yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Captivate General] Drew489:
It's time we band together to file some neccessary complaints against Samsung until they either:

1. Give us a full refund so we can buy an out-of-contract smart phone through our provider.

2. Provide us with the same phone or a software update IMMEDIATELY that makes GPS work

There are no other options. What Samsung is doing is fraudulent and illegal. You cannot advertise a product with a feature it does not have. We were lied to and charged for a device under false pretenses. It's completely illegal and there should be some sort of restitution. It's not like we're asking for something it didn't have or we're asking for better performance...we're simply asking for a major major feature that is on most/all high-end phones and, more importantly, a feature it's advertised to have...

So we ALL need to take 15 - 20 minutes out of day to file complaints until someone takes notice.

1. The Better Business Bureau - http://www.bbb.org/us/ Go through the process, choose the HQ in Texas with the COMPLAINT in the title.

2. Samsung directly - This seems to fall on deaf ears but I think if a few hundred or a thousand people keep complaining...someone will notice a pattern.

3. The FTC - https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en

4. The Attorney General of Texas (HQ for Samsung) - https://www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/complain.shtml

5. AT&T or your provider - File on site and over the phone

6. Submit it to CNN - http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form11b.html and any other news site that will listen.

I'm not trying to be some complaining jerk but it's been months since this issue has been known about and we still have no fix. I am pissed because I use GPS all the time and I now have to carry a 2nd device...my 2-year old G1 or a dedicated device. LUDICROUS.

There is strength in numbers so please file some complaints...we paid for these phones and we deserve a fully functional device.
[Captivate General] joeybear23:
:rolleyes:

/drama
[Captivate General] Drew489:
You might be ok getting ripped off. I'm not. And if you are ok with it, I've got a bunch of stuff I'd like to sell you. You can buy my Audi A8, it doesn't have an engine but I still want full asking price as if it had an engine. I've got a rolex I'll sell ya for $5k, except it's a fake and it doesn't keep the correct time...but I still want the price as if it worked.

I'm not ok with getting lied to, indirectly, or buying a broken product. It's not like it's $10 shirt I can return because it's missing a button (although, if you couldn't return a new shirt because it was damaged...I bet you'd be upset about that, no?)...it's a $400++ phone that does not work.

What functions would you be ok with not working? What if the wifi didn't work? Then complain? No?

It's a broken product, bottom line.
[Captivate General] Dave the Knave:
Did you do your research about the phone before you bought it? Did you not read that there were GPS issues? Did you buy it anyway?

Yes, you did buy it, and probaby didn't do the research. A company's worst nightmare is an educated consumer. Someone that they can't rip off. You fell into Samsungs trap and now you feel unhappy and lied to. When I got this phone I knew the GPS didn't work. I did my research. But it wasn't a deal breaker for me. I have GPS built in to my car, and I have a few other Garmin Nuvi's laying around the house.

Don't complain about the phone, just sell it, try and get some of your money back, and buy something that works for you. There are plenty of options out there. Just don't come in the forums and try to bash a phone that many of us love.
[Captivate General] fatbas202:
I just sent Samsung an e-mail through their web form. Jerks.
[Captivate General] Drew489:
lol. So wait, you paid full price for a phone with a "feature" that you knew didn't work? And that makes you educated? Wat.

I have NO CLUE why you're OK with a company advertising a feature that does not exist...yet you still bought it. http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SGH-I897ZKAATT-features Check the list...GPS...does it have GPS? No.

I did research on it, but, like everyone else, figured it would be fixed quickly with a software fix since I couldn't fathom a company as large as Samsung advertising something that blatantly didn't work.

Bottom line is the phone is great but it does NOT HAVE GPS...like it's advertised to have. Therefore, I cannot use MyTracks, GPS, Google Maps, Waze or any other feature that requires GPS. Therefore, I should get a refund for a full new phone out of contract.

I still can't believe you're OK with buying a separate device for something your phone is supposed to have...lol...yea corporate America...we're so insecure that we don't mind getting ripped off anymore.

USA! USA! USA! lulz.
[Captivate General] bigdaddy4u:
I Agree

I agree and I will do "ALL" i can to help in this sure to be LONG TRUDGE - If you are not in agreement or satisfied with a half working product then play with your phone and STOP mouthing off about how satisfied you are or about what this forum is for or about because you are not in agreement _ Just Play With Your Phone and K.I.M.

Keep It Movin!
[Captivate General] p4ranoid4ndroid:
I understand that we should all educate ourselves before buying a product. I bought my captivate on launch day and had done as much research until then about the phone, mostly because I had been long debating getting a N1. However, seeing as I did buy my phone on launch day I had no idea the GPS didnt work. Frustrating yes, dealbreaker no. Guess Ive learned not to buy first run products.
[Captivate General] Dave the Knave:
Yeah, I've never been one to buy something on launch day (aside from maybe an video game). iPhone4 users learned that the hard way. Educating yourself as much as you can before you buy something is the best thing you can do for yourself. It's not like you'd go out and buy a Ford Pinto these days without researching it first. Everyone knows they were crappy cars.
[Captivate General] Shovelhead84:
My GPS has worked perfectly from day one. I bought my captivate on launch day and have nothing to complain about. Sorry to hear you have had issues with your device. Perhaps you should try to trade it in under your retailers return policy? Just a suggestion.
[Captivate General] mmarquis:
No offense Shovelhead, but the GPS functionality for many of us is extremely spotty. Even after several returns. Usually the AT&T folks tried to discourage me by saying it is just a software problem that will soon be fixed. Experience has shown me that a working GPS is a rare beast (at least one that works after a few days/weeks of use).

I have had 3 phones with GPS, one Samsung Blackjack and two BB. All have performed admirably with quick (less than 10-20 s) locks and excellent accuracy as seen on Google Maps and GARMIN Windows mapping products. I KNOW that phones are very capable of decent GPS performance. So far this is a gaping hole in my Captivate experience.

My speculation is that this is a combination software/HW problem. I am guessing that there may have been a batch of sub par GPS chips as well as poor driver interaction with the OS.
[Captivate General] stuff:
I thought my GPS was working fine as well. Until I tried My Tracks in the market. It's clearly wrong. It's got your general location, but on the highway, it's saying I cross over east/west bound highways. And veers me off the road.
[Captivate General] cappysw10:
I feel your pain but when your GPS locks what is the accuracy? Best mine gets is about 15m. That could easily put you on either side of the road.
[Captivate General] Dave the Knave:
Now I do have a working GPS on my phone since I upgraded to the leaked Froyo. But it is not by any means dead-on accurate. Now of course the day I tested it, it was sitting in my cup holder with a straight view of the sky via my sun roof, but it was also cloudy and rainy. For the most part, it followed me exactly, but there were some spots where it did go off. When I use it now I put it on my dashboard and it works better.

Now in my belief, a device like a phone which does multiple functions, does none of them well because you have to have some kind of compromise internally either with hardware, software, or coding. I would never use my phone as a GPS when I'm in dire need to go somewhere, for instance if I need to find my way to the nearest hospital ASAP. I'd use a real GPS like a Garmin or TomTom because that's what they are dedicated to doing. Now I realize that now they add other features to GPS devices like bluetooth and music players and whatever, but those are added after the GPS has been written, tested, guaranteed to work as advertised.
[Captivate General] stuff:
I believe mine is similar. If i'm walking, or just using GPS for the fun of it (not driving) it's got me. But when I'm moving, it's not the best. I still think it is a software problems, but meh... I really don't know.

I haven't tried tweaking with any settings though.
[Captivate General] tblindt:
I agree totally and will be filing complaints, we should have a sticky how to jump throught all the paper work.
[Captivate General] stuff:
Also, I've got a buddy in europe with the i9000. He said the 2.2 update fixed the GPS. But, cog2.2/COE beta 4 "fixed" it as well. It just didn't give you the most accurate fix. It's 10-20meters in variance.
[Captivate General] smurfgod:
When I had my 3gs, I could turn on maps, and watch the little blue dot follow me whereever I went. I got rid of my first captivate bacause of the GPS and I got my second cause I love the phone...and 2.2 was leaked...lol

Anyway, I agree with the OP about Samsung being douches about GPS. It sucks. I've had 3 other Samsung phones and all worked without a hitch. I get this one, and GPS tells me to kiss its ass. My GPS hasent made a lock in 2 days. I don't want to take it back cause I really do love the phone, and I can live without GPS, but Samsung did advertise GPS and its not there. Wether we did research or not about the phone, it still doesn't change the fact that Samsung sold, and is still selling, a phone not as advertised and that is wrong.

What really makes people mad is that Samsung hasent addressed it yet. I think there hoping we forget about it.
[Captivate General] lordstrife:
Yeah however their has been a fix for this for awhile now.

Here is a good thread for this

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=732030

The GPS is there it just has a software issue right now however i did hear that 2.2 fixed this.
[Captivate General] tblindt:
you work for samsung i bet...

People we all know about the fixes and so called tweaks to date. No bueno.
[Captivate General] z28james:
If you bought your phone and are not satisfied, most places allow you to return the phone to them within 30 days for either a refund or for an exchange. If you bought your phone more than 30 days ago and did not fully explore your phone within that 30 days and think you have any recourse at all, blame yourself and not samsung.

I have the most sympathy for people who blindly bought the captivate without knowing about its GPS issues, however, it only takes one time of usage to see that it sucks. IMO, my captivate has navigated me all over Austin for the past month while I was going through the home buying process looking at homes and It always got me to my destination so for my usage it works fine. I did notice that on eclair, it takes an annoying amount of time to lock when moving or something when standing still. if I really cared, at that moment I would have boxed it up and returned it.

The manufacturer provides a hardware warranty. I know that it is suddenly so American to try and sue everything and anything but why not talk to samsung about your issues? If they will do nothing, maybe you have something to go on. Also, when you march into court, make sure to provide all documentation where samsung claims that the GPS will lock within x amount of seconds and where samsung documented that the GPS will be within x meters of accuracy.
[Captivate General] smurfgod:
But why should he have to do that?? Just because someone found a way to get it working, doesn't mean its right for Samsung to not have a fix for it.
[Captivate General] Jmac823200:
Man this is ignorant! That's like saying find proof that Toyota says that this car's brake system will work...

Samsung should definitely be more proactive in finding a solution to this problem. They just took the money and ran with it.
[Captivate General] z28james:
Its ignorant to keep a phone beyond the 30 days that you have to decide if you want to keep it fully knowing the GPS does not work to your expectations or did not care to fully explore your phone to make sure everything works correctly. Want to try and prove that wrong?! :rolleyes:
[Captivate General] Drew489:
Tried, they won't take it because it's been too long.
[Captivate General] Drew489:
I agree that a multifunction device doesn't do things perfectly BUT my antique G1 worked perfectly as a navigation device. As did my iPhone and pretty much any phone that has GPS within the past 2 years or so.

Any phone w/ GPS should have the ability to be used as a GPS.
[Captivate General] Drew489:
Those fixes didn't work nor should they be necessary, not everyone are freaks/geeks like us. :)
[Captivate General] laxwillsch:
What is everyone giving this guy a hard time about?? He is unhappy with samsung for selling a product that does not do what it advertised. I have a cappy and am pissed too. I went in to buy an iphone 4 and left att with the cappy so i didn't know about the gps prior and it has not been a deal breaker for me because I have messed with settings and roms and Jupiter files and made a couple workarounds but thats me and i like to tinker. There is absolutely nothing wrong with what he is trying to do on this thread and y'all should live and let live. If you wanna help, help, if not then don't, but XDA needs to stop with all the back and forth. we can get more done that way.

p.s. My intention is to stay neutral on this and i hope everyone receives this in good taste. No offense intended.
[Captivate General] Drew489:
lol...really? So we're at fault for "blindly" buying a phone with an advertised feature that doesn't work? Again, wat.

I think most of us have called Samsung and the place they bought the phone (I did, anyway). If it was simply returning the phone for a new one...this thread nor many/any of the complaints would exist. But buying a phone and expecting it to work as advertised is not a customer issue...it's a customer-service issue.

Perhaps you've heard of the iPhone debacle with the bumper? Or maybe the Xbox 360 ring of death that required Microsoft to replace affected consoles and issue a longer warranty.

Again, I can't even fathom why people are OK with, again, a MAJOR feature not working. If it didn't have GPS, I wouldn't have bought it. Since Samsung is not doing the right thing and replacing the phones or fixing the problems MONTHS AGO...then, yes, we have rights enforced by the FTC in which an advertised product has to, *SURPRISE* do what it's advertised to do. It's a pretty major issue to mislead people.

Again, more analogies, if it will help...if you bought a shirt...realized it had no buttons...would you return it? If you bought a TV that advertised as High-def and then got it home and realized it was NOT high-def...but you could not return it, would you just say, "well, stupid me, it's my fault for expecting the product to do as advertised"? Especially considering a smaller HDTV is the same price as this phone without contract ~$400.
[Captivate General] rbtconsultants:
I believe there is a subset of this hardware that does have legitimate GPS issues. I will not argue against the truth of this.

However, I also believe that people with the GPS issues are very vocal about it. I think this has resulted in some degree of mass hysteria, a "run on the bank" so to speak.

I think there are people that read there are GPS issues and are completely ignorant about how GPS works, and therefore think "My Tracks" should always track them to the exact inch, every second, anywhere on earth, when GPS is not designed to be that accurate and "My Tracks" has nothing to with whether a driving navigation program will work.

I also think there are people that read there are GPS issues and if their navigation loses accuracy every so often they think it has a big problem, when in fact this happens with any standalone GPS nav also, due to any number of environmental factors.

I think there are over 5 million of these devices sold, and many, many people (some that I know) have GPS that works just fine. We just don't hear from most of them because they aren't on here *****ing. The small subset of people who do have a GPS problem are on here *****ing and looking for resolution.

I concur with what a lot of folks on this thread have said about exchange under 30 days or under warranty. I had GPS problems, exchanged my phone and my new one works fine. I use nav every day and it works as well as my standalone GPS. If I had this phone first I might very well be blissfully unaware that some people have GPS problems.

So, exchange your phone and stop whining. Jeez.

My $.02

Bob
[Captivate General] laxwillsch:
and to Drew they will exchange for a refurb but it is like playing the lottery sometimes you win(and get a working GPS) and sometimes you lose (get a phone with worse GPS or dead pixels or worse)
[Captivate General] Drew489:
Sure, what if it breaks after 30 days?

Or what if Samsung/AT&T told you they were issuing a software fix to fix it...but they never did?

You guys are treating this phone like it's a $3 cup of coffee. And, in fact, I think if you ordered a $3 coffee with cream & sugar but it came without the cream or the sugar...you would send it back...right? Now what if they wouldn't take it back?
[Captivate General] rbtconsultants:
Has Samsung said they wouldn't exchange your phone under warranty?
[Captivate General] Drew489:
Wait, why are there dozens of threads about a GPS fix if it's not a pretty common problem? I actually don't know any Captivate users with working GPS. My friend sold his on Ebay and just bought an iPhone.

It's not whining if no one will fix the issue. Again, Samsung and AT&T won't do anything for me or dozens/hundreds/thousands of others.

It's also the principal of it never mind that I actually used the GPS all the time on my G1. It irks me that it does not work because I paid for it.
[Captivate General] Drew489:
The run around I got is I could send it back, wait a week or so for a used/refurbished phone (not acceptable to me) and it still might not work...because, again, it's a KNOWN ERROR.

I might do this anyway but it's not ideal or right considering it's such a wide-spread problem. I should be able to walk into any AT&T store, return my Captivate, test out the GPS on a new one and, if it works, exchange my POS Captivate for a new working one.
[Captivate General] z28james:
I think the main point I'd make would be did you know the GPS was fubar from day one or did you discover this after the 30 days that you had to return the phone unconditionally? Did where you buy the phone not provide to you 30 days? The thing is, you could have gotten out in that 30 days, ya know?

Hint: I already saw your answer, you choose to keep it thinking that software would be released to fix it, but who's fault is that?
[Captivate General] rbtconsultants:
This is what I did, but I did it within the 30 days.

You had that as a recourse, and chose not to do it.

You have recourse now of exchanging your phone from the manufacturer but this is unacceptable to you.

If you bought a TV from a store, it didn't work correctly and you went back to the store after their return period and asked them to exchange it and they refused, I assume you would contact the manufacturer and ask them to resolve your issue, which they might do by exchanging it for a refurb.

How is this different?

This is a problem of your own making.
[Captivate General] Drew489:
I still don't get it. It's my fault that the advertised feature didn't work? I don't understand I guess.

I do, however, hope I get to sell each of you something at some point in my life, I will advertise it as one thing, then charge as if it had that "thing". I will get rich!

I think I understand why people think American's are stupid. We are ok with getting f*cked over.
[Captivate General] rbtconsultants:
My guess at this point is that your phone has been dropped or gotten wet or something similar and you are now unable to exchange it under warranty so you are yelling loudly into the vast openness of the interwebs hoping someone will hear how unjust the world is that you didn't exchange your phone when you had the chance.

Am I warm?
[Captivate General] Drew489:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I DON'T GET IT. As I said before, I noticed the GPS not working but was told there was a fix coming....it never came. Now it's past the 30 days.

REGARDLESS, MANY MANY MANY people have phones with GPS that doesn't work and, REGARDLESS, the phone hasn't even been out a year so we should ALL (those with broken GPS) be entitled to a WORKING phone.

This is not "my doing" because I expected it to work...this is Samsung's major issue. If I was the only one with this sure.

Do yourself a favor, search XDA, or Google it for that matter, for GPS problems Samsung....it's a common well-known problem and we're getting the work around.

As a customer, we're supposed to get what we paid for...nothing more, nothing less. I could see if I was complaining about battery-life or something (also dozens of threads on this FWIW)...sure. You could say stop *****ing.

And, again, what if the WIFI did't work...would you be OK with that? How about if the receiver didn't work? Cool? What features are you OK with paying for and not receiving?
[Captivate General] Drew489:
Not even close. And is your theory for the same few hundred or thousand other people too?
[Captivate General] z28james:
It is very much your fault for keeping the phone knowing it did not work correctly, yes. You had 30 days to return it, you chose to keep it. Get it? You knew it did not work, could have returned it. Didn't. Get it? You had 30 days and willingly kept it. You. At fault. Kept broken goods. Did it sink in? Your fault. 30 days. Eh?
[Captivate General] Drew489:
Nope, don't get it. And you're wrong. The phone was advertised with a feature that DOES NOT WORK FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

It's been posted on Cnet, Engadget and it's all over this forum. Get it? No?

Read up on Microsoft's Xbox issue or Apple's phone bumper issue...they fixed it. GET IT? No?

Toyota's brakes didn't work....they did a recall...and they all had warranties...GET IT? No?

I'm sorry that:

A) You didn't read the part where Samsung told me and millions of others (via Cnet, Engadget, etc) that the fix was coming. There goes my 30 days.

B) You didn't get the point that it's a VERY COMMON problem, it's not 1% of the phones, I'd guess it to be closer to 75% of the phones. This is a major issue, it could, and hopefully will, turn out to be a PR nightmare for them.
[Captivate General] Drew489:
http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-20012490-251.html

http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-20017264-251.html

http://www.intomobile.com/2010/09/2...-gps-woes-other-galaxy-s-phones-have-to-wait/

Actually, here...just click through them yourself - http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=samsung+gps+does+not+work
[Captivate General] z28james:
So you knew it was defective and still kept it? Did you have 30 days to return it? Answer those questions honestly.

The point its you willingly kept a defective product. Nobody forced you to buy a captivate. You willingly kept it knowing it did not work correctly. How its that someone elses fault? Answer my questions above so we can close this thread.