FEELING SOMEWHAT LIKE A HOSTAGE?
Dad-Bill
Contributor - Level 1
Do you feel like you are being held hostage by samsung and verizon? From the forums that I have read about the many times froyo was promised from samsung and verizon for the fascinate, it is plain to see that many of us are ballistic that it has not been delivered! To compound the frustration, samsung and verizon have the audacity to not even let us know what month or year it will be released, if ever, or at what stage the update is at. We should not have to root our cell phones in order to have the froyo update! Tons of adjectives have described fascinate owners' feelings toward these companies. They have shown that they cannot be shamed or embarrassed into releasing the update, communicating with their customers and setting a release date. Recently there was a threat of a lawsuit and within three weeks samsung released froyo! After waiting months for the promised fascinate update it's still not ready, I don't think so! Personally I think either they have had the update ready for months or they are purposely dragging their feet and will not release it for business purposes. These companies should hire monkeys in suits to determine when updates will be released. Their pay would be miniscule, the food bill will be much less, they could be potty trained and they surely could not do any worse than the neanderthals making the froyo update decision now!
 
I don't know about you other fascinate owners but I despise being used! I am just about to the point where I will notify verizon that I have had enough of the waiting for a cell that does not perform as advertised. Even when there are updates it may fix something but then ruin something else! I have lived up to my end of the bargain. Verizon, who also represents samsung when you go to a verizon store, has not lived up to their end of the bargain! After the sale they still have an obligation to the customer which is much more than providing a signal and collecting a monthly fee. It has been very obvious that samsung and verizon have no interest in providing the froyo update to the fascinate owners.
 
Many fascinate owners on verizon's own forum have talked about the legality that samsung and verizon have toward their customers. Some say that there is not a legal case against these companies because updates are not part of the contract. What about the moral and ethical obligation with their customers? Is it ethical to hold your customers hostage while waiting for a promised update? Of course if we are not pleased with their performance we can always go elsewhere, that is after paying a hefty early termination fee to a company whose best performance is not providing to its customers. All we want is a fascinate that will perform rock solid as advertised. If we wanted a cell phone that is only good for phone calls, texting and a camera we could have saved a ton of money and got just a regular simple cell phone.
 
There is one last thin thread holding me to my contract. When that last thread breaks, I will notify verizon to cut my service. I will tell you this, if I am forced to leave verizon because of their continued incompetence, I WILL NOT reward them by paying the early termination fee! It seems the only way to get their attention is with our wallets. "Can you hear me now!?"
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crimedoggies
Specialist - Level 1

The phone does perform as advertised, it had 2.1 on it when you bought it with no promise of an upgrade. Nowhere in your contract agreement does it state that Verizon guarantees software upgrades.  Verizon is under no obligation to provide you a software upgrade. 

 

By the way, I'm sure they hear your statement to quit service without paying the ETF as well as you'll hear the collection agent that keeps calling you to collect said fee.  When the upgrade is ready, you'll have it.  Until then feel free to get it on your own if you can't wait. 

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RoxPhonyx
Newbie

Not sure I agree with you crimedoggies. Promises WERE made about the upgrade. And I'm not sure I appreciate all these Verizon employees on here talking to customers in such a curt manner as if the frustrations felt by customers are without merit.

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crimedoggies
Specialist - Level 1

RoxPhonyx wrote:

Not sure I agree with you crimedoggies. Promises WERE made about the upgrade. By whom?  And I'm not sure I appreciate all these Verizon employees on here talking to customers in such a curt manner as if the frustrations felt by customers are without merit.  I'm not an employee, I am a customer same as you.  And I'm not sure that all of us customers (me included) that come on this PEER TO PEER forum to assist people with real issues should be subjected to a million threads complaining about the same issue.  I suppose we will just have to agree to disagree.


 

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RoxPhonyx
Newbie

RoxPhonyx wrote:

Not sure I agree with you crimedoggies. Promises WERE made about the upgrade. By whom?  And I'm not sure I appreciate all these Verizon employees on here talking to customers in such a curt manner as if the frustrations felt by customers are without merit.  I'm not an employee, I am a customer same as you.  And I'm not sure that all of us customers (me included) that come on this PEER TO PEER forum to assist people with real issues should be subjected to a million threads complaining about the same issue.  I suppose we will just have to agree to disagree.

Wow, that was a bit self inflating there crimedoggies. Sorry you had to be "subjected" to such torturous feedback. If you don't like it, then don't read it you big sissy. And when you use abbreviated terms like "ETF", yeah, it kind of hints towards the possibility that you are an employee, especially when you're so adament about siding with Verizon. Aside from you though, there are posts on here by employees.

And if customers keep posting about the same issue over a long period of time, does that say more about the character of the customers or of the company? Especially if it hasn't been fixed. But I apologize if you have been inconvenienced in any way. Some of us just prefer not to be lied to when we buy something, that's all.

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PJNC284
Master - Level 2

lol.  Using ETF instead of typing out Early Termination Fee makes someone an employee? :smileyvery-happy:

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beefsmith
Newbie

yes, for those who do not know what it means, you look like an employee


PJNC284 wrote:

lol.  Using ETF instead of typing out Early Termination Fee makes someone an employee? :smileyvery-happy:


 

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crimedoggies
Specialist - Level 1

beefsmith wrote:

yes, for those who do not know what it means, you look like an employee


PJNC284 wrote:

lol.  Using ETF instead of typing out Early Termination Fee makes someone an employee? :smileyvery-happy:


 


How many people that have cell service don't know that ETF means early termintation fee???  People come on here all the time whining about contract terms, smartphone plans, ETF fees and much more.  Now I'm supposed to believe that because I used the abbreviation for ETF I'm an employee because no regular customer would know the term?  Give me a break!!!

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korfus
Newbie

HAHA, isn't that true, and from who? RoxPhonyx? Backwards isn't that Phony Rox or fake diamonds??? A wannabe, wannabe gansta?? Come on, is anyone real anymore?

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M91-30
Contributor - Level 1

first off, are you talking to/about yourself in your second post? secondly, you can always go to a verizon corperate store to get your business done. thirdly, this is not the prepaid phone section of the forum, it's the samsung fascinate section.

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beefsmith
Newbie

crimedoggies i understand your perspectives, but for those like me, who were told by both verizon and samsung that 2.2 was coming out in just a couple weeks (in september) i purchased the phone when i should have gone with htc or just another carrier alltogether. they lied to my face and took my money and are demanding money from me on a monthly basis. now why should i have to pay an upwards of $300 when they lied to me and are not keeping their end of the agreement? i shouldn't have to pay more money to get out of a contract that they messed up on. its morally and ethically wrong and i think a class action lawsuit is just what verizon needs to get up on something as ridiculously simple as a 2.2 update. is that so wrong??

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Droidbotics
Newbie

I agree, Dad-Bill but understand VZW cares more about pushing out new phones each month than maintaining there current line. They are doing similar to what Apple dose with the iphone, release the same phone every six months.BAIT AND SWITCH

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Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader
All employees of Verizon on this website will have as their titles either "Verizon Employee", "Moderator", or "Administrator". They will also have a Verizon logo as their avatar.

As a society, we have a lot of terms and names of things that we shorten to their first letters. With your logic about the Early Termination Fee (ETF), do you feel everyone works for the government if they knew what IRS, OSHA, FCC, DOT, DOL, DEA, CIA, FBI USDA, and FTC all meant?

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

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jkensing
Newbie

I would have chosen another manufacturer if I would have known that Samsung didn't support their devices with upgrades.  I could have had the Droid2 or DroidX and that's what I went in the store looking to buy.  I was told by the salesperson with Verizon that the Galaxy update would be coming any day now so I changed my mind based on the sales person information.  I am now stuck in a contract with a phone that probably would have never received the update if it weren't for the outcry.  I don't believe it was Samsung intention all along.

 

I have to ask, how can another manufacturer deliver the update and Samsung cannot?  How can new products support 2.2 or 2.3 but the Galaxy cannot?  The galaxy is basically as it was out of the box.  Shame on Samsung every time I went to show anyone the phone when I first got it I couldn't show them the GPS because it took so long to lock on.  I tend to give friends and family advise on products and so far I haven't recommended the Samsung product.  It's too bad because if testing the devise on the updated OS was a priority, it could have been worked out by now.  Afterall, It was worked out by other manufacturers.  Most users are not going to want install this themselves.  I am somewhat techy I figure things out with research but I'm not going to chance messing with my phone I use it for work.  If I mess something up then I'm to blame.

 

Everyone has a right to be upset.  For the money spent on monthly contracts,etc... products should be better supported.  If we weren't locked into a contract, would Verizon push the manufacturer harder to deliver what we want???  It's a reflection on both the carrier and manufacturer.  I don't care who is to blame their in this together.

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M91-30
Contributor - Level 1

the fasscinate does support 2.2, and it runs it very well. and samsung is no worse than htc, and many other phones with updates. STOP COMPLAINING!!

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PJNC284
Master - Level 2

 


M91-30 wrote:

 and samsung is no worse than htc, and many other phones with updates.


I wouldn't go so far as to say that.  HTC has the best reputation in providing updates in a timely manner while samsung is and always has been notoriously slow in getting out updates to their US devices. http://blogs.computerworld.com/17649/android_upgrades

 

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mdram4x4
Champion - Level 1

but it seems like samsung leaks more roms, allowing people to do what they want before its official

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kgmclean
Newbie

I had an HTC phone previously to this one, and i waited forever for the update and when the update finally came it completely ruined a perfectly good phone.  This is my personal opinion but i dont think i would go as far as saying that HTC is so much better and they absolutly will not talk to you if you have an issue with the phone they refer you to your carrier.  Again just a personal note, not that this goes for everyone.  I love my fascinate the way it is, and praying the update that comes out wont ruin it too!!

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M91-30
Contributor - Level 1

well, many people are running said update already (one of which is me), and I can assure you it's not going to ruin it.

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demmo86rt
Champion - Level 3

I realized just now that it is posts like these that have caused me to not come around here as often as I used to.  I enjoy helping people out and answering their questions, but there are way too many people coming on here, registering just to complain about something, never to be heard from again.  If you wanted a phone that would get updated at the same time as any other phone running the same OS, you should have gotten an iPhone.  Oh, right, the only reason they can all be updated at the same time is because they are ALL EXACTLY THE SAME.  The beauty of Android is that it can be tailored to each user, as well as the manufacturers.  Unfortunately, this also means that, when Google provides an update, it can't just be thrown onto any android phone out there.  Drivers have to be written/updated, UI layovers have to be updated, framework has to be modified, icon changes and color schemes have to be integrated, and then the carriers have their host of apps they place on the phone in order to fill certain contractual obligations they have.  Then, when something doesn't go just right, everybody shows up here for their one post about how the update broke their phone.  (On that note, don't forget to do a factory data reset before applying the update if/when it shows up, you will save yourself a ton of headache, wouldn't be a bad idea to backup/format your sd card either)  Granted, all that being said, Samsung is one of the worst at providing updates (do some research on the Behold II) and the fact that US carriers (not just Verizon) put so much extra crap on these phones just makes it worse.  BUT... nobody owes you an update.  The phone does work as advertised and, as much as you would like to think you can take a company as big as Verizon to court over a "he said, she said" with a salesman, you were NEVER PROMISED AN UPDATE.  The only updates that, legally, Verizon has to stick to (and I think even then they could just say "sorry, it's not going to work") are officially announced ones and that has not happened.  

 

whatever, i don't care, have fun with your "broken" phone, i've gone and gotten myself riled up again and i need to go now

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Tidbits
Legend

I have to say this...

 

People come on and be serious here.  You are all crying about an update that hasn't come yet.  Sure they promised, but they never promised WHEN.  Let them work on it, and hope they do a good enough job that it works properly and doesn't break your phone.  Sometimes waiting is a good thing.  Especially when it comes to programming.  If they rush it...  Just think of the EVO(HTC).

 

As someone mentioned here ALL manufacturers do it.  I can one device that has taken a year to update that HTC has released last year.  Slower selling devices = less support.  Motorola did it with the Cliq and the Droid which one sold more?  HTC Evo vs. The MyTouch Slide.  The Fascinate actually sold less than the Vibrant, and the Epic.  The Vibrant was their best seller and it got updated first.

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