What should I do about this crappy phone Google sold me? Need answer fast!

In My Humble Opinion
1

About two years ago, I bought a Samsung Galaxy S4 (Google Play edition) from the Google store online for about $700. I could have bought the same phone at the same price from my carrier (T-Mobile), but I thought the Google version would have a cleaner installation of Android, with less bloatware.

After a few months, the proximity sensor got flaky: during a call, when I took the phone away from my ear (to press a number, for instance) the screen wouldn’t light up. In the worst situations, I couldn’t do anything to get the screen back until the other person hung up. If it was a voice mail system, that could take minutes before it decided that no one was there and dropped the call. I couldn’t even power down.

I researched the problem and found that by blowing compressed air into the speaker grill at the top (which is where the proximity sensor is located), you could remove dust that might be causing the problem. That fixed things at first, but eventually stopped working.

So I called Google and they replaced the phone. Great.

Except that the same thing happened. Again.

And again.

And again.

I’m on the fourth phone now. Until the other day, it had this problem, too, but at least I could get the screen to light up by pressing the thumb button on the right side. Not ideal, but a viable workaround. Then T-Mobile pushed Android 5 onto the device a few days ago. Since then the screen won’t come back to life until the other side has hung up, no matter what I do. It makes the phone practically useless.

I’ve called Google again, and they forwarded me to Samsung tech support, who said I should go to the nearest Best Buy to have the phone re-flashed. Except that when I got there, they said that they don’t have the software to re-flash Google edition phones. But the tech did a test and determined that the proximity sensor is dead. He said that this was not a common problem for S4s, and that it must be unique to the Google edition. So the source of the problem seems to be divided between the manufacturer and Google.

I could send it to Samsung for repairs, but I’d be without it for almost two weeks, and I have no reason to think the same problem wouldn’t return.

What do you think I should ask Google to do about this? It’s technically out of warranty (the original was one year), but since they’ve replaced it several times, I don’t think that should count. For most of the last two years I’ve been using a device that was not operating as it should have. Now it’s severely compromised and I will probably have to replace it. I should have been able to keep this phone for another couple of years at least.

I feel that I’m owed something, but I’m not interested in, for instance, a price break on the phone the Google store is currently offering: the Motorola Nexus 6.

I’ll probably take the S4 to the T-Mobile store later today (hence the need for a quick reply) and buy a new LG G4. They’ll give me a $72 credit for the old phone. Once I do that, though, I think any leverage I may have with Google to get some compensation will be lost.

Do you have any ideas on what you think I am owed in this situation, and how best to go about getting it? Thanks.

2

I disagree that Google has any responsibility for the defects in the phone. They are not a manufacturer, Samsung is. The only connection, really, is that Samsung decided to offer the phone on the Google Play website, but is is the exact same model as that sold elsewhere; just without all the bloatware that Samsung is famous for (maybe some of the bloatware makes the proximity sensor work correctly).

Google make several attempts to cure the problem by replacing the device for you.

I’d say that any complaints you have are with Samsung, not Google.

Bob

3

Depends. Since you keep having trouble with the same phone, will Google offer to replace it or give you money back? If so, then it’s not Google’s fault. If not, then they share blame.

That would be my solution, BTW, OP. Tell them that you keep having trouble and that they’ve replaced it several times, so you’d like money back instead. See if it’s more than you’d get from T-Mobile.

Without a remedy, you might see if you could sell it for more than you get back, too. I know I wouldn’t care about it, since I don’t really use my phone as a phone very often.

(In fact, you’ve given me an idea for used phones to look for–ones that have a broken proximity sensor.)

4

If you don’t mind rooting your phone, there is a (root required) app in the Play store called Proximity Fix that may do the trick.

5

FYI: I decided I didn’t have to trade in the phone last night, that I could spend a little more time considering my options. So I don’t need an answer really fast, but I will probably take some action by the end of the weekend.

I agree that Samsung may bear a lot of the responsibility, but there are two problems: 1) I am not a customer of Samsung. I bought the phone from Google, and IME, unlike with washing machines and other appliances, cell phone manufacturers usually disclaim responsibility and direct customer complaints to the carrier/seller.

  1. As I mentioned, this model does not seem to be the “exact same model as that sold elsewhere.” From my own online research and what the Samsung tech at Best Buy told me, this does not seem to be a problem with standard S4s, only the Google Play edition. Whether Samsung in some way modified the hardware to Google’s specs or Google installed a different version of the OS that leads to this problem, both parties seem to have a part in it. Since I am a customer of Google’s and they have been generally helpful up to this point, I prefer trying to deal with them.

I originally paid $700, and can trade it in at T-Mobile for $72. I think that sum is a little too low for the inconvenience I’ve experienced and the fact that I’m losing a year or two of expected use of the phone. But I’m trying to come to a reasonable and rationalized number. What do you think? $200? This is the primary reason for this thread.

I don’t think trying to sell it in its current condition could net me more than the trade-in value, and it wouldn’t be worth the hassle.

How much will you give me for this one? :smiley:

I’ve toyed with the idea of rooting the phone before (not necessarily because of this problem), but I’m not sure I want to go down that rabbit hole and spend the time that might be necessary to make it work. It’s an option, and if I had more time to play around, it might be fun, but compared to just trading it in, rooting could be more trouble than it’s worth, and still not fix the problem, if it’s really a hardware issue.

6

Well, after thinking things through while writing the last post, I just decided to call Google again and ask to return the phone for $250 cash back. As I expected, they (politely) refused, saying they have a 15-day return policy, after which they only offer replacements. I could get it replaced again, but I think I’ve had enough of messing around with this one.

I feel I’ve been screwed, but I’m not a “take me to your manager” type, and didn’t yell and scream at the nice woman (Kristen) who took my calls yesterday and today. I wonder if I might get some response from Google if I posted an open comment on Facebook. (I don’t have enough of a presence on Twitter to make any waves.)

Now I have to decide if I want to take the relatively paltry $72 from T-Mobile, or keep the phone, and perhaps root it and otherwise play around with it as a mini-tablet.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

7

You could take the replacement and sell it as new on eBay or to gazelle or another phone buying company. You’d likely get more than $72.

8

That’s what I’d do. Get the replacement, flip it on ebay, and put the money towards the LG G4.

9

Good idea! Never thought of that! Thanks.

10

If I were you, I’d address your justifiable unwillingness to plonk down another wad of cash for a new phone by NOT plonking down a “wad” at all. Instead, just go buy this ZTE Zmax from Walmart for $150. (Probably easier to order it online with in-store pickup than it is to find it in stock at a store.) It’ll work right out of the box with your Tmobile service once you just move over your SIM card.

That way you get a perfectly good and functional phone to use when you decide how best to use/fix/sell your old one. Then, if you do fix the old one, you have a good backup phone/small tablet.

11

Or get the replacement, throw it in a drawer, and then you have a replacement phone for when you have to send the G4 back for any reason. We have an old backup phone that came in handy when my wife broke the glass on her Moto X. It took a little over a week for the repair and she used the backup during that time.

12

Warning: Rooting the phone may void your expired warranty.