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Question

Verizon Kyocera Hydro Elite - help!

Feb 8, 2015 11:41AM PST

Hi I am new here - hope this is the right place to post.

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. I wish! Nobody at Verizon seems able to change this small 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.

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?

Thanks for reading.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
I'm going to be frank here
Feb 8, 2015 1:17PM PST

What's the old adage, fool me once...(etc.)

While I completely sympathize, you really had five exchanges already for the same phone??? At this point you probably are lucky to be eligible for any sort of exchange at all, let alone one that requires a normal cash disbursement up front. There's not much you can really do at this point, short of trying to take them to court (over a $200 phone?). Just be polite if you wish to continue to deal with them and receive any sort of higher monetary credit. Maintain a good paper trail so you can provide the original receipts and disprove you ever acquired a Galaxy through normal subsidized channels. What does your online account manager say(?)

Personally, I would take what they will give you, eat the loss and buy a better rated phone.

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re: I'm going to be frank here
Feb 8, 2015 4:13PM PST

Thanks for reply. Yes I really have had 5 replacements - I have insurance so apparently because of that I am allowed replacements... and to be sent defective replacements is on the company.

I don't have an online manager specific to my account ( or at least I don't think so- I will check) - so I speak to whomever I am put through. The tech support said today that it is not that unheard of even to have multiple replacements for a phone! So apparently I am not the only one.

I guess on principle I do not want to fork out and pay for a bad model - but it looks like I have little choice but to eat it.

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add on
Feb 8, 2015 5:21PM PST

Also what I don't understand is how come all 5 replacements are duds?? Like none have worked effectively for any length of time - that's not good for the consumer and imo the consumer shouldn't have to be the one to pay for it.

On one occasion they even sent me the shell of a Samsung Galaxy - to go with my Kyocera battery....

Anyway I suppose there is nothing to be done about it - it just doesn't seem right to me is all and it doesn't seem right to most of the techs I speak to either at Verizon but they are powerless to override the system and allow me a replacement model.

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All post-paid customers have such access
Feb 9, 2015 1:35AM PST
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Answer
My wife got the Hydro Vibe from Ting.
Feb 8, 2015 11:03PM PST

We added the wireless charging pad and it's been great. My other phone (the office provides a few for app work) is Some Kyocera c5155 or http://www.gsmarena.com/kyocera_rise_c5155-4747.php My only quibble is that it seems to reboot on its own from time to time, other than that it's been fine. Still like the Nexus (again the office supplies such since we work on apps.)

Sorry to read that your model is a dud.
Bob