yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] fordsbyjay:
Well after 2 days and reading many threads my POS TFP has to get RMA'd. I am not sure how so many people can praise their customer service in this thread. I don't see buying another Asus product again for a very long time in ever. I tried the manual update but no matter what format or folder I post on the sdcard it will not do anything when I install it. I can see the files but I don't get any ! or triangle. The only time I see that is if I try a hard boot (??) as per the Asus tech line. That failed too.

The crappy part is I bought two of these in Nov. before thanksgiving. One came Dec 24th and it works fine. The second one came Jan 10th. (a different color) and it is the total POS. Stupid part is they shipped me the dock for the 2nd one Dec 27th or something. Real good timing....

The first one that updated to ICS has terrible range on the wifi too. Twenty feet from the router and it will barely have any bars.

The whole experience has been a major fail. I absolutely HATE apple and I wish I would have bought one of those instead....
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] SonicTab:
Just incase you cant put the update on a SD card in the dock it must go on a microSD card in the prime:

1) Download the right version of the update WW , US , etc.

Inside the zip you download from ASUS will be another zip file.

2) Put that zip file, as a zip file in a ASUS/UPDATE folder on the microSD

3) Turn on the prime let it boot up, then insert the microSD into the prime

and touch the triangle on the bottom right.

Should work like that?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] 3rdamention:
Trust me, those praising Asus are mostly those not having problems. There are only a few people who have had to deal with Asus Customer Service who have been absolutely happy and pleased. These are people who got quick replacements since there has been no such thing as quick repairs, and those who got Asus to pay shipping fees since Asus wants us to pay to send them our POS tablets.

My experiences with Asus on my first tablet were embarassing and completely no help whatsoever. It took them 18 days to simply send me a cut and paste email. I took that tablet back since Asus was so pathetic and wouldn't help me, instead waiting 18 days so I was forced to return as the return period was ending.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Mubble:
I really wish people would stop refering to wifi quality in terms of the bars displayed. Whether mine shows full bars or only 2, I still get max internet speeds judging by Speedtest.

I could moan about the number of bars mine shows when I walk in to another room, but that wouldn't tell the true story.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] PuroKaibil:
Per Gary: "your TF201 will be fixed shortly"

I wonder if for ASUS "Shortly" has the same meaning as does "Seconds" for Microsoft. If it does then we're in for a loooonng wait. :(
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] ieftm:
Also, did people applying ratchet try to wipe data (preferably erase userdata, but..) on the DMClient app, and then reboot/checking for updates?

I would not be surprised if this app cached the 'unknown serial number' somehow.

I'm pretty sure there was this URL you could visit from your device to see all the updates done on your device.. anyone remember?

EDIT: aha, http://devicetracker.asus.com . Does that work for anyone?

It prompted me for my serial number on login with my google account..

Shows all of my updates nicely:
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] pslotter:
I logged into the device tracker with my no serial number TP that I "fixed".

It sat there for about 2 hours displaying a sending alert and then it logged out.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] PuroKaibil:
Same here...... I think it is because it needs to do a GPS locked for tracking the tablet location first. I may be wrong.

The Law of the Crafty (It is my ™)
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] ieftm:
just press "Update List" in the menu. At least, that worked for mine.

Did you wipe data for DMClient and reboot/check updates? Seems like the smart thing to do.

If all of that doesn't work, then the 'no serial number' is just a symptom of Asus not having these serial numbers provisioned in their systems.. so there's little client-side that you can do about that.

I guess replacing the serial number with a 'known good' serial number would work.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Blairware:
No good for me either

I tried Device Tracker with a good Serial number unit. Sat at sending for a while, then timed out. I don't see the unit trying to use GPS, as you usually see a compass icon in the notification area when it does, heck I even attached my bluetooth GPS receiver and tried again. No good. Shame as I wanted to see my update history. I wonder why t wouldn't work, got stuck at sending serial number.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Munkee Boy:
Gary, I still have not heard anything back at all after sending my several emails to tablet@asus.com. Still have no serial after updating to the latest update manually (.13) and following all the instructions you previously posted. Still do not receive OTA updates. I sent you a pm as well per your post on 2/12 on the front page.

Has anyone successfully gained a serial number/OTA updates from ASUS helping them?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] wsnydes:
I'm in the same boat. I still can't get OTA updates and have updated manually to .13. I sent an email on 1/24 and have yet to receive any response whatsoever. That was 24 days ago. So I sent an email to Gary directly today. We'll see if that gets me anywhere.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] PuroKaibil:
Same Here :(

Same here Gary... but I'm reluctant to update to .13 as some users experience battery degradation....

how is your experience with .13 wsnydes?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] wsnydes:
I haven't noticd any issues. Although my app instability ma have gotten worse. Hard to say though really, i've been using the tablet a lot more of late.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Munkee Boy:
My battery def took a turn for the worst after the update. It burns a lot just sitting in standby.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] wsnydes:
I have noticed now that my battery has taken a pretty big hit. I had a full charge last night and maybe used it for an hour since. I am now at 40% as I type this. So it has degraded significantly. Hadn't noticed until now.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JohnPrime:
Mins was on for 10 hours and 17minutes and most of the time I was using it. Email, pulse, some web browsing, a lot of game playing and installed 18 new apps.

I really can't complain. I found it on balanced about halfway through the day and turned on power saving mode (I don't seem to feel the difference). I had wifi on all day but not blutooth or gps.

I am not seeing any difference since the newest .13 update (which I did manually)

I am seriously addicted to my Prime and don't like to use my computer anymore unless I have to.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] benlc:
How to fix issues by Asus :

_ Send a representative on XDA that will tell you that a fix is almost ready.

_ Ask people to send him a PM or/and an email to tablet@asus.com

_ Not answer to the customers and let them do a RMA
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JmChile:
Still waiting.....
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] 3rdamention:
I kinda laughed. It almost appears Asus is doing a stall tactic. Heck, most return windows for these things are 14 days. Asus knows if they ignore your email for at least 14 days, you probably cannot take it back. They know if they do not answer your concerns or questions in the first few weeks, you are stuck with it.

How else could you explain the lack of help? I thought with Gary's update to send him your information and Serial would get you some help. However, having seen some people wait weeks AFTER doing that with no answer, that is sad and embarrassing.

---------- Post added at 03:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:58 AM ----------

Based on Gary Key's Interview posted today on CNET, looks like the Serial Number Unknown Issues are fixed. Why are you guys still having problems? Gary Key says they are fixed:

Here is the interview:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57...mer-prime-in-perspective/?tag=mncol;cnetRiver

Serial Number Not Found problem

After the launch of Android 4.03 we had reports of users not being able to update to the new OS via the OTA system. We discovered that an extremely small population of units was not properly recognized by our servers based on their MAC address. We set up a customer care address for users affected with the problem to contact our service group, who then assisted the users in manually updating to Android 4.03 and ensuring their unit information matched the database.

After the manual update and match, those systems are now performing OTA updates without a problem. We have not completed root cause analysis of this problem yet, but in the last three weeks we have not had any reports of problems with units produced during that timeline.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] wsnydes:
I call BS. I'm still not receiving OTA updates and my serial number still shows "unknown." I still haven't heard from Asus regarding the email I sent on 1\24. And I am still waiting to heard back from the email I sent Gary directly earlier this week.

Nothing has been fixed for me. Has anyone actually heard from Asus and\or Gary and actually had this issue resolved without an RMA?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Hanshananigan:
This was my experience (as far as I remember it):

1. contacted customer service by e-mail. Received a customer service # but never received a human response

2. contacted Gary Key via e-mail via xda-developers as requested here. I indicated my problem (serial number unknown and no OTA ICS update) in detail, gave my SN, and provided the customer service #.

3. Gary e-mailed the next day followed by a Jr. Tech Product Manager. Through a series of e-mails and one call he helped me update to ICS and get further OTA updates to work.

4. Still, the SN did not appear so he suggested RMA for a new machine, ASUS's dime. He promised to test the unit personally before shipping.

5. I had to wait a few days for the units to arrive in the distribution center, but I FedEx'ed my TF on a Mon and received the new one on Thu (C1 series). The shrink wrap was opened, so I figured it was tested.

6. Received a note from the Jr. Tech Product Manager to alert me that it was mailed and apologized that it was sent before he had a chance to test it. I checked it out, sent a note of thanks, and I'm finally done.

Regarding the "C1" unit, everything seems the same as my previous BKO: adequate WiFi, poor GPS, etc. I have not tested WiFi with Bluetooth (not currently something I use). No problems with light bleed, etc.

I'll note that I tried to remain polite and offered thanks for their continued responsivity even at times when I was quite frustrated. Don't know if that helped, but I would like to think that it did!

Good luck to those still trying to get a fix.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] wsnydes:
This at least gives me some hope. But I haven't received any response whatsoever. I don't have a customer number, I don't have anything acknowledging that I've even sent anything. I do have an auto away message from Gary's email, I guess. I too have tried to remain polite, as tough as it has been. It's one thing to have lengthy troubleshooting periods, it's quite another to feel ignored.

Hanshananigan, so you're receiving OTA updates now? You received the .14 update?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] PuroKaibil:
Myself I've being ignored by both Gary and Asus. I have a BCOKAS series with the known issues plus serial number not found. But given the OTA buggy releases I rather do the updates manually and apply them sequentially later when the fix for the previous fix is out (ie. .14 fix for .13)

I'm still on .11 and waiting for .14 to be available at their site, that way I apply 13 and 14 when I decide not when ASUS feels like shoving a buggy update to my TFP. But that's me.

The Law of the Crafty (It is my ™)
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Hanshananigan:
Basically, the rep provided a bit more detail to the directions provided by Gary Key in the first post so that I could manually update ICS. After that I was automatically prompted for OTA updates. I can't remember which firmware update was the most recent before sending it back.

The sense I got is that they have 2 individuals trying to handle everyone's problems and are putting in a lot of hours to do it. I won't defend ASUS - it is crazy that they seem to be randomly picking cases to follow - I just appreciated the attention I received when I got it.

At least for the serial number unknown problem, it might be worth your time calling ASUS and talking to a phone tech rep - when I did, they offered RMA (that was before I got in contact with Gary and his team). At that point, I would politely demand RMA on their dime for a new unit. There seems to be enough stock now that the turn-around time would hopefully as fast as what I experienced.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] hangdogdaddy38:
I didn't know where to post this and I hope someone knowledgeable will please give me some feedback. My question is 1. Are new shipments of Prime being shipped? 2. and if so are the new ones that are being shipped been reworked and fixed? I would really like to have the Prime but unless there has been some reworking done to new shipments I will go with the more stable Transformer TF101 and be happy.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JohnPrime:
Still waiting to hear back also

Yep, I upgraded to ICS and no I can not get OTA updates.

I am up to .13 because I manually update and Asus has not placed .14 on the website yet.

My .13 release is very stable though... I have not had an app crash in days of near constant use. Battery is fine too, so no worries there.

I'd like to get this no serial number thing fixed though, and I never heard back from Asus and I did exactly as Gary instructed in the first post of this thread.

I brag about my Prime to a lot of people but I am a bit let down with the support from Asus. I just want an honest response.

It is pretty impressive that they have 24/7 phone support open for us, but then no one there has any clue about this issue, so not a lot of good it is doing.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] pbrauer:
I did the ratchet fix right when it came out and entered my BKOCAS serial number, and it shows up...but it means nothing other than it doesn't say Unknown.

I still don't get OTAs, I still can't use the Device Tracker. I have manually upgraded to .11.1, then did it to .13, then downgraded back to .11.1, and now to .13 and then .14 (which is available now on the ASUS website).

I sent the PM to Gary and got no response. I sent him email, and I called Support multiple times and have never gotten the same answer more than once (other than "Here is an RMA").

Bottom line, I am now at .14, but it is NOT from anything that ASUS has done.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] wsnydes:
I'm manually updated to .13. I'll install .14 tonight when I get home. I haven't tried the ratchet fix for two reasons. One, I wanted to make sure that Asus couldn't come back at me saying I've done this or that and wouldn't replace it if that is what it came to. The other is that it didn't work. If it did work, I might have given it a try.

I'm going on a trip on 3/1 and plan on taking my Prime with me. If I don't get any responses by the time I get back, I'll likely give the support number a call and look into an RMA. And then likely never purchase an Asus product again.

The dumb thing about all of this is that if RMA is really the only option, just tell us. Most of us would likely understand and go through that process and it would all be over. Instead, we hear nothing other than "a solution has been found." And when we contact Asus to find out what that solution is, we don't receive replies.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] trollcki:
ASUS most like have no clue how to fix the this issue. I'm positive now that it goes far beyond bad flash or something to do with the servers. Today is 30th day that they keep my prime in their repair facility and the status has only changed from Rapair to WB1 last week. I'm told that within 2 days i'll be contacted by senior CS rep wit "a proposal" on how this gets solved.

I guess if they knew ho to fix the problem they would have done it and post it back here within few days.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] JohnPrime:
You gotta be kidding me

I followed Gary's advice on the first post of this thread, and contacted support a couple weeks ago.

Asus got back to me today.

Here is what they said:

Thank you for contacting ASUS. Your serial number BCOKAS12XXXX is correct and confirmed as registered in our system. Please contact us toll-free 24/7 at 888-678-3688 if you need any warranty assistance and we will be happy to help you.

Best Regards,

Product Support

ASUS Computer International

24/7 Support: 888-678-3688
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] benlc:
Got a message from Asus today too !

Manual update ? Great I didn't know about that ! My prime is so cool now that I can manually update it whenever I want instead of doing that over the air.....
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] wsnydes:
Here is the canned response I finally received last night. 29 days for a canned response!

"Hello,

Thank you for contacting ASUS Technical Service.

Sorry for my delayed reply.

If you are still experiencing the missing Serial Info error. Please update to latest firmware on our suppport site.See below for link and instructions. At the time of your email we have released several updates that should resolve a majority of your issues.

http://support.asus.com/download.as...rmer Prime TF201&p=20&s=16&os=32&hashedid=n/a

Thank you,

For Hardware related issues, please fill-out the online form to request a

RMA/Purchase order.

http://vip.asus.com/eservice/usa_rmaserv.aspx

Please include your name, mailing address, telephone number, and the serial

number of your product.

You may also give us a call at 888-678-3688 we would gladly assist in gettng you

setup with an RMA.

Please have the serial number of your ASUS product handy when you call.

Best regards"

I was able to register my tablet with Asus on their website after I received it. So I know the serial number is recognized and accepted. But this canned response and the ensuing phone call to clueless CSR's will result in an RMA I guess. I'm glad I waited all this time.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] sontin:
We should accept that there is no software fix for the problem. The only way to go is RMA.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] wsnydes:
Agreed. I don't really have a problem with that. I just wish that it didn't take so long to find that out and I wish hoops didn't have to be jumped through to begin with. After a month, this should be behind me. But it's really just beginning. That is where my hangup is. I've said all along that I just want an answer one way or another.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] 3rdamention:
I just have to post this again!

Gary says this in his big interview:

"After the launch of Android 4.03 we had reports of users not being able to update to the new OS via the OTA system. We discovered that an extremely small population of units was not properly recognized by our servers based on their MAC address. We set up a customer care address for users affected with the problem to contact our service group, who then assisted the users in manually updating to Android 4.03 and ensuring their unit information matched the database.

After the manual update and match, those systems are now performing OTA updates without a problem. We have not completed root cause analysis of this problem yet, but in the last three weeks we have not had any reports of problems with units produced during that timeline."

Why is everyone still having issues? This is what really upsets me. Gary says these things in an interview, Serial Number Unknown problem is basically fixed. He tells you guys what to do, you do it, and get a canned response on how to manually update, which didn't fix the problem two months ago, and still doesn't fix the problem today.

THIS IS THE EXACT SAME CANNED RESPONSE I received about a month ago (after waiting 18 days for some type of response). Nothing has changed, Asus has yet to send an email or memo to the Engineers and Customer Service department explaining how to fix the Serial Number Unknown Problem or at least address it.

These types of situations remind me of why Gary is in marketing. He is very good at what he does, he makes you all feel comfortable about the problem being fixed, says the problem is fixed in interviews, gives out cool stats like the satisfaction rates being threw the roof awesome, yet many people still have no help, lots of problems, months after launch! Look at how long this problem has been reported, look at all the different responses (RMA it, do a manual update, send us your serial and information, do a factory reset, wait for the software fix, etc). Gary is not in customer service, he is in marketing. How does a business degree help in fixing Hardware and Software? It doesn't, it helps in fixing, repairing, building and maintaining a company's image and how it looks to potential customers, you know, marketing.

Why hasn't Asus sent an engineer to these forums to get these problems fixed? I would think someone that has a background in opening these up, working on software and hardware, would get the job done. We are not trying to create informational brochures, sales charts, and commercials. We need an engineer, not someone from marketing. It is really hard for me to understand why Asus would send someone from marketing to be the go between for so many hardware and software issues. Well, until you understand what marketing is! Shouldn't they send someone from their Customer Service or Repairs Department?

Oh well I guess. I assume Asus will have this fixed in the next 3 months since they couldn't in the last 3 months.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] wsnydes:
I'm just worn down to the point of not caring anymore. I'll just RMA it and move on. And never buy another Asus product. How anyone can conduct a respectable and profitable business in this manner is beyond me. Like I've said, I'm not mad that its come to the point of RMA, I'm mad because I've wasted a month waiting for a mythical solution and THEN having to RMA. I'm mad because it took a month to get a canned response that doesn't address any of the points made in my initial email. That's shady business and I won't be patronizing a company like that again.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Predseda3D:
Yes, what Gary is only doing are marketing lies, nothing more.:mad:

Because Gary is not here to help us, but help ASUS. It is his work. He is here to mitigate the fighting mood of the community, because thanks to several events (Operation open bootloader was first) in the mainstream media appeared negative reactions, which are not good for business.;)
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] pbrauer:
I finally have to weigh in on this. I didnt really care that I had the serial num issue since i never OTA, but now I find out that the issue also means that the bootloader unlock wont work due to it. This sucks.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] pslotter:
This is the first I heard of this!

Has anyone confirmed whether or not adding the serial number with the nachoroot method is able to unlock?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] PuroKaibil:
I just rooted mine using viper 4.5 as follows:

1. use the "unknown serial " fix tool to key in the serial number = worked great

2. Run the viper 4.5 and select "root only " option = worked great

3. From viper 4.5 select option 5 to unlock and install CWM onto the TFP

3a. The above will install the "unlock " tool on your prime which needs to be launch prior to pushing CWM = worked great

3B. Try to run the "unlock " tool but doesn't work, it gives me a network error message every Time :(

The Law of the Crafty (It is my ™)