yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Thunderbolt General] 4cloud9:
Yeah I didn't realize that, till I googled it. The Tbolt was my first smartphone.

Sorry to hear that, I got mine S-OFF'd in 5 min. And I am very happy with the device, on Newt's OnE XxX 5.1.0 right now.

I was gonna try for that too but didn't think I should press my luck.
[Thunderbolt General] jimmyco2008:
Gotcha. Yeah dinc connector accommodates video out, I presume Rezound does as well.

SIII is wishful thinking, that's flagship. Verizon is however trying to blow through Galaxy Nexus stock in lieu of new Nexus (allegedly), they're available for $230ish OFF CONTRACT! CPO but beats the Thunderbolt, and they'd probably gladly send one out for TB warranty replacement given the circumstances.
[Thunderbolt General] Ol' Blue:
It looks like they still have Thunderbolts to send out, but don't expect too much of them. I had my first Tbolt for about 11 months with no problems, then about a week and a half ago the USB port would not connect to a PC. That is not too fun when you are rooted. I got the first re-ferb on Monday and the screen had a section that would not respond to touch input. I called back and they sent me another one yesterday and it had light coming out between the screen and the phone housing just below the soft buttons. I should be getting the third one tomorrow. I will have to see what it is like, but if it is the same crap they have been sending out, I will have to ask for something different.

Edit:

I just got the Third re-ferb today. It looks like a "new phone" with a re-ferb sticker on it. There are not any marks on it anywhere. The volume button, kick stand, "HTC" logo on battery cover and LED flash still had the plastic on them. I looked at the USB port and there are not any marks from charging the phone. I am still setting it up, so we will see how it does.
[Thunderbolt General] 4cloud9:
My original Tbolt replacement was sent out with all the plastic on it as well, but it had a dead pixel right from the get go.
[Thunderbolt General] Ol' Blue:
So far it is running good, and I have nothing to complain about. I don't know if that is good or bad. :confused:
[Thunderbolt General] srk468:
Well I got a new in box bolt yesterday and I set it up and rooted it and had it loaded up and running great but then it just started randomly shutting off on me... I had to pull the battery and hold power button with battery out and then reinstall battery to get it to reboot, did that like 3 times last night woke up this morning and it was dead, tried the same trick and nothing... Then I did the same trick and got it to boot into Hboot so I thought I was good but it died again and now won't do anything, if you plug it in the red light comes on but it won't boot even into bootloader so I do believe it's bricked.. Luckily the mailman hadn't came yet so I'm back on my old bolt with the messed up usb port but at least it works so now I'm sending the brand new one back and once they get it they are sending me a Rezound... I sure hope they can't get it to fire up though because it's s off and has Gingeritis3D on it!! LOL Ohh well, nothing I can do about it if it won't even power up to begin with...
[Thunderbolt General] schwab16:
Anyone get a rezound or gnex recently as a replacement? My Thunderbolt is starting to have issues so just curious to if anyone is having any luck getting a better phone as a replacement?
[Thunderbolt General] BoulderGeek:
You folks who are getting replacements, do you pay for the insurance program? Is that how you are getting support?

My Thunderbolt hasn't been giving terrible stability since I rooted it and put SkyRaider on it. But, it sucks for LTE (rarely switches to 4G). And it reboots constantly in ICS builds, or the stock VZW bloatware ROM.

I am just irritated with Verizon's lack of support for the Tbolt and want a change to something either more open or better made. But, I don't think that I can get a replacement, since I didn't pay for the insurance plan.
[Thunderbolt General] srk468:
Yes I have the insurance and it's been worth it, my Rezound is on it's way to me right now and I'm hoping it's a new in box one but anything is better than this damn thunderbolt....
[Thunderbolt General] Kitten Mittens:
So I'm out of warranty (I think, it's been over a year) but I have asurion. How difficult is it to get them to send a newer phone? Some people on here have said they had to go through multiple replacements before they offer it, I'm wondering if that is really necessary.

My ThunderBolt has a weird screen flickering issue, and I've tried all different ROMs and I know it's not the software, I haven't had it replaced before, so I'm wondering if I ask nicely, how likely is it that they will let me get a Galaxy Nexus instead as a replacement?
[Thunderbolt General] bigligg:
I just got mine replaced and it was a refurbished thunderbolt. They said no cost. Until i got a email today saying im getting charged 299.99 because the device I returned was damaged. Had a cracked screen. How nice huh? I ain't paying that ****. Im gonna rip them a new ass tomorrow lol
[Thunderbolt General] Kitten Mittens:
So I talked to them today, and they said I'm actually still under warranty and since I'm also covered by the TEP, there won't be a problem at all, and they will replace it free of charge. I asked about getting a different phone like a Galaxy Nexus but they said that since the warranty is through HTC, they can't really allow me another phone, with some exceptions. I asked what he meant, and he said that they do sometimes offer "exceptions" to that rule, but never on the first replacement and that it's usually a last resort as Verizon basically buys the phone for you. I explained that I was tired of waiting so long for updates (ICS is a year old already and still no update, now 3 versions behind, etc.) and would much prefer a Galaxy Nexus, but he said that he wouldn't be able to offer me a different phone until I've already gone through at least one replacement. Only way you can get a different phone on first replacement is if they were out of stock on CLNR ThunderBolts. He was nice and actually tried to get me an early upgrade but I told him I wouldn't upgrade cause I'd rather keep my unlimited data plan. He said he would have given me the exception but they wouldn't allow it if I haven't already tried one replacement. I took the replacement ThunderBolt for now, if I don't notice anything unusual about it within the first week, I'll complain about the battery life and rant about the software updates again and see if they offer me one. When going through the replacement process he specifically mentioned that when they receive my device, if it has any physical or water damage that I would have to pay the damage fee of $299, then he clarified that small scratches etc. from regular use are okay.
[Thunderbolt General] John.E.Boi:
Just to clarify, this was with the insurance? Or via the warranty?
[Thunderbolt General] Kitten Mittens:
Through warranty. I thought it was weird though, because I have insurance and if mine was damaged I could get a replacement through insurance, the deductible is only $99, why would I go through warranty and pay $299, makes no sense.
[Thunderbolt General] John.E.Boi:
I was thinking the same thing.
[Thunderbolt General] Randomman4:
merismen annexing

Does anyone know if Best Buy is doing this? Thats where I have my thunderbolt insurance from, they still sell the thunderbolt (for some ungodly reason) but those are new not refurbs, im on my 4th right now and I was looking to get a note 2 when my contract is up but if I could get a rezound that would be AWESOME, or even razr or nexus or something! so if anyone has info on best buy and this stuff going down let me know :D or can I just go to verizon?

Sorry for my typing, I hate this laptop xD

Also don't mind the merismen thing, captcha failed on me
[Thunderbolt General] Fastlivin:
I can confirm they replaced my completely bricked TBolt today with another Thunderbolt. One that appears to be immune to the charms of both the All-in-One tool AND the Revolutionary exploit. WTF?

ETA: I should also add that I am a numbskull that did only a partial search of the forums, and on the incorrect search terms. The firmware on replacement devices has been innoculated against the exploit used by revolutionary. Search "thunderbolt temp root" for Nat3Mil's always excellent step by step videos on a simple first step before Revolutionary.
[Thunderbolt General] frantz0769:
I should be getting the battery for my refurbed Nexus tomorrow. They had to replace my Thunderbolt twice before they would finally replace it with something else. It was a pain, but I have finally got what I wanted. Good luck to others! They're even sending me the extended battery because they were out of the stock battery.
[Thunderbolt General] Narabug:
They send yours out for repair and send you a refurb under your plan, and the phone you get back is going to be a T-Bolt, unless they are out of them. If they ARE out of them, the screen the employee sees while sending your phone out will tell them that it is out, and list alternatives for them. As such, your best bet is to just go into Best Buy and ask them. They can make it half way through the Service Order to see for you, without having to send it out.

Also, if your contract is up, they're going to tell you to just renew your contract and get a diff phone, because even the "free with contract" phones are better than the T-bolt at this point =(.
[Thunderbolt General] scottthreet32:
Unless you have a grandfathered plan don't screw yourself and get that "free" phone.

nothing is "free" with any carrier!!

Unless Vzw goes back to unlimited your stuck paying FULL PRICE for a phone to keep what you currently have
[Thunderbolt General] udis:
I've been through 2 thunderbolts already too bad my warranty is out now would have liked to try and get a different phone as a replacement
[Thunderbolt General] scottthreet32:
You have 90 days on replacement.
[Thunderbolt General] kmarht:
Just got my replacement T-Bolt today :( was hoping for something different but not my lucky day!
[Thunderbolt General] bigligg:
I have replaced mine twice. Both times it was a new bolt. Sux
[Thunderbolt General] Tiezane:
That's why when you call back, and they say they are going to send you another replacement bolt, tell them that's not acceptable, and you want a different phone. That's what we did with my wife's charge and got her a Rezound as a replacement.

Sent from my Sega Master System via Carrier Pigeon.
[Thunderbolt General] bigligg:
Ill make sure to do that after I mess this one up :)
[Thunderbolt General] Darkfenix_Rizen:
I just got off the phone with Verizon and they will be sending me a replacement thunderbolt for my defective one with a dead spot in the touch screen. No free upgrade for me! Hopefully that ICS update comes soon and hopefully it doesn't have the data network dropping problems mine has.
[Thunderbolt General] Tiezane:
Just tell them it's having connectivity issues and you're tired of the problems. Tell them the signal strength is the the 90s.

Sent from my Sega Master System via Carrier Pigeon.
[Thunderbolt General] Dark Jedi:
This is why its so hard to get a different replacement phone. Because of people lying about issues. I think they should test the phones signal strength and if its not in the 90's then the customer should be charged full retail price.
[Thunderbolt General] Tiezane:
Well, in our case, it really was, so we weren't lying. But really, how are they going to test it? It's going to be different at the refurb center than it is sitting on my couch. The real reason it's hard to get something else is because some people don't insist enough that the same pos isn't an appropriate replacement anymore, and others won't shut up until the have the absolute latest and greatest. But thanks for judging me!

Sent from my Sega Master System via Carrier Pigeon.
[Thunderbolt General] Dark Jedi:
Then its not a phone issue but a tower issue in your area. The bolt has always had great reception second only to moto phones. Getting another phone will not cure your poor signal strength . My bolt I have been as low as -68. So don't tell me the bolt has signal strength issues.

Only judged you because you suggested to a person to lie in order to get a different phone. So yeah if the shoe fits wear it.
[Thunderbolt General] Tiezane:
Do yourself a favor and read before you comment or shut up. I said on my wife's case it was a Charge, not a bolt. And we've spoken to Verizon about the signal issues several times, and they always claim it's not the towers. So after 5 tickets for signal issues, and then saying it's not the towers, it must be the device. And sure enough, replaced the Charge with a Rezound and it was resolved. And yes, my bolt had had the same issues, but I'm still using it. Keep your judgmental attitude to yourself.

Sent from my Sega Master System via Carrier Pigeon.
[Thunderbolt General] Dark Jedi:
Then quit suggesting people to lie about issues they don't have in order to get a different device. That's the issue I have with people like you.

You know what if your bolt did the same thing as your wife's charge then its the towers. The bolt never been known to have poor signal reception. I have had 4 bolts and they all was stellar. If you live in a fringe area then yeah you will have signal problem. You really think Verizon is going to admit they have an issue with their network?

So in closing maybe you should read what I wrote or just stfu.
[Thunderbolt General] Tiezane:
I know it's the towers. But Verizon doesn't want to admit that, and I understand why, but I never said I got my device replaced, although that was VERIZON'S suggestion to replace it. I read your post, and you're just being an ass now. Let's move on.

Sent from my Sega Master System via Carrier Pigeon.
[Thunderbolt General] John.E.Boi:
And a Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Sent from the Great Beyond.
[Thunderbolt General] koruptified:
Just throwing this out there... I was able to get them to give me a GS3 as a replacement. They only sent me one thunderbolt warranty clnr and I had it for a week. I should be getting it Monday. Looks like I get to keep my unlimited data. ;)
[Thunderbolt General] Dannar:
Did you have to crawl up their ass like that scott guy earlier in the thread? If not, boy am I jealous of your crazy luck!

Duely blundered from my thunderdolt.
[Thunderbolt General] koruptified:
Eh, I glanced at a bit of his replies and it seems to me as if it took him weeks of email and phone chats to make it happen.

First, I was out of warranty and didn't have insurance. I got them to add the extended warranty to my plan almost a year and a half after I got my phone (they claim it has to be added within 30 days) for $1.99 and on the same phone call had them send out a replacement Thunderbolt. After a week of having that CLNR I called them back and spoke to someone who was pretty much telling me I'd be looking at a RAZR or a Galaxy Nexus. I asked her to ask her supervisor about me getting a GS3 instead and I got put on hold. When she came back she mentioned that her supervisor said the GS3 wasn't a comparable phone, so I was still only going to be able to get the RAZR or Galaxy Nexus. I then ended up asking to speak to a supervisor myself. I was transferred, spoke to him for about 10 minutes, and then verified my address so he could send my GS3.

All in all, it was pretty painless. Not sure why the Scott guy had so much trouble.
[Thunderbolt General] mkhang:
Just a couple questions for ya. What's a CLNR? And was the Thunderbolt they sent to you not functioning properly or were you just trying to get a better phone in the end? Cause I'd sure like to have a GS3 as well! Damn! :good:
[Thunderbolt General] scottthreet32:
I hounded them and called them out on the pos tbolt.

I want something that works I just beat them at their own game

If your paying for service and something don't work right make them replace or sub to something that does work

---------- Post added at 05:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:44 PM ----------

They keep suggesting crap to do!

I did all the hard work for you guys.

They did not want to admit phone is crap

This should fix never happened
[Thunderbolt General] koruptified:
CLNR = Certified Like-New Replacement. Almost every warranty replacement is a refurbished phone.

The Thunderbolt they sent me was still power cycling often, I was having multiple people complain about how my phone sounded on their end, and I just wanted a better phone. I look at it like this... eventually, Verizon is going to screw us grandfathered people out of unlimited data and make it so that the people with expired contracts that are month to month will be unable to get unlimited data. They'll probably do away with month to month contracts all together and so I'm going to take advantage of it while I can. And as soon as they do force me into tiered, I'll be switching to either Sprint or T-Mobile.
[Thunderbolt General] mkhang:
Since I'm rooted should I go back to stock before sending in my phone? Or does it not matter?
[Thunderbolt General] FriendlyNeighborhoodEnt:
I just saw this thread, and spent over an hour reading every single reply, hoping to find someone who already asked the same question I have, or had a possible anwer.

First, some background:

I got my Tbolt from an uncle of mine, who bought the Tbolt a little bit after it came out. He upgraded to the iPhone and decided to let me keep it because my Samsung Stratosphere broke, and I had no insurance on it.

So I was thinking, "Sweet! I get a free phone!" And so I go to a Verizon kiosk in my local Costco, and they give me a new SIM (since the Tbolt sims are the old, bigger ones, compared to the new ones like in the Stratosphere) and connected my line to it.

Up until around 2 weeks ago, out of nowhere, the right side of my screen does not register touch input. So i'm thinking, "This is just great. How am i supposed to use my phone?" so I deal with it.. It has been a headache because I cant even text unless I am on landscape.

And now I get random reboots when I turn on my screen, (when it's off) and although that may be a problem because of the custom ROM I'm running (Liquid ICS v1.5 MR2 I believe), It is still annoying.

Now that you the background, here's my question. I really hope someone can answer this.

Can I call Verizon, preferably Tier 2 support, and tell them my problem and ask for a possible replacement? I don't have insurance. I recently used my last "2 year upgrade" on the Samsung Stratosphere last November, so it's has only been a year since I have had that phone. But since it broke, I switched to a used Tbolt that was given to me. So I'm 1 year away from another 2 year upgrade, but no insurance whatsoever.

Is there anything that I can do? I mean, this renders my phone useless for the most part. If they tell me there is nothing they can do, can I just tell them I will cancel my line because I don't have the extra money to afford an upgrade since I basically cannot use my own phone?
[Thunderbolt General] Dark Jedi:
Basically no as you got the bolt used and having no insurance. The bolt is out of warranty and basically you're screwed. This is why I have insurance no matter what. You could try to replace the digitizer on your screen. There are how to videos on you tube and the part doesn't cost all that much.

You can try and call Verizon but when they see you didn't purchase the bolt and no insurance I doubt they will offer anything to you. But these tech support people has done stranger things in the past.
[Thunderbolt General] Dannar:
Reboots are back, and for some reason I always lose connection while using Facebook.

I wonder if this late in the game I would fare better to score a non tbolt replacement?

I pay for the expensive insurance, so hopefully there's no deductable. Been a never-late customer since '09.

The website says I can use my upgrade on the tenth of January. My contract, however, isn't up until May. Wonder if they'll pigeonhole me into upgrading early. I plan to leave when my contract expires...

Duely blundered from my thunderdolt.
[Thunderbolt General] Dark Jedi:
Its hard saying as it depends on what's in stock at the time. The insurance I have through Verizon is a $100 deductible. Best is to call Verizon and find out what you have. Also if have have replaced the bolt like 5 times you can ask for a phone thats comparable. The might offer the rezound gex or droid.
[Thunderbolt General] buffnutz1:
They offered me an LG Insight as a replacement and I flipped out on them. I told them that would be like hopping in a time machine to 4 years ago and getting my phone from then. They eventually offered me the Gnex which I gladly accepted.
[Thunderbolt General] theredspecial:
Just another thing to consider. The CLNR phones are usually GARBAGE. I just got CLNR Nexus #2 today and it has two notches/cuts in the housing. CLNR #1 had a cracked housing in the top corner. Wish me luck on #3 tomorrow. I went through the same thing with my Touch Pro2 and my OG Droid.
[Thunderbolt General] scottthreet32:
Clnr = more headach

power button now works but Bluetooth and camera are #$%
[Thunderbolt General] vdChild:
well they say ill have my replacement "thunderbolt" 5 tomorrow, lets see what it'll be
[Thunderbolt General] theredspecial:
Exactly.

The woman today told me "I was the 3rd person in 7 years to have a problem with their CLNR device". I almost laughed into the phone.
[Thunderbolt General] jordanrobbins:
TBolt's in stock for Southern California

Are you all using the insurance replacement or verizon replacement.

Went to verizon for 4G dropping issues and long story short, I am getting identical replacements for my Tbolt and Bionic. So for Southern California, Tbolt's are in stock in all their recertified glory.
[Thunderbolt General] yatman60:
I also had the power button stop working. I went to the store down the street and they gave me a thunderbolt replacement for my other one on the spot. Doesn't sound like they're out of stock. Would have loved a rezound or razr as a replacement.
[Thunderbolt General] squeezyb:
I called and requested a new device, tech support told me they are sending a new thunderbolt... We shall see... Keep you guys updated
[Thunderbolt General] jimmyco2008:
Hahahaha I'm certain they are directed to say it's the first time for whatever problems we have, I got that with the Droid X, "oh I've never heard of this problem before", it's basically riot control to help keep word from getting out that a phone has a defect...
[Thunderbolt General] geoff5093:
My Thunderbolt has had the usual data connection issues from time to time, but I'd be worried about them sending me a CLNR Thunderbolt and have it be worse than the one I have now.
[Thunderbolt General] jimmyco2008:
I don't think it's the Thunderbolt- I've had "data connection issues" especially when tethering, with the Droid X and Droid Incredible, as well as the LG U600 4G Modem.
[Thunderbolt General] drunkdirishman:
Vzw is sending me a refurbished bolt, mine won't charge past 60%. Hope its comparable to my current bolt or I'll be sending the replacement back.
[Thunderbolt General] yelow79:
I wish I could tell what I am getting sent to me, I am not the account holder so I don't get the email with the location number. It seems I can't lookup the order without the location number.
[Thunderbolt General] theredspecial:
You're getting a TB unless they told you you're getting something different.
[Thunderbolt General] jimmyco2008:
It'll be like Christmas! Surprise!

drunkdirishman, perhaps it's the battery, not the phone, because realistically, you'd be hard pressed to get a good CPO. They seem to send the flawless phones to people who buy CPOs outright as opposed to getting them for warranty replacement.

theredspecial, people have been reporting the past few days that they are told they are getting a Thunderbolt, then check the order online and see it is for a Rezound or Galaxy Nexus. I'm not sure, but I think they have more Thunderbolts now, so you may be right, but there is only one way to find out for sure...