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Help What happened?

J

jggonzalez

Newbie
I'm not sure what happened with my LG Optimus M. I'm on my second phone - the first had very weak reception and froze/rebooted a lot. This one seemed better, but yesterday it suddenly displayed a signal icon that had a "G" - not the "3G" icon, but just the "G". It wasn't a partial icon either. Then a little later everything started force closing and I couldn't get anything to work that required the phone. It was like it was stuck in airplane mode, but I checked that option and it wasn't activated. I tried turning it on and off, then removing the battery and restarting it, different memory card, etc. Nothing worked. I even called LG tech support (stop laughing!) and they had me enter a sequence of codes. The phone displayed "invalid code" and nothing happened. I couldn't even view the phone numbers in my contacts list. Finally I wrote down all of the apps I'd downloaded and reset the phone to factory specs. It seems to be working now. Anyone have any ideas? Frankly, the quality on this LG and Metro PCS in general is so bad that I wish I could afford Verizon.
 
First off, anyone who is not laughing with you is an asshole. I would never laugh at you for having problems, I would laugh at myself for having passed through them and now being able to help you though. ;)

Anyway, my help is not much more than moral support -- I'm afraid.

Here is my experience:
  1. I get the phone from some shop on the side of a busy street somewhere. They sell me the phone, I get a 50 dollar discount and life is good.
  2. I go home and then the screen goes black during calls. I take it back to where I got it, they tell me the phone is defective and they cannot refund me and I need to go to the coporate shop.
  3. Corporate shop tells me it is the proximity sensor and it is a feature of the phone. I'm still thinking this asshat at the shop told me the phone is defective, I think these guys are giving me some shit so I keep pressing the matter.
  4. I explain to these people that a feature does not interfere with normal operation of a phone and the owner of this other places says it is defective and I want a working phone. That was my mistake.
  5. They gave me a refurbished phone with a different colored set of stickers on it. My first phone was a lighter orange, almost yellow. The new phone was green-stickered. This phone had the same problem.
  6. I kept the new phone for a few days after figuring out how the proximity sensor works, but still thinking it was a model defect. Also, I noted random restarts with this model as I had it longer.
  7. I switched the phone out eight (8) more times. With all models I had the same issues.
  8. Finally, I decided the proxity censor was poorly engineered and that random restarts just happen with this model.
  9. I came here and others claim to have no random restart problems, but I have with several phones. So, I think they are just the lucky ones.
  10. I could not get my phone refunded, after switching it out, so I could not try again for a new phone. Do not make this mistake if you want to try for a new phone.
  11. I ended up deleting all of the metro crapware that came on my phone and flashing several ROMs.
  12. Finally, I used Rom Zero Final II and I'm happy enough. If you use ROM zero, please send the ROM maker some cash. I mean it, without these guys we would have to deal with shitty phones.

jggonzalez said:
I'm not sure what happened with my LG Optimus M. I'm on my second phone - the first had very weak reception and froze/rebooted a lot. This one seemed better, but yesterday it suddenly displayed a signal icon that had a "G" - not the "3G" icon, but just the "G". It wasn't a partial icon either. Then a little later everything started force closing and I couldn't get anything to work that required the phone. It was like it was stuck in airplane mode, but I checked that option and it wasn't activated. I tried turning it on and off, then removing the battery and restarting it, different memory card, etc. Nothing worked. I even called LG tech support (stop laughing!) and they had me enter a sequence of codes. The phone displayed "invalid code" and nothing happened. I couldn't even view the phone numbers in my contacts list. Finally I wrote down all of the apps I'd downloaded and reset the phone to factory specs. It seems to be working now. Anyone have any ideas? Frankly, the quality on this LG and Metro PCS in general is so bad that I wish I could afford Verizon.
Click to expand...
 
Everyone that I have seen on here that has had this issue, I have told them the same thing: Take the phone back, If it takes you 100 trips to Metro, then make the 100 trips. You paid for a working device, not a "sometimes" working device. You are also paying for a service, they don't seem to have a problem taking your money every month now do they?

One thing with Metro is you have to press the issue and keep pressing until you as the customer are satisfied. Does it suck to make a 100 trips there? Yeah it does, but if you don't force them to resolve the issue then it's not going to get resolved.

Metro lacks any real CS, but when you keep demanding they fix an issue they basically end up doing it, if only to get you out of their hair.
 
Thanks for the replies! It happened again, so once again I had to reset it to factory settings and reload my apps. I've got an insurance policy on the phone, so if it happens again I'm going to ask for another replacement. The big problem is that I think there is a deductible so each replacement costs me more money. I'd like to switch to Verizon or one of the other top plans, but I can barely afford the Metro bill. Paying for one of the other providers would be too expensive for my budget.
 
But, once you take your device back, you will have to keep trying until you get a good one. So, if you think you can do better elsewhere do that. I might have looked at getting an Optimus V from Virgin Mobile and putting it on Metro's plan.

If you did not bring your phone back, you can get a refund and buy another phone. You could use that phone on Metro. You have options, do not squander these.

Insanecrane said:
Everyone that I have seen on here that has had this issue, I have told them the same thing: Take the phone back, If it takes you 100 trips to Metro, then make the 100 trips. You paid for a working device, not a "sometimes" working device. You are also paying for a service, they don't seem to have a problem taking your money every month now do they?

One thing with Metro is you have to press the issue and keep pressing until you as the customer are satisfied. Does it suck to make a 100 trips there? Yeah it does, but if you don't force them to resolve the issue then it's not going to get resolved.

Metro lacks any real CS, but when you keep demanding they fix an issue they basically end up doing it, if only to get you out of their hair.
Click to expand...
 
jggonzalez said:
Thanks for the replies! It happened again, so once again I had to reset it to factory settings and reload my apps. I've got an insurance policy on the phone, so if it happens again I'm going to ask for another replacement. The big problem is that I think there is a deductible so each replacement costs me more money. I'd like to switch to Verizon or one of the other top plans, but I can barely afford the Metro bill. Paying for one of the other providers would be too expensive for my budget.
Click to expand...

It is still under warranty, so don't pay them anything for the new phone when it is defective. There is always a $10 fee from them to switch service to a new phone, but with multiple times of the same problem, you can get that waived if you are firm about how unhappy you are.
 
Well, I went to the PCS Metro store today and requested a replacement phone. I'll let you know how it goes. I was going to take a wait and see approach, then it rebooted during the night and woke me up. It rebooted again while they were examining it at the PCS Metro store. They stopped arguing with me at that point and put in the order.
 
If you had gone to a corporate store they would have given you a new phone on the spot. Authorized Representatives unfortunately have to put in an order and you have to wait like 7-10 days. I'm surprised they didn't tell you that.
 
Well Corporate is the way to go with these things, even though in my experience they are dumber than the authorized dealer I use.

As I said Metro doesn't really know CS at all and it's an issue they should address especially if they ever want to really compete with the big three.

Hope the issue gets resolved for you the first time around :)
 
I chalked up the random restarts to auto updates/os lockups. but I asked myself "do I take the risk of having it replaced for another one with issues that are more annoying?" So my phone randomly resets once in a while but has never done so while on the phone. I just see the LG logo flash sometimes and thats that.
 
I also have the Lg Optimus M. 100 bucks. In my opinion, BUY THE SAMSUNG 4G ANDROID. some friends of mine have it and it works like a delight, and the 4g isnt actually shitty like their 2 or 3g. But, i used the LGNPST root, and right now, my phone has no service. I have no way of restoring the signal. so im ****ed up. If anyone can help, please do! and yeah, i have the same problem when making a call. I switched the phone twice. My way is the fun and easy way. 'Either you fix this piece of shit you moron, or i will freaking sue you. got that? now GET TO WORK' works like a charm if you ask me.
 
Outrider said:
i used the LGNPST root, and right now, my phone has no service. I have no way of restoring the signal....... i have the same problem when making a call.
Click to expand...

This might help, but if you've lost IMEI and all that stuff, this probably won't.

As for your signal, assuming you still can navigate through the phone and are just without service, go into the dialer, and dial *#*#4636#*#*, then press send. It should take you into a menu with 5 items: Phone information, Battery information, Battery history, Usage statistics, Wifi information.

Warning!!! Yes, this is a menu where if you act carelessly, you can screw shit up. Proceed with caution, and don't blame me if things go wrong.

Tap "Phone information". At the top, you'll see your IMEI, your phone number, and current network. Obviously since you have no service, either there will be nothing next to current network, or "Searching for Service".

Don't worry about the ping test, and scroll down to the bottom. You'll see a drop-down to "Set preferred network type:". No, this won't get you free 3G. I tried lol. But tap the drop-down, and choose "CDMA auto (PRL)".

Just below that, there's a button that will either say "Turn off radio", or "Turn on radio". If it says "Turn on radio", well, your radio's off. So tap the button to turn it on, and give it a minute. If this is all that's wrong, then you'll get your service back. If things go beyond this, I believe there is still help elsewhere in this forum.

Don't mess with anything below that, I dunno what all that's about.

Hope that helps, sorry if it doesn't.
 
Before you do all that I have to ask did you install custom recovery? If you didn't that's most likely the reason you don't have service if you rooted that way
 
pmb116 said:
Before you do all that I have to ask did you install custom recovery? If you didn't that's most likely the reason you don't have service if you rooted that way
Click to expand...

interesting....i admit i always used lgnpst when i still had the stock recovery on, so i never had such an experience. good input lol.
 
Yes doesnt happen when rooting all phones with the old method but did happen with alot of phones. Upon completion you would be without service until you installed custom recovery. When I rooted my phone using the old method we actually didn't have a functioning custom recovery for 2.2.1, we rooted with that method and flashed recovery for 2.2. It gave us service back but nothing beyond that. lol.
 
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