Bought a new AT&T Note 3 - at a big box store. Couple of days later, as I was conditioning the battery (everything running, screen on, LED on, battery getting almost low enough to charge, me not paying attention to the phone), they decide to do an OTA update. Battery - of course - dies. In the middle of installing a downloaded update file.
In case you don't understand what this does, picture a horse, one leg on each continent, head on the moon, trying to walk. Phone was deader than that.
Bring the phone back to big box store. "Oh, someone fiddled with the software on the phone. We'll send it in for replacement, but you'll have to pay the $140 deductible." I KNOW someone fiddled with the software on the phone - AT&T did. Doesn't their OTA check to see if there's enough battery to complete the update BEFORE it starts it?
Figuring that they wouldn't do anything in the store (same big box store that spent 6 days determining that the DVD drive on my laptop was defective - AFTER their tech squad had already determined that it was defective), I had thrown my Motorola V551 totally stupid phone into my pocket (with a fully charged battery, of course). Stopped at AT&T corporate store on the way home and asked if they could do anything to help me at least have a working phone. Sure. New SIM, "What's the phone number on the phone being replaced? Do you have ID?" Punch a few buttons on a tablet, "anything else we can do for you, Sir?" Me: "Er, how much for the SIM?" Oh, no charge, Sir, and I hope you get the replacement phone back soon. When you do, tell them to do an equipment swap back to the new phone."
Who was that man, and what did he do with the salesdroid who usually works at those stores? I think I was out of there before my car had completely stopped rocking when I parked it.
BTW, the author of the article was right - the StarTac WAS the best cellphone ever invented. Mine still works too.
