Broken DROID and no replacement: So disappointed... anyone have guidance

[mdaubman]

Here is what's happened:

1) Droid stopped working

2) Customer support was great and sent refurbished replacement

3) Replacement regular mic not workin (only speakerphone).  Tried factory reset and still broken.

4) Calls to customer support now say there are no replacement droids but we can get phones that are NOT as good as the droid (LG ally as an example).  Screens are smaller, features different, quality worse and in ALL cases these phones would have cost me a LOT less to buy originally.

So, I'm suck with a phone that doesn't work right.  I've offered to pay extra and get the Droid X but of course, they say no because I'm not at the end of my contract.  I'm so disappointed and lost on what to do here.  I have a 2 year contract because I bought a DROID.  Now I'm stuck in a contract and they want to give me other than a droid. I'm sure fine print protects Verizon, but this sure feels like breach of contract... and just not moral or fair.  Any help? 

Michael

[Nilrac412]

Michael,

I am in the same boat as you, I extremely disappointed in Verizon's handling of the situation in not telling Customers they are phasing their phones out for the upcoming Motorola Droid 2, but instead leaving us hanging say we'll let you know when a replacement comes in, or allowing to swap for much larger downgrades. Asurion however is going to be offering replacements of the Droid X and INcredile as equivalents for the Droid!

[mdaubman]

I'm trying to figure out if I have any options.  I guess taking my contract to my lawyer is a good first step but I'm just hoping Verizon "steps" up and offers a fair deal.

[Nilrac412]

It seems our only options are take the downgrade and sit on our hands and hope we get a new Droid, the Incredible and X are on back order until August unforunately . I feel like Verizon is dropping the ball big time...

[mdaubman]

Does verizon monitor these boards?  I'd think they would be eager to fix a problem that seems to be getting larger every day.  I've been a long time Verizon customer and I'm starting to warn others of this unfair behavior (on this board and others).  I'm surprised Verizon isn't trying to "make it right".

Michael

[PJNC284]

There's talk that Assurion may be offering the Incredible and Droid X as replacements later this summer.  Guess we'll have to wait and see what they do and if Verizon follows.  I'll have to make a note not to let my droid fall out of my pocket and face plant on the asphalt anymore.  **bleep** running shorts and shallow pockets.  I've not used the holster twice and it's fallen out twice. lol End result is a nice little crack across the search and home keys.  

[bkfist]

Actually, I would contact your State Attorney Generals office and file a consumer protection complaint with them.  That particular state office has the power to prevent a corporation from doing business in your state.  Companies WILL pay attention when they receive a letter from an Attorney General's office.  Plus, there is no charge to you.

I don't think the AG's office would flinch at the fact you took a "lesser" phone temporarily as you "had to" to get a working phone, since you were required to pay your contract regardless of whether or not you had a phone.

[mjyawn]

Same here on my 3rd one we should go to the FCC and BBB and file compliants!!! Let me know if yall are with me.

[sranger]

If your phone is still under warrantee, I suspect that you can cancel your contract ( without penality ) if they can not provide you with an equivalant replacement.  Of course they have a lot of lawyers and may fight you on this.  ( I am sure this is covered in their fine print some where )  I think a complaint with BBB is a good option if Verizon refuses to help...  I would personally not accept an inferior phone....

However, on a realistic note, you can probably find a workign Droid somewhere on Ebay, Crigs list, ect... for a reasonalbe price if you just want to get a working phone and put the issue behind you....

It is sad, but Verizon does seem to not care about you as a customer once you sign the two year contract......  My experiance with their customer service has been horrable....

[Cobjones]

I am on my 4th, and they said they will continue to send out refurbs. There will be a lot for a while. They might stop building them new, but they will refurb for a while. If I have to take back another one I will throw a sh*tstorm.

[rickwhoo]

I would just keep calling until they give you a droid that works or give you an incredible or x. Keep calling, it will work out in the end. Be persistant, works for me everytime.

[mjyawn]

Yeppers the squeaky wheel gets the grease!!! I am in the same boat verizon said they will let me know something today. I don't have a lot of faith in them though. One thing for sure I am not going away quitely!!!

[JesusJimenez]

I'm guessing that when the droid 2 comes out, they will stop/selling/replacing the droid 1. Therefore, if your old droid is broken and you have the warranty, they will send you the Droid 2 as a replacement! This is just a thought!  

[Cobjones]

Let us know how it goes

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, I think Verizon has a leg to stand on here.  The Droid and the Ally have very similar tech specs, and although the Ally has a lower initial purchase price, that's to be expected given that the Droid's price was set 2 years ago.  It says right in your contract that they can offer you an "similar or equivalent" device if an exact replacement isn't available, and both Assurion and Verizon include this language in their contracts for warranty and insurance coverage.

On the other hand, the Incredible and X are major hardware upgrades compared to the original Droid, and they are also substantially different in form factor (lacking a physical keyboard).  Just because you're unlucky with phones doesn't entitle you to a free upgrade, or everyone would be deliberately dropping their old Droids out of their pockets to get one too.

[rickwhoo]

LG ally is no wheres close to moto droid. Assurian and verizon will give you an Inc or X eventually. I have seen it done.

[Anonymous]

Look at the spec sheet, in terms of internal components, the only major difference is the lack of a dedicated GPU, and given that the Droid was released 2 years ago, it seems like a pretty equivalent device.  Identical? No, but the Droid is closer in form, function and capability to the Ally than it is to the Incredible or the X.

If Assurion wants to give people free upgrades for breaking their phones though, that's on them, but no one is entitled to that by their contract.  As soon as they start doing it you'd be **bleep** NOT to drop your phone in a pool.  Which, of course, is why they don't usually offer BETTER quality phones as replacements.

[PJNC284]

Played with the Ally the other day while waiting to look at the Droid X and was impressed.  As said above, it's definitely a lot more comparable to the Droid than the Droid is to the Incredible or Droid X.

[rickwhoo]

The droid has been out for less than a year, No way does the ally compare with the Droid, you dont know what your talking about.

[PJNC284]

Your point would be?  The Ally is newer than the Droid.  If I were in the market and wasn't into modding my phone, the Ally would've been my choice for a full qwerty Android smartphone.  Keyboard? Ally wins.  Ease of Answering calls? Ally wins.  Processing speed? Slight favor to the omap in the droid even though the ally is clocked faster.  Camera? Push.  Resolution/Screensize? Droid

http://www.wirefly.com/learn/resources/cell-phone-comparison/lg-ally-vs-motorola-droid/

[Cobjones]

@spottedcatfish

The ally isn't anywhere close. The gpu is reason enough against it. The contract promises service in effect for paying a monthly bill. Them subsidizing the cost is part of the contract. If I bought the phone outright it is different (hence no contract with outright purchase). That is reason enough in a court case if need be. Don't be a tool and defend these practices, you could have this problem any day.