bad phone
callinghome
Enthusiast - Level 3

I have the misfortune of having a Verizon Kyocera Hydro Elite . This is the 5th replacement I have had in 2 months. I have had various issues. The first time the phone was overheating and not holding a charge. The second time the ear piece wouldn't work. The third time the dial pad wouldn't work. The last two times the phone randomly switches itself off and I have to take out the battery to be able to turn it on again. I have spent countless hours on the phone with Verizon tech support and they really cannot help except send me a replacement same model phone.

I asked if I can please have a different model as the Kyocera seems like a bad phone. All they could offer me was to spend $170 to get up to 60% buy out of the phone and then I could buy a new model. Basically telling me I would have to pay for the badly functioning Kyocera and then pay more money for a new model.

So now they are sending me replacement kyocera number 6.

In addition for a reason unknown to me or anyone at Verizon - they have me down as having a Samsung Galaxy.  Nobody at Verizon seems able to change this pertinent detail in my records and I have to explain it every single time I call in for tech support that I have never had a Samsung Galaxy. I was even sent a Samsung Galaxy shell to go with my Kyocera battery on one occasion.

Has anyone had this experience with Verizon Kyocera Hydro Elite ? It seems my options as a consumer are very very limited. What else can I do?


Feeling frustrated.

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Re: bad phone
Snn5
Legend

Sounds like Edge.  Pony up the amount needed to Edge Up.  You'll never get them to send you another model phone.  I'd suggest a very different brand altogether.

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Re: bad phone
kaebfly
Champion - Level 3

Depending on how long you've had the phone and how often VZW has had to try and fix an issue (the same issue each time which doesn't seem to be the case in this situation) you can get Verizon to allow you to switch to another model of equal value. I've had to do it in the past and they aren't exactly eager to do it, but if you make enough noise and can show that they have been given reasonable opportunities to fix the original defect then they will do it.

Re: bad phone
callinghome
Enthusiast - Level 3

Thanks for reply. Any suggestions of a good model- I don't need to do

anything too fancy on it!

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Re: bad phone
Snn5
Legend

LG, Samsung, Motorola...something with on-going support.

Re: bad phone
Snn5
Legend

I have never had such luck.  Also, Verizon has stopped doing model exchanges as of a few months back.  It just won't happen anymore, no matter the issue, or how many times.  Now, they offer Early Edge to compensate for that change of rules.  Sometimes, they will let you early upgrade on a new 2 year and you can get a new phone.

Re: bad phone
callinghome
Enthusiast - Level 3

What I wonder is why is every single phone I've had bad - or is this just a lemon model? That's what I am having issues with understanding - is Kyocera hydro elite a lemon or did Kyocera send Verizon a bad batch of phones? Or am I unlucky in phones!

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Re: bad phone
callinghome
Enthusiast - Level 3

Last time tech support told me I would have to send my phone back to Kyocera to repair - they pointed out I would have to pay for the shipping and that I would be without a phone until it was repaired. Thus they didn't recommend this....

Although on an earlier call in to Verizon another tech said he knew how to get me out of this with kyocera and get me a different model and I waited on the phone patiently whilst he made contact with kyocera but the call got dropped and I never heard back.

On subsequent calls I have heard different things depending on who I speak to...

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Re: bad phone
Snn5
Legend

Casio and Kyocera are not the best builders.  One must understand the direction and weight of Android compared to the hardware it runs on. 

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Re: bad phone
Snn5
Legend

Rep was probably going to mention Early Edge, where you CAN get out of that phone you have, provided it is undamaged, and into 1 phone of Verizon's choice...Moto Droid MAXX.  Basically, you get on Edge with a MAXX.