yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[myTouch 4G General] ymml87:
Well, I must be one of the few lucky ones since I just received my first MT4G and it turned out to be the good screen! It is white and made in China (even though we've established there's good and bad from both); it was sent from Ft. Worth, TX and I even told the CS rep about the issue (which she had no clue about). I guess that the new shipments they are sending out are the better ones? I don't know, but I feel like there are more people getting better ones than not.
[myTouch 4G General] mattjmartin:
I just realized mine was a bad display a month after purchase and immediately called T-Mobile. The extremely nice woman on the phone asked if I'd factory reset it, if it had been dropped and if there was water damage. After answering appropriately and verifying the color of my water damage sticker, she said I would have a replacement within 3 days! I've been with T-Mobile since 2002 and still love them!
[myTouch 4G General] mattjmartin:
Good to hear. I live in fort worth and my replacement ships tomorrow!
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
LOL you will probably get yours tomorrow. Bad news is they give the all bad ones to there fellow Fort Worth citizens. Just kidding hope you get a good one.
[myTouch 4G General] Phateless:
Jeez, why did they give me such a hard time?? Did you call in and tell her the display was the issue?
[myTouch 4G General] igotdatglow:
Had to wait all weekend for my replacement because Friday was a holiday.

Get home today and there wasn't a box on my porch.

Called T-Mobile to get the tracking #. Called UPS. Status is delivered.

Called UPS back, they had the idiots from my local UPS call me. The guy claims that he delivered it to my neighbors address which ends with a 1 and mine ends with a 3 :rolleyes:

I'm not sure who to believe. UPS says they delivered it, my neighbor said they didn't get a package. I don't trust either one honestly.

Now I have to wait for T-Mobile to do their lost phone procedure before I can get a new phone sent to me. Which with my luck will have another bad screen.

Pile all this on top of my tower problems which have been going on for a month at my home. Which have now spread to my job. So I get horrible data speeds all day long.

Awesome...........just awesome :(
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
I believe they require a signature. At least all of mine have so it should be easy to get the name of who signed for it. Sounds like UPS fault.
[myTouch 4G General] Mrdaviso:
Mine was left at the door, I get a lot of deliveries though.
[myTouch 4G General] igotdatglow:
The only time UPS has ever asked for a signature was when I ordered rims 10 years ago. I've been shopping online for years and they ALWAYS leave my stuff at the door. This is the first time I didn't get my package, it was bound to happen. I need to find a way to only have my stuff picked up at the shipping center.

UPS called me not too long ago saying they were gonna send someone to my neighbor's house to ask if they received a package. Reminds me of the movie "Next Day Air" without the cocaine LOL. I do wish UPS had some "muscle" to shake someone for my mytouch LOL.
[myTouch 4G General] Phateless:
I just called in again and ordered my replacement (3rd phone), let's hope it's a good screen with perfect quality control. :)
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
Maybe so, I know there is always someone at my place all the time so I guess they always get a signature. I would think with electronic goods they would require it. Oh well I wish you luck in getting it soon.
[myTouch 4G General] Master906:
According to the data:

61% chance your second phone will have good display

80% chance your replacement from warranty has a good screen

36% chance your in store replacement has good display

73% chance a china phone has a good display

37% chance a taiwan phone has a good display

45% chance your phone has a good display
[myTouch 4G General] Phateless:
This is great news since I just ordered my 3rd phone from warranty.
[myTouch 4G General] sunsean:
Hmmm, going by these findings, I guess my best bet is to try to get one through the warranty dept...but if I could ask an in-store rep to find me a 'China' one, I'd have almost as good odds of getting a good one. Decisions, decisions.

Is there a time-frame restriction on what methods you can get a replacement by? I just got my phone 2 days ago, in-store, so I guess either option should be available to me...

EDIT: Also...what have you guys been saying to TMO to get them to send you a replacement? Do you just tell the truth about the screen issue? I'm wary of this, only because I stopped into a TMO store to ask them about it, and the guy had no idea what I was talking about. Thing is, though, everything else on my phone seems to work - ffc is centered, no creaking buttons, so the screen is really the only reason I have to exchange it.
[myTouch 4G General] splat matt:
I just received my warranty replacement. Never received a text from t-mo with tracking number like a previous text stated. I was home all day; UPS delivered at some point, but never rang the doorbell. I think the driver must have been a ninja because my chihuahuas always bark when someone walks up to the door and they didn't this time. The UPS driver just left the box between my screen/storm door and front door. I barely even noticed it.
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
My personal opinion only, is to try different stores first. Just take your last or original receipt and go to another store and tell them you just got the phone 2 days ago and you want a different color if this applies. Or you can use another reason which maybe recognized and you will have no problems at all. The fact they don't recognize it is a gamble to me at this point. Myself I always used another reason. You can likely do this multiple times at different stores. The good thing is they keep giving you new in box replacements. If you need more help you can PM me.
[myTouch 4G General] splat matt:
I told them truth; that dust was collecting under my screen. So tell them the truth; maybe by telling them you have a screen issue they will replace it a unit with the better screen. If people keep coming up with bogus claims they will not be able to identify/address issue with HTC. They will just have a bunch of returned phones that appear to working fine per the bogus claim.

If t-mo gives you some resistance -I'm sure by explaining yourself calmly and provide a well documented case they will take care of you. T-mo is a "happy customer" centric company where they will even perform warranty returns to customers who bought their phones from ebay & craigslist. I remember when I had an iphone and was trying to properly set-up my mms & data (this before it was documented on the internet); their tech support spent easily 40 minutes testing various settings until everything worked right. The iphone was not even supported by them officially, but they took time to make it work. Additionally, laptop magazine reviewed the big four cellular providers based on knowledge and customer service and t-mo was consistently on top in their report.
[myTouch 4G General] splat matt:
Why if there is a higher percentage chance of getting a high contrast screen from warranty? Not trying to start anything just a healthy discussion. Thanks for documenting the issue with definitive evidence as this will most likely facilitate corrective action on t-mo's & htc's respective parts.

By the response in the t-mo forums the moderators are aware that their maybe a situation with the screens. It would not surprise me that the warranty phones have been inspected and they separated the preferred high contrast screens from their lots. This is a common QA business practice: To keep shipping cost down (from customers that keep returning their phones until they get a "good one") • To send back the un-desirable warranty stock to the manufacturer (HTC) which in turn may alert HTC to stop using screens made my sharp on new and refurbished models. Right now the stock in the stores will most likely be units that have not been filtered and will not be until they are warrantied unless their is a production code in the serial number that can identify the undesirable sharp manufactured screen.
[myTouch 4G General] sunsean:
I hear you - I guess my hesitations are mainly that a) I don't really have any other problems besides the inferior screen, and I don't know if I feel good about making something up - I actually want the same color I currently have; and b) I'd like to avoid a scenario where I have to exchange it 3,4,5 etc. times. Basically, I want to maximize my chances on getting a good screen on my first exchange, without having to make up some b.s. reason for the exchange.

The sheer gamble of it has me hesitating - everything else on my unit works a-ok, it's just the washed-out screen...for example, what if I actually luck out and get a good screen, but then the ffc is off, or the buttons squeak...but you guys who have went from bad to good screens, is the difference really worth it to go so far out of your way?
[myTouch 4G General] sunsean:
Yeah, that's the way I'm leaning - maybe by explaining the issue to whatever rep I wind up talking to, they will list this as a 'known issue' and make life easier for all 4g users in the future, and hopefully fix the problem. Also - if they know about it, they might actually go out of their way to get me a phone with a 'good screen' - otherwise, I could wind up exchanging the phone 10 times, and never get a 'good' one.
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
I really wish this were true. But it is just not the case. I just received a bad screen yesterday sent from loyalty and retentions. I know of another guy who has had the last 3 from the same center mine came from that are bad. I just don't think anything is going to change in stock or shipping centers until the issue is recognized and passed down through T-Mobile management and to the employees. There have been some store managers and some employees and even a few CS reps who have been made aware of the issues. But the bottom line is until T-Mobile internally makes it a known issue the CS reps will question it. You have to remember even though HTC has admitted it in a email to a user T-Mobile has not. I'm guessing they are deciding on how to handle the issue before moving forward. There is a lot for them to decide and it's not a easy decision you make shooting from the hip. They also have to know what HTC plans are to fix the problems etc. I'm not saying that you can't escalate it to a higher dept and get a replacement but the chances are greater if it is a known issue. I'm sure in some time in the near future they will acknowledge it and it will be easier to replace.

Even after showing the display to a T-Mobile store manager in my area they said they could not make a exchange as looking on the internet forums and such does not override there internal system.

I agree with you 100 % but if someone wants to know the best way to deal in a local store where the reps have no clue of the problem my first suggestion is with better odds of success.

EDIT: Also the CS reps, Retentions, etc have no way to tell the shipping dept to give you a good screen, or a specific phone Made in China etc. You get what you get and take the same odds as the rest of us do. This is were in store you might have a little better luck.

There are no way of telling from the box which are good and which are bad. If this was the case we would all be getting good ones.
[myTouch 4G General] sunsean:
Totally hear you - wasn't trying to say that I should have it easier than everyone else, it's just frustrating not having any control over it. I guess at least in-store, I can request a box that says "made in China".
[myTouch 4G General] Phateless:
I told them the truth - that I compared my phone to another phone and was surprised at the difference in screen quality with identical settings. I told them i had tried factory resets and nothing made a difference, my screen just looked washed out when compared to another one.

I opted for warranty by mail so that I can inspect the new unit before giving up my current unit.

That's exactly how I feel. If I didn't tell them the real reason I'm exchanging my phone then this issue would never gain any momentum. If we want this to be recognized as a "real" issue then we need to be truthful with our exchanges.

I too have an otherwise near-perfect unit and was very anxious about replacing it but after seeing a good screen in person I decided I should try. I've been a loyal customer for 6 years, have spent lots of money with them, and just signed a new two-year agreement. This is a high-end phone and I don't feel I'm out of place to expect it to be right.

I explained all this to the rep on the phone and she totally understood where I'm coming from.
[myTouch 4G General] pdxmatts:
YES! It's worth it. I for one won't accept inferior products, especially if I pay over $400 for it.
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
+100% agree with that. When I opened mine up yesterday and saw the bad screen I called them immediately and told them the screen was so white and washed out. She said is it completely white? I said no but I can hardly see it, and I told here it was nowhere even close to my original one and I would not except a inferior one. She agreed and I hope to have my next replacement today.

If you are getting a warranty replacement from CS and it has a problem call them right away. Also for what it's worth, if the box has any damage take pictures of it before you open it. The one I received yesterday the box look like it had been through a clothes dryer and was all banged up. I took the pictures from all sides and showing the seal still on it. I also told them of this but they did not want to see the pictures. Still better to be safe than sorry.
[myTouch 4G General] mattjmartin:
I told her the truth. I compared my screen to store display and whenbit was bad I looked online and found the thread of T-Mobile forums. When she asked about damage though, I told her the sides creaked AND the battery covet was loose from day one and she agreed that I just had a lemon. I told 100% truth and have a replacement coming...

Maybe just hang up and call back if anyone gives you hassle because my call also included two other issues and I was only on the call for ten minutes.
[myTouch 4G General] Phateless:
I did call back and said the same thing - compared my phone to another and display looked bad so I googled it and found pictures, testimonials, etc. They're sending out a replacement, let's hope it's a good screen.
[myTouch 4G General] sunsean:
Thanks for this - reassuring to know others are or were in the same boat. I agree completely that they've gotten a lot of $ from me over the years, and just sucked me in for another 2, not to mention the $200 I dropped on the phone - they'll just have to play ball until we all get units we're happy with.
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
Just got my replacement again today. Another Taiwan washed out screen. Also sent from Ft Worth TX.

I'm calling them back now.
[myTouch 4G General] splat matt:
I'll sell you mine I want a nexus s anyway.

Kind of kidding not sure though.
[myTouch 4G General] mgymnop:
Sorry to hear that. This is ridiculous.....I have the bad screen but as long as the chance is 50% to get a bad one I refuse to exchange. I learned my lesson now: HTC quality is not as good as some people want to tell me. I had two N1s and they had a lot of QC issues. I have my second MT4G and it starts to creak and the screen is the bad one...some people had to exchange 5 times to get a flawless one....are the Motorola Android phones as bad as the HTC? I am really considering another manufacturer and even another carrier (
[myTouch 4G General] Phateless:
To be perfectly honest I would much rather have an off-center camera and creaking buttons than a faulty GPS. But yeah, these QC issues have me disappointed in HTC, who I thought had a great reputation...
[myTouch 4G General] cthulion:
Their ft.worth address is just their return center. They get returned phones, inspect them, clean then (sometimes change external parts for looks), put on funny boxes and send out to people who want an exchange. If there is an obvious defect, or if the demand for exchange is not high, they send back to the manufacturer.

This is what I've been told by some supervisor at retentions, when she tried to convince me to accept one of these second-hand phones as an exchange for something I bought new and arrived defective. She argued that if they are sending it to me than its defect free and was returned by someone who just changed their minds.

I told her if she wants to stick me a refurb in return for a two year contract + $150,00 and tax, she was dreaming and could just go ahead and cancel my service.

Two days later i received a brand new phone...with dead pixels on the screen :)
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
Well again t-Mobile has come through. There are shipping me a brand new one Retail box and letting me keep one of my old ones for Free. I laughed at the guy and said I don't want any bad ones I want another good one. We now have 3 lines with them and 2 are good and the 3rd one is the one giving trouble. Fingers crossed the new one tomorrow is good.

BTW I just told them that when on my desk in front of me the new one is whited or washed out and my other one sitting right next to it is clear as a bell.

Fingers crossed. But at least with the new one I get another 20 days so if more problems occur I can change it in a store.

EDIT: The funny thing is my other replacements had XA on the end of the model number, this one just has a A.
[myTouch 4G General] mgymnop:
LOL. I agree although the problem with the GPS was Samsung not Motorola right.
[myTouch 4G General] floepie:
Just prepare yourself that you may not be able to replace it in store. It may need to be exchanged via mail. I was told at one time that any phones shipped to you (retail packaging or not) would need to be exchanged by calling CS even within remorse period.
[myTouch 4G General] mackster248:
Sigh.... my 4th replacement just came in and STILL the bad screen... And FFC is off. Should I call again for yet another replacement? Do they keep tracks of how many times I get replacement phones?
[myTouch 4G General] chrisjs81:
Same here, black exchange came today. Washed out screen, battery cover is a very tight fit (didn't think it was going to fit at all at first), and the left bezel is higher than the edge of the screen. Ugh.
[myTouch 4G General] Phateless:
Yes, the Galaxy S line specifically as far as I know. No clue if the Epic and other Samsung Android phones are also affected.
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
I don't know but I have had my fair share between the three phones. I have 3 extra phones in my possession right now and a fourth on the way. I would have to say between my G2 and the 3 MT4G's I'm gotta be getting close to 15 phones. I will not stop until they are right. I can deal with small things if they are not severe like a slightly off center FFC, or a small chip in the bezel would not bother me if the display was good and the rest of the phone worked ok.
[myTouch 4G General] borodin1:
Just got my first replacement - and its a winner: good screen, good bezel, no light leaks, buttons are quiet, bottom of the phone is solid. FFC is a tiny bit off-centered, but not enough to make a noticable difference, at least for me.

Just for the reference:

My replacement came from Fort Worth TX, in plain white box, sandwiched in between cardboard. Only phone and batter cover, no other accessories (not even a sd card.) Made in Taiwan, 2.2.1 out of the box.

Here's something that I've noticed: phone does not look used/refurbished. It came with original plastic over the screen. Micro-usb port looks like it has not been used. But the phone did not come in the original packaging which makes me wonder if T-mobile now checking these phones for good/bad screen? Or their refurb dept is just that good, lol

I don't care what anyone says, the difference in screens is unbelievable! If you have a bad screen you absolutely must get it replaced, you owe it to yourself!

I would like to thank everyone here for the support... and those who still have inferior screen - keep trying, it's worth it.

P.S. Should I keep the battery cover? I wouldn't mind having a spare cover for free :D
[myTouch 4G General] chrisjs81:
What color borodin?

I think they actually come from Kentucky but get returned to Texas.

They are packaged like that because that's all that needs to be replaced. They're new right now because the phone is new... Hasn't ben out long enough for there to be refurbished ones.
[myTouch 4G General] rosebud1:
2nd replacement received. Taiwan. Black. Good screen!!!!! Very Slightly off center ffc and rfc. 1st replacement was Taiwan black bad screen as well as original. Both had off center ffc and rfc.

It feels really good. Lol. When you turn the phone and still have the same dark colors. For example, when turning the phone on, there is no chAnge in color of the mytouch green circle logo on the white background. It's amazing. Really feels good to get that good screen.

Also, bob..... did you say they are letting you keep one of your replacements at no extra charge and giving you a new one as well??? How and why???
[myTouch 4G General] borodin1:
Black in color and I think you're right, UPS tracking shows it leaving KY. Why did they include battery cover though? All replacements for other phones that I had (not MT4G) came bare bones, no accessories at all. I'm really tempted to keep that cover :rolleyes:
[myTouch 4G General] chrisjs81:
What the...? I got a black replacement today from KY and it had the inferior screen but no battery cover. (and my old cover was a tough fit). What are they doing there!? :)
[myTouch 4G General] mambah92:
I have the bad screen, confirmed it with terminal. I'd like one with a good screen, but my ffc is centered, and my buttons aren't creaky. I'm afraid that if I exchange it I'll get one with creaky buttons or some other problem. Is it really worth the risk?
[myTouch 4G General] borodin1:
I don't think there's any rhyme or reason.... it's like Russian Roulette. Keep trying.

Good luck.
[myTouch 4G General] jpelzel:
Ok, so I did an exchange and got a good one. Black, china, 2.2.1 blah blah.

I may be crazy but I swear that the bezel on this one is a blacker chrome than the old one. Looks quite nice actually.

Buttons on bottom feel rubberyer too.
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
Yes they said for all the trouble I have had with my 3 lines, I could keep any one of the replacements and the new one coming tomorrow for free.

If it were not for the popping bezel on my wife's last new replacement which I have yet to send back I would keep it as it has a good screen. But that popping bezel would drive me nuts. See this video I made to document it for T-Mobile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ1-UYqLklo
[myTouch 4G General] kitsunisan:
Im in the same boat there, perfect phone all around except for the bottom of the bezel. Thinking about another exchange, haven't decided yet.
[myTouch 4G General] Phateless:
If you call warranty and have it shipped to you there's no risk as you can inspect the new unit before sending back your old one. That's what I opted for.

I'm in the same boat as you, my phone is otherwise excellent and I don't want to give this up until I'm certain I have a suitable replacement IN HAND.
[myTouch 4G General] thiagomme:
I'm on my fourth replacement...all made in Taiwan, black, bad screen and sent from Ft Worth, TX.

Sent from my HTC Glacier
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
Yeah I went through a good streak there with I think 3-4 and all were from china and good but all except 1 had other problems. Now I can't seem to get another good one. LOL Hopefully this new one coming tomorrow will be a good one. Praying
[myTouch 4G General] projex0:
had a bad one when i upgraded from my vibrant

1st phone:

taiwan (black) bad screen

2nd phone:

taiwan (black) good screen

i am happy now
[myTouch 4G General] s10shane:
damn i hope i get the good one on thursday. not sure if its gonna be a good one or not. but my white one right now looks like crap compared to the one i saw in the video compare test.