But you still aren't accounting for the fact that many of the 300 in your example would not even have got on this forum if it wasn't for a problem they encountered, they may not even have came back to follow up if the issue they had was solved. Websites like these can not give you a proper look on the general population. In order to say 30% of all thunderbolts are bad you would need to poll random users of the phone not the ones who went to a forum for help. Just imagine if there was a poll on this site for "What is better iPhone or Android?" seeing as the general user on here is likely bias towards android you can not assume the poll would account for the general population.
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T-Bolt among "5 Android Phones You Should Avoid Buying" according to this article
- Thread starter WizeGuyDezignz
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- htc thunderbolt
But you still aren't accounting for the fact that many of the 300 in your example would not even have got on this forum if it wasn't for a problem they encountered, they may not even have came back to follow up if the issue they had was solved. Websites like these can not give you a proper look on the general population. In order to say 30% of all thunderbolts are bad you would need to poll random users of the phone not the ones who went to a forum for help. Just imagine if there was a poll on this site for "What is better iPhone or Android?" seeing as the general user on here is likely bias towards android you can not assume the poll would account for the general population.
In a forum, the percentage of people reporting issues are always going to be much higher than what it really is. Like someone already have said, most people come to forums because they have a question or problem. They don't join forums to state how well their phone is working. Even if there are 300 out of 1000 tb owners in this forum are compaining, that doesn't mean 30% of tb owners are having issues.
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ardchoille
Android Expert
In the HTC Thunderbolt listing, the author begins by stating "The Thunderbolt is a great device with plenty of power." Then he spends the rest of the time complaining of poor battery life. Huh? He just said it had plenty of power, now he's complaining about battery life?
And he didn't let his readers know that extended batteries, custom kernels, custom ROMS and other things are available that will likely make poor battery life a thing of the past.
Perhaps it's just me, but I see this as the author writing an article without knowing much about the subject matter, which makes him lose credibility in my eyes.
And he didn't let his readers know that extended batteries, custom kernels, custom ROMS and other things are available that will likely make poor battery life a thing of the past.
Perhaps it's just me, but I see this as the author writing an article without knowing much about the subject matter, which makes him lose credibility in my eyes.
ardchoille
Android Expert
No offense intended, but could this be due to user error? One of the first things we do after receiving a phone is to "make it ours" by setting options and installing apps. I find it difficult to believe that you would receive that many bad units consecutively. Given the number of units manufactured, the odds of such a feat are astounding.
This doesn't really seem off to me, it is a sad thing but refirbs from VZW are jokes, I've received a refirb OG Droid once that had more problems than the one I was going to replace with it. I really think their strategy is send a phone someone else didn't want to someone else and hope they don't keep complaining. For the user it is kinda like playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded pistol.
ardchoille
Android Expert
Well, that is truly sad.
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TxGoat
Guest
I think by "Power" he's talking about processing power, 4G speed, and memory which I agree (and the spec sheets do not lie), the TB is one of the best Android phones on paper. In real world performance, leaves much to be desired.
We can go back and forth about why it should or shouldn't be on the list, but I'm going to make an analogy and explain why I think it SHOULD be on the list.
The TB is like the latest Corvette ZR1 when it first came out a few years ago. It was balls fast (pardon my french), was packed with a new Supercharged V8 that had neck snapping power, and made most other sports cars look like station wagons. Now should the Corvette be listed as one of the most reliable cars on the market? No. Did new ZR1 owners have some growing pains with the new Supercharged V8? You bet. For the average driver there is no way in hell anyone would recommend the ZR1. There's only 2 seats, the S/C V8 guzzles gas, and it costs over 100K.
The ZR1 will improve over time. GM will work out some of the bugs that's only typical of any new tech. The TB on the other hand, considering a cell phone's shelf life is much shorter than a car's shelf life, there's no way HTC is going to drag along the TB and improve it year in and year out for the next 4-5 years. There will be an update here, an update there, but HTC will move onto their next big thing and the TB will be a distant memory.
And for those of you that say you've never had a problem with your TB, go ahead and record a video with your TB and see how well the sound records. Just because you don't use certain features on your TB doesn't mean it's without flaw.
Ibrick
Android Expert
My refurb is perfect.
My release day phone fried, but from the people who have been tracking the serial numbers of the bricked devices it seems like a hardware issue within a lot number of early phones. Random reboots and poor handoffs should be expected. Anyone who thinks differently shouldn't be purchasing brand new technology.. bugs are a part of the development process, like it or not.
And like was mentioned, the people having problems will always be louder than the ones who don't. How many 'my tbolt is working perfectly' threads do you think there would be if that weren't the case..
My release day phone fried, but from the people who have been tracking the serial numbers of the bricked devices it seems like a hardware issue within a lot number of early phones. Random reboots and poor handoffs should be expected. Anyone who thinks differently shouldn't be purchasing brand new technology.. bugs are a part of the development process, like it or not.
And like was mentioned, the people having problems will always be louder than the ones who don't. How many 'my tbolt is working perfectly' threads do you think there would be if that weren't the case..
DILands
Android Expert
ZERO - They would be way too busy playing with them for the 3 hours of battery life. . . .LOL
Well before I got the Thunderbolt I had the Storm 2. Now that is a phone 2 avoid! I've had no reboot, no gps problems, battery life is to be expected. I carried 2 batteries wit my Storm. Yes my kickstand us peeling but so what?! It's still gorgeous! This is the best phone I've ever owned & I'm happy with it!
Not to mention anytime the "my toblt is working perfectly" thread pops up it is in jest and the OP is usually called a troll and flamed by all the people who are having issues with their phones the thread gets locked and the OP disappears into the depths of the internet.
I agree the bricked phones do seem to be from 1 lot of phones, at least according to XDA.
Also yes this phone has seemed beta technology at times, but many do not expect that with a phone they paid good money for unless they are a techie or someone who is willing and able to ride out the bumps in the road. I think many of the people who got the TB were not normally part of the early adopter crowd. I still think HTC rushed the release of the bolt to try to get the first VZW 4G phone out, kinda like the OG droid did so well because it was the first VZW android phone (yeah I know the Eris was released on the same day but it didn't have the marketing push) the biggest difference is the OG Droid had most the issues ironed out at release or within 2 months and the same is not true for the TB.
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TxGoat
Guest
The phones that I've received (all 4 of them and counting...sigh) have been ok from a software standpoint. I think if a refurbed phone is doing the same thing that my current phone is doing after I loaded up all my apps/settings then I'd at that point definitely consider it to be a software issue and not a hardware issue. Where I'm noticing the issue with their QA is apparently the phone's screens are being removed and when they're put back together, the same specifications aren't being used.
One phone I received had a gap in between the phone and the plastic trim piece at the bottom. Another phone had a problem with the screen being loose. You would casually type on the phone and the screen would click because it wasn't seated correctly. The last few phones have had problems with the screens not being seated down far enough. The plastic around the screen should stick out far enough to prevent the screen from scratching when using it in Speakerphone mode, but the phones I was receiving, the screen stuck out past the plastic edge. If your phone isn't a refurb you can run your fingernail (lightly) across the screen to the edge of the phone. Your fingernail should catch on the edge. The phones I'd get, you wouldn't even feel the trim piece around the screen.
Ibrick
Android Expert
Ibrick
Android Expert
Sorry to say but those people shouldn't have bought the first LTE phone and expect it to be perfect. Its just not the way technology works.
Look at the first anything and you'll find something that wasn't quite perfect right away.
As an example look at 3d years ago vs. today.
Personally for this being the first of its kind, HTC and VZW did a damn good job IMO. They're working on improving it, but if they waited till every bug was worked out we wouldn't have seen this phone till 2012.. and even then you don't really know till you release it in large enough numbers to really get an accurate representation of its quality.
robrecht
Android Enthusiast
My refurb was perfect too. I only let them send me a refurb to try and convince Verizon that some of their network issues shouldn't always be blamed on phones. If there were a better phone on Verizon, I'd get it. My 9-year-old would love to get my ThunderBolt hand-me-down sooner than later.
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TxGoat
Guest
Considering companies want you to pay a premium for the latest and greatest, I think it's only fair that consumers expect the product to work as intended and advertised.
Ibrick
Android Expert
It would be interesting to compare number of phones sold vs number of returns and also the number and type of complaints logged.
That would put a "number" to these "many" and "few" statements. Wish verizon could release that info...
Oh, and to add a non-forum POV, my grandmother had zero issues with her TBc but my wife had random reboots, bad battery life, and peeling clearcoat on her kickstand.
That would put a "number" to these "many" and "few" statements. Wish verizon could release that info...
Oh, and to add a non-forum POV, my grandmother had zero issues with her TBc but my wife had random reboots, bad battery life, and peeling clearcoat on her kickstand.
My grandma can't even operate her wireless phone without the instruction book, she wouldn't have an issue with a TB because she wouldn't be able to figure out how to turn it on much less than unlock the phone.
It would be interesting to get to see some "real" numbers but I suspect VZW would never provide those
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TxGoat
Guest
Even if Verizon wanted to provide some numbers, I'm sure HTC would have something to say about it. That would actually make for a good thread, "Are you using your original TB?"
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TxGoat
Guest
You mean this thread
haha, wow someone spends a LOT of time on here....
I actually thought I'd seen that post before, and even thought I posted in that thread. Who knows, maybe someone edited or deleted my post.... ?!?!