My Samsung Focus USB/charge port and cable melted!
Earlier this week, my less than 90 day old suffered an apparently self-induced meltdown (pics below).
The problem started when the phone started repeatedly making the sound that you make when you plug it in to charge or sync it. The phone was not plugged in at the time.
First I unlocked the phone and found that it seemed to be fully functional, but the repeated tone continued - almost as if there was some type of internal short which caused the phone to think it was being plugging and unplugged over and over. I rebooted the phone, thinking that might resolve the issue. After a few seconds up returning to the lock screen, the repeating tone started again.
I unlocked the phone again and noticed that the battery indicator icon was sort of flickering each time the tone sounded. Hmmm, maybe plugging the phone into the Samsung wall charger will help. Plugging the phone in did stop the repeating tones, but after ~30 seconds I smelled a strong smell that smelled like burning electronics.
I picked up the phone, realized that was where the smell was coming from, and quickly unplugged it. After doing so, I noticed that the USB/charge port in the phone was melted, as was the male end of the Samsung USB cable.
I took the phone to my local AT&T corporate store - they had not seen or were aware of a related issue. Since I've had the phone more than 30 days, I was not eligible for an in-store exchange.
The AT&T rep that I was working with gave me paperwork for the AT&T Device Service Center (DSC) in town, and told me that they'd likely be able to take care of my phone under warranty.
I went to the AT&T DSC and relayed the above story to them. After speaking with a technician, supervisor, and manager I was told that they had no record or service bulletins related to the issue. As a result, they could not warranty my phone. The manager told me that my phone fell into the "damaged phone" category, which is not covered by the warranty.
I argued that the damage which occurred to the phone was not due to my negligence (i.e., dropped it in a toilet, ran over it with my truck, etc) , but because I simply plugged it in. To no avail - my Focus was a "damaged phone which was not eligible for warrantly repair or replacement".
The manager said that I had two options - contact the AT&T warranty department who could "assist" me with a replacement phone, but would charge my account the full, no-contract price or submit an insurance claim with AT&T, pay the deductible, and get a "like-new" replacement phone.
I am currently awaiting a phone call from a supervisor with the AT&T warranty department, who is to contact me within 24-48 hours.
This sucks...
Earlier this week, my less than 90 day old suffered an apparently self-induced meltdown (pics below).
The problem started when the phone started repeatedly making the sound that you make when you plug it in to charge or sync it. The phone was not plugged in at the time.
First I unlocked the phone and found that it seemed to be fully functional, but the repeated tone continued - almost as if there was some type of internal short which caused the phone to think it was being plugging and unplugged over and over. I rebooted the phone, thinking that might resolve the issue. After a few seconds up returning to the lock screen, the repeating tone started again.
I unlocked the phone again and noticed that the battery indicator icon was sort of flickering each time the tone sounded. Hmmm, maybe plugging the phone into the Samsung wall charger will help. Plugging the phone in did stop the repeating tones, but after ~30 seconds I smelled a strong smell that smelled like burning electronics.
I picked up the phone, realized that was where the smell was coming from, and quickly unplugged it. After doing so, I noticed that the USB/charge port in the phone was melted, as was the male end of the Samsung USB cable.
I took the phone to my local AT&T corporate store - they had not seen or were aware of a related issue. Since I've had the phone more than 30 days, I was not eligible for an in-store exchange.
The AT&T rep that I was working with gave me paperwork for the AT&T Device Service Center (DSC) in town, and told me that they'd likely be able to take care of my phone under warranty.
I went to the AT&T DSC and relayed the above story to them. After speaking with a technician, supervisor, and manager I was told that they had no record or service bulletins related to the issue. As a result, they could not warranty my phone. The manager told me that my phone fell into the "damaged phone" category, which is not covered by the warranty.
I argued that the damage which occurred to the phone was not due to my negligence (i.e., dropped it in a toilet, ran over it with my truck, etc) , but because I simply plugged it in. To no avail - my Focus was a "damaged phone which was not eligible for warrantly repair or replacement".
The manager said that I had two options - contact the AT&T warranty department who could "assist" me with a replacement phone, but would charge my account the full, no-contract price or submit an insurance claim with AT&T, pay the deductible, and get a "like-new" replacement phone.
I am currently awaiting a phone call from a supervisor with the AT&T warranty department, who is to contact me within 24-48 hours.
This sucks...
Last edited:
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