[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Cruiserdude:
eskomo, your own example relates our phones to automotive warranties, so let's go with that. Are you familiar with the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act? It's a law that states you are able to repair your vehicle with non-OEM parts without voiding your vehicle's warranty. This covers aftermarket upgrade parts as well, as there is no legal difference between an aftermarket part designed simply as a cheaper alternative than OEM for repair/maintenance, and one that was designed as an upgrade, provided they both replace existing parts and are not an add-on (i.e., a turbo kit). You are free to "repair" your car with whatever parts you wish, when you wish.

Obviously, this does not mean that the OEM must cover failures of those parts, or ones caused by those parts. But it does mean that your warranty remains intact, and they can only deny a claim if they can provide reasonable evidence that the failure was caused by the aftermarket parts or incorrect installation. For instance, in your Corvette above, if I get an ecu reflash that advances the timing while loosening the knock threshold, or increases the rev limit, or something else along those lines, and I experience a catastrophic engine failure, that's gonna be on me. It's fairly easy to show that such a failure was likely caused by exceeding factory parameters. However, if my seat adjustment mechanism stops working, or my brakes start making an awful noise, I can fully expect them to cover that. Or if I install an aftermarket suspension, they obviously won't warranty suspension issues, but they will still cover the aforementioned engine failure. Even if I install an aftermarket exhaust, they would still have to warranty the engine, provided I hadn't touched the catalyst.

That brings me to the next thing; exclusions. The OEM is free to state exceptions to their warranty in its original terms, and this is legal. They can spell out certain areas of the vehicle where using aftermarket parts WILL allow them to deny all warranty claims, provided they also agree to repair that area themselves, for free, for the duration of your warranty. Typically, they only apply this to emissions controls, as they don't want to work on a vehicle that isn't emissions legal. But again, this means that if you have any issues with an emissions-related component on your vehicle, they will fix it for free. They are allowed to include other exceptions, however this is not typical, as both the repair industry (mechanics) as well as car enthusiasts everywhere will take exception to that. As these 2 groups are quite influential to the overall car-buying public, it is within the manufacturers' best interests to offer warranty terms that are reasonable to them.

Now let's look back at our phones. If we want to modify the software, I accept all responsibility for addressing any issues that may come as a result. I am capable of restoring anything that doesn't break Download mode, and I can send it to someone with a JTAG box if that's gone. However, I still expect full coverage of hardware issues, such as a bad screen, buttons that don't work, broken headphone jack, or constant reception issues even after restoring to stock. We flash back to stock and use Triangle Away because it's the responsible thing to do, and proves that the issue is not related to our software modifications. It's the same as with us car guys. We'll often remove bolt-on mods like intakes and exhausts before going in for service, simply because it proves they did not cause our issue. The dealer will troubleshoot it, but they are not responsible for removing our aftermarket parts to see if that fixes the issue. It simply allows them to focus on other issues and keeps them honest, so they don't blame an unrelated issue on our modification just because it's there.

I understand that Verizon and Samsung are fully within their rights to define warranty terms, and I'm not saying they're doing anything wrong per se. I'm merely saying that they would attract many more enthusiasts by offering warranty terms that are more reasonable to us. Saying software modifications aren't covered is fine, if I can return the phone to stock they don't have to, and if my issue persists then it is indeed hardware related. But denying all coverage because I want one that is more conducive to such modification, and therefore easier to restore, is unacceptable to me. The terms of the retail version of the phone exclude issues caused by software modifications already, so why not allow us to do what we want while keeping the hardware warranty intact? Doing so would court enthusiasts such as ourselves, causing us to freely recommend companies such as VZW and Samsung to everyone who comes to us for advice.

That's why the Developer edition isn't a good option, the warranty terms are not fair. You can buy one and keep it bone stock unrooted, but you'll still lose your warranty after 30 days. Why shouldn't Samsung stand behind their hardware when they sell the same phone unlocked on other carriers and through the Play Store with a full warranty?

And don't get me started on the pricing. The fact is, they eat a significant amount of the device cost, and YOU pay it back through your plan pricing. Sure, it isn't spelled out that way, but they build the cost of subsidizing your phone into their plan prices, so you pay for the subsidy anyway. So if I buy a phone at full price, I'm still paying for a subsidy I didn't use. Sell the Developer edition with a subsidy, or take the subsidy cost out of my bill like T-Mobile just started doing. Otherwise, you're paying for the phone twice, no matter how you look at it.

Sent from my VZW Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition :)