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I recently got an HTC Shift from Sprint. Within days of getting it, I noticed very bad issues with the phone loosing sync to 4g, 3g, and wifi; it would not reacquire data connections unless I manually turned 4g on and off. Their tech support people immediately reset the phone to defaults, blamed my problems on an app, and declared victory.

I don't call this a victory. They treated symptoms, but the real problem (assuming it was an application issue) is that the Android OS allowed an application to routinely get their networking stack in a foobar'd state.

Assuming I can reproduce this problem, what is the best way to resolve it?

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It's a huge mistake thinking that Sprint (or any other carrier for that matter) actually cares for your user experience. Their interest in your user experience ends when you hand over your credit card number and sign a 2-year contract. I would not bother with the carrier, and submit the issue directly to your handset's manufacturer instead. – Chahk May 2 '11 at 0:31
@Chahk, that's why I'm doing all this within my 30-day right of refusal. They have another three weeks to resolve issues, or I consider other alternatives. – Mike Pennington May 2 '11 at 0:33
Practically speaking, if you want turnaround on bug reports through to actual deployment of updates on your device, you're going to need to run an unofficial rom where you can if necessary make the fix yourself. – Chris Stratton May 9 '11 at 0:36
I've re-opened the question. As discussed on meta please make this a little less "rant-y". – Al Everett May 9 '11 at 13:08

2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

I assume from your posting that resetting the phone fixed the problem (temporarily).

If you want the problem fixed for good, you can help by trying to narrow down the problem further. This will allow you to address the right people with a very specific request of what needs to be fixed. You should:

  • Try to reproduce the problem. Install the apps you previously had on your phone one by one until the problem re-occurs.
  • If you can't reproduce it, there is not much chance of getting this anywhere further. If you can reproduce it:
  • Try the offending application on a different type and brand of phone.
  • If the problem exists on all phones, contact the author of the application about the problem and consider raising an issue with Google on their Issue tracker.
  • Otherwise try the offending application on a different phone of the same model and brand. If the problem occurs there too, contact HTC telling them which application has that effect and on which phone is does have that effect. Also consider filing and issue with Google as above.
  • Otherwise, if only your phone is affected, it's probably save to assume it's a hardware defect with your phone. Return it for repairs.
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up vote 2 down vote

As I see it you have some options. I dont know if they will work though.

  1. Return your phone if it has an internal error, demand your money back and get another phone.

  2. Android OS is build by Google. HTC etc. only patches the OpenSource version of the OS from Google. So if you want something in Android fixed, I think Google would be the place to "place your demands" - not that I think it will matter much, but they do have a forum for Android too.

  3. If you know its an application that made the phone faulty, then dont install that application?

Thats what I know/think - dunno if its of much help, but its my answer.

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so "what is the best way to get in touch with someone who can drive (the Android bug) to resolution?" – Mike Pennington May 1 '11 at 0:25
hard to say, it depends on the situation. I cant tell you the answer, as I dont know. I just gave you what I would choose from in your situation. – BerggreenDK May 1 '11 at 21:56

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