Is this a good deal?

[woodbane]

I have an opportunity to pick up a nearly new, mint condition white Lumia 900 for $300. It's a CL deal and I'd be driving 90 minutes to pick it up. Guy says he bought it for his wife but it's too big for her hands.

I've been contemplating pulling the trigger on either the 900 or the Titan II, and I have to say I'm a little gunshy after reading the 900 forum. It seems like there are many issues with the device and it's potluck as to whether I get a good one? I'm guessing if there are issues with it I'm gonna be SOL with warranty etc. due to method of purchase?

Am I setting myself up for a host of problems compared to my OG Focus, which TBH runs absolutely fine. I'm just hankering for a new toy really.
Let me know what you think.



Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express

 

[ninjaap]

Good point about being SOL with warranty. That's always my fear when it comes to Ebay and CL phone purchases. I probably wouldn't take the chance if I were you, because you will have zero support from either carrier or OEM.

 

[ftap]

Going prices (in my city of Orlando) on Craigslist is $300 for brand new in box Lumia 900.

For used in good condition it's $250-300.

Obviously prices are local and depends on supply and demand.

eBay prices go from $280-350.

So $300 (if in mint condition) sounds about market price for the lumia 900.

 

[bigkevbosky]

From what I've been reading, Nokia is really good about honoring the one year warranty regardless of method of purchase. I just bought a "bricked" cyan 900 on EBay for $75 that will be here on Monday and I'm going to attempt to get Nokia to repair or replace it. I'll let you all know how it goes.

 

[vp710]

If the phone is still under Nokia's 1 year warranty, they won't even ask for proof of purchase. Just send it back and get it fixed / replaced for free. I bought a 710 off eBay and it had a few issues and they did just that. I've posted my experience on this forum.

 

[woodbane]

From what I've been reading, Nokia is really good about honoring the one year warranty regardless of method of purchase. I just bought a "bricked" cyan 900 on EBay for $75 that will be here on Monday and I'm going to attempt to get Nokia to repair or replace it. I'll let you all know how it goes.

If the phone is still under Nokia's 1 year warranty, they won't even ask for proof of purchase. Just send it back and get it fixed / replaced for free. I bought a 710 off eBay and it had a few issues and they did just that. I've posted my experience on this forum.

That's actually pretty good news to hear as the white lumia has only been out for what - a couple of months?

Do they have a US based service center or is sending it away for service going to mean sending it abroad?

I'm still on the fence about it - I'm trying to draw up a shortlist of things I would miss the most from my fully unlocked OG Focus. Homebrew apps is a big one. I take it there's no way to sideload homebrew presently?

Also, I'm having some misgivings about the glossy white and it's ease of holding? Anyone got a white one and care to share?

Cheers guys.

 

[HeyCori]

Also, I'm having some misgivings about the glossy white and it's ease of holding? Anyone got a white one and care to share?

Cheers guys.

It's about as slippery as the Focus but feels better in the hand. I'm not sure where their repair centers are based, but chances are you'll get a refub in return, assuming the warranty covers whatever is wrong with the unit.

 

[woodbane]

It's about as slippery as the Focus but feels better in the hand. I'm not sure where their repair centers are based, but chances are you'll get a refub in return, assuming the warranty covers whatever is wrong with the unit.

Do you have one? If so, how do you like it? Have you had any of the problems I see listed?

I'm mainly concerned about the device working properly.

 

[HeyCori]

Do you have one? If so, how do you like it? Have you had any of the problems I see listed?

I'm mainly concerned about the device working properly.

I have the white 900 and the (now retired) original Focus. I was really worried about getting a defective 900 because of all the posts here at the forum. Fortunately, mines was pretty much flawless right out of the box, and the recent software updates fixed some of the other nagging problems like the purple keyboard. Forum complaints have dramatically dropped since the 900 launched, which could mean that the early batch of defective units have run their course. Scrolling is still slower compared to the original Focus but still silky smooth. The only hardware problem with my 900 that I can think of is that the volume buttons don't always work when the screen is off. Oh, and the camera is subpar and even worse in low light, but that's not really a defect.

 

[woodbane]

I have the white 900 and the (now retired) original Focus. I was really worried about getting a defective 900 because of all the posts here at the forum. Fortunately, mines was pretty much flawless right out of the box, and the recent software updates fixed some of the other nagging problems like the purple keyboard. Forum complaints have dramatically dropped since the 900 launched, which could mean that the early batch of defective units have run their course. Scrolling is still slower compared to the original Focus but still silky smooth. The only hardware problem with my 900 that I can think of is that the volume buttons don't always work when the screen is off. Oh, and the camera is subpar and even worse in low light, but that's not really a defect.

How would you rate the camera compared to the Focus? I love the pictures my Focus takes - they're always crisp and clear - I think I'd be pissed if the Lumia took worse pictures.

Does your camera button wake the phone from screen off provided you've set it up in settings. I do like that feature in Windows Phone but again, I'm seeing this as an issue people are having.

Honestly - I really can't decided between a 900, the Titan II or whether to just sit tight and wait for next weeks announcements to see where Windows Phone is headed.

Cash is burning a hole in my pocket. LOL (1st world problems)

 

[HeyCori]

How would you rate the camera compared to the Focus? I love the pictures my Focus takes - they're always crisp and clear - I think I'd be pissed if the Lumia took worse pictures.

I think I like the 900 a tiny bit more than the Focus but I think the Focus does better in low light situations. However, I'm only guessing because I haven't done, or seen, a true comparison between the two. In the end, they've both been outpaced by the current phones on the market. I would suggest checking out the picture threads stickied at the top of each forum.

Does your camera button wake the phone from screen off provided you've set it up in settings. I do like that feature in Windows Phone but again, I'm seeing this as an issue people are having.

Mines works fine.

Honestly - I really can't decided between a 900, the Titan II or whether to just sit tight and wait for next weeks announcements to see where Windows Phone is headed.

For the price you paid for that 900, I would definitely see about using the warranty and using it until Apollo hits in the fall. Nokia's customer support and apps can't be beat.

 

[woodbane]

I haven't actually purchased the phone yet, I'me looking at a whole bunch of options to tide me over until WP8 hits - including *gasp* an Android device - the Atrix 2.

Problem is - I'm a forum / research hound and I explore every little aspect to death and then get myself in a total funk whereby I end up doing nothing! LOL

 

[Thuoudo]

Too many 900 warranty threads to post in!

If the phone is still under Nokia's 1 year warranty, they won't even ask for proof of purchase. Just send it back and get it fixed / replaced for free. I bought a 710 off eBay and it had a few issues and they did just that. I've posted my experience on this forum.

They did ask for proof of purchase from me. I mean, you could probably try and send it without...worst that would happen is they'll send it back after a few days.

That's actually pretty good news to hear as the white lumia has only been out for what - a couple of months?

Do they have a US based service center or is sending it away for service going to mean sending it abroad?

I'm still on the fence about it - I'm trying to draw up a shortlist of things I would miss the most from my fully unlocked OG Focus. Homebrew apps is a big one. I take it there's no way to sideload homebrew presently?

Also, I'm having some misgivings about the glossy white and it's ease of holding? Anyone got a white one and care to share?

Cheers guys.

The repair center is in Texas.

It depends on which homebrews you use most often. Personally, I haven't put my SIM back into the Focus since I got the S...and it hasn't gone back into the S since I got the 900.

The glossy really isn't too bad to hold. It feels like a Lego at first but that goes away after a day or so.

Problem is - I'm a forum / research hound and I explore every little aspect to death and then get myself in a total funk whereby I end up doing nothing! LOL

"Paralysis through analysis"

 

[vp710]

They did ask for proof of purchase from me.

Was your phone still under warranty though? After talking to chat and through email, I pondered whether or not I would send it for repair and just went through the automatic repair form on Nokia's website when I decided to do so.

They ask you to enter your IMEI number to check the phone's still under warranty. When I did, it said it still was and that's it. From there, I entered my personal info, problems and they had me print a UPS sipping slip.

 

[Thuoudo]

Well, the 900 is under 12 months old so the IMEI will come back as "valid" for warranty purposes. The Nokia customer service rep I spoke to was unsure if it would be serviced/replaced because it was under a year old, but I bought it from an unauthorized source. Nokia could enforce the "original purchaser" part if they wanted to but they will bend over backwards to get customers at this point, in my opinion.

AT&T wouldn't warranty the phone since I didn't buy it directly from them...even though I pay for their service and it's an AT&T exclusive phone and all. AT&T and Nokia wanted me to deal with the ebay seller.

Knowing what I know now, if I was the OP, I would definitely just do the online warranty process straight away if he has an issue. Provided it comes with the ATT box, I can't see Nokia contacting ATT to see who bought the thing initially.