Problem with O2 - replace and/or repair

sparky40

I upgraded my contract in October and got a HTC Sensation XE, the first handset was returned faulty after it didnt hold a battery charge. I received a replacement handset and was fine for a few months but it has now started to develop faults in that it reboots randomly (a problem which is temporarily fixed by doing a soft reset but comes back again after 3/4 days) It is also very hard on the battery, e.g. i charged the phone overnight and after some light use today it is already down to 48%.

I called them and all they are prepard to do is offer a replacement or repair. I dont want to have to back up all apps/contacts etc then have to reinstall/reconfigure everything again.

Question is do i have any other recourse other than this, if I continue to receive sub standard handsets or do i have to accept this until a) the contract is out or b) i finally get a handset that works?

TIA

visidigi

You can change the phone whenever you like, you will still have to pay the contract. Maybe have them replace the phone, sell it and buy a better one elsewhere.

They can either replace or repair the handset - 3 months in its unlikely unless you have many more replacements that they would let you choose a different handset from their range...

bengalknights

The only options open are repair and replacement, in this case use a app like backup master to back everything up and request a replacement or a swap for another phone of equivalent.

Wintermute

Other than a phone that works what do you actually want?

Repair or replacement seems like the best way to get a phone that actually works, in my experience switching between android phones is rather painless, just set it up to sync to google, use an app to back everything up to the SD card, login on the new/wiped device, reinstall that app, restore from backup and you're ready to go.

What I've often found when it comes to Android and random rebooting is it's often down to a specific app you've installed which is why doing a factory reset often helps and if the repair centre wipe and keep the phone for testing for a few days it's often fine. One app I've found to be really bad on dual core phones (such as the Sensation series, Samsung Galaxy S2, Nexus) is Dolphin Browser, I'd say it's the best browser available for Android, but on every dual core phone I've tried it on it causes frequent reboots. I often recomend doing a reset then reinstalling apps a few at a time then start uninstalling them when the issues occur as you can often pin point rebooting issues down to being a specific app.

The handset and the airtime agreement are completely seperate which is why if you lose your phone you don't automatically get to cancel the contract. They will do everything they can to get you a handset that works, if only because dealing with you is costing them money, normally if you've had multiple repairs or replacments for the one handset they're willing to swap for an alternative model so you could always go down that route.

visidigi

Wintermute wrote: »

What I've often found when it comes to Android and random rebooting is it's often down to a specific app you've installed which is why doing a factory reset often helps and if the repair centre wipe and keep the phone for testing for a few days it's often fine.

This is an HTC, google HTC and random reboots - they do them when under load - they've been doing it since the Desire and they STILL do it.

Wintermute

visidigi wrote: »

This is an HTC, google HTC and random reboots - they do them when under load - they've been doing it since the Desire and they STILL do it.

My HTC Desire is more stable than my Samsung Galaxy S2, this was true even when I had it overclocked.

About 1,050,000 results for HTC random reboots.
About 5,320,000 results for Samsung random reboots.
About 6,900,000 results for iPhone random reboots.

By that logic HTC are around 5 times as stable as Samsung handsets and 6 times as stable as iPhones

In my experience (dealing with faulty phones every day) HTC are no worse than any other manufacturer. There was loads of problems with the original HTC Sensation, but I've had next to no problems with the HTC Sensation XE, I actually think I've had more problems with the Beats earphones that come with the phone than the handset its self.

visidigi

Wintermute wrote: »

My HTC Desire is more stable than my Samsung Galaxy S2, this was true even when I had it overclocked.

About 1,050,000 results for HTC random reboots.
About 5,320,000 results for Samsung random reboots.
About 6,900,000 results for iPhone random reboots.

By that logic HTC are around 5 times as stable as Samsung handsets and 6 times as stable as iPhones

Oh dear...I suggest your logic needs to be adjusted by the volume of sales...

Wintermute

visidigi wrote: »

Oh dear...I suggest your logic needs to be adjusted by the volume of sales...

Getting OT here, but I was just trying to point out the flaw in your statement saying just because it's a specific brand so it's going to randomly reboot.

Just saying "google it" doesn't make it true regardless of how many results you get, just like when somebody points out that something must be a common issue because there's a few forum posts from people with the same issue doesn't mean it is, as you don't hear from the hundreds of thousands of other users who don't have the same issue.

Not only did I not factor in the volume of sales I'm comparing a handset manufacturer who started life making OEM devices and has only been well known for a couple of years with a specific line of phones and a company who makes phones, but also makes parts for pretty much everything with a chip in it and have a massive product range.

On a daily basis I deal with issues with Apple, Samsung, HTC, RIM, Nokia and Sony Ericsson handsets, every so often there's a Motorola to keep things interesting, but all of them experience issues with randomly rebooting. If I'm going to recommend a handset to a friend or family member I'll either go for HTC or Samsung as in my experience they're the most reliable and offer the best handsets in my opinion.

HTC did release a few dodgy updates (mainly caused signal issues) for a few of their handsets around August and September last year, but other than one of their updates wiping the APN settings they've been pretty good since then.

sparky40

@wintermute - I am loathed to take another HTC phone never mind another sensation and if offered the chance I'd go back to iphone. Given the difference in costs I cannot see this being an option, but am prepared to try!!

I must admit I can understand the whole "tied to apple" argument but I have found the iphone to be much smoother than the android i.e. having music and podcasts in one place as opposed to seperate apps and Google Listen is a horrible app to use. This is only one example but I must admit I am not impressed with Android and HTC at all.