October 1st, 2008LG Rumor Not Charging – Warranty Not Honored
A Geldpress reader – let’s call him “Mr. B.” – provided the information for this piece. Mr. B. has been a loyal Sprint customer for over 10 years, and currently has a family plan with five handsets and an average bill of over $200 per month. Approximately 6 months ago, he upgraded one phone to the LG Rumor, otherwise known as the LG Rubbish. Sprint’s currently advertises a buy one get one free special on the LG Rubbish, and based on the accounts from Mr B and countless others, you will certainly need a second one after the imminent failure of the first. But if your second free Rumor Rubbish goes bad, neither Sprint nor LG will honor the warranties they provided.
The warranty is near the end of the user’s manual for the LG Rumor Rubbish. It clearly states that:
The limited warranty for the unit and enclosed accessories shall be a period of one (1) year from the date of original purchase.
But just like any other warranty, it lists specific limitations, such as “Defects or damage resulting from use of the product in other than its normal and customary manner”. Mr. B. was never concerned about these limitations because he took good care of his phone, and had faith that either Sprint or LG would take care of any problems, especially within the one year stated warranty period.
The exact problem Mr. B. had with his problem is very similar to the problem reported by countless other Rumor buyers. The phone simply lost its ability to charge. He first tried a second charger, and when that didn’t work, he took it back to the Sprint store. Mr. B. did not have the Sprint equipment protection plan on his account, but he was assured by Sprint that it was no problem. The equipment protection plan would have allowed Sprint to give him a new phone on the spot, with no questions asked. But nonetheless, the phone was still under warranty, and LG was responsible for either fixing it or replacing it.
Mr. B. requested a return authorization number from the LG service center (Wireless Operations), and shipped the phone to their service center for repair. Approximately 2 weeks later, the same phone was returned to him, unrepaired and unreplaced, and with virtually no explanation. A short note on the repair invoice simply stated “This phone is being returned as is: Un-repairable“. Mr. B.’s natural instinct was shock and dismay, and he called the service center for an explanation. They stated that the charging pins on the main circuit board had fallen off, and it would have cost them more to repair it then to replace it. Mr. B. stated that he did not care how much it cost them because he had a warranty, and they needed to honor it. The LG service representative just kept insisting that they could not help him, and that they would not honor the warranty.
Mr. B. was truly perplexed, dismayed, and shocked, but there was nothing he could do about it. Both Sprint and LG Electronics are enduring severe financial struggles. Warranty service is undoubtedly very costly, but the solution of not honoring warranties that Sprint and LG are pursuing is bound to end in tragedy for both.
Do you have a broken LG Rumor? Complaint about LG warranty service? State your gripes in the comments below. And if you have been denied warranty service from LG, you can submit your Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaint here:
Also from Geldpress:
October 1st, 2008 at 11:27 am
Similar problems and similar customer service experience…
http://www.phonenews.com/not-a-rumor-the-lg-rumor-has-issues-2505/
October 1st, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Well I guess should consider myself lucky because I happen to have the Rumor phone. I even think it’s been a year since I’ve bought it, and it still functions/charges. Now I’m sure that the charging ability of the battery is going to decrease at a nearly exponential rate with in the next year, but hey at least it still works. On the upside I would be qualified to get another (discounted) phone from Sprint in another 6 months. However due to the issues that I’ve had to endure on their part such as problems with their website, and billing. I think I’m going to start looking at other carriers for a better deal. Hell I might even go for the Jesus Phone. If it comes down in price or a new model is released a year from now.
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I also had one of the Rumor’s but it was constantly giving me problems. The phone would lock up constantly and I would have to remove the battery and reinsert it just to wake it up from the dead. Then after a few months it also just stopped charging so I just bought a new phone. I didnt want to bother with getting it fixed under warranty, and based on your story, they probably would not have done anything about it anyway. Im done with LG!
October 12th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Charging problems with the LG Rumor?…Count me in. I’ve had the phone for 4 months and the smiling sales rep at spint says he heard that its a problem. Ha Ha. Sprint won’t do anthing! wow, what a way to treat a loyal (but waivering) longtime customer.
Do I smell a class action suit?
October 13th, 2008 at 10:37 am
[...] Many people are complaining about this same thing. Apparently it is an LG DESIGN DEFECT where one of the charging pins on the main board breaks off. LG offers a 1 year warranty on the LG Rumor, but according to other people they are REFUSING to honor their warranty commitments. I suggest filing an FTC complaint against LG if this is the case for you. For more info: LG Rumor not charging – warranty not honored | Geldpress [...]
October 19th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I actually have Alltel’s version of the Rumor, the Scoop, and my phone charges great! But…
My screen is on crack, seriously
When I open the keyboard up the picture either distorts, flips backwards, or turns white, and I can’t see anything!
At first it only happened occasionaly, but now my screen is spazzy more than it works!
I’ve heard of many others with the same problem.
Two of my friends had the Rumor and had to exchange it for a new one at the Sprint store, who willingly gave them the new phone.
I’m just really dissapointed in a phone that I used to love.
(oh, and since the 1st week i got it the keyboard LAGS tremendously when I open it and try to type!)
October 21st, 2008 at 1:52 pm
In the 4 months I’ve had the LG Rubbish (like the name) with sprint I’ve had to replace my phone atleast 5 times because of a problem with the software (which LG admitted to.) and yet still sprint will not give me a new model. saying i have to pay full price for any phone i want. i have a friend who is a store manager and she advised me to call retention and convince them that if i did not recieve a new model i would quit. so i did. i called retention and got nothing but i big fat no. it even went so far up the chain my call went to escelation. (last step before quitting [so they say]) the jerk who took my call stated that they were a buisness, and if they went around giving away free phones (all i wanted was a discount on the Instinct) they wouldnt make any money. which makes no sense what so ever. because by choosing to deal with their crap im giving them over $3000 in the 2 years im going to have the contract. which makes more sense buisness-wise, $3000 because you gave someone $200 off a $450 phone? or nothing. sadly he chose nothing. i did not quit, but im now trying to get the Samsung Rant, which is very much like the Rubbish. but, unlike the Rubbish, the Rant is still featured on the manufacturers website. LG took the phone off their own website! what does that tell you but that the phone is rubbish? honestly, this is getting out of hand. sprint just needs to give up on this one. verizon even has a discount for sprint users who switch to them! i guess sprint would rather watch its costomers (sc?) leave and lose money than get rid of the phone.
November 21st, 2008 at 4:37 pm
You people are really something. You have an issue with your phone(newsflash: EVERY PHONE HAS ITS ISSUES) and because Sprint/LG wont bend right over and kiss your asses, you start bad mouthing both Sprint and LG. You also gotta love the ones who, like a spoiled child, if they don’t get their way, they threaten to leave. This is precisely why retentions is now tightening the rope. It’s mighty funny that I have had my Rumor since it was released and have yet to have one single issue with it. It’s certainly not my favorite phone of all time, but for the price it works fine. Including charging and holding a charge. I also know of at least 4 other people with this phone who also have no issues.
November 21st, 2008 at 10:40 pm
I would agree that no phone is perfect. Consumers make choices based on their personal evaluations of the positives and negatives. But issues is an entirely different story, especially when companies blatantly disregard the very legally binding warranties that they claim to provide. A one year warranty means that a company should repair or replace the device if it is found defective within one year. In the case of LG, they have clearly violated the terms of their warranty. Perhaps they know that the average consumer does not have the time or money to fight them. Consumers do not expect companies to “bend over…”; they just expect that the warranty services they are promised when they buy the products will be honored in the event of a product failure. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. LG has failed that mission.
November 22nd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I was in kind of a weird mood last night when I posted that, so it came off a bit harsh, my apologies. I guess my point was that I see a lot of people (not necessarily pointing to you) have an issue with a particular function or feature of a phone (or any device for that matter) and suddenly that device and/or brand name is a POS. I see it quite frequently and it’s kind of humours and kind of sad at the same time. However, in your instance, I can see how you have a big issue with the way LG and/or Sprint have handled the situation.
November 25th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I got the LG Rubbish here in Calgary, AB, Canada. Phone wouldnt charge. Sent it out. It was returned unrepaired and a potential bill exceeding the original purchase price of the phone. Driving to BC where their service center is and bitch slapping every one, Royal Rumble style!!!!
November 26th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I have the same issue with the rumor phone I bought. It will not charge up. Something is inherently wrong with the charger port. Some sort of manufacturers defect. My phone is only 8 mos old. Sprint knows of the problem and will do nothing about it. It is time for companies to be held accountable for anything they sell. Interesting how you can buy the phone from Sprint and buy the service plan but then when it comes times for questions they want no part of it. I have not heard from LG yet. But I will let you know.
December 16th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
My daughter also has the LG Rumor. When she opens the keyboard up the picture either distorts, flips backwards, or turns white, and I can’t see anything! Sprint has willingly requested a replacement phone but has admitted this is a design flaw and there is a wire that is continuously being rubbed when it is opened and closed.
December 25th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
hm…i’m starting to have charging issues with my phone and now i’m scared to give it to them and waste my money and time on postage if they aren’t going to fix it
December 26th, 2008 at 9:23 am
They will fix. I sent mine in and they sent another back. Very quick. you still have to call them.
December 26th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Im glad they fixed at least one of them. But I do have access to documents directly from the LG service center showing their blatant refusal to honor their product warranties. And after calling LG, their response was “it costs us to much money to repair, so we are not going to do it”. The exact same stupid remark was made repeatedly by multiple LG representatives.
December 26th, 2008 at 10:58 am
I sent mine back to them in the original box with receipts. I’m with you though… any hesitation on their part and I would have written letters to bbb and cc’d to all their corp leaders. It would have been a mission..
January 3rd, 2009 at 4:22 pm
It’s not that his warranty was not honored… Sprint is not the manufacturer of the devices and clearly states that any warranty is the responsability of the manufactuer (LG) LG issues a 1 year warranty against defect and must be contacted directly to have a warranty claim done. Sprint is simply the retailer, and beyond the 30 day exchane policy, does not warrant the device against any defect. Sprint does however, offer an equipment service plan for $4 a month that will cover this type of problem. So Mr. B needs to get a little better informed..
January 3rd, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Mr. B in fact did take up his case directly with LG. When LG refused his warranty service, he called sprint to let them know that their preferred vendor was not honoring their customers warranties.
You are right, Mr. V. The warranty obligation was the responsibility of LG, and not Sprint. But on the other hand, if Sprint has been presented with solid evidence that their customers are being intentionally ripped off by one of Sprint’s preferred vendors, then Sprint has 2 options: 1) ignore it, or 2) tell their vendors they need to honor their obligation or Sprint will chose another vendor (Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, etc)
Unfortunately, Sprint chose option 1 in this case. And judging by Sprints massive customer defections, it is probably safe to assume that Sprint chose option 1 with every other case.
January 6th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
My phone started to stop working after about 2 months after i got it and then for about 2 weeks it would charge if i had it stading up but after that it just stopped working period. I sent it away knowing that it wasnt me that caused this problem i treated the phone has if it were a million dollars it was never out of my sight i didnt abuse it the only thing i did was text and i may have called 2 people, no more then 5. I got an email that said the part that needs to be replaced was the heart of the phone and is 150$ to replace the phone it self is only 129$. The company probably knew this would happen and is trying to get a profit out of it.Because they know that people would rather pay money to fix it then listen to them and not have their phone in their hand. It really upsets me when companies that can afford to fix the product dont care dont honor their comittment. It really isnt fair you but your faith in thier company and then they throw you under the bus. My phone is not with sprint it is with virgin mobile and they are suppose to be one of the best phone company out there and i believe it is not virgin mobile nor sprint it is the person who made this product LG(life’s good)not with their phones.Even if someone got it fixed (resoldered i was told that that needs to be done)what is stopping it from happening again?
January 12th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Honey, this phone is garbage! I have had to pay for a replacement because the phone would not charge unless I propped it a certain way. Eventually it just stopped charging period and the port was so damaged that when I had to pay for a new phone, they could not transfer any info from the old phone because the machine that they use to do the transfer has to be plugged into that particular port. I did not have the phone a whole year and I have only had my replacement for a short time and willnot even bore you the mere details of how many chargers I have had to purchase. As a matter of fact, I am trying to buy another one and every store around here is out of them so they are supposedly ordering more. I am not tripping on the fact that the phone locks up, my ringer stops working, I go to one number in my contacts list and it dials another or any of the other malfunctions. My main concern is the charging of this phone and the way Sprint treats it as NO BIG DEAL. I was even told by one rep (when my first one went out)that his son has the same phone and has had it for quite some time and has had no problems. I was trying to figure out what that had to do with the price of tea in china!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It seemed to me like he was trying to make the issue out to be my fault when that was clearly not the case. And if his son HAD been having problems, it would be no big thing since his butthole of a father worked for Sprint…It is way past time to switch carriers because even when you have insurance on your phone, Sprint gives you the RUN AROUND about honoring it.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
My daughter’s Rumor will no longer charge, it’s about 5 mons old. Sprint told her it would be cheaper to buy a new phone. I wondered why they didn’t tell her to send it to LG since it’s still under warranty. After reading the comments here I see why.
January 19th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Yes don’t let them get away with it if you decide to get a new phone dont go with lg there have been to many items not covered under warranty.
January 26th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
I got a Rumor when it 1st came out. I loved the phone, great to text with, did exactly what I bought it for. Never had any probs with it, battery, screen, or other! I have found that if you take care of anything electronic it will usually last longer1 I would be very interested to find out how many of these issues might very well be the abuse the phone had to endure while in the hands of particular owners! I know the whole entire time I had my Rumor, I maybe had to take the battery out 2-3 times to reset it from freezing up. I now have a BlackBerry Curve, but my Rumor is still my alarm clock every morning, still fully charges, and stays charged for 2-3 days, just like it did the day I bought it!
But, then again I took care of it! And, of course you are always going to have defective electronics off the line, but that is usually a “1 off” situation. I even have a good friend who is a service tech @ a Sprint store and I asked her about the problems I read about on this page. She said that most of the time she has dealt with this issue, the charging port on the phone has been tampered with! So instead of bring the phone in as soon as a problem started the owner tried to “jerry rig” the charger cable in order to fix it, which is only going to end up making the problem worse!!!
But, my bottom line is I have had a Rumor for nearly 2 years, and although it is not an active cell phone any more, it still works like the day I bought it and will hold a charge, but again, I also took good care of it when it was my cell phone!!!!!!!!!!
January 26th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I had the same experience as Reb. The rumor stopped charging, and even though it was still under warranty, Sprint told me to just buy a new one. They must have known that LG has been derelict in their responsibilities to honor the warranties.
The response from Mark seems completely bogus. He must work for LG in the public relations department. Hint for LG: Stop wasting money on BS public relations campaigns and spend the money on FIXING your faulty products for your customers.
February 17th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Just today my LG Rumor has started to refuse to charge, the only method I have of doing it is holding it very forcefully against my chest at an odd angle for an hour. I’m attempting to reach both U.S. Cellular(Only company around where I live), and plan to contact LG if they can’t help, but after reading this, I greatly doubt it will make a difference. This is very odd to me b/c I’ve only had the phone for 2 months and have treated it perfectly, never dropped it or had any physical damage except for a small scratch across the screen. I’m hoping that that they will actually honour the warranty…
February 17th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Lucy, please let us know if LG refuses to honor the warranty, which I suspect they will. Most likely, they will give you a return authorization number without putting up a fight. But several weeks later, they tend to return the phone un repaired and with a simple note saying “RETURNED AS IS”, and no explanation. If that is the case with you, please remember to use the link on the article to file an FTC complaint.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:00 pm
i am on my second rumor currently. first one stopped charging after about 7 months. i got a new one in november and it has stopped charging again. i have not dropped the phone, i havent mistreated it in any way. The first time, i went to sprint and talked to a very nice lady who helped me out and got me a new one…i didnt even have the insurance plan at the time, but my mom advised me to get it at that time so i did. Now here it is…three months later. the phone is still in perfect condition as i keep it safely inside of a case with a plastic cover over the screen…but it refuses to charge. I am planning a trip to sprint in the next day or two and i am hoping that the insurance ive been paying will not have been a waste. im hoping they will give me a new phone, preferably a different model, but we shall see. i will post more later and let you all know
February 24th, 2009 at 4:57 am
Brittany, It is my experience that Sprint will replace broken phones that had the PAID INSURANCE in place, so you should not worry. The real issue, however, is that the insurance is supposed to be SUPPLEMENTAL, for things not covered under the LG manufacturer warranty. But in reality, LG has BLATANTLY REFUSED to honor any warranties. If you do not pay for the extra insurance, you are out of luck – at least with LG.
March 6th, 2009 at 7:59 am
I have the same story of my daughters “rubbish”(rumor) not taking a charge. My wife is now sharing hers. Atleast until it does the same thing. I guess I’ll have to use the 4 year old phone from the back of the closet until the 2 year contract runs out. They thought that out pretty good. Phone that will work for 12 mos. on a 24 month contract. Make money. No brainer. We just don’t know when we are being had.
March 8th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Well, here’s the latest. We bought 3 of these phones last October. We also covered all three phones with Sprint’s equipment protection plan ($7 per month, per phone). One of the phones almost immediately stopped charging. Sprint replaced it with no problem. In February, a second one stopped charging. Although this phone is equally covered under the EPP, Sprint refused to replace it. Their words were, “We’ve decided that all you people are breaking your charging connection by talking on the phone and swinging it around while you’re charging it.” Well, heck yeah, I bounce my phone off the wall while I’m charging it–doesn’t everyone? Actually, no one here uses the phones very often while they’re charging. But even if we did talk with them plugged in, doesn’t that fall under normal use?
So, Sprint will no longer honor their insurance plan on these phones. I have been burned before by manufacturers refusing to honor their warranty. But I am very angry that Sprint has collected $21 a month from me for insurance that they have known all along they wouldn’t honor. Guess they got a clue from LG and then went one better.
March 9th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Thanks for sharing, pm… If consumers learn anything from this, it’s that insurance programs and companies can NOT BE TRUSTED. Don’t buy extended warranties. Don’t buy insurance programs on electronics. But by all means, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE file a complaint with the FTC if you have been burned by either Sprint and/or LG.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Here is a pleasant surprise. My wife called Sprint cutomer service and was told they are sending us a replacement Rumorin 3 days. It will be without a battery but that is fine. Give it a shot.
March 9th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
That information doesnt help me cause i am with virgin mobile:(
March 14th, 2009 at 6:57 am
I have the same problem with my son’s rumor – broken pins. The phone is completely dead!
March 14th, 2009 at 7:52 am
I have filed a complaint with the FTC(it took 5 mins.). I encourage others to do the same.
March 14th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Are there more testimonials around the site?
March 15th, 2009 at 8:28 am
This site is mainly an investing, economics and personal finance site. But occasionally I put up some technology or consumer scam posts, such as this one from LG and Sprint.
March 21st, 2009 at 7:44 am
i got my rumor in october and just bought my 4th charger like 3 days ago and it doesnt work. They were 3 different kinds too. So now im using my moms phone until i either find my car charger that still works or get a new phone.
March 21st, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Its not the charger its inside the phone
March 22nd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Hey, is there a section just for latest news
March 22nd, 2009 at 3:35 pm
No, this is not a news site. It’s a blog covering 3 main categories: Economics, Finance, and a little Technology. Only 10% of the content is technology related. Check the archives for a quick snapshot of the other postings available.
March 28th, 2009 at 11:04 am
my lg rumor screen doesnt work any more… and i jug got it about 6 month ago! i need a new phone already but i dont know where to call…
March 28th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Take it to Sprint first, and if they can’t help you, then they should at least tell you how to send it to LG for warranty repair. After LG declines to fix it under warranty, then be sure to file an FTC complaint against LG for breach of contract.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:24 pm
You know I am already researching other phones, my wife and I have had the Rumor for about 5-6 months and the charging pin issue hit mine hard about a 1 1/2 months ago (having to use rubber bands to jury rig pressuring the pins into place to charge) and is starting on my wifes. Sprint will not do anything except charge me 50 and that is with my protection plan. I have now read about LG’s responses here. Not Good…and I am a long time Sprint customer. Sprint so far has said to buy a new phone,,,but you know after reading all this I just may get a little uppity with them. I think 10+ years with them and paying for the protection plan seems they should have to honour it since LG isn’t it seems.
April 10th, 2009 at 11:03 am
I have the Alltel version of the Rumor and have had it since Christmas Day. I never had any problems with it until about two weeks ago when I put it on the charge and it wouldn’t charge all the way. I figured it was just the charger so I bought a new one, but tit still did the same thing. And judging by what everyone on here is saying, I’m afraid that they won’t fix my phone!
April 13th, 2009 at 6:34 am
My wife has an LG Rumor, and it too started having charging issues. Bought a new charger, and still have to fiddle with it to make it charge. Went online to see if I could find similar complaints. WOW! Will be calling LG and Sprint this should be interesting.
April 17th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
I bought an LG Rumor on March 1. By April 10, the microphone stopped working. I took to the Sprint store. They advised me to file a warranty claim. I’ll let you know what happens. On one hand, I hope that I don’t have any problems. However, I am in compliance (banking), so I do like arguing with people while siting obscure federal regulations.
April 30th, 2009 at 11:03 am
To follow up on April 17th post. LG did honor warranty and replaced phone. Process took about 2 1/2 weeks.
May 1st, 2009 at 9:33 am
Good news for at least one LG customer, still BAD NEWS for so many many more LG customers who have been ripped off. LG must be reading all the negative press about their failure to honor warranties, and now they are OCCASIONALLY doing what they are required by law to do – honor their warranties.
May 15th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I’ve had the same problems as everyone else , phone starting locking up , had to take out the battery and put it back in, then it stopped charging. My mother brought it back to Bell mobility, and they sent it away to get it fixed , but after reading this, i highly doubt they’ll do anything with it. I’ve only had it for about 9 months and after 4 months the msn messenger app stopped working too. When the phone comes back I’ll post the results. This was the first and last time I will buy a phone by LG .
June 17th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
My two daughters have rumors and have nothing but problems with them. Its the charger inside and Sprint also said its from using the phone while charging it. My daughter finally got hers replaced in April and two months later the new one is doing the same thing. Sprint needs to aknowledge this problem and let us get a different phone!!
July 8th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I’m in the middle of a battle with LG. The end button on my daughter’s phone (selected by her because it was pretty grrrrrrrrrrr….) has ceased working. I have had one of the worse customer service experiences in my life. The LG rep told me that there was corrosion on the inside of my daughter’s phone. I said fine, I will authorize the repair as long as the replaced parts are returned to me with the repaired phone. I work in an IT Division at a technical university and this idiot tried to tell me that he was an electrical engineer. Oh my gosh, the arrogance. I waiting for a call back from a manager. Since I assist in the purchase of equipment and contracts from Sprint for my job, I will be making a point to discuss this with my representative in a most firm way. I will probably allow the repair, but there will be hell to pay for this fiasco. I will make sure that not one LG product (phones, tvs, etc.) is ever purchased at my job. Oh and when faculty, staff and students call for recommendations, I will make sure that LG is on the list of equipment we tell them to avoid.
July 10th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Sorry for your trouble Ellen. Unfortunately it is a trend in society today. Companies like LG love to speak of their warranties, but if you ever try to make a legitimate claim for warranty service, you will have a heck of a time. I’ve sworn off LG long ago for the same reason. They DO NOT stand behind their products, they only give you the run around and make excuses. I would rather buy a product with ZERO WARRANTY then pay for a warranty that will never be honored.
July 11th, 2009 at 2:54 am
when i first got the rumor.. i got it from best buy on sale. About 1 1/2 days later is started freezing up and going blank. I did some research and found out that a few of the rumors have a software malfunction and sprint would honor a refund or exchange, however Sprint would not help me because I bought it from best buy — one of thier authorized dealers. So i yelled at a few people at sprint and went back to best buy and they gave me a brand new phone and told me if i ever have a problem to come back to them. Also since I yelled at sprint.. I have the most awesome plan.. they gave me free text, $5 unlimted data, and $5 pic messaging for life. (I also had a problem when they switched me to the new phone, sprint “lost” all my plan info and was charging me for every little thing) So havent had a problem in like a year.. now its not charging and I qualify for an upgrade of $75 off..Which does nothing!! So I was trying to figure out, i still have my old phone can I just switch back till I have fulfill my last year on my contract or no?? I think that u are contracted to the phone and not so much the service right?? I also have plan xyz which is I have a hook-up who is just gonna get me a new rumor and all i have to do is get it activated for the last year on my contract. I love sprint’s service but that about IT!!
July 11th, 2009 at 7:42 am
As far as I know, all contracts for mobile service are tied to the service and not the phone. You can switch your device any time you want without penalty, but cancelling the service before the contract runs out will result in a fine.
July 21st, 2009 at 10:46 am
Am I glad I found this! I have been experiencing problems with my Rumor phone from the moment I bought it last OCTOBER! I had to return one phone already, because it would simply shut itself off for no reason. Now I’m experiencing a problem with charging. My phone has to be rigged a certain way to even begin charging, and last night I plugged in the charger with a mostly full battery (which I had to use my husbands Rumor phone to charge) and the Charger actually depleted the battery! Now it’s not only NOT charging, but DIScharging!!!
I havve put up with the crazy blurry screen problems, the sticky keys, the random shut-offs, but how can you use a phone, if it doesn’t even charge. I have a feeling Sprint is in for quite a few problems with this phone.
I can’t believe they pawned them off (yes we were sucked in by that two for one deal, which was only offered after the first cycle of these phones went bust) on their customers knowing that there were issues.
I have been a Sprint Customer for years, don’t know how much longer that will last?
August 7th, 2009 at 10:59 am
I’ve had this phone since june 08. I’ve had it sent away three times because the screen goes haywire.
It shuts off all the time, for no reason, ends my calls with no warning.
It recently stopped charging, and when it would charge the battery dies very quickly.
August 12th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
I’ve got the same phone (same color even), also from sprint. I’ve had it for less than a year and mine just went south today. I’ve tried three different chargers (the included one, and two third party ones) none of them work. Solely by the looseness of the connector inside the phone I can tell that the solder has came loose on mine as well and caused issues. I like this phone, however the connector for charging it is quite possibly the WORST design I’ve ever seen. I suppose I’m left with no other option than sending it back now and I hope I don’t run into similar problems. Also to the person who wrote this article. Call them back and tell them that their reasoning is absurd. You can order a whole roll of solder (more than enough to do at least a hundred or maybe more of these repairs and a soldering iron together from amazon for $19.09 So it would NOT cost them more to repair than to replace unless they spent less than $20 making it.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
The problem with the Rumor is the VERY POOR design of the charging/data port mount. IT IS VERY VERY WEAK and only held onto the board with two shallow and small pins. Once those break free it’s all but over, the connector pins which come from the port to the board are very thin and will not hold onto the board for long.
This is not opinion, this is fact as I’m fixing my sons right now and it’s a pathetic design. In addition to resoldering the pins I’ve epoxied the port onto the board and resoldering the mounting pins HOWEVER I do not expect it to last as the design is too weak to provide reasonable durability. I would recommend finding some kind of external charger where the battery is charged on a separate device (I am looking for one).
If you are thinking about buying one I suggest you don’t and if you do, get the insurance policy.
August 20th, 2009 at 11:15 am
Thank you all for your comments. I think the verdict is out. Many people have problems with a poorly designed phone from LG, and LG does not stand behind the warranty they offer.
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