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Samsung Brightside? Until they fix DO NOT BUY

The Samsung Brightside is defective. I have had two in less than one month and both did not let me use the T9 function. When a person uses the T9 function the phone powers off and re-starts. There are many many complaints on this board but Verizon is just not moving to resolve this issue.

I would suggest that Verizon let Samsung know that they will not sell Samsung phones if they do not get a fix going. I suggest that Samsung through Verizon,

1. recall the phone so that we all can exchange it for one that works

2. recall the phone so that you can bring it in to a Verizon dealer where they can install a software up date

3. Verizon allows the exchange for another phone and send all the poorly made Samsungs back to Korea

4. Verizon quit making false promises and give a specific course of action to us consumers how to get this corrected

I hope everyone else who mistakenly bought this phone does not give up. You can contact Better Business Bureau, your States Attorney, Consumer Protection Agency and more. Please post any other ideas you have to get this resolved.

If no fix every happens then I hope people remember this when their contracts are done.

Recently Apple replaced first generation iPods with the newest generation. All you had to do was go online and submit the serial number, send in the old one, working or not, wait and then get a new one.

Samsung & Verizon do you get the hint?

Comments

sheezateacha

The Samsumg Brightside is the worst cell phone I've owned in the last 15 years! I'm often not alerted that a text message has been sent and the phone stops saving texts messages in a threading format. I purchased the phone about a month ago, and I've been back to the store not less than 7 times! Each time I go back, they tell me that I'm the only person experiencing problems! I should have been more diligent and checked the computer first! For the next two years, I'm stuck with a phone that should be put in the garbage!

The first phone kept shutting off, so the store replaced it. The second phone doesn't have the sudden power off problem but ALL of the texting issues and sometimes when I get a missed call, an additional digit is added to the person's number. Therefore, I cannot get back to the person by simply selecting their missed call and "send".

I feel like I've been taken advantage of by Samsung and Verizon. How can you of good conscience dare to manufacture and sell phones you knew had software issues! There seems to be a case of liability here on the part of both companies. I can't wait for my contract to be up.

PMack62

I just filed a formal complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General's office regarding this phone. It is flawed, defective, faulty and Verizon CONTINUES to sell it for profit. My Calendar and Alarm features do not WORK and I've experienced a problem with the phone turning off if you press a certain key while texting - that's CRAZY! But the Calendar and Alarm features have not work and continue not to function since i bought the phone. I brought it in twice to the SUDBURY MASSACHUSETTS VERIZON STORE 420 BOSTON POST ROAD - and was pretty much told "too bad, so sad." Verizon would NOT contact Samsung and refused to do anything to try and fix the problem! And now ANOTHER problem has cropped up - when I get a single text, I get the text notification TWICE - THAT's NEVER happened since I bought the phone. This phone is a piece of CHIT and Verizon continues to profit on clueless customers!

Verizon_Support

Sheezateacha,

I am sorry that you are having so many issues with your phone. We certainly don’t want you to go! What kind of resolution are you looking for in this situation? In order to resolve your issue can you please DM me your name and number and I can see what other options we have for you. Hope this helps. Thanks.

SammuelP_VZW

VZW Support

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

sheezateacha

I just traded that junk phone for another one that I didn't want. Good job

Verizon.

On Tue, May 8, 2012 at 2:16 PM, Verizon Wireless Customer Support <

henfam5

I would like a phone that works. Here is an article I read from another customer.

Re: Samsung Brightside? Until they fix DO NOT BUY

created by PMack62 in Basic Phones - View the full discussion

Apple just replaced all their forst gen ipods with the latest gen ipod based on battery issues. Verizon could do the same with folks who bought this phone. The consumer could type in teh serial number then Verizon/Samsung could send out a comparable phone that works. Yes, we get to keep the phone until we get a new one. Verizon has LG and Pantech that seem to work so why not let us replace our Samsung for one of these at a Verizon store and "no questions asked"? How about a touch screen phone that requires a data plan but we do not get to activate the data plan portion of the phone. How about we keep the phone you do not charge for ANYTHING until the contract is up. The fix simple but emails and promises only are a way to stall the consumer hoping they will go away. I do plan to "go away" if I do not get resolution.

<personal information deleted per TOS>

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

LITH

I've had problems with this phone too (The Samsung Brightside).

1. THE ALARM

The Alarm does not work. As someone else said, it works only if you set it for 2 minutes (or so) in advance.

It does not work overnight. I need to be able to rely on the alarm.

2. EMAIL

The emails I send from email on the phone do not get received. So, I am only able to read emails but not respond to them.

VERIZON/SAMSUNG: PLEASE FIX THIS PROBLEM!

I did just call Verizon customer service but they were "experiencing extremely high call volume.")

I think I will visit the Verizon store where I got the phone.

Good luck, everyone.

I had a Samsung phone when I had Cingular. I thought Samsung was ok to get when I switched to verizon last month. But I'm having problems with the T9 and now I can't receive picture messages and am pissed about the restocking fee.

I was told by a verizon store to wait for the software update for the T9 problem but that there was no time frame as to when an update would be given. I have found nothing in regards to the picture messages problem.

sugarhillkid

it may be time for me to end my relationship with verizon. been with them since 1993 and this is the worse.

PMack62

Hope everyone read this. I just received a call from a "Verizon exec" named "David" something. He states that no one else has complained to Verizon that the calendar and alarm features do not work on the Samsung Brightside. he offered to send me a new phone but did NOT offer to fix the problem with MY PHONE. I told him I want what I paid for. He suggested I schlep to a REAL verizon location and have tech support "look" at my phone. NOT HELPFUL AT ALL! He states Samsung IS NOT AWARE OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE BRIGHTSIDE!!! OMG!

Apparently all of us who are experiencing identical problems with the identical phone are either lying, hallucinating or crazy or all of the above.

The Mass. Attorney's General office has acknowledged my complaint. But this Verizon exec guy says the store from which I purchased my phone is not an authorized dealer and therefore the sales people have no freaking clue what's wrong with my phone. Well duh, I could have told him that. So unless you bought your Samsung Brightside from a REAL verizon dealer and not a fake one like the one in my town, you are SOL with Verizon. Basically he said to me "too bad so bad" - he WOULD NOT HELP ME AT ALL! He wanted to send me ANOTHER Samsung Brightside and it was up to ME to take it someplace and have my contacts uploaded and then I'd have to get my ringtones all over again (he said he'd credit my account so I wouldn't have to pay for my ringtones again. how nice. I WANT WHAT I PAID FOR!!! NOT A BANDAID!!!

I cannot get any more frustrated than I already am.

Oh and he said he will NOT research this problem because no one has called Verizon to complain about it.

Once again, we all must be just crazy.

SERIOUSLY?????????

LITH

PMack62:

That "executive" you were talking to is either lying or gravely misinformed. This IS a known problem. I was in my Verizon store yesterday and was told by the customer service rep in the store and the customer service rep. we called that:

It is a known problem and Samsung is working on a software update. They have no idea when Samsung will issue the software update.

Because it is a known problem and "they are working on the problem," they won't give different phones.

That "executive" should call Carolyn at the Lake in the Hills, IL store. She knows it is a known problem. It is documented in the Verizon problem blog for employees to view.

Good luck, everyone.

MikeT007

Yeah, I've been a customer since 1995. I have to agree that the issues with this phone are unacceptable. I've had a problem with T9, my bluetooth sometimes not hanging the phone up when it was in locked mode, sometimes hanging up on people when I retrieve the phone out of my pocket to answer or view who the call is from, sometimes answering automatically when retrieving my phone.

I received another replacement phone via Verizon through the mail and it seems to have resolved the bluetooth problem (I hope), but too early to tell about the hanging up problem and no fix on the T9. The bad, they sent me a reconditioned phone ...but it appears like new. I called Verizon and said I originally paid for a new phone and asked for a $50 credit because of receiving a reconditioned and they were willing to do the credit. I haven't seen it on my statement yet (too soon) but hoepfully it will be there. I was promised credits in the past after """NUMEROUS""" problems with fios when it was first installed ...but never got one; consequently, I don't put much faith in getting a credit.

I got an update yesterday...The T9 restart problem seems to have been fixed. Dunno what else they changed

email4kh

!!! NEW SOFTWARE IS AVAILABLE !!!

archeryhunter19931

There has been a software update released! The T9 problem has been resolved! Also a few other things have been fixed also.

PMack62

where do i get this "update?" is the calendar and the alarm issues fixed by this update?

onecrazy88fan

I got my update this morning about 7:30 a.m. EST. Should have come automatically. Maybe you can go to settings/phone info/ software update to check/download.

sa_3er

I updated the software and the calendar is still not working properly! So frusterating!

PMack62

the calendar and the alarm are still not working. I got ANOTHER letter from Verizon claiming it still denies any problems (EVER) with the Samsung Brightside even though I spoke to a Verizon employee in Illinois who stated to me that Verizon is and HAS been most definitely aware of calendar/alarm issues with the Samsung Brightside and these very problems are documented in a Verizon employee problem blog! God forbid Verizon comes out and says "yep, there are problems" - that would be admitting that it LIED from the beginning! And apparently the store from which I purchased my phone is a FAKE Verizon store because the guy to whom I brought my phone in 2x never documented my complaints (and he was supposed to do that call Tech Support BOTH TIMES) so the Verizon suit who wrote me the letter claims "there is no record of you filing any complaint" and "there is no record of you ever going to a Verizon store with your phone issues" and blah blah blah. He still wanted to send me yet another reconditioned refurbished 'like new" POS Samsung Brightside - SERIOUSLY? What does THAT tell you? A "like new" but not a brand NEW phone. That tells me that Verizon absolutely UNDENIABLY knows and HAS KNOWN there is a problem with the Samsung Brightside. Look up "firmware" - it's a defective hardware chip and companies will avoid acknowledging THIS problem because it would mean a total recall on ALL products with a firmware problem and loss of millions of dollars of revenue. I wonder if this is the problem with the Brightsides (which would mean Verizon is knowingly selling a defective product) -- the software update did nothing to fix the calendar and alarm issues.

I may end up just filing a million dollar lawsuit against the store here in my town (the fake Verizon store according to the Verizon employee who wrote me that letter) and Verizon itself for lying to me and sending me BS corporate suit pencil pushing letters where it denies there is ANYTHING wrong or EVER has been anything wrong with the Samsung Brightside phone and selling defective phones to sucker consumers who have no idea there is anything wrong.

PMack62

nope my phone did not get any updates and my calendar and alarm features still aren't doing what they are supposed to be doing.

PMack62

no automatic updates have been done to my Samsung Brightside ....

PMack62

since March 11 my calendar feature and my alarm feature have not worked and still do not function as Verizon advertised and stated when this phone was purchased brand new.

email4kh

So, are you saying that you didn't get any updates, and that your calendar and alarm features don't work?

Is that what you're saying?

PMack62

I did not receive any updates, and my calendar and alarm features have never worked since the day I bought this phone. Verizon will not fix it, nor give me a BRAND NEW PHONE. It has also denied that there were ever any problems with the Samsung Brightside but as per my above post, a Verizon employee completely contradicts what the "suit" told me over the phone and in writing.

I have not had a problem with the calendar or the alarms so far. I use the alarms for the morning.

PMack62

you are LUCKY! you should read through all the posts from consumers who have had -- and are CONTINUING to have problems with this cell phone!

Sorry that post was actually meant as a reply to your previous one (above). I'm not used to this forum yet

PMack62

No worries! And NO SURPRISE - my alarm did NOT go off this morning. And I am not surprised by this why? Verizon keeps sending me these stupid surveys that DON'T WORK. I DO NOT NEED A SURVEY - I NEED A PHONE THAT WORKS - the one that I paid for on march 11, 2012! maybe i will just start more discussions and see how many more people i can drum up to support my claim that the Samsung Brightside is DEFECTIVE (firmware????) and Verizon and all those "fake" dealers continue to market and profit from the sales of DEFECTIVE PHONES and refuse to acknowledge there is a problem (although I still find it hard to comprehend that a Verizon employee in Illinois states there is most definitely a problem with the phone and it's most definitely logged on an internal Verizon employee problem blog. Don't you just love how the suits do the "deny deny deny" and then end up with egg and CHIT on their face because it was discovered they LIED????????

PMack62

may I ask when you bought your phone? I just found out that a defective "batch" of Samsung Brightsides may be the problem but Verizon will not refund nor replace any consumer's defective flawed epic fail Samsung Brightside with a NEW PHONE!

but I am curious when you actually purchased your phone. The Samsung Brightsides came out Feb/March 2012 so the "defective batch" could be those that were sold for profit from Feb. 2012 right up until now.

please let me know.

I had to chose my phone quickly, so I didn't get to read reviews (they didn't have the ones that I wanted, the ones I had looked up). I think I got mine in March/April. Can't really remember '-_- haha.

It's better now with the T9 fixed, but it's annoying when I'm texting many people and the "read now or later" message pops up ever time. my old phone would just flash the notification in the upper status bar and the tone would go off. It's just surprising that a company like samsung would have such a problem when they had a nice phone before (I had the sgh a707). There's another problem I found regarding picture messages and it seems that if I have "auto receive" on, it fails to connect and get the picture. But if I don't it works perfectly. They need to work these bugs out fast.

Seriously, just go into a verizon store, don't tell them you've already contacted someone, and see if someone is good enough to try to get the calendar and alarm working. Having worked retail, good customer service means someone will find someone to look at it, then look up the problem. It might take a while to find the right person so have patience and take a lot of deep breaths.

PMack62

no the calendar and alarm features are NOT fixed by this update - trust me. when did you buy your phone? Many of my other posts state that a bad "batch" of cell phones were manufactured and marketed, distributed and sold for profit by "fake" Verizon retailers and "authorized" Verizon dealers and Verizon has neglected, refused and failed to issue refunds or issue BRAND NEW FULLY FUNCTIONING CELL PHONES to all consumer who are having the exact same issues! A verizon suit named David Hughes has denied, denied, denied that there are ANY problems with the Samsung Brightside and Verizon keeps pointing its finger at Samsung. Verizon wants to give consumers OLD USED RECONDITIONED SAMSUNG BRIGHTSIDES which are most likely part of the defective and flawed batch! File a complaint with the AG's office in your state. Good luck and keep us all posted.

PMack62

the calendar and alarm features have never worked on my cell phone. look at all my threads regarding the samsung brightside. verizon denies there are any problems and refuses to give me a fully functioning NEW phone.

keep me posted please - i need all the ammo I can get when I sue Verizon.

PMack62

i've been to an authorized dealer and the calendar and alarm functions are not working. the store manager could not get alarm nor calendar to work. he believes a bad "batch" of these cell phones was mass produced, marketed and sold for profit to unsuspecting consumers and NOTHING is going to fix this except a brand new fully functioning phone NOT in the original batch of Samsung Brightsides!

Kelli46

I have had this phone for a few weeks and I have a couple of problems I wanted to see if anyone else had solved.

1. I have a hard time hearing people when they speak to me and they have a hard time hearing me when I speak. I noticed that when I answer a call and activate the "whisper mode" it is better but I have to do that every time and I can't find a way to keep it active.

2. The touchscreen is so sensitive that I found I was constantly calling people without knowing it. I have security feature on but it only takes a slight movement on the home screen to remove it. I have also found that I can totally secure it so that it can't make any outgoing calls or texts without unlocking it first with a code but this is a pain and time consuming if you use the phone a lot. I have taken to doing it when the phone is in my purse but I would rather not have to. However even going through the effort of securing it to avoid calling when I don't want to there is no option to stop it from connecting to the internet. You can pick it up to find that you have be connected to opera FOR HOURS!!!! Why not an option to stop the phone from connecting automatically.

Any help would be appreciated. This is the only phone Verizon offers without a data plan except for a very primitive flip phone (much more primitive that the one I just replaced when it broke).

Wally45

I agree. The touch screen is too sensitive. I also have problems with the not staying off. The security feature they say should cure the problem does not work. I want out of my contract but there is nothing no one can do! I am going to buy a month to month cell phone. Verizon, if you want you phone back you will have to come and take it out of the wall where it is now stuck.

I don't have the problem with connecting to the internet because I told them to remove the internet. This is the one thing I like better than AT&T because I can still send and receive picture messages (if you remove data from AT&T you can't send/receive multimedia).

I actually have a problem with the touch screen lagging, though that could be a phone problem too. How do you lock the phone from making calls? I do mostly texting and not much calling. I know about the lock key locking the display screen... Sometimes it tries to call voicemail by accident and I don't want to make any mistake calls.

Wally45

This is what Verizon told me, which did not work:

From the main screen tap Settings

· Tap Phone Settings

· Tap Security

· Enter Lock Code ???? displays, enter the 4 digit lock code ( default: last 4 digits of phone number ).

· Tap Edit Codes

· Select Phone Only

· Select Calls & Services

· Enter service lock code - ???? displays, enter the 4 digit lock code.

New Code ???? displays, enter the NEW desired code

Confirm Code - ???? displays, re-enter the NEW 4 digit lock code.

Yep didn't work. What's the calls&services one even for?

pljohnson123

My daughter was having the same problem with the charging screen coming up, when its not plugged in.

they replaced the battery and didn't solve the problem,

now they are replacing the phone, after reading alllllll of the complaints, I hope the new phone works.

PMack62

everyone who has experienced and CONTINUES to experience epic fail of calendar and alarm functions READ THIS:

1. The Calendar and Alarm features are controlled by date and time, correct? So the software written for both has programming codes that "tell" the Calendar when to alert the user to a calendar event; and same for an the Alarm - you set the Alarm to go off once, daily, weekdays, weekends, or a custom alarm. But again, the Alarm is powered by date and time.

2. Look in the options under Calendar. The word "recurrence" is a misnomer because if you are creating a Calendar Event to go off just one time, you HAVE to choose "RECURRENCE" to get to any of the options. And recurrence means "something that is going happen AGAIN. So by choosing ONCE you're basically "confusing" the computer because it "sees" RECURRENCE so its expecting an event to happen AGAIN but when you choose ONCE now it has NO IDEA what to do so it just epic fails.

The programming code for recurrence is ERRONEOUS because it's written to find MORE of the same event because that's what RECURRENCE MEANS! The programming code is either erroneous in its entirety, or some part of the code is written incorrectly; or the RECURRENCE option has to be removed COMPLETELY but the programming code for recurrence is screwing up every other calendar event!

For example, if you put in an Event for today - July 7, 2011 and choose ONCE under RECURRENCE, start date as today, end date as today, start time say 5 p.m. and end time 5 p.m. and then save it; then create ANOTHER Calendar event say July 27th, and choose DAILY under RECURRENCE and then save it, when you pull up the ORIGINAL calendar even from TODAY it has the July 27th DATE ON IT !!!!!

This happens over and over and over and over no matter which options you choose, or combinations thereof.

The programming code is defective, flawed or completely and utterly erroneous OR THERE IS A BUG IN IT THAT NO ONE REMOVED WHEN THEY TESTED TO SEE IF THESE TWO FEATURES WORKED!!!!!

With all the brilliant people who write software, why can't they figure this out?

here's another thought: If you NEVER use the Calendar or set ANY events, I wonder if the Alarm will work?

Chances are it won't because again, the programming code for both features is written to use DATE and TIME as the foundation upon which events are scheduled to "go off" and ditto for alarms. the code probably has "tentacles" that reach out and control the Alarm feature which again is powered by Date and Time.

My old Samsung Intensity II still works fine - the Calendar goes off, the Alarm goes off. Whatever software is in that phone for Calendar and Alarm should be compared to what is in the Samsung Brightside. This is not rocket science. But this is a clear cut case of a flawed cell phone and I am now absolutely undeniably convinced that ALL of the Samsung Brightsides are defective and that while the versions of software may be "different" in the "batches" of Samsung Brightsides that are manufactured and released, there remains a BUG or a broken or erroneous programming code for the Calendar and Alarm features!

I'm not a technical wizard by any means but I have common sense and given that I have been a reporter for 30 years, I ask a lot of questions. And since March, I've asked thousands of questions and not one person has given me an answer. I think i have this figured out. I think I know what's wrong.

The problem is that neither Verizon nor Samsung will address this issue because no one has found the broken code, erroneous code, flawed code, etc. OR worse - it's a firmware issue and a recall of the Samsung Brightsides would be into the millions.

Think about how many of these cell phones have been manufactured and sold to consumers. The monetary loss on a recall is staggering. To us, though, as consumers. Not to Verizon or Samsung. Verizon is trying its best to silence me (I have proof of same) but this is about consumers who are being sold a cell phone that, as attractive as it is because of its touch screen and the fact you do NOT have to buy a media/data package, consumers like this phone. I love my phone. I have since the day I got it. Or rather, the NEW Samsung Brightside I was given which is and continues to be defective. Same phone, same problems.

All I ever wanted was what I paid for. that's what consumers want. Nothing more, nothing less. But when someone starts making noise about how the corporate giants won't address what could be a HUGE financial issue to them because the item in question is truly and genuinely flawed and defective and those corporate giants know how costly it will be to them to issue a recall, well, they do their best to silence the critics.

This isn't a game. Consumers spend millions and millions of dollars on electronics, cell phones, etc. and we simply want what we paid for. No more, no less.

Steve_Minneapolis

I'm afraid that your grasp of "programming code" is not in depth enough to apply to the software in this phone... That being said, your detailed testing, explanation and the time you took to write it here is commendable -- but unnecessary. This whole issue has been beaten to death from the start. A simple post stating that the alarm and calendar entries do not "alarm" and a statement that Verizon has only offered to replace with a like phone or a different one -- if you are inside of the 14-day "Worry Free" period, would be a perfect "original" post. That followed by 20 "I've got the same problem" would hold much more credibility and influence in Verizon's eyes than 20 pages of rants, bitches and threats.

I think that it is important for everyone here to realize - no one knows what Verizon or Samsung did, knows, is doing or cares about. It is also important to understand that talking to any one Verizon person, lowly sales person through CEO, is going to yield different versions of problem (or no-problem) knowledge - whether their response is truthful or not. One thing I do know is that the repeated mention of poor Carolyn in an Illinois store and the information she divulged in confidence has, by now, gotten her fired.

In the grand scheme of large corporate operations, one phone out of hundreds or 100 customers out of millions means nothing to them -- and it SHOULDN'T and it CAN'T. Yes, they are "selling it for a profit" - a phrase that has been repeated here ad nauseum and a point that needs no mention. It all boils down to profit -- that is the ONLY reason that Verizon or Samsung are in business. The threat of a state Attorney General investigation holds no sway because of the exact results shown in this thread -- not enough people EVER complain and their pat answer is "go ahead, sue them yourself". Well, thanks for the permission!

Verizon and Samsung are not in this situation alone. Every carrier and every manufacturer play exactly the same game. And EVERY corporation in the world plays too. But... This “phone” game also falls under “Who cares about Basic Phones, everyone is buying Smartphones”, so attention to cheap, basic phones falls way, way down the ladder. So, is it hopeless? No.

You CAN get some satisfaction from the Customer Service line. You can exchange the phone for free, on-line or in the store, within the 14-day Worry Free time period. I guess if you weren’t able to test your phone and figure-out that it didn’t work within those 14-days, then you will have to rely on the kindness of strangers. If you call Customer Service and nicely explain the problem, that it is documented online, that a replacement phone won’t help, they – with the involvement of Tech Support – have the power to fix your problem with a different phone. But, this is entirely up to their digression and if you give them any shit (they’re NOT responsible for what the company does!), they might forget the options at their disposal. Don’t try this in the store because they need authorization from Customer Support – kind of backwards. You can also keep the phone and wait for the update that should come. The last update did fix the T9Word problem so there is hope. The way to tell if an update is NOT going to come is easily visible on the website. If the Brightside disappears from the list of available phones, there will be no update. This is exactly what happened to the Pantech Crux I had – which had the EXACT same problems with some additional reboot problems. If they stop selling the Brightside, call Customer Service AGAIN and tell them your story and they will easily let you get a new phone of any kind with an “Early Upgrade”.

Well, I’m off to the Verizon Store to exchange my Brightside for something in an LG flavor… Or maybe I’ll exercise the second-from-last option and move to a Smartphone.

PMack62

Dear Steve in Minneapolis: thank you for your explanation. It is commendable that you took the time to enlighten consumers as to their options in receiving another cell phone and that any efforts to get Verizon and Samsung to admit that the Brightside is defective will epic fail - just like the calendar and alarm features.

noteworthy - I am on my second Samsung Brightside, brand new out of the box, and initially tested by both the tech support at the premier Verizon retailer at which I purchased the phone and their team of Verizon Tech support employees.

I was assured it worked.

It has failed.

My best friend of 30 years is a software developer for a Fortune 100 company. SHE (not I) gave me the inside as to the software issue, the programming code(s) so I am not talking out of my behind. She stated this problem could also be a firmware issue. but thank you for pointing out to me (out of context) that I am a dim witted moron who has no clue what she's talking about when it comes to programming codes. your candidness is commendable.

Verizon - its Customer Service or it's over the phone tech support - has offered no information. I have contacted them but have been met with the same response: To date, no one has heard of any complaints nor is aware of any problems with the Samsung Brightside. Translated (out of context): All consumers who are having identical problems with the Samsung Brightside and who have posted same on this forum and many other forums of this nature AND inclusive of the hundreds and hundreds of emails I have received in response to my posts on this forum must be collectively lying or hallucinating about the epic fail of the Calendar and Alarm.

Thank you again for pointing that out.

If Verizon fired Carolyn in the Illinois store, then she should sue for wrongful termination. A customer came in to her store who had bought a Brightside, experienced the identical problems and Carolyn told the consumer the truth. She chose honesty over corporate puppet and told her customer that Verizon is and has been well aware but has failed to inform its consumers. imagine how all the other consumers felt who were told nothing is wrong with the Brightside but yet a Verizon employee states that the problems are well documented in an internal Verizon employee problem blog. What is so 'secret' about that? It's not like she was volunteering any confidential information. She told the truth. It is shameful and pathetic if Verizon fired her for telling the truth.

I have been a reporter for more than 30 years and my career has revolved around asking questions - and getting answers. I value the truth above all else.

While I appreciate that you believe the update "should" come - I am not convinced. It has been four months. No one has addressed the problem at all. The only person to address it - and tell the truth - is Carolyn.

And FYI: Verizon offers "Certified Like New" Samsung Brightsides as replacements for those consumers who want to exchange the phone outside of the initial 14 day return period. You don't get to pick and choose another phone outside of that 14 day return period.

and those alleged certified like new samsung brightsides fail, too.

I do concede that many probably do not know the Brightside's Calendar and the Alarm functions do not work.

In conclusion, consumers are stuck with the Brightside have no recourse at all other than to spend more money for another phone or, as you state, call Customer Service at Verizon if it no longer offers the Brightside for (?) reasons and consumers may "tell their story" and Verizon will 'easily let (consumers) get a new phone of any kind with an Early Update."

For free, correct? Because that would be the COMMENDABLE thing to do for Verizon consumers. And as compensation for having bought a defective cell phone because after all, there are many consumers who cannot afford to spend more money on a new cell phone.

And correction: Not everyone is buying Smartphones.

Good luck with your new purchase.

dave_in_NJ

We just experienced the phone shutting off when the slide is opened to try to text.

It shuts off about 9 times in 10

very discomforting to see this thread. even more discomforting that there is no real solution offered from Verizon.

as for the concept that no one cares about these cheap phones, I would offer than every single person using them does.

FlorencePS

PMack62 wrote:
"...here's another thought: If you NEVER use the Calendar or set ANY events, I wonder if the Alarm will work?
Chances are it won't because again, the programming code for both features is written to use DATE and TIME as the foundation upon which events are scheduled to "go off" and ditto for alarms. the code probably has "tentacles" that reach out and control the Alarm feature which again is powered by Date and Time..."

I know I'm coming a little late to the party, but I, too, came here due to not knowing how to navigate my "Smart" phone, the Samsung Brightside and I was mesmerized by this string on the the Alarm feature. BTW, I purchased mine in April of 2012.

Not to add fuel to the fire, but I have never used the Calendar feature or set any events, however, I was just able to set the alarm and it worked. However, once I dismissed it, my phone went to an app "Daily Scoop," which I have never used, and it's not the first time that my phone has wandered (reason I'm here).

First off, I traded in a perfectly good, albeit, older LG (not too unlike the EnV) flip phone with a keypad that was good for texting, but not why I bought it b/c I don't text. I loved that phone, but the battery kept dying and when I took it in to a bona fide Verizon Wireless phone store (the only one I've been going to since I moved down to SC), they said they no longer supported that phone, so had no batteries, and wouldn't I love a new touchscreen Smart phone? Not!!! This phone has been nothing but aggravating since I bought it. Some things have to do with not liking the technology of a touchscreen. Like someone before pointed out, it easily "butt" dials just by touching the screen even though it is locked. Can't tell you how many times my heart sank as I saw it dial someone who I just keep in my phone so I DON'T answer their calls, or heard something out of the corner of my ear only to realize it was accessing the Internet, when I DON'T want that to happen either because I have both a limited minutes and data plan.

Then there's the "ghost" things it does, like just starts ringing for no apparent reason. Or, like when I'm driving and leaving a message using my Plantronics blue tooth, try to hang up like usual by hitting the ear piece button, then hear a few minutes later, "Your message will be deleted due to inactivity, please press 2(?) now or hang up." This happened to me twice last week when I was trying to leave a message for work with no ability to pull off the road safely or reach for the phone and try to touch keypad on my "Smart" phone screen w/out causing an accident. This NEVER happened before on my LG I just talked then hit the button on my earpiece. Plus, I could hook up to voice recognition so much easier on it when I needed to concentrate on the road. Don't feel confident about even trying this while driving with the BS. Unless someone calls me, I don't even attempt to try and make a call unless I've pulled over to do it safely.

Plus, another issue with the Blue Tooth--I can never tell when it's hooked up to the BS or not. Sometimes I've completely turned off the BT only to find that the BS thinks it's still connected, so I miss those calls. I'm no rocket scientist, but I'm sure no spring chicken either, and I'm fairly competent when it comes to technology, but the Samsung BS has brought me to my knees. This is one electronic piece of equipment that I HATE! I take full responsibility for not trying to have returned it within a reasonable timeframe when I saw how difficult it was to use, but at the time, I just felt I needed to master it, that it would come in time, but it hasn't.

And, one thing that has been bouncing around in my mind is how unsafe it is to really use these phones (any touchscreen). If I were in an emergency situation, I don't feel confident that I could get to "9" (which is programmed to 911--at least I hope it is in this phone). At least w/my LG I knew where the key was by touch and feel confident that it would have helped me in whatever situation. Not so much, or not at all with the Samsung Brightside or any touchscreen for that matter.

Oh, and one last thing. If you think that Verizon is touchy re: this dud, you should try posting a legitimate concern on Samsung's website. I pretty much said the part about how unsafe I feel touchscreens are in case someone who was considering buying one hadn't even thought of the differences between a keypad and a touchscreen, so as to give them a heads up; Samsung sent me an email that they wouldn't be posting it; said I would have to reword it.

So much for freedom of speech (in a polite manner). ;^)

PMack62

Dear Florence PS: I am not surprised that Samsung denied your request to post your concerns. The Brightside is and has been defective since it rolled off the assembly line. There is either a HUGE software programming code error or a firmware issue and Samsung won't address it to the general public. This problem with the Calendar and the Alarm is and has been well known because I made such a big stink about it and Verizon was all over my back .... You would not believe the emails I received from those certain people who review the comments forum (I can't use the noun to describe this group of people - apparently it's against Verizon's TOS. I was threatened with legal action if I didn't stop posting about the defective Samsung Brightside. Pretty sad day when I tell the truth and I get slammed from those corporate barracudas all because of greed. When I posted the Mass. Attorney General's office mediator name and phone number (all public record anyways) Verizon censored me. And censored me. And censored me. I've been censored so much that I think my constitutional right to freedom of speech has been erased by Verizon!

i've been fighting this fight for four months now. There was an update at 3:39 am today but it did not fix the calendar and alarm issues.

good luck with your phone - this is my second Brightside because the first one was defective and this was a brand new out of the box Brightside which turned out to be defective, too. but I'm going to stick it out for now because I want Verizon to admit it is selling a defective phone and not telling the consumers who have spent millions of dollars on this defective phone exactly what the problem really is. I'm sure I'll get censored here, too.

jalbb

Just bought my Brightside 3 weeks ago. At first, I thought it was the best non-data phone being sold in quite some time. Today, I almost missed an important conference call because my calendar notification did not go off. I've been duped and now I am stuck with a phone that is useless to me due to the fact that I rely on the calendar to help me stay on top of all my appointments and meetings. Please keep me posted if you have any luck with a resolution. I do not use the alarm, so currently I posted just my one time events (no reucurrences) to see if they work.

nannikko

If you really want to help with the Samsung Brightside malfunction issues then you can Do two things:

1st admit that there is a problem and stop selling the brightside immediatly as in today not tommorow not in a week NOW!

2nd offer a no cost trade in for a different phone of equal value not just a "replacement" phone cause all that does is gives people another broken Brightside.

I have had issues with the Alarms and calenders not working on both of the Brightsides that I have had and the Verizon guy says I haven't heard of any issues with this phone B.S. You already lost a customer in my husband do you really want to loose me too!

PMack62

Nanniko: Verizon is and has been WELL AWARE of the defect of this phone for MONTHS! It is well documented in an INTERNAL VERIZON EMPLOYEE PROBLEM BLOG! Verizon and Samsung do not want the general public knowing about it but I found out about it and spread the word. Verizon flagged all my accounts and has been harassing me about my rants re: the Brightside. IT IS DEFECTIVE and Verizon and Samsung will not address the issue!

I am up against corporate giants who care NOTHING for its consumers!

Verizon will not give you another phone other than those DEFECTIVE certified like new Brightsides.

consumers who have bought this phone are screwed 50 shades of grey and every other color under the sun!

edis54

I don’t know if this will make you feel better, but maybe the Brightside is not the worst Samsung phone in the basic phones collection.

There is a commentator in the ‘worst category’ – Samsung Intensity III. This is the worst phone I have ever had. I went through 3 devices in 3 weeks. Problems: a very poor signal (when other models in the same location had good signal), cracking voice, echo, and the alarm is not working, etc.

I spent hours with VZW tech support and…I gave up. I did not even ask them to replace the phone by different model. There is nothing to choose from.

I purchased Samsung Sway on eBay.

rdwk

I bought mine around June 22, 2012 from a Target in California. The alarm/calendar worked fine until I did the update to fix the T9 problem. Now, not a peep from it in the mornings-another user mentioned it worked when you set the ringer volume to Alarm Only.

My calendar and alarms were working fine until last week (might have been before but I noticed when it don't go off for the first day off school). I'm lucky I don't have to use the calendar for work alerts anymore, but I use them for daily reminders. This is an annoying phone.

Verizon_Support

A fix for the issue is under review and will be included in the next Software Update (SU2) for this device. The tentative release date is under review.

Thank you,

GeorgeP_VZW

Please follow Verizon on Twitter @VZWSupport

ksren1

Worst phone and service I have every had...am going to start looking for a new phone company where they still believe the little guy helped build their business and not the government.

ElectronicsEngineer

At first this appeared to be a decent "feature phone" Unfortunately the firmware in the phone is is unstable at best. You can't count on the alarm to work. The touch screen is unpredictable. It goes from being overly sensitive, beeping as I walk down the hallway to being totally unresponsive when I want to answer a call. I ordered 5 of these for my family, In 5 months time, we have returned 6 phones for hardware repairs. Let's see, 1 display cracked while in my pocket, 2 had touch screen quit, 1 had radio die, 1 of the replacement phones never accepted more than 15 text messages at a time and after 3 month of this, Verizon agreed to a swap.

The sad thing about this. It is Verizon's best feature phone.

marthaj2292

I also recently got the Samsung Brightside, and have decided it's the worst phone I've ever used. I got it on a Saturday afternoon. Sunday it was fine, then on Monday morning it started doing the T9 shut off/restart thing that other people are complaining about. It also froze up several times and I had to take the battery out to turn it off. I took it in Monday morning to Radio Shack, where I'd gotten it, and got it replaced. It was good until Tuesday night, when it started doing the same T9 thing. Really Samsung? It only takes a day for your phone to start breaking? That's pretty ridiculous. I have seriously never experienced a worse phone than this one.

archeryhunter19931

You have to get the recent software upgrades on the phone that will fix that problem. my phone has all the software updates and it doesnt have any problems. and if it doesnt upgrade to the recent software, take it to verizon and tell them it doesnt have the most recent software on it and it wont download it and they will send you a refurbished. that is what one of my friends did and they bought it at staples and verizon sent them a refurbished phone that works like new with no problems at all.

lewisr13

Does this "latest software" fix the alarm not alarming issue?

archeryhunter19931

yes it does fix that issue!

misshunter

Its a buch of CRAP that youdont do something abut it. If you ask me I do belive this is a consumer report issues . That we as a consumer have bought a product that does not work and seems to be no customer support but a being pushed off over and over with this product!!!! There needs to me something done to confenscate us consumers with this product ! If I dont see results soon , I will be contacting the consumer reports!!

PMack62

Miss Hunter: you are not alone in your frustration. But after nearly eight months, my phone still does not work. Neither Verizon nor Samsung have publicly addressed the problem and no alleged "updates" are on the horizon. It is not cost effective for either corporate giant to "fix" a phone which is already being phased out -- and in reality, what consumers like you and I have spent on this phone is peanuts in a bucket to both Verizon and Samsung. The smart phones are the "now" phones and the Brightside is a "nothing" phone. It's not a money maker. If you do the math, though, give or take a few hundred thousand, approx. half a million consumers may own this phone (if not more) So take 500,000 consumers x 150.00 (average price for the Brightside) = 75,000,000 million dollars. that's peanuts to any huge corporate company. That 500,000 is probably a low ball number given this phone is sold all over the country - and maybe all over the world.

The store at which I purchased my Brightside in March is no longer selling the the Brightside.

the only way for consumers to be heard is "collectively" and via a class action matter. I tried as an individual to communicate with my state's AG office but Verizon squashed my complaint. I learned that Verizon and Samsung are and have been aware of the problem with the Brightside for many months other than "someone is working on it" but have not publicly addressed it nor offered a time frame for the "fix." Until consumers band together in each of their individual states and collectively voice their complaint to their state's AG office, nothing is going to happen.

Honestly? I doubt this phone is ever going to be fixed. After eight months, the problem is most likely a firmware issue and firmware issues like this do not get fixed because it's not cost effective for the corporate company to do same.

We as consumers are all stuck with this phone unless we are willing to purchase a new phone. It's really too bad that the Brightside is an epic fail because the touch feature is great, it's easy to use, but the Calendar and the Alarm features were the two biggest reasons I wanted this phone. Another commenter mentioned how he/she depended on the Calendar "Alerts" to remind him/her take medicine. that's a scary thought to think that because of the failure of the Calendar Alert, someone's life could be in jeopardy for same.

jalbb

59.Re: Samsung Brightside? Until they fix DO NOT BUY

Platinum

Verizon Wireless Customer Support Sep 12, 2012 12:52 PM (in response to rdwk)

Currently Being Moderated

A fix for the issue is under review and will be included in the next Software Update (SU2) for this device. The tentative release date is under review.

Thank you,

GeorgeP_VZW

Please follow Verizon on Twitter @VZWSupport

Response to your post

I have had this phone since August and that is too long to own a phone that does not work. I need the calendar to work so I can keep up with all my appointments. I have a child whom has a health condition that requires many doctor appointmens and with my busy schedule with meetings and conference calls along with his appontments, I need the calendar to remind me. Telling us a fix is on the way, but not giving us a date does not help me....it could be two years before you fix this and that is two years too long. I want my two year upgrade re-newed now so I can upgrade to a phone that works. It is not fair that I used my upgrade on this piece of crap phone. It is absolutely rediculous that you sell faulty phones and do absolutely nothing about it because my two weeks is up....I dont even want my money back for the phone I just want my two year upgrade re-newed now to upgrade to a better phone at the lower upgrade cost.

PMack62

Sorry but I've heard this before. Until my phone works -- and the thousands and thousand and thousands of consumers who have waste money on this phone, until the Calendar and the Alarm work every single day without a glitch, these are just words on a screen!

jalbb: you are not alone. and I wonder what health emergencies have arisen because of this faulty phone?

scary to think that a life may have been in jeopardy because an Alert did not go off and because Verizon and Samsung marketed and sold a known product that did not work.

that kind of lawsuit - Verizon and Samsung do not want.

saber32

Samsung Intensity III

HI I just updated my phone and they told me you might have some problems since the is a new phone? It just just made the store told me they will have a update for the phone in Nov ?

the problems that I am having are

"" Bluetooth will not connect but will pair / getting text messages the next day from sent """

if you have this phone Samsung Intensity III do not buy a Bluetooth buy a wired head set it will work better until they get a update for the phone ?

veriguud

Gee! Thanks for these post. I was considering this phone. This really helped me to no longer consider it. Thanks.

Wally45

I wouldn't recommend owning this phone.

PMack62

Don't bother with this. It's such an epic fail. And many people who bought it but don't use the calendar and/or the alarm have no idea that there is something wrong with the phone. it's too bad - if this phone actually worked the way it is supposed to work - it would be the perfect phone for those of us who don't want or need a data package. Verizon and Samsung really should have fixed this phone from Day One but instead, both chose to ignore the thousands and thousands of complaints. that's corporate America for ya - consumers get screwed every day.

PMack62

I agree with you LOL.

Never ever buy this phone.

Like ever.

archeryhunter19931

I went into my phone and set about 23 calendar alerts and I did use different alerts as well. Then I also set the alarm as well. Then I went in and edited 3 calendar events and saved them. This is what I did yesterday, and every single calendar event sounded with the alarm. Today, I set a couple calendar events this morning, with the alarm and all, and those sounded with an alarm as well! Anything else you would like me to try out? Try out the lg extravert! I personally think that phone is way worse than the brightside! Touch screen is all wonky, doesn't respond to your touch, alarm with the calendar doesn't work, etc. Thats why I switched to the brightside from the extravert, cause the extravert was a pain in the rear for sure. Not wanting to start an argument over something , I am just telling you my experience I have had with the brightside and the extravert.

Frustrated2012

I bought 3 of these back in May and all of them are experiencing the same problems.

- They will shut off at random though mostly if you close the keyboard

- They will constantly "pocket" dial even though locked

- On a number of occasions they will completely freeze and I will need to remove the battery to reset the phone

- One is having an issue where the display will turn on and off .. this is especially an issue when going through voice mail and you need to use the touch pad.

I called Verizon support and they told me the phones needed a new version of the software. I spent an hour with them to upgrade the software and still have the same issues. I have owned a number of phones and this is by far the worst one I have ever owned.

This is horrible service from Verizon and Samsung. They need to recall these phones.

Reneey

I am also having the same issues as all of you with the alarm feature. Its quite baffling. How does it work sometimes and not orhers. I set it before I go to bed and it simply will not go off but if I set it during the day (just to see if its me, maybe I really am crazy!) It will go off! How could that be!??? I just dont get it. Ive tried setting it different ways, ringer on, ringer off, setting it daily, once, individual days checked off, etc etc the list goes on. Nothing works. and Yes Verizon has been trying to help me resolve this issue but they are baffled just as I. They are stuck also. They have offered me another phone but in getting that second "like new" refurbished phone, I got someone else junk and the same alarm issue. Were getting each other junk in a big old circle. We also need Verizon as a company to push the issue with Samsung since we are HUGE customers of Verizon and but perhaps we all need to make a complaint to the Better Business Bureau about Samsung and its product.

abigskyguy

I called Verizon. The Customer Service person was very helpful. She confirmed that the Calendar and Alarm problems are "known issues" and that it is a "minority" of phones that are experiencing this problem. I think that this info. may be news for many based on previous posts. She stated that there is a "work order" to fix this software issue but it wasn't clear to her when or how they would be implementing the fix. Luckily, my phone is still under warranty (1 year) so they sent me a "like new" refurbished phone. So far the alarm and calendar are working. She stated that they would simply continue to send me a new phone if the problems continue with the replacement phones and that hopefully the "fix" will come out in the next few months.

I realize that this is little comfort for those with phones that are not under warranty but hope that Verizon will replace phones not under warranty given that it seems pretty random as far as when these problems are first noticed or first appear - mine worked for a couple of months and then just suddenly stopped working for no apparent reason.

Wally45

Glad they were able to help. Since I was able to get my old phone working again, My Brightside sits unused in its original box. I am unhappy that because I did not like my Brightside, made known the issues I was having with Verizon, Verizon ignoring my concerns, that I am now stuck with a 2 year agreement. But if I am going to have a 2 year agreement, it might as well be with a phone I like instead of hate.

archeryhunter19931

New software update from u380.FF01 to u380.LL1

hithisisme

They did release a software update for the Brightside. Actually, the released 2 since I got this phone in July.

To get the update, go to Settings , Phone Info, Software Update, Check New. The most recent update is called SCH-U380_CommercialPackage_LL1. The first update that I got fixed the T9 problem and the phone's random shutting off problem. The newest one, that was released early 2013, gave me the option to customize the color of the clock. After the first update, I had no problems with any part of the phone.

Verizon did listen and fix it.

Reneey

I wrote to the Better Business Bureau and also to Samsung about their issue with this phone. I believe they knowing sold a defective phone to the public and did little to help us correct it and/or get a complete refund for a different phone, not a SAMSUNG! I believe I saw a Software Update flash over my phone as I was at work the other day and my alarm has been working since so lets keep our fingers crossed!

hdlldh

I wonder if Verizon is monitoring this ?After 9 months of trying to get my

phone fixed they finally agreed to send me a new one, unfortunately it is

still a refurbished Samsung and it is working a little better. At least I

can get into voice mail and use alarms and calc.

Still not happy with the way they handled this situation at all.

3basic

Tried getting the new update. Message telling me data charges may apply. Since when do we have to pay for data usage for a software fix?

archeryhunter19931

Go ahead and download the update. I didn't get charged any data charges for the update when i did it.

3basic

But I do not have data on my plan. It is pay as you go ?

archeryhunter19931

My cousin did the same software update and that phone has a full data block on it and it still did it. I did mine and I don't have a data package either and i did not incur data charges.

lewisr13

I was speaking with tech support and they read me the release notes for LL1 and it specifically addresses the alram not working issue.

martodea

I usually do my business over the phone with verizon..I find them much for customer service oriented. I called about the update and the said I had to go to the store for it. The person from phone support thought it was odd so she double checked and again said go to the store...I went to the store and naturally they "didnt think they could do it" so while waiting I called verizon tech support again...then the verizon store service guy said oh yeah I can try it. He hooked my phone up and downloaded it. Since then (about a week I have set several alarms all worked !! and calendar notifications worked !!!) being that this is my 4th Samsung in 9 months I am cautious about throwing a party ...but I think they may have gotten right this time??!?!? stay tuned....

NivekE

My wife has this phone and on 1/19 it automatically downloaded a software update U380LL1, since then the alarms have consistently worked. I am hopeful that this has fixed the problem, although when she first got the phone they worked for a couple fo weeks, but then stopped so we will need to see.

mscoffee

I havent had a problem with my phone at all. and i have a samsung briteside. I got mine from walmart. It was .1 cent for the phone. with an up grade for 2 years. being from walmart i was expecting issues and have NONE so far. Use my alarm to wake up for work every morning. I text more than i talk and use my camera alot also. I found thins cause I was looking to see how to put pictures on computer from phone .

Thank god no issues. I love my phone. its a basic phone with touch.

MacinMan

Hi, I am responding to this thread on behalf of my girlfriend, who has the samsung bright side .

She is visually impaired, as am I. I currently have the iPhone as it's the best phone for the blind, and visually impaired, which is the phone she wants to get. She has had her brightside since Christmas, 2012. Her parents bought it for her on December 11, 2012, and it has developed the following issues, in the last couple of days:

Audio issues such as speaker phone has quit working -- past friday. may 10th

Discovered media controller music, ringer, and text readout also quit working the same day.

She took it to Verizon yesterday may 14th, they checked it and in fact was found to be defective.

She was told by verizon that she would have a new one shipped to her house today, and she wanted it replaced with an iphone 4 as those are free with a new contract, which is also what she wanted, independent of her parents family plan.

I have offered to put her on my plan, by Christmas 2013, so she can get the desired phone.

In closing, neither of us would recommend any phone short of the iphone to visually impaired, as most other phones do not have very good usability for the disabled.

aquababew

My husband and I both have had this phone for almost a year. I have had ALL KINDS OF issues with this phone! I have gone into the Verizon stores and called in multiple times with my issues and they just look at me like I'm making things up! My alarms stopped working for a few months and then magically fixed themselves (no thanks to VZW support), my phone would turn off and restart if I tried to type in T9, my phone ringer was messed up for a long time, even still my phone reads out all calls and texts even without having "Readout" selected on my settings. The latest thing to happen is that I can't sync up with other bluetooth devices such as my headset (when I could before) and my car (when I could before). It is so annoying when I'm working in a state where it is illegal to use your phone except Hands-free and my phone will not work as a handsfree device. I would take it back today except that I'm flying home tomorrow night and still working today, yada yada.

I swear this is all a part of VZW and Samsung's plan to make us all hate our non-data phones and just upgrade to a data plan just so we can get a phone that works half way decent!!!

Will be returning this phone after fighting with it for nearly a year with still no satisfactory resolutions....

JM1012

Two of the people on our family plan just "updated" to this phone. Between the "memory full" messages for Contacts, to the battery draining after only a few calls, it's a dud. I plan on taking it back to Walmart (it was purchased online there, since it was cheaper through them then Verizon), and hope I can get it exchanged.

At the end of the day, I truly believe the issue is that Verizon Wireless and all the other major wireless services do not want us to have basic phones anymore. They're hard to find. Obviously, not every customer wants or needs the extra $35+ dollars a month for a data plan. This is totally unfair to all cellphone customers!

jetsedai

Wish I had had the time to check out this phone before I bought it, July 18, 2013. I'm on my second Brightside in 2 weeks, (the authorized VZ store I went said it was a defective phone and battery and gave me a BRAND NEW - not refurbed one) and so far, this one seems to be working, with epic fail of the battery, pocket dialing, and keypad disappearing the exceptions (so far). I've gotten 2 new batteries (one with the 2nd BS, one ordered from Amazon). I'm anxious to see if they have the same issue. I personally do not like touch screens for several reasons already stated here. The problem with my original Brightside was that it turned itself on/off without any sounds going off, so I'd go to use it and it would be dead. The alarm worked for 2 days only, I hadnt yet set any calendar events, so I cannot attest if that worked or not. Pocket dialing, screen lock/unlock issues, extremely sensitive touch screen, camera turning itself on and being unable to turn it off unless I took the battery out, are just a few of the issues that occurred with the 1st BS.

People tell me that on this 2nd Brightside, I'm hard to hear, lots of scratchy background - adjusting volume controls doesnt seem to help. Receiving/sending messages of any sort (voice, text, pic) seems to be a hit or miss thing as far as timely delivery - one message didnt show up on my phone for 2 days after it was sent from my contact. I cannot get the phone to do basic functions from the keyboard (texting is a nightmare - the shift button doesnt give me the 2nd set of characters, and some other crazy texting issues that show up randomly). I've not tried to connect my Bluetooth to this one yet, but will do so today and see what happens.

This 2nd Brightside is running SW/HW version u380.MB1, and when I go to update software, it tells me no update available. I presume I'm running the most current version

I've been a VZ customer for 12 years, have ALWAYS purchased Motorola cell phones with NEVER a problem of any kind. Sadly, ALL Motorola phones are now smartphones. I bought this phone because I simply refuse to pay an extra $30/mo for internet service that I do not/will not use (isnt that why we have computers?). I agree with the previous statement that consumers are being pushed to smartphones, and I have no need/want of that.

It seems this 2nd BS will likely not last long either, and I'll be stuck with it. I may actually have my old Motorola (that is 5 YEARS old) turned back on. At least it worked properly.

BSVZ

Don't buy, problem still exists. I ignored little glitches mentioned here, thought I was imagining, and now I need functions I asked for when I bought the phone; alarms, calendar, voice command coming on randomly, pocket dialing even when in hard case and much, much more.

Contact FCC and BBB. Enough.

unknown

Is anyone on this forum aware of any class actions or other formal actions that are pending or being considered against VZW and/or Samsung for these junk sets? We got saddled with three of them for our family share plan of five lines - two of our group have since gone to iPhones (another issue entirely), and one opted to return to an old LG Envy rather than continue to deal with the Brightside and its issues, leaving two of us with these little troublemakers. I just queried VZW customer service about the known issues, but only recieved a politely coy response.

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