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2 Messages

Friday, November 23rd, 2012 2:21 AM

Can I get a new phone?

-Sorry that this is so long-

 

So back in July 2012, I was up for upgrade and went in to get a new phone. I originally went in prepared to get the HTC Vivid but the sales associate quickly talked me out of it telling me the battery was absolutely terrible and wont last even close to a day. So I was grateful that I didn't make a mistake with that phone. After being unsure what phone to get now, I asked for his advice and he quickly turned me around to the Motorola Atrix HD. He said it was the best phone they had, had the best battery, features, everything. I mentioned the Samsung Galaxy S3 and he told me the battery wasn't very good on that as well and that there have been several complaints about it. So I agreed to the Atrix HD and was happy with it for about a week before the battery started not lasting as long. I would be up from 7 am and go to school and by the time I was done at 2 pm, the battery was down to (45-50%). After 3 weeks, the battery started to drain drastically (sometimes 20% in half an hour), even though it was sitting in my pocket for hours and I had no apps running. So I went back to the AT&T store and explained what was going on and he acted like it was normal, but agreed to exchange the phone. I didn't want to have to pay the outrageous restocking fee for the phone I actually wanted (the S3) so he replaced it with another Atrix HD. I left and the battery seemed okay for a couple days, then it started acting up a little. Two weeks after, the battery started draining a lot again, but I was outside of the 30 days that would've allowed me to return my phone. I tried going in to get a new phone but they refused. Now 4 months later, I've never been more frustrated with this phone. When the sales associate sold me it, I was assured that the battery was the best and the phone was the best one AT&T offered. He even went as far as to tell me he would refuse to sell me any other phone except that and the iPhone. I'm getting very annoyed with this because I feel ripped off and that AT&T was just trying to push their shiny new phone out to the public and I'm angry at the sales associate that assured me I was making the right choice. I can't deal with this phone for 2 years. This is not just my phone or how I'm using it. My sister was up for upgrade a week after me and was told the same thing about the Atrix HD by a different associate and got looped into it as well. Now she is facing the same problems I am. So after the novel I just wrote, my question is, is there anything I can do at this point to get a phone I would actually be satisfied with?

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

Professor

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2.7K Messages

11 years ago

There could be many things happening here, most of which would not be changed by getting a new phone.  What phone did you come from before the Atrix HD?  Was it an Android phone?

 

If you go to school in a poor signal area, your phone is struggling to maintain a connection to a cell tower.  This will drain the battery quickly.  Go to Settings>Battery or Power and see what is using your battery the most.  If cell standby is in the top three, this can be a concern.

 

If a particular app is in the top three, that app is causing your battery drain.  Some apps can be battery hogs in the way that they work normally.  Others may occasionally hang and keep trying to perform a task over and over again and drain the battery.  Since you say that the phone is OK when you first get it, but starts to have problems later, I think that it's an app causing this problem.  You can turn off background data to see if this helps.  Also, how often are you syncing things like email, Facebook, Twitter and the like?  The more often you sync them, the more your battery will drain.  Do you have photos automatically uploading to Facebook, Google+, Photobucket or Picasa?  This will also drain your battery.

 

If none of this gets to the bottom of the battery problem, you can do a factory data reset on your phone and use it in this condition.  If the battery performance is better, there is something that you added to the phone that is causing the battery to drain.  Add apps back one app per day and monitor the battery performance to see which one you added that caused the battery to drain faster.  Some people prefer to use apps like Juice Defender to monitor their battery.  I haven't used it myself but I have heard good things about it.

 

In the future, research the phone that you want to buy first.  Then when you go to the store, don't let a sales rep change your mind.  Most reps can tell from what I say when I walk into a store that I wouldn't be swayed by their recommendations.  I can't remember the last time a phone was even recommended to me; there's no way that they are going to talk me out of one phone and into another one.

Expert

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13K Messages

11 years ago

You could sell the phone on ebay ( http://www.ebay.com/sch/Cell-Phones-Smartphones-/9355/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Atrix+HD ), they are currently going on there for 200+, then take that money and put it towards a new contract free phone of your choosing. You are spending more than if you got the phone you wanted right away but at least you would have the phone you wanted and not one you don't want.

Master

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5.7K Messages

11 years ago

I got sick and tired of dropped calls and missed calls with my Samsung Solstice II so I purchased a Motorola Atrix HD.  A great phone.  I can go two days with a fully charged battery.  But, of course, I plug it in every night before I go to bed.  The reason?  I did what 21stNow suggested and immediately turned off the background data function plus uninstalling apps I don't use.  This dramatically improved battery charge longevity.  I love the Atrix.  Nice big screen.  Has not dropped nor missed a call since I purchased it a couple of months or so ago.

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