PSA: Palm won't fix your phone - talk to the carrier

Derek

Getting a little tired of the comments about build. I have had my 1st pre since release day, no oreo, no slider issues, nothing and that includes 2 drops and no case being used.

Enough already.

This is the same as with the iPhone. If you purchase your iPhone outside of your home turf, you must seek help in the country of origin. This may be the case for any phone.

I still have my first one and its rock solid, dropped it a few times. No dents and no scratches...the phones like a tank, it keeps on taking hits without any hits to its performance or looks. Thanks palm!

Derek, I agree with you. I'm on my 5th and I'm going to be on my 6th soon. Thanks for the post, im sure it'll have value to many.

This article reads like something written by an iPhone fanboy troll. Terrible attitude. Poor grammar, too.

Yeah my Pre is still rock solid, no problems at all with the build or OS....Love my Pre! BTW I look at my phone all the time and its still as awesome looking as the day I got it :)

This article sucked... I have to question why/how it was even published to the Pre Central main page? It looks like it was written by a pissed off 8th grader who is spoiled by Mommy and Daddy.

Hey, give Derek some slack. I would rather have an unbaised web site, than the can do no wrong(Apple-the iPhone you killed my child I forgive you anyway) website.

Mr Kessler,

Did you forget to take your medication again? What wagon are u on? Please just give us the facts none of this bs.....looking at a phone and it breaks......stop embellishing......Its a solid phone and the Pixi will be good as well.

I've had the same Pre since mid-July, and I use the crap out of it... I've dropped it a few times, no case, no screen protector... just a tiny bit of oreo after the second drop, all buttons work, screen is fine, no dead pixels, etc. etc. All this goes for two of my friends that also have the Pre.

So, explain to me, WTF is Derek talking about it breaking when you look at it? And why publish it in an article?

Hey, give Derek some slack. I would rather have an unbaised web site, than the can do no wrong(Apple-the iPhone you killed my child I forgive you anyway) website.

I want an unbiased site as well but call a spade a spade none of this bs..........For the guys who have gone through 5 to6 phones if it breaks so often why are you still getting them?

really ugly I guess bc I am not that good looking and I look at my phone everyday and it has not broken even once and I am really ugly.

It's amazing how this guy spends his time posting these articles to keep others informed on what's going on and all you guys can do is criticize him. There's a reason he's an editor and you're not.

Also, as far as this being written by someone who is "knowledgeable and does plenty of research", I say horsepucky... it's some regurgitated information ruminated with bitter opinon.

Like someone stated, some of us have had good luck with our Pres, some have not. I have a ever growing crack on mine. I'm just waiting for it to get a lil bigger and then I'll get it replaced through insurance. Yes it's $100, but it is what it is..pay it...get a replacement, get a case this time for it and move on.

There's a difference between humor and sarcasm.

There's a difference between humor and sarcasm.

I just got out of PA (palm anonymous) and I was told I was really to ugly and that my next look at my phone might induce the tsunami upon my phone. I was told that the 118th look is the final straw that will induce the breakdown.

Holy crap, I'm cranky today... I need my nap.

If your really want to debate ugly, just imagine who's face is connected to that REALLY fat hand....

Too much McD's? Mabye?

Please choose a different picture.

I'm using the original Pre that I bought on release day in June, but nevertheless, I wouldn't plunk down money without phone insurance and I certainly wouldn't consider that buying a phone from one carrier and using it on another was a viable option!

Derek,

Did you read the Dieter thread and feel you needed to prove a point? :)

the whole pre breaks by looking at it thing is a bit tired , my wife and I have had pres sinnce June 6th and thus far with the best buy replacement policy, which has a zero deductible exchange policy have not had to replace either pre. I suspect many people are expecting perfection in tolerances from a slider, and others are just abusive.

as far as importing a phone from overseas, this never made sense to me. Things break and customer service or tech help is occasionally needed. Anyone who takes this risk clearly isn't worried about the phone breaking.

for all those folks that are still on their first Pre and NOT experiencing problems, consider yourselves lucky. The truth of the matter is that the build quality on this Pre is crap, if it's not the Oreo effect then it's the random shut off because the battery terminal /battery is the wrong size, or its the power button getting stuck. Palm really couldve spent a little more money and made this phone ten times better than it is. For others to criticize the author about this article is no better than the iPhone fanboys who bitch and cry when someone finds fault with that phone. I've had my Pre since Julyish and the phone has some Oreo effect and the rails click when I slide my phone open/closed. It hasn't gotten to the point where I want to go and pay $100 for an insurance replacement but the issues coupled with the lack of promised features and quality applications is really bothering me. To be quite honest Palm needs to step up and address all of these things or they will be flushed down a toilet.

Derek,

Did you read the Dieter thread and feel you needed to prove a point? :)

Derek,

Did you read the Dieter Thread and feel you needed to make a point? We can point out the downfalls of the phone, but this is just business. If you export and unlock, you are taking the risk of having warranty issues. Like an iPhone never failed...

I am on my 3rd, but I really think at least one of the returns were from me wanting to return cause I scratched it slightly. How many returns are real issues?

I'll be on my 4th Pre as of this week. All for same problem, BTW--the phone gets stuck permanently in headset mode despite all forms of voodoo attempted to fix it. The Pre build quality does indeed suck. It's just that everything else sucks more so I stay.

For those whose Pre's are perfect and find themselves annoyed by all of us who have to deal with's palm BS to simply get what we paid for, we are very, very sorry to have wasted your time.

I'm on my 4th pre and 3 other people i know who have gotten pre's had to have there's replaced once (not even super techy folks like us). Only my parents Pre's haven't had to be replaced yet, but i can feel build quality differences between the phones that QA shouldn't allow to happen. I love the phone, but lets be real about this, the consistency of build quality (QA) leaves something to be desired.

On the other hand, it's a first gen device, and i don't regret choosing a pre for a minute.

I am pretty sure that any unlocked or grey market phone being used will not get any warranty support from the manufacturer, it is pretty common place. I would call this a well understood and accepted risk of any who would purchase a piece of grey market electronics. As for the pre itself derek is justified in bringing up the well documented concerns over it's longevity, its just a fact people. Look I love my pre, I also love my xbox 360 but they both have there problems and you can't pretend that if you haven't seen it there is no problem, and to all else, please try not to hate on the little thing too much its a great little phone for those whom it works for(me).

I am pretty sure that any unlocked or grey market phone being used will not get any warranty support from the manufacturer, it is pretty common place. I would call this a well understood and accepted risk of any who would purchase a piece of grey market electronics. As for the pre itself derek is justified in bringing up the well documented concerns over it's longevity, its just a fact people. Look I love my pre, I also love my xbox 360 but they both have there problems and you can't pretend that if you haven't seen it there is no problem, and to all else, please try not to hate on the little thing too much its a great little phone for those whom it works for(me).

wait wait wait, what? Sicne when did the gms pre work in the US? There's no 3G.

my gf just told me i was good looking so i decided to take another glance at my phone and guess what happened? anyone anyone

try again

I agree that the article style was in poor taste. It lerads a casual reader to imply that the Pre breaks easily. I disagree.

I am an early adopter. Same Pre since June. never have had a problem with it. Still looks and runs like the day i got it.

Not only that, I think the article doesn't bring anything new to the table. Anyone buying a phone out of their home country understands exactly what they are getting into and knows already what this "article" is pointing out.

I guess real news is scarce on the weekend.

you must be as good looking as me tyndall.....pre doesnt break for good looking people

By the laws of probability manufactured goods break up. The percentage of such break ups should go down in the long run for a good manufacturing process. Hey,even NASA rockets break up and people die. But it is hard to believe someone who says he is on his 5th Pre ! He must be a bad-ass liar, or has some psychological problems. It could be like whenever he holds a Pre, he feels it like a polished stone and thows it in a shallow pond to see how many times it jumps like a frog ! Or, a story something like that. People who are on their 3rd or 4th Pres are also such psycho-borderline cases. They may be throw their Pres at each other and try to catch them in the air, and being clumsy drop them on ground. GROW UP PEOPLE & DONT LIE ! TOO MANY CRYING WOLVES WON'T MAKE YOU BELIEVABLE!
What are you all trying to prove here ? That you love WebOS so much that you are coming back for the 3rd, 4th, 5th times ?
Idiots.

Anyhow, w.r.t. PSA, Palm has taken the right policy.

sorry for the typo,,,,they may be throw = they may throw, or they may be throwing,,,,

I'm on my first pre and, sadly, its many ailments have finally caught up to it and it has recently broken down. I may be the minority but, because of the closeness of the pixi, I may switch to a pixi. For me, the pre has a lot of power - that, in all honesty, I don't use - but the hardware has been a small disappointment. I've taken very good care of my pre and respected it like an expensive piece of china and even I've had problems with the device. I haven't had any oreo problems, but the power switch is shoddy and my pre frequently, randomly turns off and burns all of its remaining power as a surprising amount of heat. So, I may end up going this week without a cell phone and picking up a pixi on sunday.

i will make this comment just cuz people seem to not realize that the build quality of the pre just doesn't stand up. I have had my phone for three months, keep it in a protective hard case and keep THAT inside of a holster soft case and i still have two growing hairline cracks and a headphone jack that has gone out.

I am happy for all those who still have Pre's with no issues, but that doesn't mean that there are those of us who haven't been so lucky.

it seems like Derek just broke a german pre he ordered, prob by dropping it on a carpeted floor or the like, and tried going through Palm warranty ... Palm rejects his claim and said go to O2, he says but I'm Derek, palm says who? He says derek from precentral, palm replies.. Oooooooh in that case heres O2's number so you don't have to look for it. Derek gets mad and says I know I'll post this useless article .. That'll show 'em!!
Let the Flame War Commence!!!!

Am I in the right place? Not sure why the Palm pre's main website it putting it down.

Exchanged mine one for just a slight oreo but the replacement is perfect and put together like a tank and has never let me down. Had the iPhone and I can guarantee you it's more durable...

C'mon Pre Central..

Booo...Hiss!

it seems like Derek just broke a german pre he ordered, prob by dropping it on a carpeted floor or the like, and tried going through Palm warranty ... Palm rejects his claim and said go to O2, he says but I'm Derek, palm says who? He says derek from precentral, palm replies.. Oooooooh in that case heres O2's number so you don't have to look for it. Derek gets mad and says I know I'll post this useless article .. That'll show 'em!!
Let the Flame War Commence!!!!

In addition I guess we should count ourselves lucky that we dont have viruses written for ours. Word has it the iGroan is not so lucky. I have to laugh at the Rick Astley thing....

sorry, what a stupid article. ignoring for a moment that a phone is unlikely to break from looking at it and similar exaggerations - wtf did you expect? why would palm fix your phone when they set up carrier deals for this purpose? the carrier fixes it, end of story. if you're not happy with that you probably shouldn't have imported one from germany should you?

as for the phone falling apart from looking at it, come on - surely you're doing -something- to it if it breaks all the time? got mine launch day jun 6, use it every day, it's "rooted", running dropbear, i've dropped it 3ft onto sidewalk when someone walking past accidentally caught on my headphone cord and the thing shot our of my hands... some superficial scratches but it keeps working like a charm. no oreo effect.

i'm all for being unbiased etc but this was just a crappy article, i'm sorry. if it was meant to be funny you just pretty much missed the mark. sounds like you should just get yourself a different phone - you don't -have- to be happy with the pre, you know...

Normally I don't comment on articles but I have to agree that a) the build quality of the pre is fine b) no one should expect Palm to replace a phone from another country.

Derek. If you've had to replace your phone, that's unfortunate, but it is not everyone's experience.

I don't expect Precentral to be fanboys, but I do want a place to go on the internet where others share my enthusiasm for the Pre. The last sentence of the article is just plain snippy. And the first sentence of the article makes it clear that getting a German Pre is a risk. So I find it hard to sympathize with someone caught in the hypothetical situation you describe.

If your experience has been that bad, change phones. And I'm not attacking you Derek, at all. You are totally entitled to your opinion. You've had a bad experience with the Pre. You are more than welcome to tell the world about it. But perhaps this article is not the appropriate time and place.

I'm with most of the other commenters thinking that your blatant statements in the article, however sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek they may have been, are a tad much.

It's unfortunate that you've had bad experiences with your previous Pres, as have many other members of the PC community, but it's not to say that you can make a generalization that all Pres are built so poorly that looking at them will cause them to break (not literally, of course).

I got my Pre from Sprint at launch, and am only on my second one. And the reason for having to replace mine is that as I gradually got over my Pre being a shiny new toy, I babied it less and less, eventually dropping it any number of times such that the power button finally stopped working and when taken to Sprint they advised me not to bring in a phone in such bad condition, for it may void the warranty.

Your bad experiences entitle you to an opinion. That's what the forums are for. I think it's inappropriate to speak so ill of the phone in an article where many potential customers and pundits will see it and give it more weight (as it should deserve) than a random rant in a post.

Funny, I thought I'd read comments how bad Palm is not replaceing qwertz Pres in the US. Well, honestly speaking, I didn't. It's just too obvious why Palm wouldn't do this.
And that is good.

If the point this 'article' wanted to make was to warn (naiv, or simply uninformed*) people... Ok. But the execution is... very bad!

*: which is not bad!

Im on my second Pre. The first one, the touch screen went out. Sprint replaced it for free. I was actually glad, because a week erlier I had dropped it down a concrete ramp and scratched the screen. I thought I was going to have to live with it. My second one has been flawless. Knock on fake wood. I even dropped it in the pool once. Its still kicking. Whats is a Oreo???????

Here is my 2cents. For a long time I have purchased euro gsm phones, mostly HTC ones, and its ALWAYS understood you always take a risk buying OUT OF REGION. Manufacturers WILL NOT repair/replace phones OUT OF REGION cause they have agreements with the respected regions/carriers.

Guys STOP HATING THE MANUFACTURERS and just get over the fact if you want to buy out of region you better have extra cash to dump!!!! If you don't then WAIT when it comes to your carrier!

I have a German O2 Pre and it works like a champ!! It has the hardware updates based on the Sprint release :) With the lack of 3G, Sprint Pre still wins! I just hate the buzzing over speakers ;(

It's obvious that the people squawking about how durable and great the Pre's build quality are, have not been here since the beginning. Quality was atrocious. It was about 50% crap right from the start. Now, QC has gone up a bit, and you probably have a 75% chance of getting a flawless Pre. I had to take my launch-day Pre back, because of the annoying overheating/light-bleed all over the screen.

This one I got back in June still has about 20 bad pixels, and isn't perfect, but I'll be damned if I go back and swap it out for a refurb or one that is worse than this. I know all about the oreo effect, and the bum power buttons. No thanks!

I think Derek's observation of the build quality is spot-on... The fanboys are out strong today. I still like my Pre, however.

Scrap, you should take your Pre back and get one that works. Period. I'm not making excuses for Palm, but there's a difference between saying that some Pre's don't work out of the box, and a Pre that works out of the box is so fragile that it will malfunction if you look at it the wrong way.

And if I'm not allowed to be a Pre Fanboy at Precentral, then maybe I should go someplace I can.

"chance of being breaking itself"???