So a little background first...this may be a little long but I got a happy ending 
1. Had a Droid Incredible but when an issue came up and I had to jump accounts and was able to choose any ohone a Verizon store rep convinced me to impulsively get the Fascinate ( I usually research phones for weeks before choosing which one I want)
2. Problems from day one included glitchy UI and constant force closes and freezes...Froyo was supposed to fix these mild issues
3. Took over 6 months for Froyo to be released to the Fascinate when we were supposed to receive it in 2 months
4. Froyo MADE EVERYTHING WORSE!!! My phone went into a constant force close/restart that no one could fix...so they sent a refurb
5. Problems with refurb after "maintenance" update was sent OTA
From then on I had the same problems everyone else was having: email issues, not receiving calls/texts, random screenshot captures, freezing in camera mode and randomly taking picks while "asleep", increased battery drain, etc. So I went into the store and was told they were aware of the issues but all the store could do was a hard rest or a refurb. So I took the refurb, hoping...
Alas that hope desintegrated today when I received my refurb and within 3 hours had missed a call from work and 2 texts from friends..not to mention a dead battery by 1pm..after not using my phone all day except to check Facebook twice 
So I decide enough is enough and call Customer Service this evening. Apologized in advance for any rudeness then proceeded to not let the rep get a wrod in edgewise till I explained these important points:
a. I am aware it is a software issue not a hardware issue; a refurbed Fascinate ain't gonna cut it
b. No I am not going to do a hard reset; I am aware this does not fix the problems
c. I have scoured the message boards and I am aware the VERIZON is aware this is an issue with multiple(understatement of the century!) Fascinate users
I was asked what I would consider a solution that would make me a happy customer...my response? I wan't a comparable phone as a replacement. I was offered the Motorola Droid X or the HTC Droid Incredible 2...I chose the Incredible 2 as I LOVED my Incredible and adore HTC phones and UI. I believe the kicker was this response from me..."I am fully aware that sofware issues are the respopnsibility of Samsung and not Verizon. However, I pay Verizon for the service to receive calls/texts and now the software has interfered with that service. It is now Verizon's responsibility. What are YOU going to do for me?"
The rep I spoke to was extremely helpful and never once claimed to not be aware of the issues with the Fascinate. In fact, he never tried to get me to do a hard reset or take another Fascinate refurb. Furthermore, he seemed eager to do whatever it took to please me and keep me a happy customer. So maybe it is the luck of the draw...or maybe it is how aggressively you state your case. Either way I am hapy to be rid of the biggest dissapointment I have ever had when it comes to phones. Samsung has lost a customer in me...Verizon I will give another chance. So guys...there is hope!
Verizon is a large company with many employees, to expect every representative to know every detail of every phone they make is not reasonable, what you ARE entitled to is the service you pay for monthly and the NEW product you purchased to work properly.
The level of satisfaction you receive is in the direct proportion to what YOU will tolerate, Verizon will NEVER implement an across the board NEW replacement or exchange for NEW COMPARABLE phone policy. So what determines what you get is directly related to YOU and what you tolerate. I wish we lived in a perfect world where everything is fair, but we don't.
So if you ALLOW Verizon to exchange your NEW phone for a USED one, that was what you let them do to you, Verizon will NEVER give you anything more than the absolute minimum they can get away with (what you allow) I am not trying to defend Verizon nor am I trying to put down those good people that settled for the minimum Verizon offered them.
I am trying to help, document your problems, be polite but unflexible when you demand satisfaction on your terms, know exactly and without hesitation exactly what will make you happy and deal with the selling end of the business, not the repair end, do not fail to walk into a crowded Verizon store and demand to speak to the store manager and speak JUST loud enough for prospective customers to be aware of your level of dissatisfaction and spell out what will make you a happy customer again, never cuss, never behave or act physically aggressive. Stand your ground politely and refuse to leave that store until the manager has agreed to your terms. Good Luck.
Verizon has the fix most likely and is either testing, or repacking it to add some more bloatware to the phone before they deliver the update. Hoping it's not the bloatware stuff.... 
In reality, I hope this fixes the problem, and I also hope something to improve the battery life is part of the update as well.
You will be lucky if they fix one issue, wishful thinking they will fix 2 or more issues...
JasonSCarter wrote:Verizon has the fix most likely and is either testing, or repacking it to add some more bloatware to the phone before they deliver the update. Hoping it's not the bloatware stuff....
In reality, I hope this fixes the problem, and I also hope something to improve the battery life is part of the update as well.
So for anyone interested I posted a new topic that goes into much more detail, but the long and short of it is apparently there has been a newly integrated policy that allows Fascinate users to get a different model and Samsung is behind it. My new post says it all but just thought I would update everyone on this post Of course take it with a grain of salt as we know how info/communication Verizon varies at customer service.
jimde wrote:I have had a similar experience with a Technical Support Coordinator at Verizonwireless. I had gone to the Verizon store and was told that, yes, I could trade in my Fascinate for any one of 3 different phones. I opted for the Samsung Charge. I was then told that it was out of stock at their warehouse and that I should contact tech support because they had access to all warehouses. I called tech support and after listening very patiently to my litany of woes with the Fascinate the Coordinator attempted to order a Charge for me. She found that the swap could only be done at the local level. She then offered the contact the local Verizon outlet to find an agent who would order the phone for me. She would call me back when she had arranged to have the order placed. 20 minutes later I received a call from her verifying that the phone was going to be ordered and to expect a call from the local agent to verify that the phone was on it's way. Received the phone yesterday.TALK ABOUT ABOVE AND BEYOND
There is one caveat to this story. The phone shipped without a SIM card. When I contacted Tech Support regarding this oversight I was told that I only needed the SIM if I were going to travel outside the US. Finally wound up at the local store to have SIM installed. New phone up and running and I love it.
A suggestion to anyone going this route: I used my digital camera to take pictures of my home pages and then, by going to Market, tapping menu and then My Apps Iwas able to get a list of all the apps I had acquired. I took page by page pictures of the list to make easier to rebuild my new phon
It is refreshing to hear about the excellent customer service you received. Be sure to let VZW corporate know about about your positive experience. No, I do not work for nor have I ever worked for VZW, but when I receive excellent CS from someone who went above and beyond, I always let their superiors know about it.