Verizon: I think they SWAPPED my battery!!

I'll make this quick (got to get to bed. 3 clients to see in the morning):

I have been w/verizon since like 2001. Right now I have the LG Dare. I bought it back in September (this past fall, if not Sept then Oct).

For about a month (maybe more) my phone gets "scratchy" (static-y) whenever I push a button, so even while texting!! The internal speaker decides it wants to start making static sounds. When I use bluetooth, I almost never have a problem.

I finally found the time to go to the Verizon store. They tech me to come back in 20 min b/c supposedly it needed a software update. I gave him an hour, came back, and when he handed me the phone he said nothing (I really don't understand how some people are ever hired)... I was like "Hi!! Did you fix it?"... his reply, "yeah"... that's IT!! Anyway, I was like screw this dude who doesn't know how to do his job right and just let it go.

I go to my car and before risking losing my parking spot in case I had to go back in (the lot there is so tiny), I checked my phone and it was static for a SPLIT second... I figured I'd give it a go and maybe it's good enough that I could care less now... at least it wouldn't affect my calls... calls were fine for a few min, and then back to static. I already left, so I said I'll just go back next week (and I've planned to go tomorrow).

BUT WAIT!!! Now here's the SCREWED up part:
Until a week ago, my battery would normally last 4 days!! Sometimes I could go 5 days, but it would NEVER need to be charged before 3 days.

I noticed lately that my battery's life DRASTICALLY decreased. I felt like I had to charge more often. Last night I decided to let the phone die and then I'll give it a full charge and see how long it goes.

Late last night I gave the phone a full charge. I used the phone today NORMAL usage and the damn phone died around 2 hours ago.

It lasted maybe 24 hours.

Since last week, the ONLY changes I've made are listed below:
-New bluetooth Motorola speakerphone in my car
-Verizon software update (and leaving it in their trusty hands for an hour)

WHY DO I FEEL SO INCLINED TO THINK THERE WAS FOUL PLAY AND SOMEONE SWAPPED MY BATTERY?

Well, from common sense I feel like bluetooth is bluetooth. It doesn't matter what device you use, the phone still sends the same strength signal into the airwaves.

Could it POSSIBLY be the Motorola speakerphone I recently bought, or would it be safe to say that I go ape s*** at Verizon tomorrow?

Like I said... I really have a gut feeling they shafted me... at least one of the employees.

Please, give me some good advice b/c if I don't get any, I'm going there with guns drawn!!

P.S. Any way to find out if my battery is the one that was sold with the phone? (Yes, I bought it brand new from the Verizon store and extended my contract)

Does the battery have any stickers or identification on it like S/N, manufacture date or something along those lines? Comparing the information with the phone might tell you something.

Also I would suggest trying it without chaning anything, including the bluetooth receiver. I understand what you're saying there but to be scientific about it there should be only one change - the (possible) battery change.

I believe that gut feelings should be given consideration, and definitely should not be dismissed. However, acting on mere gut feeling without supporting evidence to corroborate it could prove to be counterproductive.

hey there godman just a little info that might help. Check your firmware and see if it is indeed the current one. Also check to see what changes the revision has made. Is the LG dare capable of high speed data such as HSPDA or UMTS? or Wifi? the new firmware may have activated these features if they're available and doing so will cause dramatic battery drain. Also the tech probably could have updated the firmware incorrectly. Most firmware updates usually ask the user to have the phone battery at full or at a certain level. Nokia required my old N95 to be atleast at 70% battery capacity before allowing me to update if it wasn't connected to a power source for charging to decrease the risk of bricking or damaging the phone during update.

I'd just go in and ask for the manager. Tell him/her you don't know if the battery was swapped or not, but the phone sucks anyway and is still broken, and you want a new one. Be nice and they'll probably give ya one.

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I'm most likely going there today, so wish me luck.

This is a story of epic proportions and should not be taken likely.

You should pay to have ME flown in. Then we can handle this situation CHICAGO STYLE (which involves a baseball bat and a hot dog with a lot of vegetables on it...)

rainless said:

This is a story of epic proportions and should not be taken likely.

You should pay to have ME flown in. Then we can handle this situation CHICAGO STYLE (which involves a baseball bat and a hot dog with a lot of vegetables on it...)

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I'll be honest, I don't take these things lightly.

Side note;

How do you like the Dare? I am looking for a new phone and I am considering between the Blackberry Storm, Samsung Omnia, HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro and the LG Dare.

I've had issues with my newer phone with its battery.

Mostly it would last 3-4, 5 days on a charge. Then all of a sudden it dropped to maybe 1 day tops with no talk time on it. What I did was let the battery drain down low, remove the battery from the phone (let it sit for 2-4 hours), put the battery back in and let it charge over night. All is well then.

Its happened to me a 2 times now with the phone. Minor inconvenience, my guess just bad battery connection.

As for the static, if you got insurance on it defiantly demand a new phone.

WonderingSoul said:

Side note;

How do you like the Dare? I am looking for a new phone and I am considering between the Blackberry Storm, Samsung Omnia, HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro and the LG Dare.

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The dare is nothing to scream about. Texting on it is not convenient at all, but I adapted a bit.

deathman20 said:

I've had issues with my newer phone with its battery.

Mostly it would last 3-4, 5 days on a charge. Then all of a sudden it dropped to maybe 1 day tops with no talk time on it. What I did was let the battery drain down low, remove the battery from the phone (let it sit for 2-4 hours), put the battery back in and let it charge over night. All is well then.

Its happened to me a 2 times now with the phone. Minor inconvenience, my guess just bad battery connection.

As for the static, if you got insurance on it defiantly demand a new phone.

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AWESOME POINTER!! That makes sense. I'll try that the next chance I get, but 90% of the time I let my phone go down to 1 bar or "low battery" warning.

UNFORTUNATELY, no chance to hit up Verizon today. I'll try again tomorrow. The static really gets on my nerves!!

Hey man,
Ask for manager, tell him about phone static problem and then about battery and your suspects.
Be nice, look nice, talk nice and you get new phone for sure.
Please don't let emotions take over as I am sure you can pull new phone from this.


GL.

blohin said:

Hey man,
Ask for manager, tell him about phone static problem and then about battery and your suspects.
Be nice, look nice, talk nice and you get new phone for sure.
Please don't let emotions take over as I am sure you can pull new phone from this.


GL.

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I can get a new phone but not a new battery. Although, deathman20 is totally awesome for his post... made me realize it could have been a contact problem because they did in fact take the batt. out and put the batt. back in, so perhaps it was a coincidence. Either way, BEFORE I went there my batt. would last 4-5 days.

Anyway, the static kills me... I can't believe they gave it back to me like this... it's just hard to find the time..

Now... I have an important question:
WILL THEY GIVE ME A PHONE THERE OR DO I HAVE TO WAIT DAYS UNTIL IT COMES IN?

if they have the phone in stock they should give it to you, if not i am inclined to say they will fedex over night you another phone. back up your contacts too. you never know what may happen to them.

last time my brothers phone died verizon gave him a brand new phone with a brand new battery.

they will most likely give you a new phone.

next, how long have you had the lg dare? how long have had the problem. i ask this because i also have the lg dare.

g0dM@n said:

AWESOME POINTER!! That makes sense. I'll try that the next chance I get, but 90% of the time I let my phone go down to 1 bar or "low battery" warning.

UNFORTUNATELY, no chance to hit up Verizon today. I'll try again tomorrow. The static really gets on my nerves!!

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Extra note on the pointer.....

DO NOT TURN ON THE PHONE TIL MORNING. I left my phone off and that seemed to be the only way for it to get its charge fully back. So just make note of that, otherwise the problem comes back in a few days. First time... lasted 4 months, im on month 3 now with my current "fix".

They should have replacement phones in stock there, unless they've used them all and are awaiting their shipment, in which case they can Fedex you one to your home in 2-3 days free of charge.

How long have you had your phone? If it's under a year then that battery is under warranty per Verizon policy. I know a ton about their tech side of things (I was a district manager for the company that the techs actually work for), I don't want to post much here because of unexpired NDA's but hit me up via PM if you want any info and I can tell you what to say to them.

imposter said:

if they have the phone in stock they should give it to you, if not i am inclined to say they will fedex over night you another phone. back up your contacts too. you never know what may happen to them.

last time my brothers phone died verizon gave him a brand new phone with a brand new battery.

they will most likely give you a new phone.

next, how long have you had the lg dare? how long have had the problem. i ask this because i also have the lg dare.

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Since September I believe is when I bought it... if not, closer to October, so I've only had it about 7 months, maybe 8.

The problem has been around for about a month...

deathman20 said:

Extra note on the pointer.....

DO NOT TURN ON THE PHONE TIL MORNING. I left my phone off and that seemed to be the only way for it to get its charge fully back. So just make note of that, otherwise the problem comes back in a few days. First time... lasted 4 months, im on month 3 now with my current "fix".

Click to expand...

So let the phone die, let it stay off, and charge overnight while it's off?

shadin said:

They should have replacement phones in stock there, unless they've used them all and are awaiting their shipment, in which case they can Fedex you one to your home in 2-3 days free of charge.

How long have you had your phone? If it's under a year then that battery is under warranty per Verizon policy. I know a ton about their tech side of things (I was a district manager for the company that the techs actually work for), I don't want to post much here because of unexpired NDA's but hit me up via PM if you want any info and I can tell you what to say to them.

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You guys are making me feel confident now. I guess I'll be alright then..

I think it's LG. All my friends who owned an LG and I personally owned one, ended up crapping out and having weird problems. One common thing is that the battery magically looses its charge. These were across the providers ATT and Verizon.

LG was my first phone, after that experience I am sticking with Nokia, or Motorola or Samsung.

g0dM@n said:

So let the phone die, let it stay off, and charge overnight while it's off?

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Aye aye. The idea behind it is that its basically discharged, let any remaining power in the phone loose its power, but as well keeping it off in the charging phase will make sure its going straight to the battery itself and nothing else.

deathman20 said:

I've had issues with my newer phone with its battery.

Mostly it would last 3-4, 5 days on a charge. Then all of a sudden it dropped to maybe 1 day tops with no talk time on it. What I did was let the battery drain down low, remove the battery from the phone (let it sit for 2-4 hours), put the battery back in and let it charge over night. All is well then.

Its happened to me a 2 times now with the phone. Minor inconvenience, my guess just bad battery connection.

As for the static, if you got insurance on it defiantly demand a new phone.

Click to expand...

Actually this isn't a good idea to do with cell phone batteries that are out today as they are Lithium Ion and letting them get past a certain percentage of charge can be damaging. Cell phones have protective circuitry to prevent the battery from getting to that point but letting it drain in the phone and letting it sit is not a good idea.