Need to replace Samsung SCH-8500

I am seeking advice about whether to replace my phone or my service.

I have had Sprint PCS service for about three years, using a Samsung SCH-
8500 phone, in Northern Virginia area. Most of my calls are made from my
home in the evening.

Normally I get solid signal strength and good-sounding connections (same
quality as land line). However, every third call or so, after about 20-30
minutes into a call, it would go silent, followed by a sequence of tones,
with the message "looking for service" on the display. This occurs while
sitting in a chair in my home.

I was never sure if it was the phone or the service that was at fault. The
last time it happened, I got so angry, I broke the phone into two pieces.
Pretty stupid, I know, but I now need to decide whether to simply replace
the phone, or to go to another service.

Does anyone have any insight into whether this is more likely a service or
a phone issue?

Thanks.

Gregg

---

› See More: Need to replace Samsung SCH-8500

In article <[email protected]>,
Gregg <[email protected]> wrote:

> I am seeking advice about whether to replace my phone or my service.
>
> I have had Sprint PCS service for about three years, using a Samsung SCH-
> 8500 phone, in Northern Virginia area. Most of my calls are made from my
> home in the evening.
>
> Normally I get solid signal strength and good-sounding connections (same
> quality as land line). However, every third call or so, after about 20-30
> minutes into a call, it would go silent, followed by a sequence of tones,
> with the message "looking for service" on the display. This occurs while
> sitting in a chair in my home.
>
> I was never sure if it was the phone or the service that was at fault. The
> last time it happened, I got so angry, I broke the phone into two pieces.
> Pretty stupid, I know, but I now need to decide whether to simply replace
> the phone, or to go to another service.
>
> Does anyone have any insight into whether this is more likely a service or
> a phone issue?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Gregg

If you have the Black Samsung 8500 it has a known design defect for
which Sprint PCS has / had a secret replacement policy. The phone flat
would not work in Analog mode, and if one complained it was replaced
with the Silver model.

"Robert M." <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> If you have the Black Samsung 8500 it has a known design defect for
> which Sprint PCS has / had a secret replacement policy. The phone flat
> would not work in Analog mode, and if one complained it was replaced
> with the Silver model.

I already had the silver one. I actually was always able to get Sprint
digital service, and never had to roam to analog (or even off-service
digital).

Thanks, though.

Gregg

"Robert M." wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> If you have the Black Samsung 8500 it has a known design defect for
> which Sprint PCS has / had a secret replacement policy. The phone flat
> would not work in Analog mode, and if one complained it was replaced
> with the Silver model.

Don't you just hate it when everyone knows the secret? <g>

Larry

> If you have the Black Samsung 8500 it has a known design defect for
> which Sprint PCS has / had a secret replacement policy. The phone flat
> would not work in Analog mode, and if one complained it was replaced
> with the Silver model.

Rats! I was just about to go pick up the black one today! Do you have any
references where I can read about that?

TIA

>Does anyone have any insight into whether this is more likely a service or
>a phone issue?
>

It's most likely a service issue. The service is constantly adding customers
and what you are experiencing sounds like a loading issue as more and more
people are loading up the nights and weekend feature.

The SCH-8500 is probably the best phone that has come out in terms of sound
quality and signal retention. So you are ahead of those that are signing on
recently with the new offerings of phones.

I would get another 8500 (I am on my 3rd one right now and we have 3 in our
family) and continue to use the otherwise great service.

I suspect that Sprint is aware of the problem and working on adding equipment.

--
John S.
e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

>Don't you just hate it when everyone knows the secret? <g>

ESPECIALLY when the answer was wrong!!!



--
John S.
e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (John S.) wrote:

> It's most likely a service issue. The service is constantly adding customers
> and what you are experiencing sounds like a loading issue as more and more
> people are loading up the nights and weekend feature.
>
> The SCH-8500 is probably the best phone that has come out in terms of sound
> quality and signal retention. So you are ahead of those that are signing on
> recently with the new offerings of phones.
>
> I would get another 8500 (I am on my 3rd one right now and we have 3 in our
> family) and continue to use the otherwise great service.
>
> I suspect that Sprint is aware of the problem and working on adding
> equipment.

I suspect that SprintPCS is counting pennies and could care less.

In article <NOBic.35922$dZ1.15934@fed1read04>,
"Blargh" <[email protected]> wrote:

> > If you have the Black Samsung 8500 it has a known design defect for
> > which Sprint PCS has / had a secret replacement policy. The phone flat
> > would not work in Analog mode, and if one complained it was replaced
> > with the Silver model.
>
> Rats! I was just about to go pick up the black one today! Do you have any
> references where I can read about that?

I owned one 4 years ago and lived through it.

"Robert M." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

>
> I suspect that SprintPCS is counting pennies and could care less.

You mean you are guessing, because you have shown through multiple posts
that you don't understand a thing about the business and technical aspects
of this industry.

[email protected]pamfree (John S.) wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> I suspect that Sprint is aware of the problem and working on adding
> equipment.

I have been having this problem for the past three years.

I wonder if people on lower-price plans are given lower priority and bumped
off in favor of cusotmers on higher-priced plans. My plan was only 19.99
per month.

Gregg

[email protected]pamfree (John S.) wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> The SCH-8500 is probably the best phone that has come out in terms of
> sound quality and signal retention. So you are ahead of those that are
> signing on recently with the new offerings of phones.
>
> I would get another 8500 (I am on my 3rd one right now and we have 3
> in our family) and continue to use the otherwise great service.

I liked the 8500 except that it is too heavy for a shirt pocket and all my jeans show a
wear outline of a Samsung phone in the left pocket. I was thinking that the new SPH-
VI660 from Sprint or the SGH-E105 from T-Mobile might be nice as they are much ligher
and smaller.

Is the sound quaility of these phones significantly inferior to the 8500?

Gregg

Gregg wrote:
>
> [email protected]pamfree (John S.) wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> > I suspect that Sprint is aware of the problem and working on adding
> > equipment.
>
> I have been having this problem for the past three years.
>
> I wonder if people on lower-price plans are given lower priority and bumped
> off in favor of cusotmers on higher-priced plans. My plan was only 19.99
> per month.

"Given lower priority" in what respect?

Larry

Lawrence Glasser <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Gregg wrote:
>>
>> [email protected]pamfree (John S.) wrote in
>> news:[email protected]:
>>
>> > I suspect that Sprint is aware of the problem and working on adding
>> > equipment.
>>
>> I have been having this problem for the past three years.
>>
>> I wonder if people on lower-price plans are given lower priority and
>> bumped off in favor of cusotmers on higher-priced plans. My plan was
>> only 19.99 per month.
>
> "Given lower priority" in what respect?
>
> Larry
>

John S. wrote that I was probably experiencing a loading issue. By "given
lower priority" I mean that when loading causes capacity to be reached,
my call would be dropped so that someone on a higher-priced plan could
have their call go through.

Gregg

Gregg wrote:
>
> Lawrence Glasser <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> > Gregg wrote:
> >>
> >> [email protected]pamfree (John S.) wrote in
> >> news:[email protected]:
> >>
> >> > I suspect that Sprint is aware of the problem and working on adding
> >> > equipment.
> >>
> >> I have been having this problem for the past three years.
> >>
> >> I wonder if people on lower-price plans are given lower priority and
> >> bumped off in favor of cusotmers on higher-priced plans. My plan was
> >> only 19.99 per month.
> >
> > "Given lower priority" in what respect?
> >
> > Larry
> >
>
> John S. wrote that I was probably experiencing a loading issue. By "given
> lower priority" I mean that when loading causes capacity to be reached,
> my call would be dropped so that someone on a higher-priced plan could
> have their call go through.

I kinda doubt it. In fact, I'm not sure the system is even capable of it.

What you might experience, with a lower-priced plan, is Sprint's willingness
to offer you good discounts on upgrades to better plans or equipment.

Larry