Has anyone successfully managed to get VZW to raplace Fascinate with a different phone?

[potove]

Has anyone successfully managed to get VZW to raplace Fascinate with a different phone?

If so, could you share with me on how you convinced VZW to do it?(which department?)

I love my Fascinate, but not when it can't get calls.  I would prefer to have a Fascinate with

zero problems, but that appears unlikely.   So I guess my best option is to get a different

phone(Samsung, Motorola, or others)

Thanks!

[Nikko22]

I just got off the phone with Tech Support and she offered me either Incredible HTC Droid Charger or the Mortorola 2X.  I just gave her a very specific information a phone call I missed on Saturday and said I could no longer rely on my phone what could she do for me and she offered me the new phone.

[nienie]

Yes,  You need to call Verizon using 1-800-922-0204 and ask for a tier 2 technician.  If you don't get the tier 2 then explain to the person on the phone all the problems you have had with your fascinate.  I recommend not falling for a factory reset and absolutely tell them no fascinate for replacement.  You need to not back down and if you need to fight with them.  Let Verizon know this is unacceptable to be paying for services that are not working with the phone they sold.  If you need to hang up and call again as Verizon has call center all over the US and you are bond to find someone to listen.  Bottom line is you let them know you are a paying customer,, you will not accept another fascinate as getting another fascinate does not solve the problem.  Tell them you expect a replacement phone like many others are getting- the phones offered to me were Samsung Droid Charge, HTC Incredible 2 and Motorola Droid X2.  Good Luck.  Read the forums as there is lots of good advice out there.

[hudtownman]

I successfully got a swap out of my Fascinate with a Droid Incredible 2. 

I private messaged VZW agents on these forums the following message and through the course of 3-5 days I successfully was granted an expception and allowed to swap out my device (with no contract extension or upgrade eligiblity extenstion). This was after several phone calls and numberous wasted hours trying to convince them the Fascinate was not a good phone. 

If I have been rude in any way during this message, I sincerely apologize, I did not mean it. I am a frsutrated owner of a bad piece of electronics. I am aware it is not VZW's fault, but I think you need to stand beind the phones you sell and rectify situations that are bad. 

I am a Samsung Fascinate owner and to say the least this phone has been the biggest source of frustration I have ever had to endur in the 20+ years I have owned a cellular phone. 

The have been number rous issues with my original phone and the replacement (certified replacement) phone I have gotten. These issues include, but are not limited to:

1. glitchy UI

2. constant forecloses and freezes

3 auto reboots 

4. inoperable phone for 20 - 30 minutes at a time. Can't access apps, can't make calls, can't send texts, phone is useless to me.

5. not receiving calls/texts

6. missing voicemails

7. increased battery drain

8. random flickering of screen lights while using the phone.

Now I have performed the following steps at the suggestion of VZW tech support on both my orginal phone an replacement phone

1. Hard resets, factory resets 

2. Soft resets,

3. Clear cache on the phone

4. Removing apps 

5. Updating roaming capabilities 

After all these issues and all the suggestion on fixes, the phone still performs poorly and is not a reliable phone at all. Like I stated previously i am beyond frustrated. 

I am aware these problems are software issues not a hardware issue; a refurbed Fascinate will not correct them. Hard resets do not fix the problems. I have scoured the message boards on this website (VZW forums) and I am aware the VERIZON is aware of all these issues with multiple Fascinate users.

I am asking to be allowed to swap my Fascinate for another, DIFFERENT model of phone. I am fine if that is a refurb, as long as it is a DIFFERENT model of phone and not a Fascinate. I know this is possible because users on your very own forum are stating it has been done. I am asking it be done in my case

Best thing I can say is stick to it....sitck to you guns and don't back down and don't be allowed to think there is afix when there is not. 

[crshinn]

I got them to swap my Fascinate for a Droid Incredible 2.  I LOVE it, especially after the upgrade to Gingerbread this week. 

[jayrod32]

Just got off the phone with Tech Support.  First they said that their policy is to send me another Fascinate first before replacing it with another phone.  I told them it was unacceptable because it's a KNOWN SOFTWARE PROBLEM...not a hardware problem.  I then went on to say that I have a 1 year old, god forbid something was to happen and my wife couldn't get through to me because they sent me a phone with the same faulty software....I can't take that chance.....ESPECIALLY because this is a known problem.

She then came on the phone and said that she has a 2 year old of her own and understands completely how unacceptable that would be if she was in my shoes.

I was then told that if I wanted the Incredible 2 or the Droid X2.....that I can order them while on the phone with her.  If I wanted the Droid Charge....i'd have to go to a Verizon Wireless store and order it through them (for whatever reason).

However....I do want the Charge so she said left a note on my account for the store to see when they punch up my info on their computers.  I'm too busy tomorrow to hit the store.....so i'm going Saturday.  Wish me luck....hahaha.  I'll come back and let you all know how it went.

[suzigirl]

I spoke with Tech Support earlier this evening and confirmed that yes we can get one of the 3 phones mentioned in previous posts.  I decided on the Droid X2 for myself, since I don't need 4G but I DO need a phone that'll pull a better signal than Samsung.  Motorola is known for solid signal, especially in my area.  I didn't like the way the Incredible 2 navigated so I eliminated that one almost immediately.

Incidentally, after I made my decision, I was talking with my sister-in-law who is going through some issues right now, and even though I had a signal of about -101 the call dropped!  I called her back and apologized, and while talking to her again I got a beeping noise as if the battery was quite low.  I ran to get my charger and plugged it in...battery was still at 30%.  THEN, I got a notification that I had 2 new e-mails, and when I checked, there weren't any!  I'm glad I'm getting a different phone, this is crazy.

Best wishes for the rest of you folks! 

Suzigirl

[suzigirl]

By the way, if you go to the message boards for the Charge, you'll see an ongoing issue with 3G disconnecting and folks losing service.  I saw very little problems on the X2 forums, at least that would bother me.  4G isn't coming to my area for at least 6 months to a year either so I'm staying away from the Charge.

[ZipZap]

Can someone from from Verizon please respond to the following question.

I purchased my Fascinate new from a well known reputable online e-tailer.  Does this replacement offer apply to customers who did not buy their Fascinate from a Verizon Wireless corporate store or through the verionwireless.com website?

Thank you.

[geomimi]

Can someone from from Verizon please respond to the following question.

I purchased my Fascinate new from a well known reputable online re-tailer.  Does this replacement offer apply to customers who did not buy their Fascinate from a Verizon Wireless corporate store or through the verionwireless.com website?

Thank you.

[indianafanatic]

Ye, it does.  The problem occuring on Fascinates across the board after the Froyo update - It's not something that's just wrong with your  phone.

[wardcst24]

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indianafanatic wrote:

Ye, it does.  The problem occuring on Fascinates across the board after the Froyo update - It's not something that's just wrong with your  phone.

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I thought that also

But I bought my son won off eBay it has a build date of  3/11 it is on ed04 and I can not get it to miss calls

Mine with a build date of 9/10 are  junk I have had two with this build date and they miss calls after the hour sitting Idle

My sons will not miss calls period  let it sit all night and it still rings

I thought it was all software but I am not sure anymore

This also make's me understand why it is so hard for them to fix  It can only be reproduced on some phones

[Trishthedish]

I bought my fascinate at an electronic retailer, not from Verizxon and they still replaced it for me.  That did not seem to be an issue at all.

[Trishthedish]

Yes.  I had mine replace yesterday, although it wasn't a go in and show them you have a Fascinate and they give you a new phone process. You have to be persistent.

First a bit of background of the problems I was having since the upgrade:  Terrible battery life, touch screen not responding, losing calls because screen wouldn't work, among other things.

I went into a Verizon Store, as I was told that they can't replace them over the phone.  You have to go to a store.  The guy that was helping me first told me that I needed a second battery for this phone because they were known to have issues with battery life.  I reiterated that I didn't have the problem until after the upgrade. He then said that he would need to physically see the phone not responding to touch and not answering a call...I explained that it was very random and that it didn't happen all the time...he called my phone.  It worked that time.  I assured him that I could leave the phone and that it would happen and that the battery would be dead in a few hours with virtually no use. 

I then shared with him that it was a known issue that there are problems with this phone.  This perked him up a bit and he said that he would have to check with his "technical team".  He left and came back about 30 seconds later and said that yes, I was correct and that they weren't replacing the Fascinates with another Fascinate because of all of the problems that were occurring, but that I could choose a Samsung Charge, a Motorola Droid X2, or a HTC Incredible.  I originally chose the Charge, but they didn't have any (they have to order any of the phones that you choose, they aren't in the stores), so I went with the Motorola Droid X2. 

In the end, I had to be persistent, but I was able to get my problem solved.  Good luck.

[indianafanatic]

Well, I was all set to set a replacement Droid Charge last night, but my local store didn't have any in stock until their shipment arrived after hours.  I decided to try the store close to my work today after first  calling to make sure they had the Charge in stock (yes, they did).  That's where my optimism ended...

Karen {edited for privacy} (sp?) was the person to assist me at the College Park Verizon Wireless store located at 3269 West 86th Street, Indianapolis IN 46268.   She immediately told me that I didn't have any lines on the account to upgrade.  I told her that I wasn't upgrading, I was merely getting a pone to replacement my ill-functioning Fascinate and that I had already spoken with tech support several times and that the swap was approved as a "fix" for my Fascinate.

She asked what was wrong with my phone and I told her about the poor battery life and missed calls.  She took my phone, looked through the list of apps, through the running services and was "kind enough" to show me what I already knew was was running in the background. 

Karen_VZW: "With these phones, you can't expect to get more than 5 hours out of the battery - that's just unrealistic.  I don't know what you were told or by who, but the only thing I could possibly do is replace your phone with a certified used Fascinate."

Me: "If you could just pull my account up, you should see that I've already been through all the possible remedies, discussed the epidemic problems with the Fascinate and see that I've been approved to replace my Fascinate with the Droid Charge?"

Karen_VZW: "I'm sorry, but I don't need to look at your account to know that I can't think about giving you anything other than a recertified Fascinate.  You are expecting too much from this phone and need to learn what it won't do."

SERIOUSLY?!? 

This lady is telling me what my phone can and can't do when she couldn't even find the power button to turn on the screen? 

This lady is telling me that I shouldn't expect more than 6 hours of battery life on a phone that explicitly touts 5 hours and 50 minutes of talk time and I can't even get 6 hours out of the battery when I'm only using it maybe 1.5 hours?

This lady is telling me that missed calls isn't a valid reason to want/get a new phone?

This lady is telling me that it doesn't matter if all the other Fascinates have the exact same problem - I can't get a different phone?

This lady is telling me that even though Verizon has stopped selling the Fascinate that my only option is getting another one?

My apologies to the other Fascinate owners who have read this rant because I'm aware that many of you have encountered this same "assistance" from Karen's at your stores.  My wish and reason for posting this is to state my case on Verizon's forum so that it's on record and, should they feel the need to re-train some less-than-helpful store staff, they know who to sign up first.

I am going back to my "home" Verizon store to try this again, now that I know they have Charges in stock.  Should I encounter the same or similar service there, I apologize in advance to whomever answers the tech support call when I walk out...

/rant

[NRR]

I was (after multiple calls and hours on end on the phone with every level on up at Verizon) finally able to get a rep to agree to replace my 3rd Fascinate phone with a Droid X2.  Just got it 2 days ago and is working beautifully. 

I also had recently filed a complaint with our state's attorney general and in relation to this complaint received a call from an upper level exec at corporate Verizon yesterday.  I was able to get reimbursed for the battery and back cover I had to purchase for the Droid X2 as well as get them to credit our account for one month's service due to my concerns with missed calls/missed texts/phone freezing and having to go throught the hastle of activating, using and subsequently sending back 6 different Fascinates (3 each for my and my husband's lines).

It wasn't everything I hoped to achieve with them but I was, quite honestly completely shocked and taken aback with their call to me and as a result my brain was scrambling a bit!

Sadly, it seems as though you need to keep trying until you get a compassionate rep who is willing to offer a different phone.  I wish each of you success as you continue to get what you are entitled to!!

[nickjr]

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NRR wrote:

I was (after multiple calls and hours on end on the phone with every level on up at Verizon) finally able to get a rep to agree to replace my 3rd Fascinate phone with a Droid X2.  Just got it 2 days ago and is working beautifully. 

I also had recently filed a complaint with our state's attorney general and in relation to this complaint received a call from an upper level exec at corporate Verizon yesterday.  I was able to get reimbursed for the battery and back cover I had to purchase for the Droid X2 as well as get them to credit our account for one month's service due to my concerns with missed calls/missed texts/phone freezing and having to go throught the hastle of activating, using and subsequently sending back 6 different Fascinates (3 each for my and my husband's lines).

It wasn't everything I hoped to achieve with them but I was, quite honestly completely shocked and taken aback with their call to me and as a result my brain was scrambling a bit!

Sadly, it seems as though you need to keep trying until you get a compassionate rep who is willing to offer a different phone.  I wish each of you success as you continue to get what you are entitled to!!

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I guess it was a repo, not a new one phone, I have been hearing the phones they are replacing are repo phones..

[NRR]

Yes, the Droid X2 sent to me is a certified pre-owned model, but I can tell you that at least I now get calls and texts without fail, my screen no longer freezes up and I can go a whole day or more before I need to charge the battery.  That's 100% more than my faulty Fascinate (which was new) was providing me!

[geomimi]

Has anyone tried to contact Samsung and get a Charge as a replacement?

[geomimi]

Can I call Samsung and have my Fascinate replaced with the Droid Charge since not all Verizon stores are allowing the swap?

[wardcst24]

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geomimi wrote:

Can I call Samsung and have my Fascinate replaced with the Droid Charge since not all Verizon stores are allowing the swap?

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If you have about three months and want to send it to them 6 times You may get one

That is how long I had to deal with Samsung

VZW must be Strong arming Samsung on this one

Samsung's Policy is same phone or one of lesser value (Gem or Continuim) and trust me they are more than happy to have you keep sending it in for them to put the broken software back on and send it back to you

But it is worth a try maybe you will have different results