in the entertainment production business, I've developed the patience of saints. But the Bionic (all 3 of them) was too much. Yes, I called Moto, as I call any manufacturer when I'm having trouble. And, in the interest of full disclosure, I recently checked with the person that bought my last Bionic on eBay. He loves it, saying it drops data "every 3 or 4 days" and reboots once or twice a week. Go figure. And lest anyone start crowing about the network in my area, then explain why the 3 iPhones on my account have NEVER dropped the data signal and NEVER rebooted. Go ahead, I dare you.

Which brings me to the second point I want to address in the post I'm responding to. The fact that Verizon has towers, oh what a revelation! But news flash, they do indeed work. Again, I present the 3 aforementioned iPhones on my account, along with my Mom's old original Razr that still works great and our grandson's Samsung Intensity, again working great.

I was as frustrated as anyone over the Bionic situation, but I handled it. Even as bad as all of that was, there's just no need for the over-the-top reactions and bloviating posts about it. On either side of the issue. Grow up already.

Geri O

cc254

On my second Bionic with no solution to the loss of data problem. Just went through troubleshooting with Verizon....again. They told me to do more useless stuff that wont fix anything. The only solution they seem to be willing to engage in is sending me another Bionic....just what I need, a third brick. The thing constantly looses its data connection, the airplane mode trick works about 20% of the time, the rest, I have to reboot.

I have been dealing with this since I purchased the phone. This is a very serious defect in the device, Verizon knows it, but wont...

A. Refund the purchase price of the device.

B. Provide another device of equivalent price. (I paid $300 for it...ouch!)

Every time I talk to Verizon, I get the usual, "an update is coming, an update is coming". The last one did absolutely nothing to resolve the problem (although I don't randomly reboot now), I have no confidence in the next one.

I fail to see how it is ethical of Verizon to continue to sell a device which is known to be defective. Every time I talk to them, they reinforce the fact that they don't manufacture the device, its not their fault, they cant do anything but wait for an update. Perhaps someone can enlighten me about a few things....

1. You cant do anything about it? Hey, STOP SELLING IT TO NEW CUSTOMERS!!! ITS DEFECTIVE!!!

2. Yes, I know Motorola makes it, but have you guys heard of testing?

3. If you have so little to do with the production of this phone, why does it carry Verizon's "DROID" branding?

4. If you have so little to do with this phone, why is it sold ONLY THROUGH VERIZON?

5. Why do you keep telling me that only a handful of customers are experiencing these problems when there are literally hundreds of people on your own forums experiencing them!

Another thing that irks me, I am constantly told that if I had just returned it right after I bought it, they would have given me another device. You know, the process that goes something like this.

Me: "Hi, I want to return this phone."

Verizon: "Whats wrong with it?"

Me: "It doesn't work properly."

Verizon: "We can replace it with another refurbished device just like it."

Me: "Hmm, I just bought a new phone yesterday and now you want to replace it with a used one...I think not...I want another one."

Verizon: "Well we can take a return on it, but there will be a $40 restocking fee..."

Yeah, what a deal, sell a defective device, then charge a restocking fee to return it. Smells like scam to me. Then you promise an update to fix it that ends up being vapor ware...nice...

Well, guess what, the thing has been defective since I purchased it. You have sent me another equally defective one. I paid $300 for this thing and also pay $105 per month. How about you just refund my money since I have been trying to get you to fix this since I bought it...oh yeah, I forgot, you guys are crooks...

Filed a complaint against Verizon with the FCC (Reference Number 12-C00365439) and suggest everyone else do the same.

cc254

Offered to send me a Thunderbolt, wow, what an upgrade!!! After I declined, a "ticket" was opened with the "Network Team" and now I get to wait up to 3 days for a response. Wow, awesome service guys.

cc254

Verizon FINALLY replaced my unit with an HTC Rezound. Far superior, actually works, no data problems. GREAT!

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