Imate = Irate

[Guest mpc5473]

Dont get caught up in the hype. Yes, the product is great. However, with a uselss warranty, you'll end up with a $800 paper weight like me. I implore to not buy from these weasles. I-mate will just make you I-rate.

Laugh at my experience, don't share in my pain:

http://imatesux.blogspot.com/

[Guest fluffcat1]

Dont get caught up in the hype. Yes, the product is great. However, with a uselss warranty, you'll end up with a $800 paper weight like me. I implore to not buy from these weasles. I-mate will just make you I-rate.

Laugh at my experience, don't share in my pain:

http://imatesux.blogspot.com/

Yowser! Sorry to hear that. We here in the UK have a local imate agent called SBE who don't answer the phone, don't replace warranty seals and cracked the aeriel cover of my sp3i - they don't care :cry:

Get the unit back. I doubt there really is water damage but take it to a small independant phone repairer and get them to clean it in an ultrasonic bath. Perhaps also take it up with the retailer when you return?

Here in the UK, unless a price / estimate is agreed before you send a unit in for non-warranty work, you have the right to have your unit returned at no cost, though I can't imagine shipping to Dubai is cheap :evil:

I'll keep an eye on your blog for updates.

Richard

[Guest Tech]

let me add:

you have made 3 topics including this one. why? stick to ONE topic

I have bought an imate after my careful research and i have no problems. I got mines last month.

The warrenty issue... well, I dont know about that but all i can say is that you shouldve taken out warrenty with the people from who you bought the phone from.

What is the problem? If you have been tampering with the phone then dont expect to get a replacement :)

[Guest awarner [MVP]]

Welcome to the site but please do not crosspost.

(duplicate posts have been removed)

It helps if you give you reasons in your post rather than just link to another site. After reasing your blog the problem you have is that you left the battery charge get too low and there are a few reports regarding the HTC Wizard not being able to charge the battery when it is too low.

This only seems to be the Wizard that has this problem which leads to wither a poor design in battery or the charging circuit is faulty (again a possible design flaw).

As this problem is HTC rather than I-Mate your best bet would be to contact them. They will have regional service centers.

Don't forget I-Mate is only a reseller like Orange, TMobile and Qtek etc, they do not make the device themselves. The only thing they do with the phone is put their own version of the operating system on the phone.

[Guest jonhitch]

mpc5473 - please see my thread from a couple of weeks back relating to this topic. I had the same issue - thankfully through checking out howardsforum I realised others had also had this proble. I stripped down a usb cable and 'hot-wired' my battery (please do at your own risk!). The battery charged enough that way for me to then top up the battery as normal. I've had no problems since - allow the battery to get to 10-20% now before charging - just to be on the safe side!

Ask for your phone back and then try it? All the best!

[Guest fluffcat1]

mpc5473 - please see my thread from a couple of weeks back relating to this topic. I had the same issue - thankfully through checking out howardsforum I realised others had also had this proble. I stripped down a usb cable and 'hot-wired' my battery (please do at your own risk!). The battery charged enough that way for me to then top up the battery as normal. I've had no problems since - allow the battery to get to 10-20% now before charging - just to be on the safe side!

Ask for your phone back and then try it? All the best!

Ahhh, worth knowing as I have got a Qtek 9100 now. Thanks :-)

The warrenty issue... well, I dont know about that but all i can say is that you shouldve taken out warrenty with the people from who you bought the phone from.

What is the problem? If you have been tampering with the phone then dont expect to get a replacement :)

I don't think he's been tampering with it from what I read, just hard-resetting.

**Why** should he need a warranty from a retailer if his product is covered under a "manufacturer's" ( in the loosest terms) warranty and hasn't been abused? I think his point was the lack of warranty support from imate. An insurance policy - type warranty from a reseller would only have been usefull if he had knowingly abused it and was covered for accidental damage. A lot of these also only start running for general faults / problems not associated with accidental damage when the manufacturers warranty expires, and as he did not know they would claim water damage he would have sent it to the wrong people anyway.

Richard

[Guest Looby]

I haven't had any experience of returns but I can say I have had a i-mate SP3i and now a SP5 and have had no problems at all. They are lovely phones and the I-mate Club- Support has all the necessary operating support systems. Phones at this level are very complex and should be treated with respect. :)

[Guest mpc5473]

Sorry if I offended anyone with the cross posting. I was just trying to spread the word before someone makes an expensive mistake around this time of the year (whether as a holiday gift or end of the year business purchase).

Second, I never tampered with the device. If anything, I treated it with kid gloves and would only do what support told me to do.

Third, Fluffcat is right on the money when he explains it is a warranty issue. I love my k-jam. I think it was the best purchase I have made since my first ipod back in 2002. I have no issue with HTC. The problem is with I-mate. They package and warranty the thing. They mislead people into thinking they stand behind their product. They mislead us in in the U.S. that the product will be easily fixed in Texas. They then change their program and have me call at my expense to Dubai and ship the phone to Dubai. They then allege "liquid damage." Yet, this "liquid damage," does not prevent and update of the rom, a resync of outlook, a resetting of the touch screen settings or even the installation of the included cab files. No, this is a really, really special liquid that only kicks in then to cause a stall. I repeat a mere stall not a death wrattle. A stall. This is the future of biological welfare here people. Just think about the applications. Hence my theory that the CIA will be knocking on my door later and presently is tracing my footsteps through the carribean to corner the market on this "unique" liquid. If you believe that, I have a wonderful $800.00 door jam that I can mail you direct from Dubai...

Edited December 23, 2005 by mpc5473

[Guest mpc5473]

72 hours and counting. Imate still hasn't forwarded any proof of the "liquid damage." Are you imate supporters still so unwavering in your defense?

[Guest mcwarre]

Liquid damage is an oft presented *excuse* which can ill be proven. i.e. they cannot prove it; they expect you to accept it. Adice is don't. Ask them to prove it rather than waffle an excuse as, generally, that's all it is.

[Guest Looby]

You will find most recent phones have a piece of card within the device that changes colour ( like litmus ) when there has been liquid ingress. This is to stop people dunking it and then saying the phone has packed up and then claiming a new one. I don't suggest this is your case but you haven't said what exactly is wrong with your i-mate. ;)

[Guest mpc5473]

I havent said what's wrong with my K-jam because, simply, I have no clue. I was hoping that an honest and knowledgeable representative from Imate woulld solve those issues for me. How naive, huh?

Edited December 26, 2005 by mpc5473

[Guest angeljo008]

I havent said what's wrong with my K-jam because, simply, I have no clue. I was hoping that an honest and knowledgeable representative from Imate woulld solve those issues for me. How naive, huh?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Perhaps I hould rephrase the question asked ealier--what was your k-jam doing that casued you to send it to imate in the first place? It has to been doing something like not turning on, screen acting funny...what? does that make more sense?

Edited December 28, 2005 by angeljo008

[Guest Looby]

I think angeljo008 has a valid point, maybe someone at Modaco could have sorted out your problem before you sent your phone back so quickly. :?:

[Guest mpc5473]

What was my k-jam doing that brought me to return it?

It was doing nothing. While on vacation, my k-jam went dead. Woundn't take a charge at all. When I returned home, I plugged it into my wall charger overnight and it took on a charge. Yet, now the k-jam wouldn't boot at all. I used the online support. After numerous disconnects, a re[ had me perform some special hard reset and then update the rom. I did so. My k-jam rebooted and everythiing started up like an out of the box unit. However, things did not progress so smoothly. After it rebooted, resynced with my outlook and allowed me to set the touch screen settings, it started its self executing cab installation. The installation occurred and then it would reboot. Reboot to the blue screen of death. Nothing to follow. Just blue screen and nothing. Nothing. Nothing. I hope my poinst is clear. I repeat: nothing. So i went back online and the service told me to try the update again. I did so 3 more times. Same results. Update, resync, reset, cab install and death. So, they told me to send it to Dubai. They promised me a 7 day turn around. I believed them. I am a fool. That was December 13, 2005.

It is now Jan 1, 2006, and I havent heard anything from the service department from December 20, 2005.

Go ahead and tell me you want to buy a product from Imate and let me tell you about some cheap swamp land I have for sale in Florida...

[Guest mpc5473]

Can anyone interpret the damage in the pictures added to my blog?

Also, Looby you mentioned something about a type of "litmus" paper? Does anybody know if this is applicable to the k-jam?

[Guest fluffcat1]

Hope you don't mind me re-posting but I'll add them at the bottom.

My opinion - firstly - get them to actually prove that's your unit. I can't see any board seriel numbers...

secondly - yes it looks like water corrosion but to be inside the screen ribbon connector? A unit needs to be immersed for that and IMO there would be more damage in other areas. Usually surface componants go first, then ribbon connectors - there's more for the water to do to get inside the plastic casing of the coonector. Path of least resistance to movement etc etc. It's a strange place for water to get in to the unit as well. If your aeriel stopper is in place than for fluid to enter in that area there should be a visible entry point with liquid damage.

finally - if that's the only area of damage they claim, get the unit back. Pay a repair shop no more than $50 I would think to just clean the affected componants or try it yourself. Even if a new connector is required, it's a stock item from FOXCONN. The ribbon will be no problem even if it needs a re-paint with silver paint it's all easily possible. An ultrasonic jewellery cleaner, a fibreglass pencil, some solvent and some time are all you need. 9/10 times that will be all it needs and it REALLY annoy's me that imate want big bucks. All they'll do is swop the parts and charge you for them, they won't actually *repair* jack sh1t. Usually there's some clued - up techie who picks up these 'B.E.R' parts out of the bin, takes them home and after 3 or 4 'water damage' write-offs he's got a working unit. Trust me, it happens :evil:

Being the naturally suspicious guy that I am, is that layout even a wizard? I haven't mine to hand to check but I do like stripping pohnes and posting guides so when I get it back from my brother I'll strip my Qtek.

Richard

[Guest mpc5473]

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