• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Help Does anyone else think this phone is a lemon?

This phone really sux azz. Well lets see...Data connection loss all the time. Lagggg all the time...Barely any memory on board...NO software updates...full of greedy azz verizon bloatware...and $300...
I AM THE DUMB AZZ FOR BUYING IT. But neither verizon OR samsung will EVER see any more of my money...
 
My phone had a terrible lag but once I deleted all the text messages, the bad lag went away. I'm not rooted and the phone performs just as it did out of the box three months ago.
 
I was hoping someone here could help my dad. He went to go root his phone this afternoon and couldn't even get past the first step of booting the phone into recovery mode (hold down volume -, tap power). I have rooted phones easily in the past and he is a software engineer, so I don't believe this is a user error. We even checked out this video How To: ROOT your Droid Charge

Does anyone have any suggestions?
 
n0apostrophe said:
I was hoping someone here could help my dad. He went to go root his phone this afternoon and couldn't even get past the first step of booting the phone into recovery mode (hold down volume -, tap power). I have rooted phones easily in the past and he is a software engineer, so I don't believe this is a user error. We even checked out this video How To: ROOT your Droid Charge

Does anyone have any suggestions?
Click to expand...

IIRC, you have to root the phone using Odin first if his phone is on EE4.
 
n0apostrophe said:
This is the first step to the rooting guide on several sites after downloading the necessary files.
Click to expand...


Try pulling the battery (keep it out), connect the usb cable to the computer then do the button combo (push and HOLD the volume down key and tap the power button).
 
Kelmar said:
Try pulling the battery (keep it out), connect the usb cable to the computer then do the button combo (push and HOLD the volume down key and tap the power button).
Click to expand...

The phone will not boot up at all when the battery is removed and it is connected to any of our laptops (lenovo with windows 7 or dell with windows xp) and both have the samsung driver installed.

I am leaning towards there is a problem with the actual device. Do you think there could be a legitimate explanation to need to do access download mode? Or would not being able to turn on the phone while connected to the computer be a valid enough reason for a new device?
 
n0apostrophe said:
The phone will not boot up at all when the battery is removed and it is connected to any of our laptops (lenovo with windows 7 or dell with windows xp) and both have the samsung driver installed.

I am leaning towards there is a problem with the actual device. Do you think there could be a legitimate explanation to need to do access download mode? Or would not being able to turn on the phone while connected to the computer be a valid enough reason for a new device?
Click to expand...


I was having a little trouble today as well. Try taking the battery out, holding the volume down button in, and plugging in the USB cable while you hold the button in. Worked great for me.
 
I completely agree with the first post in this forum. This phone is horrible. Verizon putting the droid moniker on this is an insult. If you call Verizon for support. They act like they've never heard about an issue with this phone even though on their own forums issues are listed all over the place. It's an embarassement that Samsung with holds updates to force people to buy new versions of their phones and they should be sued in a class action lawsuit. This phone is an embarassment to the android family. I can't use any services I pay for. It neverrrrr connects to GPS. It barely stays connected to 4G. Verizon should stop endorsing phones that are released just for the sake of releasing them and endorse quality products. We're the customers that have to be stuck with this sh*t for 2 years.
 
One thing with NO LED that the developer has actually admitted to with this specific phone is that it causes you to miss some text messages. It for some reason stops some messages from ever reaching your phone.



rsgoldens said:
Another thing I hate about this phone and I'm sure drains on the battery is that there are no notification lights! How freakin stupid to put out a $300 phone with no LED's for notifications!!! I installed no LED app that usually works and lets me know when I have a missed call or a text, but I'm sure that little notification thing floating around on my screen is draining on the battery. If you don't have that app you are constantly having to check your phone. No wonder the battery life sucks! Can't wait to get rid of the phone!!! What a rip off. I've learned my lesson and I will never own another Samsung phone again.
Click to expand...
 
I love these threads. I think most people just complain to try to get a newer phone with specs they won't even notice :D

I'll agree, the stock rom has a few problems... compound the number of "wrong things" people can do to android, and it really does add up.

I'm on EP4P now, and it's an excellent experience. Faster than my droid x and much better battery life. Radios are reliable, too.

of course this is with some hot sauce:

SC20111028-124622.png


Best phone so far! I'm not even considering a razr, and I'm a new product junkie.
 
syntrix said:
I love these threads. I think most people just complain to try to get a newer phone with specs they won't even notice :D

I'll agree, the stock rom has a few problems... compound the number of "wrong things" people can do to android, and it really does add up.

I'm on EP4P now, and it's an excellent experience. Faster than my droid x and much better battery life. Radios are reliable, too.

of course this is with some hot sauce:

SC20111028-124622.png


Best phone so far! I'm not even considering a razr, and I'm a new product junkie.
Click to expand...


What do you mean people complain to try to get a newer phone? I had to call customer care half a dozen times with my data dropping issue and my dropped calls and loud annoying noise in my ear before they would send me a refurbished phone. I just want the crap I pay $300 for to work. Do you know how many calls and phones you have to go through before they will even send you a newer phone if they ever even send you a different model? You shouldn't have to root a phone to have it work decent and get decent battery life, or in other words just to make it work like it should.
 
rsgoldens said:
What do you mean people complain to try to get a newer phone? I had to call customer care half a dozen times with my data dropping issue and my dropped calls and loud annoying noise in my ear before they would send me a refurbished phone. I just want the crap I pay $300 for to work. Do you know how many calls and phones you have to go through before they will even send you a newer phone if they ever even send you a different model? You shouldn't have to root a phone to have it work decent and get decent battery life, or in other words just to make it work like it should.
Click to expand...
For truth!

I actually do NOT want a different LTE/4G phone that Verizon sells at the moment. I bought the DC because it has 4G and a phenomenal screen. Truly, I couldnt care less about how many cores it has or RAM specs. I've been a programmer for ~10 years and while having better specs is nice, it's almost un-noticeable if your code is efficient. Sure, graphics may suffer but we're talking way beyond what I care to do on a phone.

I know a ton of people that look at quadrant scores, I used to care about those scores when I was a gamer, but then I realized... A system that costs half the price has 90% of the performance, what the heck am I smoking if I pay that much money for something I wont even notice.

So, focus on what REALLY matters. The screen cannot be had in any other Verizon 4G phone at this moment in time. If the problems were fixed/addressed, I'd be a VERY happy camper.
 
rsgoldens said:
What do you mean people complain to try to get a newer phone? I had to call customer care half a dozen times with my data dropping issue and my dropped calls and loud annoying noise in my ear before they would send me a refurbished phone. I just want the crap I pay $300 for to work. Do you know how many calls and phones you have to go through before they will even send you a newer phone if they ever even send you a different model? You shouldn't have to root a phone to have it work decent and get decent battery life, or in other words just to make it work like it should.
Click to expand...

I mean people try to complain where there is not an issue, in an attempt to get a newer phone. (exactly what I posted).

Did you think I meant you? Cause it certainly doesn't sound like you. I ran mine stock for the longest time, never got any data drops, dropped calls or loud annoying noises in my ear. Battery life was excellent stock. Are you sure you don't have an iphone? :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Not saying you didn't get bad phone, but the refurb chances of the same problem will typically point to some sort of setup or software or other software issue (like task killers, but that's android 101 to not use them).

Or you are just jealous of my quadrant scores :D :D
 
syntrix said:
I mean people try to complain where there is not an issue, in an attempt to get a newer phone. (exactly what I posted).

Did you think I meant you? Cause it certainly doesn't sound like you. I ran mine stock for the longest time, never got any data drops, dropped calls or loud annoying noises in my ear. Battery life was excellent stock. Are you sure you don't have an iphone? :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Not saying you didn't get bad phone, but the refurb chances of the same problem will typically point to some sort of setup or software or other software issue (like task killers, but that's android 101 to not use them).

Or you are just jealous of my quadrant scores :D :D
Click to expand...


I guess I did take it the wrong way because I think everyone in this thread is like me, just want a phone that works. I do think you are right, there are a few bad apples out there that complain just to get a free upgrade. I wish I had more time to learn about quadrant scores and all that, but I just want a phone that works!!! Thanks for clarifying though :) Glad you like your phone. I really hate getting ripped of and seeing others feel the same way.
 
There is the unfortunate problem of people complaining for no reason just for the upgrade. I've read way too many stories of this happening and it's just ridiculous. It gives a bad name to those with actual problems and inhibits our ability to get things resolved. :fistshake:
 
Hear ya! I was one who came from the tb. now you want a phone that sucked....there you go! Random reboots....crap signal. Terrible battery life. You name it. Imho The charge makes that phone look like a bag phone.

Haven't had a problem with the charge. great device and I too am one who looks for the new stuff. Is it perfect? No. But its good!
 
Three things bug the nutz out of me with this phone: dropped calls, call quality (For the other person, not me. My brother says I sound like the Soundwave when this phone wigs out), and missed texts. These are basic phone functions that should be a solid part of any phone, be it dumb phone or smart phone. I never had these issues with past phones on the Verizon network, but these problems manifests themselves with my Samsung Droid Charge regularly. I'm guessing it's the phone, not the network.

For the longest time, I simply endured the problems, as an expense payed for buying a 1st gen LTE phone (and, damn, I love these 4g speeds!). But this Wednesday I was furious at my phone... My wallet was stolen from a rec center locker... there I sat in my car with my Charge, frantically trying to call my bank and credit cards, and it was at that moment my Charge decided to have one of it's little tantrums. It dropped my call as I worked my way through my bank's automated system. When I got through to customer service on my subsequent attempt, the guy said my connection was really bad. I hung up and called back, bad connection again. Manually rebooted phone. Blah, blah, whine, wah, wah...

You get the point. It was a very sucky experience losing my wallt and my Charge tripled my stress. It was at that moment I realized how unacceptable this phone is. I can live with a phone that chokes fun-but-superfluous apps like Contract Killers: Zombies, or Cordy... but I can't live with a phone that chokes on phone calls.
 
I have a question for those with more experience I: Is the Droid Charge representative of Samsung phones in general?

This is my first Samsung phone, and I'm tempted to say, "To hell with Samsung! Never again!" But, if these issues (dropped calls, missed texts, and call quality) are isolated to the Charge, then I will *try* to keep an open mind about Sammy phones.
 
estubby said:
I have a question for those with more experience I: Is the Droid Charge representative of Samsung phones in general?

This is my first Samsung phone, and I'm tempted to say, "To hell with Samsung! Never again!" But, if these issues (dropped calls, missed texts, and call quality) are isolated to the Charge, then I will *try* to keep an open mind about Sammy phones.
Click to expand...
I have had 2 other Samsung phones and not been happy with them. There have been random issues with every Samsung phone I've had. The Galaxy Nexus "may" be the first/only phone that works because Google is dictating it's direction, but I'm still skeptical. If it wasnt for the screen and 4G, this phone would have never made it into my pocket, and I'd be oblivious to the issues. (had an A900 and a blackjack)
Personally, Motorola makes the best phones on the planet. The screens arent amazing, but their quality and "actually being able to use the phone when you need it" is second to none. Even the build quality is superior to all other phones. I had an angry ex that literally threw my Motorola Q through a wall, yes it went through the drywall. Picked it up and it was still working perfectly. That same phone, I left on top of my car once :S Was going 40mph when it came off :( The screen was shattered, but amazingly... The phone still worked even after being tossed off the top of the car?!?! You cant get build quality like that with Samsung.



Also, the LOUD screetching/scratching is back, even after clocking it to minimum 200mhz CPU. It's less frequent, but I just had it deafen me this morning.
 
As I read through these posts it takes me back to the Fassy I had. Had similar issues (missed calls) that Verizon "upgraded" me to the Charge. Maybe a Samsung issue? The two phones are very similar. Soon after receiving the Charge I heard that they sent out a bug fix and stopped the upgrade. I wonder if they would do the same with the Charge....doubt it. I dont really feel like going thru a bunch of CLNs to find a good one.
 
Gr8Jeepin said:
I dont really feel like going thru a bunch of CLNs to find a good one.
Click to expand...
That's my thought process... I'm sure there are 1 or 2 good CLN's out there, but I'm not about to try to find them.
Why is it so hard to make a phone that actually works :confused:, I mean really, Apple has done it?!?! I dont want to go to an iPhone, I really dont, but Verizon isnt leaving people with much of a choice.
Option 1: Buy a dumb phone (but again, not samsung because we'll be lucky if it makes phone calls)
Option 2: Buy an Android phone that kinda works, but it's likely that QA was drunk the day they checked your particular phone.
Option 3: Buy an iPhone because we (Verizon) can't touch it, look at it or even think about it otherwise Apple will pull it from us. And if it does mess up, their refurbs have to be Apple Certified, which means that someone who was slightly less drunk looked at it and it should be as good or better than a new phone.
 
Honestly from day one I realized the phone was a brown-tinted bloatware fest so I rooted it and put GummyCharged on it. I haven't had any of the issues you've had. The only issue I ever had was the home button would stop working but I rebooted and it fixed it.

I do think the battery life sucks. I have the extended battery and it still sometimes goes dead in a day...which I think has something to do with 4G and searching for signal. I hate how freaking huge this phone is, especially with the extended battery. And to make things worse, its completely smooth so it constantly slips out of my hands or falls out of my lap (can't find a case for extended battery)

I guess I have to learn to love it though because I have a year and a half left before I can upgrade

EDIT: GummyCharged just got worse and worse... my phone would stay lagged, lock up randomly, reboot randomly, etc. Reinstalling didn't help. I finally ended up with InfinityROM and so far its been great. I still think its a fairly mediocre phone though overall
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom