Best Buy Planning To Recall Or Replace MPx220s?

[Kris Kumar]

Smartphone Thoughts reader <i>cortez</i> pointed out an interesting post made by <i>dss2</i> on the <a href="http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=4060603#post4060603">HowardForums.</a> The post talks about Best Buy's plan to recall the Motorola MPx220 from its stores and upgrading the firmware. It also talks about some kind of replacement plan for folks who already own the phones.<br /><br />I decided to verify the story at my local store and have this to report. The local Best Buy still has the MPx220s in stock, with the same problematic firmware. The store representative does not know about any recall plans but did know that there would be would be a firmware upgrade or upgraded phones available in a couple of weeks. I was asked to check back in two weeks time for more details. If you find anything interesting on this new <i>episode in the MPx220 launch drama,</i> please share it with us. Personally I am just glad to hear that they are working on a solution. :-)<br /><br /><b>Update</b>: Forgot to give credit to HowardForum's member <i>dss2</i> for the news find in my original post. :oops: Also, our reader <i>sclui56</i> has confirmed this story with some solid evidence and is providing us with hands-on information about the latest MPx220 firmware. Take a peek inside this thread for more information.

[Phonefunatic]

When I called the local Best Buy in Chicago suburb today I was told they have been recalled and they are expecting a new shipment on Tuesday. The new phones should have a colored tag on the box (I forgot what color) that identifies it as the newer version. There would be a 800 number available (not available yet) to call if you want to return the phone and a replacement would be received in 2 business days. The store rep first said the problem with the phone was that it would not connect to the internet. I told him I previously owned one and that was not the problem. I went on to explain that the volume was the problem after which he agreed. It seemed like he was looking the information up while I was on the phone and was able to verify that it was indeed a volume problem. I will be checking back sometime next week.

[Kris Kumar]

...they are expecting a new shipment on Tuesday.

8O :rock on dude!:

[sclui56]

http://www.fototime.com/71C8259EFFAEDE5/orig.jpg

[Kris Kumar]

Thanks sclui56,

Awesome piece of information. So I will be able to call an 800# and they will ship the replacement phone to me. This is cool, I am so glad I don't have to send the phone in for firmware upgrade and wait for it to come back, which could have taken a week.

But surprised that it talks only about the earpiece volume issue, it does not mention the microphone volume issue. Lets hope that it and other minor issues are also resolved in the new phone.

[cortez]

Sculi56 - i won't ask where you got the "special memo", but i'm hoping this is further proof that a fix is on the way!! now we need to confirm that the (so-called) "replacements" are not carrier-locked to Cingular. going from one disappointment to another would cause me to ... well it wouldn't be a pretty site for BB :twisted:

thanks!

[sclui56]

Kris,

Mine is flashed & should be back within the next hours, will let you guys know how that went.

I am going to throw another wrench in the mix - If Moto will send a replacement phone (or new phone, whatever), and since we have seen some reports (unconfirmed of course) that Cingular started locking their handsets beginning 11/1, do you suppose the replacement handset may be locked?

As far as mentioning only the ear piece, I think BB management has the same philosophy with their "associates", KISS ;)

Cortez, all anyone needs to do is to walk up to the cell counter and ask nicely for the MPx220 info ;) BTW, the store I visited has zero units on the shelf, the person told me they started pulling them late yesterday.

[Kris Kumar]

Mine is flashed & should be back within the next hours, will let you guys know how that went.

Awesome. Can't wait to listen to the report. (Also awesome is the fact that you managed to get it flashed to the new firmware.)

I am going to throw another wrench in the mix - If Moto will send a replacement phone (or new phone, whatever), and since we have seen some reports (unconfirmed of course) that Cingular started locking their handsets beginning 11/1, do you suppose the replacement handset may be locked?

My best guess, they should still be unlocked. If it is locked Moto will have to provide the unlock code, because that is how they were sold to us in the first place. Some of us paid $500 for the carrier free version.

As far as mentioning only the ear piece, I think BB management has the same philosophy with their "associates", KISS ;)

Makes perfect sense. :lol:

[cortez]

yep! ask nicely and hope the BB person is knowledegable AND willing to share the love -- ugh, i mean the cricially important information on my $500 toy! :P

[sclui56]

http://www.fototime.com/492EADEA4B1848C/orig.jpg

Made a few calls, and I can hear much clearer as well as the other end, meanwhile my Sprite restore is hanging, we shall see.....

[cortez]

hard evidence of...a new ROM, better volume and an UNLOCKED phone!!!???!! what about the mic and camera? curious to know if there are improvements there..

[Kris Kumar]

Made a few calls, and I can hear much clearer as well as the other end, meanwhile my Sprite restore is hanging, we shall see.....

Awesome.

BTW: I would not recommend doing a Sprite restore. Even though the latest version of Sprite states that it supports firmware upgrades or model changes during restore/backup. Still its better to do a complete reinstall of all the apps.

This way you can be sure that you have not accidently modified a registry entry or overwritten a file that was part of the fix. Just a thought.

[sclui56]

BTW: I would not recommend doing a Sprite restore. Even though the latest version of Sprite states that it supports firmware upgrades or model changes during restore/backup. Still its better to do a complete reinstall of all the apps.

Great minds think alike, that's exacrly what I am going to do ;) My only dilema is that my 2nd mini-sd hasn't arrived so I don't know if the 220 or the 5600 should keep it - why mini-sd?!!&*&*

[Kris Kumar]

So the manufacturer version went from .325 (original Best Buy release) to the new one which is .342.

Also can you please check to see if it has the Bluetooth Wizard, that was mentioned by Arne over here. (http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6736)

[Kris Kumar]

My only dilema is that my 2nd mini-sd hasn't arrived so I don't know if the 220 or the 5600 should keep it - why mini-sd?!!&*&*

What a dilema! :lol:

[sclui56]

Cortez, just for you ;) The camera still sucks big time. 1st pix from 5600, and the 2nd one, you know where from. MIC is fine for the receiving end, but that's subjective and I would consider it inconclusive at this point.

http://www.fototime.com/4FE597A4B65577F/orig.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/8488C9A1A74EEFC/orig.jpg

[cortez]

yikes! the camera is still sucky! no biggie for me, i was just curious... looking forward to a full report on the flash upgrade. (just kidding!)

[sclui56]

Kris,

The manufacturer version is what is used to determine F/W revision. As far as the BT Serial Port Setup, it's on my 5600, along with:

CSD line type
GPRS Authentication
MMS Settings

All of these are nested under a sub folder from the Start Menu called CONFIGURATIONS.

Sad to report that I found NO such animal on my flashed 220..

[Jerry Raia]

So the manufacturer version went from .325 (original Best Buy release) to the new one which is .342.

Also can you please check to see if it has the Bluetooth Wizard, that was mentioned by Arne over here. (http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6736)

I'm very curious abou this BT wizard too.

I also wonder about folks who have the extended BB warranty (like myself) who will get a phone back from Motorola with a different serial number than the one originally purchased.

Anyone know how that works?

[cortez]

slocko at Howard Forums (http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=4066778#post4066778) reports that he/she exchanged the phone at a Best Buy that has the new phones in stock.

[Kris Kumar]

Sad to report that I found NO such animal on my flashed 220..

Thanks sclui56, this means another update will be there. :( I hope that is a downloadable patch, rather than the whole firmware update.

[Kris Kumar]

Cortez, just for you ;) The camera still sucks big time. 1st pix from 5600, and the 2nd one, you know where from. MIC is fine for the receiving end, but that's subjective and I would consider it inconclusive at this point.


The camera to me seems okay for a camera phone. But then have not used many camera phones. I find that it performs well/okay under well lit conditions. But has trouble in automatic mode when the light conditions are not ideal or you are indoors.

Mic..keeping fingers crossed. I hope they have fixed the mic. Makes the Smartphone unusable as a phone otherwise. :-(

[sclui56]

Kris, are you sure that the BT Serial Port Setup wasn't something Moto or Carrier intended to leave out? Is it suppose to be part of the load from your understanding?

As far as camera phone goes, I don't use them, so the poor sensor Moto chose for the 220 didn't bother me personally, BUT, if one decided to include a feature, why on earth would a sub-standard part be chosen for an otherwise decent overall handset? Ok, is it just for the bragging rights of labelling it a 1.xMP? We all know that you cannot improve an image if the native sensor sucks, all they've done is to amplify and demonstrate to the world how terrible the CMOS sensor is. Why not just go with a VGA sensor which is proven, like the route HTC has taken? My daughter's cheapo web-cam can take better pix than whet the 220 can ever achieve.

[Kris Kumar]

Kris, are you sure that the BT Serial Port Setup wasn't something Moto or Carrier intended to leave out? Is it suppose to be part of the load from your understanding?

I believe it is. I am going by Arne's post that I pointed out earlier, which makes sense. Right now the only devices that are not working is the BT GPS, because the navigation software cannot find the ports. I am sure there are other apps or devices that are also crippled.

[Michael95GT]

Although personally the volume issue isn't a big deal, I'm glad to see that Cingular/Motorola/BestBuy is addressing the problem. I will probably replace mine simply because I'm one of those "Gotta have the LATEST & GREATEST" people! :roll: :lol:

[Jerry Raia]

Might I suggest calm here? Rather than race out to get our phones flashed, maybe a bit of patience to see how this rolls out first is in order.

Let's not forget the i600 upgrade. 8)

[gohtor]

about 2 weeks ago I was shopping for this phone and the best buy rep. advised against it because of a higher than normal return rate. As I wish to develop mobile software on that unit it hardly deterred me. but needless to say they didn't have any in stock (due to the numerous exchanges ns doubt) She did mention a possible recall which I did not believe at the time. I will probably get the Samsung model instead now.

[Mike Temporale]

I will probably get the Samsung model instead now.

Are you referring to the i600? If you are looking to do software development, I would advise against the i600. It is heavily locked down, and requires applications to be signed before they can be loaded on the device.

[hardaway]

I hope someone will keep me up to date about carrier unlocked versions of the MPX220. I'm going to Europe next week, and was thinking of buying one there, because I don't really want to leave T-Mobile (having left Verizon to go to a GSM phone), but how would I know if it had the new firmware???

If anyone knows a good place to buy one in Amsterdam, I'd like to know :lol:

[jtsongas]

I tried to contact Motorola Support on this one and they had no clue what I was talking about. The only problem she was aware of was a battery door issue and could find nothing about this.

Anyone know if the 800 number mentioned on the BestBuy info is up yet and if so what it is?

Thanks,
Jason

[gohtor]

I will probably get the Samsung model instead now.

Are you referring to the i600? If you are looking to do software development, I would advise against the i600. It is heavily locked down, and requires applications to be signed before they can be loaded on the device.

yes I was thinking of i600 or the upcoming model. I would probably have to hunt around for an unlocked version of course. mpx220 looked like an ideal situation.

biggest minus I had was the mini sd slot. I had bought a 7megapixel sd camera, dell ppc and 2 tabletpc's which all use sd. now I have to move onto another format?!? &lt;sigh>

[Beowulf]

I hate having to "send away" my phone, nor do I trust best buy would give me a good one this early. I'm curious if the cingular stores will flash them for you when the mpx220 is offically supported.

gohtor.. if you have a lot of SD devices miniSD really isn't that bad. You can pop them into SD adapters and they work in any SD device. Of course you can't use your existing SD's in the phone...

[Jerry Raia]

Development with the emulators might be a better way to start. Unless you are already far along with your software.

[cortez]

i'm on day 30 and it looks like i'll be taking my phone back for a refund. i'll wait until next week when the new ones come in and buy another one...

EDIT: forgot i had the BB protection plan; the store rep said they'll swap out the phone once a new shipment arrives. i hope they follow through!!!

[Kris Kumar]

I hope someone will keep me up to date about carrier unlocked versions of the MPX220. I'm going to Europe next week, and was thinking of buying one there, because I don't really want to leave T-Mobile (having left Verizon to go to a GSM phone), but how would I know if it had the new firmware???

If anyone knows a good place to buy one in Amsterdam, I'd like to know :lol:

The firmware check is easy:

Start>Settings>About
And in the About screen, look for the version number against Manufacturer. Best Buy version is .325 and the new firmware is expected to be .342 or higher.

Regarding the carrier lock. We will have to wait till Best Buy re-stocks the phones. I hope they are unlocked, otherwise I am in trouble.

[james840a]

Ok, here were i stand.
I called my local BB and told them about the volume and mic proplem. They said "we were told to pull them off the shelf and not sell them" i asked about the above post with the image of the recall. And told me to dail 611+0 to get a rep and ask them for n 800 number. So i did this right after i talked to them. I called witch is cingular, they said "i never even hear of that phone" But she gave me a number to there phone repair service and even they never hear of the phone. But she gave me a number for motorola to call. I will be calling motolora today to get an answer. I will post more info as i go. As it stands Cingular has no clue of the phone or even it being on there service, Even tho there name and logo is stamped on the phone.
If i dont get the right answer, i will be making a hand writen letter and mail it to Best buy, CC: to cingular and motorola, and consumer affairs. with the pictures of the phone the information i have gathered and so on.

[Jerry Raia]

It might take a while before we get consistant answers from all sources (if ever).

[james840a]

yeah right about that one. But one of them is going to replace my phone. i paid for the extended service from best buy. and my 30day return for BB is past

[Mike Temporale]

In that case, I would go back to BB and talk to someone different. I'm sure someone at that store must know about it.

[cortez]

i've been to 2 BB's (in Birmingham, AL) and both said that they'll replace my phone with or without the extended protection plan because the phone was defective/recalled. it's truly amazing that a big-a** company like BestBuy can't define/use/apply a consistent resolution policy for this "atypical" situation (e.g., within 30 days of introduction phone is recalled due to bugs). :agrue:

surely they understand that replacing the phone (as long as it's not beat up) can have a positive impact on customer loyalty...or, is this an attempt to discourage techie-type customers (http://www.pocketpcaddict.com/modules.php?name=ForumNews&id=4182) from purchasing "toys" from their stores????

i can't help but think it boils down to M O N E Y instead of do what's right for the customer... (logistical issues notwithstanding)...

[Kris Kumar]

I was told over the phone that I need to bring the box and all its contents, along with the receipt or credit card number to track down the purchase. And they will SWAP the item even if it is outside the 30 day period.

[jtsongas]

Today I went back to BestBuy to switch for an orange sticker version. I was going to return my first one and then buy the new one so as to reset the 30 day window. After explaining to the girl at Customer Service she called a manager and then informed me that it would not be necessary as they would write on the return receipt that the 30 day window begins again from today since it was a recall item. So, if anyone is returning a phone to BestBuy make sure to have them note the return date and the restart of the 30 day window on the receipt.

Jason

[Jerry Raia]

Well the Best Buy In Thousand Oaks California doesn't know this it seems. They wouldn't swap anything for me outside of the 30 day period. I talked to managers etc. They said corporate wouldn't allow them to do it.

So from the store I called the 800 number for my performance guarantee and they said its up to the manufacturer during their warranty period. They transfered my call to Cingular.

Cingular is sending me out a new phone tomorrow (we shall see) at which time I'll send mine back,

[sclui56]

Jerry, must be a CA thing ;) Woodland Hills store gave same story..

[Jerry Raia]

Are you getting it sent out from Cingular?

[Kris Kumar]

Well the Best Buy In Thousand Oaks California doesn't know this it seems. They wouldn't swap anything for me outside of the 30 day period. I talked to managers etc. They said corporate wouldn't allow them to do it.

I felt that the key word is "recall" and also this sentence "Best Buy is the only place where one can buy this phone".

I am still trying to work out my return. But mine is totally different story...a long story..surprised that Best Buy is cooperating with me. :-(

[Jerry Raia]

For the $$$ we have put out for this phone, we should accept nothing less than outstanding service. Nothing Less

[Tamad]

[quote="Jerry Raia"]Well the Best Buy In Thousand Oaks California doesn't know this it seems. They wouldn't swap anything for me outside of the 30 day period. I talked to managers etc. They said corporate wouldn't allow them to do it.

I went to the BBuy in Lakewood where I bought the phone Oct 12th. They told me that they didn't exchange anything ever. Maybe I should try 1-800 Best Buy. But he (the manager) knew nothing and had no idea what I might do about it.

I'm pretty steamed right now. I'm thinking the chairman of the board might want to know what one ex-customer thinks of Tom in Lakewood. :evil:

[Jerry Raia]

The response I got and you got from BB is weak at best. Certainly below average. Cingular does seem to be responding though. I will see if I get my replacement tomorrow.

[sclui56]

Are you getting it sent out from Cingular?


J, I'm not on Cingular since a couple of weeks ago, so that may be not an option. Hope C is sending you the MPx220 instead of V220, you know how they tend to assume it''s the same animal...

[Jerry Raia]

Are you getting it sent out from Cingular?


J, I'm not on Cingular since a couple of weeks ago, so that may be not an option. Hope C is sending you the MPx220 instead of V220, you know how they tend to assume it''s the same animal...

Wouldn't that be funny! Well it's on its way FedEx so I should have a box with something in it :lol: by this afternoon.

[sclui56]

Good luck Jerry, I presume you're a current Cingular customer still? I believe BB should really have some uniform policy regarding this product as far as exchanges go.

I know it is not their fault and never would try to lay blame on them, but they could certainly facilitate the exchange to make it less hassle for customers. Dropped a note to Brian Dunn (VP Retail Sales) and have not heard a thing, oh well..... I have to remind myself that this is simply a freaking phone after all :( And isn't it ironic so many users have to make so many phone calls in hope to get this puppy to act like a phone!

[Jerry Raia]

Good luck Jerry, I presume you're a current Cingular customer still? I believe BB should really have some uniform policy regarding this product as far as exchanges go.

I know it is not their fault and never would try to lay blame on them, but they could certainly facilitate the exchange to make it less hassle for customers. Dropped a note to Brian Dunn (VP Retail Sales) and have not heard a thing, oh well..... I have to remind myself that this is simply a freaking phone after all :( And isn't it ironic so many users have to make so many phone calls in hope to get this puppy to act like a phone!

I have the MPx220 with Cingular and the v710 with Verizon.

Well both the store I went to and the 800# said it is corporate policy not to swap the phones after the 30 days. The performance guarantee is essentially useless in this case. Maybe they should rename it to "worry free guarantee"
:lol:

[james840a]

I yesterday spoke to a best buy rep, regarding the same issue with the mx220. I was told that motorola recalled the phone for the upgrade and that the new updated phone were being shipped out on the 11/12/04 this month. I asked about the 30day policy and he said since it was a recall, that it can be exchanged at the store for the new updated one even after the 30days. If the store manager has a proplem ask them to call there 1-888-bestbuy number and have them talk to a wireless rep there. And if the rep plays the game, have the rep call motorola him self.
I mad a point to ask, since i am passed my 30day.. but i do have the exterend replacement plan for it. I will be going to my local best buy tonight to see if the have the new ones in stock, or to find out when there shipment is coming, but i will be talking to the main manager and not the sales person.

I also talked many different people at cingular regarding the mpx220, and they have no knowledge about the phone. I even call motorola.

with all this said and done, All three companys Best Buy, Motorola, and Cingular, have a very seriouse proplem with communication skills. As Each one of them were trying to point the fingue at the other for the proplem at hand. But i put my foot down at best buy, and was able to get answer.

[Jerry Raia]

Good Luck to you then. My patience meter gets pegged within about 2 minutes of talking to these people because they are so dense. Had I persisted I might have gotten further at the store.

[PPCMD]

Jerry, I have the V710 with Verizon and waiting for the MPX220 on Cingular. Once I confirm Cingular works for me and my wife I will dump the V710 and get the Raz V3 for me and another phone for my wife. Can't wait Verizon takes too much money and gives too little airtime.

[james840a]

I basicaly took the culm aproach with all this, even when i put my foot down. I can see how everyone can loss there patience with all this denail. But i got the answer i was looking for and the help. Ill be going down tonight after work, and well see what happens.

[smartphone fan]

Kris, are you sure that the BT Serial Port Setup wasn't something Moto or Carrier intended to leave out? Is it suppose to be part of the load from your understanding?

As far as camera phone goes, I don't use them, so the poor sensor Moto chose for the 220 didn't bother me personally, BUT, if one decided to include a feature, why on earth would a sub-standard part be chosen for an otherwise decent overall handset? Ok, is it just for the bragging rights of labelling it a 1.xMP? We all know that you cannot improve an image if the native sensor sucks, all they've done is to amplify and demonstrate to the world how terrible the CMOS sensor is. Why not just go with a VGA sensor which is proven, like the route HTC has taken? My daughter's cheapo web-cam can take better pix than whet the 220 can ever achieve.

Just a thought, but maybe the poor performance is the LENS, not the sensor. If the lens is poor, no matter how good the sensor is, the quality of the image will be poor.

[smartphone fan]

I hope someone will keep me up to date about carrier unlocked versions of the MPX220. I'm going to Europe next week, and was thinking of buying one there, because I don't really want to leave T-Mobile (having left Verizon to go to a GSM phone), but how would I know if it had the new firmware???

If anyone knows a good place to buy one in Amsterdam, I'd like to know :lol:

The firmware check is easy:

Start>Settings>About
And in the About screen, look for the version number against Manufacturer. Best Buy version is .325 and the new firmware is expected to be .342 or higher.

Regarding the carrier lock. We will have to wait till Best Buy re-stocks the phones. I hope they are unlocked, otherwise I am in trouble.

Does anyone know if the phone is APPLICATION locked? Apparently some smartphones on ATT have been shipped application locked so you can not add software to the phone....

[smartphone fan]

i've been to 2 BB's (in Birmingham, AL) and both said that they'll replace my phone with or without the extended protection plan because the phone was defective/recalled. it's truly amazing that a big-a** company like BestBuy can't define/use/apply a consistent resolution policy for this "atypical" situation (e.g., within 30 days of introduction phone is recalled due to bugs). :agrue:

surely they understand that replacing the phone (as long as it's not beat up) can have a positive impact on customer loyalty...or, is this an attempt to discourage techie-type customers (http://www.pocketpcaddict.com/modules.php?name=ForumNews&amp;id=4182) from purchasing "toys" from their stores????

i can't help but think it boils down to M O N E Y instead of do what's right for the customer... (logistical issues notwithstanding)...

Get last weeks Wall Street Journal. Don't know which day. Cover story on how Best Buy has a policy to make things harder for customers that return items. They don't want such customers and will perfer not to have our business.

[cortez]

today, i called a Best Buy in Dallas and asked the wireless salesperson to hold a MPx220 for me becuase i wanted to exchange it and guess what??? he held it for me and when i arrived walked me over to customer service to MAKE SURE there were no issues...

i purchased mine on 10/15, exchanged it on 10/22 then again on 10/25 and purchased the protection plan. they used the 10/25 receipt to process the exchange, which took about 20 minutes...

fyi, i tested the earpiece volume on both phones in the store and, in my opinion, there is a very noticeable difference (read: improvement) in earpiece volume. :lol:

[Mike Temporale]

fyi, i tested the earpiece volume on both phones in the store and, in my opinion, there is a very noticeable difference (read: improvement) in earpiece volume. :lol:

Woo Hoo!!! That's good news. What's the version number on your updated phone?

[cortez]

my version is 0.342.0.0

[Kris Kumar]

Does anyone know if the phone is APPLICATION locked? Apparently some smartphones on ATT have been shipped application locked so you can not add software to the phone....

The phones are not application locked. You can install most of the apps.

However there are a few apps that require privileged mode to run need to be signed. This is by design of the WM 2003 OS to prevent viruses and trojans. These apps fall into the category of backup apps, e-mail programs and also probably apps that try to look up contacts.

[Jerry Raia]

my version is 0.342.0.0

Interesting, My Cingular replacement is still 325 but volume and some camera issues are resolved.

[Kris Kumar]

my version is 0.342.0.0

Interesting, My Cingular replacement is still 325 but volume and some camera issues are resolved.

Weird? :?

[Jerry Raia]

Could Cingular vs T-moblie be the difference?

[cortez]

my phone is a Cingular branded MPx220 purchased from Best Buy... it's interesting that your phone issues appear to be resolved using the .325 ROM. could it be that the Cingular phones were updated but kept the same version number??? is it possible that the different version numbers is a way to track sales channel, e.g., Cingular vs. Best Buy. (???) could it be that i've had too many beers already(???)

:drinking::drinking::drinking::drinking::drinking::drinking:

[Mike Temporale]

Or.... Did Moto send out the update under two different ROM versions. ie: they fixed it but forgot to increment the ROM version and sent it out. Then they fixed the version, and sent out an update.

Just my thoughts, I could be wrong, and we could actually have 2 different version floating around.

[Jerry Raia]

My first thought was that it might just be a hardware fix, so no change in the ROM # ie new speaker. Just a guess.

What a mess this has turned out to be.

[james840a]

News update on my issue

BB, Motorola, better business buero and consumer affairs is getting a letter from me regarding this recall and the failer of the two companys to do a simple exchange of a recalled item, Even after i was told by BB rep that it would not be a proplem.

I went down to my local store as instructed By a BB costumer rep from corp. to do the exchange and i was also give a case number, and still they refaused to do it. After this i am NEVER buying anything from Best buy because of this. If you live in the inland empire area and reading this dont waste your time at store #150.

after being refaused i amedatly call the 1888bestbuy, to tell them what happend and how Pi$$ off i was about the whole thing. They put me in contact with cingular, and cingular is shipping me a new phone. Even tho i feel that this is not an issue with cingular and i dont fault them for it. This proplem lays on the Corp office of Best Buy and Motorola and there lack of customer care.

I have almost every ones name that i taked to on the phone in the store, and all the 800 numbers as well.

I will try to write my letter this weekend with my dad and his legal help in words used.

[jimsparkman]

Yes, it is seriously a mess between Best Buy, Cingular and Motorola. I did finally manage to get my phone swapped in the local Best Buy store, but only after being told first that I had to call 1-888-BESTBUY. I did that and the rep said she didn't know anything about it, I explained and she put me on hold for 10 minutes while she found someone who did know something. Then I was told, by the Best Buy rep that I had to go through Cingular to get the swap done. I explained that I wasn't a Cingular customer, that I bought the phone without a Cingular service plan, so that made me strictly a Best Buy customer only. Still, I was told I had to go through Cingular. Ever try to get to a Cingular CS rep without a Cingular 10-digit phone number? Not fun. So, finally got through to a Cingular Rep, who also knew nothing of the issue, talked to her manager, who said "we don't carry that phone, we've never sold it", so I had to explain that. On hold again, this time for 15 to 20 minutes, almost just gave up. Finally, the rep came back on and said, "you have to call Motorola, they'll be able to help you" and proceeded to give me the 800#. We can't help you, she told me - call Motorola. I asked if the 800# she gave me was specifically for this problem. She didn't know. So I call - it's a general Motorola support number, that they probably looked up on the web and gave me just to get me off the phone. Now, I was done. I called the local Best Buy store back and asked to speak to the Store Manager. Nice guy, didn't know about the issue, but after I explained it and all of the trouble I went through to wind up right back there, he said "sure, just bring the phone in, since it was recalled, and we have the replacement in the store, we'll swap it out, no problem". So that's what I did, but it took 30 minutes once I got there for them to figure out how to do the exchange, first telling me they couldn't, they had to take back and scan a Cingular SIM with the phone, which I don't have, and showed them my T-Mobile SIM, which I wasn't about to let them touch ! They could not understand that I bought the phone without a service plan and therefore never had a Cingular SIM. What a mess, but they finally figured it out and now I have the new phone with the .342 Firmware. So far, so good... Now I just wonder what's next with firmware updates to add functionality to Bluetooth and improve the camera. But I'm not sure I want to go through this again !

- Jim

[Kris Kumar]

But I'm not sure I want to go through this again !

- Jim

Same here. :-)
http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=45217#45217

[james840a]

jimsparkman, i here you on that, i got the 800 number run around to. From the sound of all this, that all three companys are no there is a recall but are dening it all and not informing the current customers of the recall. Witch if im not mistaken is Illegle todo. And i will have to inform the BBB of this issue and let the goverment handle it further.

[Jerry Raia]

I'm thinking I might just not do anything for a bit. The phone works well enough for now and I dont want to spend all my time on the phone and in BB. All three players (Moto, Cingular, BB) dropped the ball on this one. Maybe we need to be smarter when we run out to buy these things next time.

I FEEL USED!! :cry:

[Jerry Raia]

Well just for fun I called Cingular back and told them they had sent me the same ROM# as a replacement. The person I spoke with had no idea what I was talking about and offered to send me another one or call Motorola. I think I'll try Motorola tomorrow.

Then I called the BEST BUY store in Thousand Oaks California where I bought it. Same story, they won't exchange it outside of the 30 days. They will refund my money for the extended warranty which I am going down there now to do as it is worthless.

[PPCMD]

It seems funny how CA was the first place to get the MPX220 and the first to refuse replacements. Go figure.

[Jerry Raia]

Yeah that is interesting. BB refunded me the cost of the extended warranty. I suppose that is a small victory.

I told them that was my last purchase there. I think they have handled this whole thing in a pathetic fashion.

[TheGu]

I luckily have missed the firmware issue. On travel from Las Vegas, my MPX 200 with AT&T service died. I had been waiting for the MPX 220.

I happened to be in Mishawaka, Indiana and walked in to the Best Buy there. I bought the phone on Saturday 11/20/2004 for $499 without a service plan and it works great! It has the .342 manufactuer upgrade mentioned in the post by sclui56 and my screen matches his picture.

Also, the box did have an orange dot almost an inch across stuck on the side next to all the bar codes for the IMEI number as mentioned in the post by sclui56.

The only real rub happened when I went to activate the phone. Best Buy couldn't activate the phone... something to do with the 'system' being down. So I went to the AT&T/Cingular store in University Mall about 1/4 mile away from Best Buy. They were so excited, they hadn't seen a real MPX 220 and it got passed all around for a while. I hadn't even touched it yet! Anyway, the sales person took my SIM card from my old phone, fired up the MPX 220 and my old SIM was unreadable. He said the phone was locked to any other SIM chips but Cingular.

He said he would have to 'migrate' me to Cingular and that the comparable plan actually had more features. Fine with me, I just need a phone. Well, that didn't work. After trying unsuccessfully, he had to get on the phone to Cingular and was informed that he could not migrate any phones outside of his 'market area', which didn't include Las Vegas.

By now, I'm starting to get frustrated. Can the AT&T store in Las Vegas activate me? I asked. He said he didn't think so and I should take the phone back to Best Buy and get a new one in Vegas. Problem is, I won't be back in vegas until mid-December.

I called the Las Vegas AT&T/Cingular store and the sales rep was able to activate my new MPX 220 on Cingular with my old phone number, whew!

Last gotcha, I had 14 unheard voice mails on AT&T and they are gone. I had to re-activate my voice mail on Cingular, including recording a new greeting.

Another note, the MPX 220 takes the mini-SD memory cards, so my old 256mb SD card was useless. I had to buy the 256b mini for $56.

Hope this helps someone out there.