I have encountered the S5 Echo problem that EVERYONE seems to be having. I purchased the phone on 06/17/14 to have a as a reliable business phone as I travel all over the USA for work and need a reliable cell phone at all times for work purposes. As I was moving and traveling, I didn't use the new phone for the first week, then when I arrived at the new job site a week in, I find I have the echo issue. After going to the Verizon store and waiting half an hour, the attendant there dismissed that anything was wrong by calling the number from his personal line and claiming he heard no echo. I then called from my hotel line once I was home and there WAS still an echo. Irritated already I get on Verizon and spend 20 minutes getting to a representative, who claims to have never heard anything about this issue and promptly gives me a number to call a tech line for replacement. Upon calling that line I am immediately prompted for a 5 digit code he did not give me. SO I spend another 20 minutes on the line getting a representative. We proceed to go through pulling the battery and SIM card, backing up all data, hard factory reset, AND the problem still continued as well as the call quality she was receiving from my phone was beyond poor. She informed me that the phone would likely need to be replaced and that I was on day 14 of the 14 day window for the DOA replacement with a new phone. She then transfers me to someone else to process my new phone being sent. This person then proceeds to ask that about all of the tests that we went through to get to where we determined the phone needed replaced AND then goes on to tell me that I am on day 15 because the day I bought it counted as a day and that my phone couldn't be replaced but instead could go through warranty and be replaced with a REDFURBISHED PHONE. This is completely unacceptable as I've had issues with every refurbished phone I have ever used and the entire point of having this line was to have a completely reliable phone for business and travel. I am on the edge plan for this line and do not intend on paying $XX.XX/month for a refurbished phone 15 days after buying a brand new one, with warranty, with insurance, as well as glass screen protector and case. I am told the only way I could possibly get a new phone was through the store where I bought the phone (over 1500 miles away) and that they would have to make an exception specifically for me and that this was extremely unlikely.
Is there any way out of this? Will there be a software update to fix this echo? Is this a problem with the physical phone? Am I wrong in thinking it unacceptable to be paying monthly for a refub 15 days of initial purchase in with all my precautions?
