Concerning Locked Thread === "Dumping the T-Bolt...too many issues"

[DCM*T*BOLT]

I could not sit by and not chime in on this. I can NOT believe this thread was locked/closed, and the responses that were given.

I also returned the Thunderbolt for some of the same reasons as the person that posted that thread. And others have as well based on all of my reading of the post on this and other forums discussing the Thunderbolt.

Has this suddenly turned into a "we only want people that worship the Thunderbolt" forum ???

It seems to me that 60-70% or more of the post on this forum are people having issues of some sort or another with this phone. Obviously it would seem that some people are having very few to no issues at all with this phone while others are having some or multiple issues. Perhaps there is/was a bad batch of components of some sort, or perhaps the quality control department is asleep at the wheel, or perhaps this phone was rushed out too quickly before all of the bugs were worked out. Either way, it can't be denied that a considerable amount of people are having a considerable amount of issues with this phone.

I am not unrealistic, I am well aware that with any product there will be some defective units. However, from my own personal experience of going through 3 Thunderbolts before I decided enough was enough, and from the hours and hours of reading I have done of other peoples experience with this particular phone, and from a friend that had the phone and also returned it for similar issues, ...there is obviously a quality control issue, that can NOT be denied/overlooked.

I think it is great that some of you are not having any issues with this phone and are loving it. I have said in other post that 'if' the phone did everything it was meant to do without having glitches, than it would be a great phone. However, for you people to have an overall attitude that the people that are having issues with this phone are just being anal, or unrealistic, or whatever is ridiculous. To expect that people paying $250+ for this phone should not expect it to work CORRECTLY is an attitude that I have a lot of trouble understanding, especially in a forum (I thought) was designed to share thoughts, ideas, raves and rants about this phone, good or bad.

Perhaps instead of 'accepting' that these phones 'will' have issues and NOT work perfectly, if everyone that had 'any' problem returned it, not accepting a bad product for good hard earned money, than, perhaps the quality control would tighten up and there would be much less defective units for all of us. All of you people accepting the 'issues' with this or any phone/product, just give the manufacture the 'signal' that they can use 'you' for there quality control department. I for one, and I seem to be in the minority in this forum, actually expect to have a properly working product for my money. Don't you ?

These post also basically act as 'reviews' for people deciding if they want to purchase this phone or not. Shutting down a thread, because someone had multiple issues and was understandably upset about it I believe is a disservice to what I thought this forum was supposed to be for.

 

[CaptainObvious]

You DO realize since this thread isn't blowing flowers up everybody's ass it'll probably get locked too right? Hell, everything i'm typing will probably get deleted too.

But i gotta agree with you on this. I see it as a maturity issue. Not sure if the mod did the right thing, i would've given everybody a warning, cleaned up the posts and given the thread another chance, but i can see where he was coming from in locking it. It wasn't going anywhere. All you could expect from post after to post was more ridicule of the OP and that's just sad.

I haven't had any of the same issues the OP did, but when i grew up i learned to respect people's opinion. He obviously wasn't trolling and didn't come on just to trash the device. And he definitely gave his time with the thunderbolt a good run if he rooted and tried different apps to fix his issues. Hasn't anybody ever been pissed off about a defect enough to write about it? Shit. When i dumped my iphone and moved to android, all that was on verizon was the original droid and the eris. The eris was easily the worst phone i've ever had next to the bb storm. Laggy, crap battery life, limited memory and couldn't even make calls on it without it getting stuck on some screen. Having that experience left such a bitter taste in my mouth it's hard to ever look back on it and say anything nice. And it pissed me off because i was looking forward so much to coming over to android and this phone just killed everything for me. Almost threw me off android completely and had me switch back.
If i tried my hardest to give the bolt a try and got these issues/swapped out 3 times like some of these people (you), you better believe i'm gonna share my opinion about it to give some potential customers out there another view.

All i've had with mine is crappy battery life (about as crappy as the droid 2's though, so i'd call this issue a bit exaggerated, unless i really did just get lucky) and connection issues. Right now my fancy new phone won't even connect to 3g. It likes 1x more, so from now until this is fixed it looks like it's gonna be a wifi only ala-ipod-touch-like device. Sad

Anyway, i'd try to find another place to post your bolt issues if i were you. This place can't handle it. If you have anything bad to say, it's automatically "you're doing something wrong". Yeah really. I'm sure the people with overheating phones, laggy phones or phones with batteries draining in an hour are doing something wrong. Especially when they swap it out 3 times. Mmmhmm....yeah! I had bluetooth, gps, the screen up all the way and everything syncing when i first got it and it didn't drain the battery in a freaking hour. Getting 3 defective units in a row would be enough for me to question the device line's reliability to a point where i'm leaving for good. What was he supposed to do? Wait until the 8th swap? 10th? Try a verizon store 100 miles away in hopes it didn't "get a bad batch"? Give me a break. I was lucky (and that's funny considering my 1x issue) but if i wasn't, i'd hope my opinion would be respect on an open forum

 

[LoyalServant]

IBTL.....
You guys realize that people come to forums to complain.....right?

 

[AustinTech]

You guys seem to be assuming that the thread was locked because the person who locked it is some sort of fanboy. How do you know it wasn't locked for a host of other possible reasons? Like people being rude to each other, rehashing stuff that has already been discussed ad nauseum in other threads, etc... It makes no sense to call this forum a "worship the Thunderbolt" place when most of the threads are critical of the phone and numerous times mods have stepped in and defended OP's who post critical reviews.

Let's not go all drama queen. Yeesh.

 

[CaptainObvious]

You guys seem to be assuming that the thread was locked because the person who locked it is some sort of fanboy. How do you know it wasn't locked for a host of other possible reasons? Like people being rude to each other, rehashing stuff that has already been discussed ad nauseum in other threads, etc... It makes no sense to call this forum a "worship the Thunderbolt" place when most of the threads are critical of the phone and numerous times mods have stepped in and defended OP's who post critical reviews.

Let's not go all drama queen. Yeesh.

Guys? Hope you weren't lumping me in with that. " but i can see where he was coming from in locking it. It wasn't going anywhere. All you could expect from post after to post was more ridicule of the OP and that's just sad. "

Mod didn't give an explanation, but then again he didn't need to. Just back and forth flaming.

Then again, you at the end complaining at the fact that the op is complaining is pretty priceless. Now complaining is "going all drama queen"? Oh boy

 

[mdeblaz]

I have no issue with threads about returning the TB for this issue or that... but the bashing that goes on afterward is a bit over the top.

I'm enjoying my Thunderbolt, the issues don't seem enough to warrant a return. I dealt with the Droid Eris and I can deal with this... very similar issues but this phone is 100 times better/faster.

That being said, if someone were to ask me advice on getting a new phone today, I'd probably recommend the Incredible 2 even though we have no idea if that will be better with battery life and other things. I just have a feeling that it will have better battery life. Plus, 4G is still in its infancy and will cause issues with any 4G phone.

If you don't have the patience to deal with the 4G issues, then 4G isn't for you and the Incredible 2 is a perfect substitute

This is just my honest opinion

 

[BzB]

the mods have already stated they have no issues with people complaining about the device or issues they have with it. that's not why that thread was locked.

it was locked more likely because of the way the OP complained which , cursing and trashing the device in a manner that provoked some of the ugly responses he got.

nothing wrong with complaining, but it usually helps if you've already asked for assistance with your problems. when you sign up just to rant or wander into the forum just to bash a product you haven't asked for help with the post comes across as troll fodder and flame bait.

 

[bjanow]

I'm surprised they didn't lock it immediately. There was no value to the responses since the OP left android completely. He came in, ranted, got paid and left. Why respond? What would be the upside? The downsides were obvious to the mods and they locked it accordingly.

 

[dguy]

One of the biggest problems I have with the Android Forums here in general is it is exactly the issue you mention. It's a fanboy haven, not a place for solid information. Anyone who has the nerve to suggest that something may not be perfect with a phone is instantly flamed. Any truth that isn't a positive one is one they would rather not hear. Feelings come before facts on this board(All of Android Forums, not just the Thunderbolt section).

 

[bjanow]

That is completely untrue and we're sorry you feel that way. But you're entitled to your opinion.

 

[Kelmar]

I'll respond as best as I can with the limited time I have at the moment. Please excuse if I missed anything or didn't see a question or issue a response to a specific issue

I could not sit by and not chime in on this. I can NOT believe this thread was locked/closed, and the responses that were given.

The responses that were given are and were the reasons that the thread was closed. The Forum Rules clearly indicate that discussion of a topic (regardless of if it's a topic that people will agree with or disagree with) is allowed as long as the topic remains polite and friendly.

I also returned the Thunderbolt for some of the same reasons as the person that posted that thread. And others have as well based on all of my reading of the post on this and other forums discussing the Thunderbolt.

Nothing wrong with that. Everyone has different preferences and different likes and dislikes with a phone.

Has this suddenly turned into a "we only want people that worship the Thunderbolt" forum ???

From the STAFF point of view, no. However, we try not to filter user's individual feelings unless it becomes necessary. If the majority of TB users act like they are 3, it's not against the rules. If the majority act mature, it's not against the rules.

We allow opinions and we only know of problems when you, the users, report them to us. When you see a thread that needs attention, click the report post button and let us know. There are only a few members of staff and THOUSANDS of you users. Staff can't physically read and see every post and thread.

It seems to me that 60-70% or more of the post on this forum are people having issues of some sort or another with this phone. Obviously it would seem that some people are having very few to no issues at all with this phone while others are having some or multiple issues. Perhaps there is/was a bad batch of components of some sort, or perhaps the quality control department is asleep at the wheel, or perhaps this phone was rushed out too quickly before all of the bugs were worked out. Either way, it can't be denied that a considerable amount of people are having a considerable amount of issues with this phone.

I am not unrealistic, I am well aware that with any product there will be some defective units. However, from my own personal experience of going through 3 Thunderbolts before I decided enough was enough, and from the hours and hours of reading I have done of other peoples experience with this particular phone, and from a friend that had the phone and also returned it for similar issues, ...there is obviously a quality control issue, that can NOT be denied/overlooked.

I think it is great that some of you are not having any issues with this phone and are loving it. I have said in other post that 'if' the phone did everything it was meant to do without having glitches, than it would be a great phone. However, for you people to have an overall attitude that the people that are having issues with this phone are just being anal, or unrealistic, or whatever is ridiculous. To expect that people paying $250+ for this phone should not expect it to work CORRECTLY is an attitude that I have a lot of trouble understanding, especially in a forum (I thought) was designed to share thoughts, ideas, raves and rants about this phone, good or bad.

Perhaps instead of 'accepting' that these phones 'will' have issues and NOT work perfectly, if everyone that had 'any' problem returned it, not accepting a bad product for good hard earned money, than, perhaps the quality control would tighten up and there would be much less defective units for all of us. All of you people accepting the 'issues' with this or any phone/product, just give the manufacture the 'signal' that they can use 'you' for there quality control department. I for one, and I seem to be in the minority in this forum, actually expect to have a properly working product for my money. Don't you ?

These post also basically act as 'reviews' for people deciding if they want to purchase this phone or not. Shutting down a thread, because someone had multiple issues and was understandably upset about it I believe is a disservice to what I thought this forum was supposed to be for.

As stated above, the thread was locked as a result of the immature and rude comments that the USERS felt necessary to post. It's unfortunate that it came to that point.

We, as STAFF of the forum, welcome ALL reviews. That is, if you love the phone, GREAT! If you hate the phone, SORRY TO HEAR!

You DO realize since this thread isn't blowing flowers up everybody's ass it'll probably get locked too right? Hell, everything i'm typing will probably get deleted too.

But i gotta agree with you on this. I see it as a maturity issue. Not sure if the mod did the right thing, i would've given everybody a warning, cleaned up the posts and given the thread another chance, but i can see where he was coming from in locking it. It wasn't going anywhere. All you could expect from post after to post was more ridicule of the OP and that's just sad.

Maturity... rude behavior... sometimes they go hand in hand and sometimes they don't.

The ironic thing about giving everyone warnings is then everyone is upset about that and make threads about it. The Moderators are always either too strict or too lenient and apparently can be both at the same time depending on the individual persons point of view.

Agreed that the thread was going downhill. Now, why close it instead of clean it? Perhaps because the majority of the posts DID go downhill. Perhaps it's because we were all cleaning up after a spammer who left over 1,500 spam threads and posts throughout the forum that had to be cleaned one by one. Perhaps because that is what the Moderator felt was the best decision for the thread.

I haven't had any of the same issues the OP did, but when i grew up i learned to respect people's opinion. He obviously wasn't trolling and didn't come on just to trash the device. And he definitely gave his time with the thunderbolt a good run if he rooted and tried different apps to fix his issues. Hasn't anybody ever been pissed off about a defect enough to write about it? Shit. When i dumped my iphone and moved to android, all that was on verizon was the original droid and the eris. The eris was easily the worst phone i've ever had next to the bb storm. Laggy, crap battery life, limited memory and couldn't even make calls on it without it getting stuck on some screen. Having that experience left such a bitter taste in my mouth it's hard to ever look back on it and say anything nice. And it pissed me off because i was looking forward so much to coming over to android and this phone just killed everything for me. Almost threw me off android completely and had me switch back.
If i tried my hardest to give the bolt a try and got these issues/swapped out 3 times like some of these people (you), you better believe i'm gonna share my opinion about it to give some potential customers out there another view.

All i've had with mine is crappy battery life (about as crappy as the droid 2's though, so i'd call this issue a bit exaggerated, unless i really did just get lucky) and connection issues. Right now my fancy new phone won't even connect to 3g. It likes 1x more, so from now until this is fixed it looks like it's gonna be a wifi only ala-ipod-touch-like device. Sad

Anyway, i'd try to find another place to post your bolt issues if i were you. This place can't handle it. If you have anything bad to say, it's automatically "you're doing something wrong". Yeah really. I'm sure the people with overheating phones, laggy phones or phones with batteries draining in an hour are doing something wrong. Especially when they swap it out 3 times. Mmmhmm....yeah! I had bluetooth, gps, the screen up all the way and everything syncing when i first got it and it didn't drain the battery in a freaking hour. Getting 3 defective units in a row would be enough for me to question the device line's reliability to a point where i'm leaving for good. What was he supposed to do? Wait until the 8th swap? 10th? Try a verizon store 100 miles away in hopes it didn't "get a bad batch"? Give me a break. I was lucky (and that's funny considering my 1x issue) but if i wasn't, i'd hope my opinion would be respect on an open forum

You guys seem to be assuming that the thread was locked because the person who locked it is some sort of fanboy. How do you know it wasn't locked for a host of other possible reasons? Like people being rude to each other, rehashing stuff that has already been discussed ad nauseum in other threads, etc... It makes no sense to call this forum a "worship the Thunderbolt" place when most of the threads are critical of the phone and numerous times mods have stepped in and defended OP's who post critical reviews.

Bingo and correct. It was not locked for the review but rather for the response to the reviews.

Let's not go all drama queen. Yeesh.

Guys? Hope you weren't lumping me in with that. " but i can see where he was coming from in locking it. It wasn't going anywhere. All you could expect from post after to post was more ridicule of the OP and that's just sad. "

Mod didn't give an explanation, but then again he didn't need to. Just back and forth flaming.

Yeap... what's the point in allowing a thread like that to continue.

Then again, you at the end complaining at the fact that the op is complaining is pretty priceless. Now complaining is "going all drama queen"? Oh boy

the mods have already stated they have no issues with people complaining about the device or issues they have with it. that's not why that thread was locked.

+1

it was locked more likely because of the way the OP complained which , cursing and trashing the device in a manner that provoked some of the ugly responses he got.

See above
nothing wrong with complaining, but it usually helps if you've already asked for assistance with your problems. when you sign up just to rant or wander into the forum just to bash a product you haven't asked for help with the post comes across as troll fodder and flame bait.

Might be true, but still no reason for anyone to be rude or harsh towards another user. Report the post/threads and let us deal with them!

I'm surprised they didn't lock it immediately. There was no value to the responses since the OP left android completely. He came in, ranted, got paid and left. Why respond? What would be the upside? The downsides were obvious to the mods and they locked it accordingly.

Why respond? That would be because 9 times out of 10 users feel the need to justify their purchases.

One of the biggest problems I have with the Android Forums here in general is it is exactly the issue you mention. It's a fanboy haven, not a place for solid information. Anyone who has the nerve to suggest that something may not be perfect with a phone is instantly flamed. Any truth that isn't a positive one is one they would rather not hear. Feelings come before facts on this board(All of Android Forums, not just the Thunderbolt section).

I will agree and disagree for multiple reasons. The Forums are a place for owners and fans to collaborate, share ideas and help one another with problems. Just like in real life, some people may share ideas and some may disagree with opinions. Some are soft spoken and some are loud and always have an opinion (regardless of right or wrong).

Like I said, people often feel the need to justify their purchases and refuse to listen to anything that they don't agree with. Unfortunately, it's in their nature.

Responses above in bold.



It's worth noting that not a single "rude" response was reported.

If you want the TB section to rise above the rest and show that it's capable of being an awesome and helpful place that ALL users can enjoy, it ultimately comes down to you, the users, reporting the problem posts, jumping in and helping other users, showing EVERYONE that the TB section is fun and light-hearted.

Unfortunately, no one can do that but you!


Since this thread is more discussing the reasons the thread was closed, this has been moved to the Site Feedback section of the site for further discussion.

 

[EarlyMon]

Kelmar, I 100% agree. You've covered it perfectly.

Bottom line - the theme for this thread is to slag AndroidForums.com as a bunch of fanboys because we mods did our job and stopped a flame war.

The assumptions in the OP are passionate - and flatly wrong.

In response to a pubic request to close the complaint threads, I've posted there - in the Thunderbolt section - that we'd keep them open so long as useful information might flow forward, and the forum rules were adhered to.

Anyone in the flame wars not on probation for failure to heed a mod warning ought consider themselves lucky.

Has this suddenly turned into a "we only want people that worship the Thunderbolt" forum ???

No, and the charge is an insult to the many fine posters here who work hard to express frustration and complaints with their phones and seek to find answers or help others.

It seems to me that 60-70% or more of the post on this forum are people having issues of some sort or another with this phone.

And this has been addressed before - this isn't the admiration society, this is the place people come to get help with issues by collaborating with other users.

There were over a quarter-million Thunderbolts sold so far.

Like all new devices of any kind - TVs, cars, smartphones - there's going to be settings issues, configuration issues, broken hardware issues, poor customer service issues and new-user confusion issues.

So - in your made-up statistic of 60~70% of people complaining about the Bolt, I'll accept that - where does that leave the other 30~40%? I'll tell you where - helping other people, that's where - and a small - very small - percentage does succumb to not following our posting rules, and that's where we come in.

And note well what Kelmar had to say - we received no reports of rule-breaking, so we couldn't stop things early on.

The Thunderbolt might be the whole enchilada to you, but this is the largest and oldest Android forum on the net - there are over 500,000 users here, 50,000 of whom that have been active in the last month alone. At any given point, you outnumber us mods by over a hundred to one - so do us a favor: Read. My. Sig. Report bad posts when they happen, and we won't have to lock threads.

Now - the negative charge against our forums has been made, and has been answered.

Anyone disagree with this lock, PM me, my door is open to all users. I'll re-open it if there's some way either Kelmar or I missed something.