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Help Wow, call quality is horrible

A

avhokie

Newbie
So I've had the Fascinate since day 1 (3 weeks now). But for most of that time, it was used as an awesome toy and not a phone. I only ported my number from Sprint a few days ago. And now that I am using it as a phone, wow, I could NOT be more disappointed!

I'm scratching my head that right in the middle of northern Virginia, I don't get a great signal at home, work, shopping, etc. Maybe the poor call quality is because of that? I still don't think that's the case.

Also, I could forgive the fact that the speakerphone on this is worse than my HTC Hero, HTC Diamond, HTC Touch, PPC-6700 or pretty much any other phone I've had.

However, the worst problem is when I am using the phone normally (not speakerphone, not with headset), where not only does the sound from the other person not sound great, but when I start talking, wow, all I hear is my voice causing some kind of digitization and reverberation. There is no way that someone could live with this. I passed my phone to a couple of other people to try and they were shocked at the poor quality.

I figured that there was an issue with my handset, so I just went back to the store and spent 90 minutes exchanging mine for another one. At the store, the guy programming was using the speakerphone. It still sounded really bad and when I mentioned it, he said that all their phones sounded the same (seriously?). I just got home and made a couple of calls and my main issue is still exactly the same as the previous phone.

Someone tell me that I have gotten 2 bad phones in a row. Otherwise, I would have to accept that Samsung has put out an awful product. Should I try for a 3rd Fascinate? Should I try another Verizon phone, like the Droid 2? Or if it is Verizon in general, I guess the Iphone (yuck) would be my alternative (I am limited in phone selection/carriers by my company, which is why I had to leave Sprint in the first place).
 
This has seemed to be a pretty common gripe among many. It very much seems like the GPS situation with the phone. Either they work perfect for you, or they are horrible. It's the luck of the draw to get one that doesn't have the issues. To further your fear, wait until you talk on the phone with a breeze in the background.
 
Mine had it for like the for 3 calls. Then it just disappeared. I don't spend much time on the phone, so it's not a big deal. If it is a big deal for you though, the Droid X might be the way to go.
 
My call quality on the one I got from Best Buy yesterday is Great! My First one from Vzw on launch was OK, not great. Do an exchange, honestly I couldn't be happier with this phone...from A to Z, one of the best I've ever owned.
 
While having more friends play with this phone to get their reactions, I figured something out. The digitization/reverberation issue only happens if you hold the phone at an angle, where the speaker is by your ear and the center of the bottom of the phone is by your mouth (about 45 degrees). This is how I hold the phone and how most people I know hold the phone. But I had a few friends hold the phone completely vertically (speaker by ear, bottom of phone by neck?) and they did not have the issue. That feels really unnatural to me, but the issue doesn't exist in that position. So maybe I have to force myself to hold the phone that way...or maybe I'll still switch to the Droid 2. Decisions, decisions....
 
avhokie said:
While having more friends play with this phone to get their reactions, I figured something out. The digitization/reverberation issue only happens if you hold the phone at an angle, where the speaker is by your ear and the center of the bottom of the phone is by your mouth (about 45 degrees). This is how I hold the phone and how most people I know hold the phone. But I had a few friends hold the phone completely vertically (speaker by ear, bottom of phone by neck?) and they did not have the issue. That feels really unnatural to me, but the issue doesn't exist in that position. So maybe I have to force myself to hold the phone that way...or maybe I'll still switch to the Droid 2. Decisions, decisions....
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My call quality is great. But then just for the heck of it I turned the volume all the way up and tried the 45 deg. angle thingy. Sure enough I could hear my voice echoing thru the earpiece. Then turned the volume down little by little and the problem went away. So I can either turn down the volume if I hold it that way. OR simply turn volume back up to hear better and hold the phone more vertically.
 
avhokie said:
While having more friends play with this phone to get their reactions, I figured something out. The digitization/reverberation issue only happens if you hold the phone at an angle, where the speaker is by your ear and the center of the bottom of the phone is by your mouth (about 45 degrees). This is how I hold the phone and how most people I know hold the phone. But I had a few friends hold the phone completely vertically (speaker by ear, bottom of phone by neck?) and they did not have the issue. That feels really unnatural to me, but the issue doesn't exist in that position. So maybe I have to force myself to hold the phone that way...or maybe I'll still switch to the Droid 2. Decisions, decisions....
Click to expand...
I would strongly encourage you to exchange the phone. I have several friends with them and the call quality is excellent, just as it is on my Captivate.

All to often it's simply a bad phone module. I had one on my first Droid X, I took it back for a replacement and now it's great.

Cheers... :)
 
wtherrell said:
My call quality is great. But then just for the heck of it I turned the volume all the way up and tried the 45 deg. angle thingy. Sure enough I could hear my voice echoing thru the earpiece. Then turned the volume down little by little and the problem went away. So I can either turn down the volume if I hold it that way. OR simply turn volume back up to hear better and hold the phone more vertically.
Click to expand...

I've kept my call volume less than 50% on both phones and still had the issue. I'd like to try again with another Fascinate, but I am out of town for work, have limited time to get to a store, and my 30 days is running out :(
 
I'm gonna try the vertical thing later, hopefully it works. But I'll be moving to CA soon, so I will be on a bluetooth all day. No issues there when I'm using a Jawbone.
 
I can attest to the bad call quality. But, my problem isn't the speaker, but the Microphone. People sound perfect on the other end, but they tell me that I sound robotic, far away, and talking through a tin can. Everything else, including the GPS, are insanely good on this phone. It really is the best I've ever used. If you all say it's just a model to model issue, i'll take it back to Best Buy and swap it for a new one.
 
if you use the fascinate in a strong wind, it will sound like a hurricane in the earpiece, lol. i couldn't believe how much wind noise i was hearing while on a call outdoors on a windy day. it made it really hard to hear the person that i was talking to. i'm guessing noise cancellation is NOT a strong point of this phone!
 
avhokie said:
I've kept my call volume less than 50% on both phones and still had the issue. I'd like to try again with another Fascinate, but I am out of town for work, have limited time to get to a store, and my 30 days is running out :(
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I have nine days left and my call quality sucks. People complain about way too much backround noise because i work in a restaurant all day. May be going for the droid x. Have you kept the fascinate??
 
so, would it be safe to say that using a bluetooth fixes the poor call quality problems?
 
SF49ers said:
perhaps you can exhange your phone via VZW? I think you have to pay a $35 stocking fee though...
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I would assume that Verizon would over look the $35 fee if the phone is being returned because it doesn't work? How is it possible for them to charge you if you are returning the phone not only because you are unhappy but the fact that its not working as expected?
 
noticed same thing right off the bat. first call i made i was like WTF, sound like loose plastic is vibrating inside when i talk. and then the person i was talking to said she kept hearing sounds and i was in a totally quiet place. this kills me because everything else about this phone kicks ass.
 
bradmatic said:
so, would it be safe to say that using a bluetooth fixes the poor call quality problems?
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There are no poor call quality problems. If those who are having problems would return their defective phone for a good one, the problem would be solved.

My Captivate and those of my friends and family all work very well as a phone.
 
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