two probs... and sprint store tech sup frustration...
 

I have two problems with my Sprint PPC 6700 (I bought 14 days ago) and walked into the store to see if there tech support could help me out. It was extremely frustrating. Here's how it went... (if anyone in this forum can help me out I'd greatly appreciate it). The second problem was the most frustrating, you wont believe what I was told...

I told the tech receptionist that I have a 2GB PQI mini SD card that intermittently is not recognized by the device. It works fine most of the time, then all of a sudden my device says there is no StorageCard. So I eject it and put it back in (sometimes a couple of times before it is recognized). Just today my device now thinks that it is StorageCard2 so now nothing that I installed on it or that references it (as StorageCard) works... though all the files are indeed on it.

The second problem (which I was experiencing even as I brought it to the store) is that sometimes I cannot use the phone. It just doesn't seem to connect. The Talk button wont do anything, and Voice Commander would place the call, but there was no dail tone [though I could hear button tones] and it comes up and says cannot connect check signal or something like that. It happended before, and I think a soft-reset fixed it, but I don't want to have to do that all the time. She verified that the Talk button was not doing anything (like redail the currently displayed number). So she told me to come back in a half hour or so...

When I come back, she says that we don't support anything but the 1GB mem card. She said they took mine out and put a 1 GB in and it worked. I showed her how I could pop mine out and back it and it works too (most of the time). She gave me the UTStarCom site to check the mem card support. I know people who are using 2GB cards with no problem. Anyway, I said what about the phone problem. She said we fixed it with a hard reset. You'll just have to hard reset it when that happens. What? I said. I can't do that. I'll lose all my stuff, that's ridiculous. Oh, she said, all those phones are like that. You'll just have to hard reset them every so often. Didn't anybody tell you about that when they sold it to you? That's CRAZY I said. So every couple of wks I'm gonna have to do this? So if theres an emergency and I need to call 911 and my phone is jammed, I've got to do a hard reset, and 20 minutes later I can make my call? That's stupid. Is anyone here more technical than them, I asked? She gave me tech supports number. I said it was unacceptable and that I thought there was something wrong with the phone (at lease the mem card socket anyway, if not the s/w or some config or something). She said I could exchange it for a new one. Great, I said, lets do it. Oh, you have to have the box and stuff (and receipt). But I bought it last week or so, you should still have it in your system. Just get the new one, swap the devices, keep the stuff and lets do it, I say. No go. Must have the box. Ok, I be back tomorrow I say.

So I called tech support. They said that it was true that they only officially support the 512MB (not the 1GB mem card) but that the 2GB should work fine with no prob. Probably a bad socket, they've seen that before. When I told him about the lady's response to the ppc 6700's that just have to be hard reset every couple of weeks he laughed and said thats not true. Said I should install the 303 update from Sprint (but I already had from utstarcom-- they looked exactly the same-- same name and size). He said it should be Sprints version. He also said that it could have randomly gone into flight mode, but I thought the upgrade was supposed to prevent that. So, tomorrow after I exchange my phone, I'm going to update it first like he said, before I add any other sw. Oh, he told me to copy the update onto the phone and then run it.

So, anyway, I'm frustrated with my phone, my memory card, and mostly with the tech people at the Sprint store.

Does anyone have any insight into my problems? I'd appreciate more competent advice that what I got at the store [which I'm sure I'll get here]. Thanks.

Well, for the Storagecard2 issue, that's simple enough. You told outlook to save attachments to the memory card. When you softbooted, the memory card wasn't recognized quickly enough (wasn't booted) and outlook created the Storagecard folder on your device.

Solution when it happenes:

Start outlook, remove the Store attachments on memory card option.

Remove your storage card, open file manager, highlight and delete the Storagecard Folder

Wait 5 seconds

Reinstall storage card

You will have your normal storage card back

As to your issue with Sprint, I'm not surprised. I was in the Sprint store the other day just killing time. Sale girl approcached and I started asking questions. When I asked who does your Wireless sync service (verizon uses Intellisync) She went in the back for a minute and came back out and said, CDMA... I said, No, CDMA is your wireless technology, as is verizon, t-mobile and cingular use GSM... I asked you who does your wireless sync services. She glares at me, goes in the back, and this fat guy comes out and gives me the same line.... I say SLOWLY...WHO...DOES...YOUR...WIRELESS...SYNC, not WHAT IS YOUR WIRLESS TECHNOLOGY... He looks at me and says, I don't know"

I said, you work for Sprint and you don't know what you sell? He looks uncomfortable and says nastily, no, we don't know the answer... I look at him and simply say you both blew a sale and walk out..

No understand I wasn't going to switch from verizon, but I was asked questions and asked questions back and they were completely clueless, including the so-called tech-guy...

Oh, and there a a lot of registry settings you can play around with that may help with the storage card issue. If you search for DSOD here you will find some topics.

Re: the phone locking up for calls - I have only seen that once on both of 2 6700s - one for calls, one for data. In both cases a SOFT reset was all that was needed, not a HARD reset. My phone runs weeks between soft resets, but sadly they are a normal part of owning a WInMobile phone.

You will want to find and install some form of Task Manager that actually closes applications when you tap the close X - I have had good success witn InClose (googgle for it) but there are other free ones out there too.

Last point - you have found the best support for your phone already (this site) - stay away from Sprint unless you need them to replace your phone - that's about all they are trained to do.

yeah, most of those people are jokes imo. i brought my a920 in because if you closed the the thing it would turn off, then turn back on. they took it in the back like they always do, and I waited like 45 min, they brought it back and the guy said it was all good. so i tried it, open/close, open/close, it turned off, i said look man, it just did it again. he got real frustrated with me and took it back there again. i had to argue with him forever to get it replaced. i had only had it for like 20 days, it was in mint condition. they act like it is coming out of there pocket to replace it. i told the guy thats what warranties are for and why i have insurance as well.

That's because it IS coming out of their pocket... literally. It's also coming out of their pocket if you waste their time and ask them obscure questions like what type of wireless sync service they use.

warranty and insurance. that does not come out of the sprint store representatives pocket. if you go there, purchase a plan and a phone, then return it in the 14 days or 30 days, whatever they offer, then that may come out of their pocket as far as not getting any type of comission.
and it is sad when someone that visists internet forums knows more about their services than they do when they had the training. and they are getting paid to know this stuff.

I work at a store, there is a quota for just about everything including how many phones we can replace, warranty or not. It does come out of our pockets. It's not surprising that someone who visits an internet forum about 1 type of phone knows more than some reps who have to sell them all. Personally I know about all the phones, but some people just don't understand computers or phones that are basically computers.

However if you reproduced the problem with him standing right there that doesn't justify what happened...

so basically your saying, if someone comes in the store with a defective phone, that their warranty will cover, you have to pay for it out of your pocket?

I don't know about anyone else, but that sounds like a job I'd quit.

I am a tech at a corp store also, what he means is that we are graded so to say on how many swaps, repairs and etc we do on a monthly basis. If we do more swaps than what is budgeted we get wrote up. So in a round about way it will come out of our pocket later on. I love to read about all of our phones on sites that get into the phone and isn't just the sale sheet. Believe it or not they do not provide us with the info that we all have here, just the bare basics. In my store when someone has a question of that nature its usually directed to me or my partner that read this site and others on a regular basis. But you wont find that at all the stores. While your questions were valid you wouldn't find the answer at most of the stores i am sorry to say. As for the other problems you have seen with it I have had them with my 6700 too, but you have the answers here on this site. If there are other questions that I can answer within reason I will help out.