If Your Stylus Breaks, Your AT&T Warranty is Void?

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://consumerist.com/consumer/laughing-csrs/att-if-the-stylus-on-your-phone-breaks-your-warranty-is-void-296169.php' target='_blank'>http://consumerist.com/consumer/lau...void-296169.php</a><br /><br /></div><i>"I've got an AT&amp;T 8525, and I've had it since about mid-June. It was a refurbished model, and the stylus end (the end that screws in) was a little wobbly, but very functional still. We've got a little problem with it now, though. That tip on the stylus (a cheap, $3 part) has broken off. The phone is fine, but the stylus is broken. That in itself isn't a big deal, what sucks is that the stylus is still in the phone, and I have no way of retrieving it without opening the phone up and voiding the warranty. So, what am I to do? I call AT&amp;T to tell them the situation... and I'm promptly informed that the warranty on my phone is now void because of physical damage. What?! A $3 part that's shipped with the phone breaks, and now the phone's warranty is void."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/AT&T-logo.jpg" /><br /><br />Some stories are too ridiculous to be anything but true - this is one of them. Has anyone else had an experience like this with AT&amp;T or any other carrier?

[redlynr]

Some stories are too ridiculous to be anything but true - this is one of them. Has anyone else had an experience like this with AT&amp;T or any other carrier?

I've had the same problem with this phone's stylus getting stuck. This has happenned several times, and the way to get it out is to get a regular pen and take out the "innards". This slim pen will then fit inside the stylus hold and with some maneuvering you can pull out the stylus tip. I don't this once or twice, and the other thing I've done is to use the sharp end of a compass (the instrument for drawing circles).

***long quote trimmed by mod JD***

[Silver5]

This is just why I left AT&amp;T in '03. Something goes wrong with a product and they tell me that I am at fault, somehow, and attempt to avoid covering it.

[Jon Westfall]

Had a stylus get stuck once - it was a multi-purpose stylus (had a pen built in) and the tip that covered the pen (at the bottom of the stylus) broke off, leaving stylus inside silo. My solution? Super glue. Put a dab on the tip, pushed it onto the stuck stylus, waited 10 seconds, and pulled it out. Never bought another multi-purpose stylus from that company ever again!

[wocket]

Had a stylus get stuck once - it was a multi-purpose stylus (had a pen built in) and the tip that covered the pen (at the bottom of the stylus) broke off, leaving stylus inside silo. My solution? Super glue. Put a dab on the tip, pushed it onto the stuck stylus, waited 10 seconds, and pulled it out. Never bought another multi-purpose stylus from that company ever again!


I had the same problem once with my old Toshiba E800 and used the same solution. You have to be careful though and not put too much glue on the end otherwise it won't be just the tip thats stuck in there.

I've never bought another 3 in 1 stylus since.

[samw5]

Had a stylus get stuck once - it was a multi-purpose stylus (had a pen built in) and the tip that covered the pen (at the bottom of the stylus) broke off, leaving stylus inside silo. My solution? Super glue. Put a dab on the tip, pushed it onto the stuck stylus, waited 10 seconds, and pulled it out. Never bought another multi-purpose stylus from that company ever again!

i was just about to suggest that...

if nothing works put the stylus back in the holder make sure it's stuck in there, call AT&amp;T and tell them that the stylus is stuck and you can't get it out... make sure they understand it isn't broken just stuck...

Bottom line: dumb game dumb solution, they're acting like a$$whipes, you've gotta play the a$$hole! Hate to say but this is life!

[yawanag]

Jason, I never had a stylus get stuck in the device, but the grey typ on the T-Mobile MDA is always breaking off. I tried crazy glue once, but it broke off again. Now, I buy a three-pack and keep them on hand. Seems like when I do that the first one last forever.

Now, let me tell you of an experience I had not with the stylus, but I was charging my Imate in the car. I made a turn and it fell off the seat pulling the the charging unit out completely. I did everything I could think of, including getting on my knees and praying that I could put it back in. Couldn't do it. I had had enough of Imate anyway and switched.

[emuelle1]

My phone is a SonyEricsson z525a. Several months ago, my phone started shutting off on me out of nowhere. The only way to get the phone to come back on was to remove and reinsert the battery and power the phone back on, but if I allowed the backlight to go off, the phone would shut off again. I finally called AT&amp;T and got forwarded to their warranty department. They constantly kept asking me questions like "Have you installed any ringtones?" I mentioned that I had; my wife got a couple cans of Pringles that came with winning ringtones. I really miss that Lord of the Rings tone I used to have. The guy finally asks me if I've ever dropped the phone. I thought absolutely nothing of mentioning that yes, it has succumbed to gravity on an occasion or two. Seriously, who has owned a gadget that hasn't tried to jump out of your hand? At that, he said in a very grave voice that he would have to talk to his manager. He came back a few minutes later and made it sound like a really big deal that AT&amp;T has magnanimously decided to ship me a warranty replacement phone, but if ANY evidence WHATSOEVER comes up upon examination of my old phone that ANYTHING I have done to it resulted in my problem, they would charge me for the replacement at full price plus the shipping costs.

There are times when the $175 per line cancellation fee sounds pretty good.

[Sagitario]

I hate that stylus design. In my country, getting warranty coverage comes with the box, but is hard to get.

That happened to me and since opening the device was out of the question, I had to find me a strong needle, stick it in the middle of what was left of the stylus to get some grip and then pull it out. Bought a new one and thats that.

[azhiker]

I am not clear. Is your warranty voided only IF you open the phone or the based on the stylus tip being broken inside (even if you do NOT open up the phone)?

If the former, then that is reason to drop a company that will not stand by their products. Call your state attorney general or consumer protection bureau.

If the later, why not just let them fix it rather than mess with it yourself? But ultimately what's the worst that could happen? If the warranty is voided, just fix it yourself. If you break the phone would you remain with AT&amp;T? Maybe you could null and void the service contract based on their treatment of you?

[Rob Alexander]

if nothing works put the stylus back in the holder make sure it's stuck in there, call AT&amp;T and tell them that the stylus is stuck and you can't get it out... make sure they understand it isn't broken just stuck...

Bottom line: dumb game dumb solution, they're acting like a$$whipes, you've gotta play the a$$hole! Hate to say but this is life!

The beauty of this solution is that the first thing they'll do when they get it is pull it out... leaving the tip inside and then THEY broke it. Nice call.

[ashmore0425]

I too had a stylus break off in an 8525. I took it to the local Cingular/At&amp;t store and had them get it out. Surprisingly they did!

[Joelacrane]

I have Edge Wireless (AT&amp;T Affiliate) and for 5 bucks a month I have insurance. The sales lady said I could walk out of the office, throw it on the ground as hard as I could (Right where she could see), and then walk in and get a free replacement. I wonder if that is really true?

[ko0ky313]

The plastic end of my stylus broken while the stylus was inserted in my phone. I used a lighter to heat up a safety pin then inserted the RED HOT pin into what was left of the broken plastic end on the stylus, I let it cool about 10 seconds and able to pull it out with ease.

This has happened to me twice now, this time it was the plastic end that snapped in half leaving part of the plastic end still in the stylus. The previous time, the WHOLE end somehow the threads got stripped and when trying to pull out the stylus the whole end came out instead, leaving the stylus inside. That time I was able to somehow jam the broken end back into the stylus and by a miracle was able to pull it out.

Makes me wonder WHY is there a removable END in the first place on these things? The stylus tip is small enough to insert into the reset button. I know some other models you had to remove the end or tip to get a small peg for inserting into the reset button, but this model.

Personally I think its a design flaw!!

I only posted this in case it might help some other unfortunate soul