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@ "returning my atrix" threads
- Thread starter tekonus
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- motorola atrix 4g
John Jason
Android Enthusiast
That's my complaint as well. I see others here telling folks they knew about the bootloader before they bought the phone, so they have no complaint. Well, I certainly didn't know about the bootloader or Motorola's activation requirements. I didn't even know phones had a bootloader.
Please do not assume that everyone here has years of experience with Android or follows all the latest phone releases and news. I've learned a lot in the ten days I've had my Atrix 4G, but my old phone was a Razr V3. I feel really shafted by Motorola and AT&T. I haven't decided for sure to return it yet, but I'm leaning toward it. Besides, AT&T's bandwidth here sucks, and T-Mobile has unlimited data for $10 cheaper than I pay for 2 GB with AT&T.
I have a lot to learn. I'm reading the threads as fast as I can, but it takes a long time to learn everything about smartphones.
Roze
Hiding behind a mystery
For later use, this is a great Phandroid feature where you can follow the phones on the site: Motorola Atrix 4G | Android Phone Fans (all of Phandroid's articles on Phandroid).
danielkogan
Member
AGREED, sometimes you need a place to communicate, not to bash but just to state the facts. I returned my Atrix because of ATT mostly. Loved the phone, the potential is huge.
Nothing wrong with discussion to state what's on your mind. Many of us have waited months for this phone only to be disappointed. Now I'm hanging with a Nexus S for the next few months until a Verizon LTE phone comes out with great battery life (Proven). For now, I'll miss my Atrix but will enjoy the Nexus S.
John Jason
Android Enthusiast
In my city there is a block that has an AT&T corporate store, a T-Mobile store, and a Sprint store. I went there today with my Atrix 4G and everything that came with it in case I decided to return it. I also had my ancient Razr V3 in my pocket.
First I went to the Sprint store. Tech savvy clerks, got a rundown on the best Android phones they have - looks like the HTC EVO 4G is the top of the list. They also claim that they have real 4G, built "from the ground up." Plan prices were the same as T-Mobile, but as a PSU student I'm entitled to a 15% discount on the plan.
Then I went to the T-Mobile store and found that they have the HTC G2, which I understand is completely open. Price of the phone is ridiculous, however - $200 with a plan.
Then I went to the AT&T corporate store next door. After complaining about the bandwidth I explained that the internet was full of stories (mostly here) about AT&T capping the bandwidth on the Atrix 4G via the SIM card. The sales guy disavowed any knowledge of this (of course), and went into the back room to ask the "manager." When he came back he said that the manager had never heard of such a thing either. However, he was willing to make me a new SIM card. I told him no, and left to go to the AT&T Activate store at a nearby mall where I got the phone.
The mall Activate store is small and has only one employee at a time. I explained the problem to the employee and he also disavowed any knowledge of the bandwidth capping. But he offered to make me a new SIM card, so I decided to let him go ahead.
When he rebooted the phone it came up with a screen demanding the e-mail address and password for my Motoblur account. I honestly could not remember what e-mail address and password I had used when I got the phone on February 25. He said I would have to go home and log into my Motoblur account with my computer and ask it to reset the password. I pointed out that if I didn't remember the address and password in the store it was unlikely that my brain voltage would increase on the way home sufficiently to recall it there either. He seemed amazed that I didn't think that my Motoblur activation account was the most important thing in my life.
I already knew that you can do a factory reset which will then allow you to create a new Motoblur account. It wipes everything out, but I have my contacts backed up in a text file on my laptop, and the rest can be reinstalled. So I asked if I could just do a factory reset. He said I could, but first I had to log in.
He was being quite annoying, so I finally just said that I wanted to return the phone. He protested, demanded to know why, but eventually I just insisted. We got halfway through the return paperwork when he picked up the phone and announced that it had a scratch on it, so he could not take it back. (There was no scratch - he made that up.)
At that point I gathered everything up, including the SIM with the unactivated Motorblur account, and just walked out without saying anything further. When I got back to my car I took the SIM card out and put it into my old Razr V3 phone. The phone came up and all was well.
Then I went back to the corporate store at "the block" and again tried to return the phone. This time I didn't get any crap about scratches. However, I was informed that since I got it at an Activate store I would have to return it there. Corporate stores can't take phones back if they came from an Activate store. Could these people possibly come up with more ways to annoy customers?
So then I went to the Activate store in a different mall. A nice fellow there took the phone back with no fuss. In retrospect, I suspect the guy at the first Activate store was being an ass because he would have to give back the commission that I'm sure they earn on phone sales. But the guy at the second Activate store had no axes to grind, and was further hoping to sell me a replacement phone.
So here I sit with no Android phone and I'm back to the beginning. My experience with the Atrix 4G showed me the beauty of Android, but I need a phone from a more open manufacturer and from a carrier that doesn't lie to its customers.
Now I'm off to scour these forums for insights on which phones to consider.
First I went to the Sprint store. Tech savvy clerks, got a rundown on the best Android phones they have - looks like the HTC EVO 4G is the top of the list. They also claim that they have real 4G, built "from the ground up." Plan prices were the same as T-Mobile, but as a PSU student I'm entitled to a 15% discount on the plan.
Then I went to the T-Mobile store and found that they have the HTC G2, which I understand is completely open. Price of the phone is ridiculous, however - $200 with a plan.
Then I went to the AT&T corporate store next door. After complaining about the bandwidth I explained that the internet was full of stories (mostly here) about AT&T capping the bandwidth on the Atrix 4G via the SIM card. The sales guy disavowed any knowledge of this (of course), and went into the back room to ask the "manager." When he came back he said that the manager had never heard of such a thing either. However, he was willing to make me a new SIM card. I told him no, and left to go to the AT&T Activate store at a nearby mall where I got the phone.
The mall Activate store is small and has only one employee at a time. I explained the problem to the employee and he also disavowed any knowledge of the bandwidth capping. But he offered to make me a new SIM card, so I decided to let him go ahead.
When he rebooted the phone it came up with a screen demanding the e-mail address and password for my Motoblur account. I honestly could not remember what e-mail address and password I had used when I got the phone on February 25. He said I would have to go home and log into my Motoblur account with my computer and ask it to reset the password. I pointed out that if I didn't remember the address and password in the store it was unlikely that my brain voltage would increase on the way home sufficiently to recall it there either. He seemed amazed that I didn't think that my Motoblur activation account was the most important thing in my life.
I already knew that you can do a factory reset which will then allow you to create a new Motoblur account. It wipes everything out, but I have my contacts backed up in a text file on my laptop, and the rest can be reinstalled. So I asked if I could just do a factory reset. He said I could, but first I had to log in.
He was being quite annoying, so I finally just said that I wanted to return the phone. He protested, demanded to know why, but eventually I just insisted. We got halfway through the return paperwork when he picked up the phone and announced that it had a scratch on it, so he could not take it back. (There was no scratch - he made that up.)
At that point I gathered everything up, including the SIM with the unactivated Motorblur account, and just walked out without saying anything further. When I got back to my car I took the SIM card out and put it into my old Razr V3 phone. The phone came up and all was well.
Then I went back to the corporate store at "the block" and again tried to return the phone. This time I didn't get any crap about scratches. However, I was informed that since I got it at an Activate store I would have to return it there. Corporate stores can't take phones back if they came from an Activate store. Could these people possibly come up with more ways to annoy customers?
So then I went to the Activate store in a different mall. A nice fellow there took the phone back with no fuss. In retrospect, I suspect the guy at the first Activate store was being an ass because he would have to give back the commission that I'm sure they earn on phone sales. But the guy at the second Activate store had no axes to grind, and was further hoping to sell me a replacement phone.
So here I sit with no Android phone and I'm back to the beginning. My experience with the Atrix 4G showed me the beauty of Android, but I need a phone from a more open manufacturer and from a carrier that doesn't lie to its customers.
Now I'm off to scour these forums for insights on which phones to consider.
Szadzik
Extreme Android User
For the life of me I cannot understand what the whole fuss about 4G is. I understand that you have never used GPRS and do not know what it means to open a page using that technology. When I started using EDGE after a few years of using GPRS it was a great upgrade in speed. Then 3G came and HSDPA very soon. Now with HSDPA, which is supposed to be 3.5G, I could not complain for a secodn about the speed.
When I see you all guy complaining all the time about 4G I cannot believe this.
B=P.S. I do not even have an Atrix 4G and am not a fan of or anything, just reading all these posts about Internet speeds make me curious why you are complaining all the time.
P.P.S You should really come to Europe where there is no 30-day-return thing and when you decide on a phone you have to keep (7 day-return policy in the UK) it and then you would have no way of complaining.
When I see you all guy complaining all the time about 4G I cannot believe this.
B=P.S. I do not even have an Atrix 4G and am not a fan of or anything, just reading all these posts about Internet speeds make me curious why you are complaining all the time.
P.P.S You should really come to Europe where there is no 30-day-return thing and when you decide on a phone you have to keep (7 day-return policy in the UK) it and then you would have no way of complaining.
Roze
Hiding behind a mystery
^--you can't beat Canada. If you got your phone under a plan, with my carrier, it's 10 min of talk time and a couple mb of data limit to test your phone. If you exceed that, you are unable to return the phone. I would just drool for a 30 days return policy on my phone! lol
Szadzik
Extreme Android User
Haha, not too good, but in Poland you won't even get the data to try
Just the phone to have a look at it and play for a few moments.
sean76
Android Expert
Ok, in completely honest fashion. How are u liking that Samsung Nexus S...I'm so drawn to it...just very scared of Tmobile...lol
damewolf13
live~laugh~love
I really do feel that as American consumers, we have become so spoiled. We complain about everything, and some of the reasons for people returning their perfectly good phones, while expecting full refunds after their trial period has expired, is amazing to me.
I know it is human nature to want the newest and the best, but along with that comes compromise and commitment. We just can't have it all unless we want to pay the price, and I feel qualified to state that since I have at least one smartphone with all 4 major carriers. I want it all, so I pay the price. Do I always like the cell phone carriers policies? No, and if I feel that I have been truly wronged by a carrier, I have been known to cancel my contract on all phones with that carrier and pay all etf's that I have incurred. It goes with the territory, and I know that when I sign the contract. However, when I purchase a new "superphone" it is my own fault if I do not check it out throughly within the trial period allowed to see if it's shortcomings are something that I can live with, and if the good points outweigh the bad.
The bottom line is that no phone/carrier is all good, or all bad.
It is a matter of choice in what phone/carrier works out best for any particular person at any given time, depending on their individual needs, and tastes.
We all know when we sign these contracts for these super smartphones that one way or another, you gotta pay to play.
I know it is human nature to want the newest and the best, but along with that comes compromise and commitment. We just can't have it all unless we want to pay the price, and I feel qualified to state that since I have at least one smartphone with all 4 major carriers. I want it all, so I pay the price. Do I always like the cell phone carriers policies? No, and if I feel that I have been truly wronged by a carrier, I have been known to cancel my contract on all phones with that carrier and pay all etf's that I have incurred. It goes with the territory, and I know that when I sign the contract. However, when I purchase a new "superphone" it is my own fault if I do not check it out throughly within the trial period allowed to see if it's shortcomings are something that I can live with, and if the good points outweigh the bad.
The bottom line is that no phone/carrier is all good, or all bad.
It is a matter of choice in what phone/carrier works out best for any particular person at any given time, depending on their individual needs, and tastes.
We all know when we sign these contracts for these super smartphones that one way or another, you gotta pay to play.
I have no problem with this. You have any idea how much money these companies make off each phone and your service you are paying? It is a lot I am sure, or these companies wouldn't be as big as they are. I for one don't want to be a piece of crap product that was not even tested well.
Besides, I will be paying my $25 restocking fee, so I am still paying for my usage.
Besides, I will be paying my $25 restocking fee, so I am still paying for my usage.
damewolf13
live~laugh~love
Yes, I know they make big bucks off of my smartphone habit when I sign the contracts. I am not in denial, but more power to them if I still feel it is worth it to have a particular phone, and sign the contract anyway. That is the bottom line. It's business. I could get a cheaper deal with a phone that I don't want with Cricket, but then I would still be drawn to these amazing smartphones, so I might as well get what I want in the first place.
If you are only paying the restocking fee, you are most likely returning within your trial period, and there is nothing wrong with that. I hope you are happier with your next phone.
yes, trial period.
New phone is Thunderbolt. A night and day difference. Good thing I gave android another chance with this phone, or it would have been back to the Iphone 100%. The Thunderbolt has an OS that is much smarter, more polished, smoother, and MUCH easier to use. This is especially true for someone new to Andriod like myself. I feel sorry for people who bought into the Atrix as their first android phone. Experienced android users, can probably deal with the OS issues, but new users, GOOD LUCK!
all android OS's NOT created equal.
New phone is Thunderbolt. A night and day difference. Good thing I gave android another chance with this phone, or it would have been back to the Iphone 100%. The Thunderbolt has an OS that is much smarter, more polished, smoother, and MUCH easier to use. This is especially true for someone new to Andriod like myself. I feel sorry for people who bought into the Atrix as their first android phone. Experienced android users, can probably deal with the OS issues, but new users, GOOD LUCK!
all android OS's NOT created equal.
MarcMaiden
Android Enthusiast
I keep seeing you post this same thing in many threads...
First of all, Android is Android.....the different "OS's" you refer to are called User Interaces. They can be removed or hidden. No matter what android phone you have, you can always customize it to the way you like it. If I had a sense UI fetish, I could always get launcher pro plus, put the sense dock on it, and use the sense widgets it comes with.
not all people are created equal, some do not like sense, some do not like blur.
at the end of the day android is android
And Redhat, is the same as CentOS, ubuntu and and SuSe, and slackware and.... I can go on and on, blah blah. Most of these run a 2.6 kernel, including android, but the OS's that run on top of them are quite different. One of the things I ask when a new vendor comes with with some "APPLIANCE", they are running one of these, or commonly a BSD based system. The base, although similar, the UI that sits on the base can vary greatly. Motoblur is a piss poor UI. Why should I have to root and custom rom my phone to get it to operate at the same capacity as other phones?
As for driving up the PRICE? I would LOVE to see you prove that one...because that is utter BS.