New cellphone or PDA not working?
December 8 2008 by Ellen Roseman
I’ve been telling people to hold onto their old appliances (see my latest CBC radio commentary). But does that apply to cellphones as well?
New York Times columnist David Pogue wrote a negative review of the BlackBerry Storm, which he says is by far the worst product that Research in Motion has ever produced. About 100 readers who bought the Storm told him they regretted it, he says here.
Today, I heard from Paul, who’s sorry he bought the Samsung Instinct cellphone. He tried to give it back to Bell Mobility, but was out of luck.
I called into Bell using my Instinct the day after I received it (don’t have a landline) and they told me that since I’d used the phone for more than 15 minutes they were not able to refund me. The only call I’d made was the call into support. As I waited to speak to them to complain, I used up my 15 minutes. Pretty sad, eh?
So, tell me about the new generation of cellphones and personal digital assistants. Have you upgraded yet? Would you recommend others do so? Or should we keep our old phones going for as long as we can?
You can find more from Paul in a comment below, which includes links to petitions from Samsung Instinct owners.
Paul
Dec 8 2008
Have you received any feedback on the Samsung Instinct cellphone that Bell and Telus released into Canada this year?
It was touted as the “iphone killer” and you would have seen it on a number of billboards around Toronto.
The phone came out with a lot of bugs and Sprint in the US is releasing updates, as well as letting consumers know the progress andproviding feedback for future firmware fixes.
Some of the issues include the phone freezing and/or crashing randomly, making it completely unusable. Sprint has released quite a few updates already to address these issues.
While Sprint is releasing updates, Telus and Bell Mobility tell their customers who call in to discuss these issues that there is nothing wrong with the phone. We still do not have even one firmware update!!!
One crucial update is an update that allows customers to use very popular mobile applications like google mail/google maps(LCDUI- you can google it:-)
On top of that, our friends down south also get to use whichever email they want on their phones. Bell, for example, only allows you to use Hotmail on the phone and even then it charges you $8/month for the privilege.
Bell also charges for use of the GPS service. Can you imagine paying a subscription service for GPS? Don’t people just own a GPS device and use it?
It is commonly believed that Bell’s decision to use a different pricing model than Sprint is the cause for the delay in any upcoming firmware update. Reason being that the code that would be created for Sprint would need to be heavily modified/tweaked to work well with Bell’s product pricing structure.
The challenge with making this common knowledge is that not a lot of people understand the technology, so they are happy with what they have.
How can we make Telus/Bell respond to us? I’m ok with the cash grab, I will gladly pay, as long as I get current technology.
I feel and a lot of people feel that we are being penalized for being in Canada by Bell/Telus’s greed.
For more info about this, you can visit BAW (buzz about wireless), http://forums.buzzaboutwireless.com/baw/board?board.id=Samsung_Instinct, or http://www.instinct-samsung.com (probably the most Canadian content rich).
Bell petition - http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/BellSamsungInstinct
Telus petition - http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/telusinstinct
Instinct owners in Canada are feeling really frustrated at how we’re being treated by Bell/Telus.
I would be happy with just some sort of admittance from either that the phone in its current un-updated state is awful and doesn’t do what it’s supposed to.
Riscario Insider
Dec 9 2008
Buying something that’s just been introduced carries risks — especially when you can’t get support directly from the manufacturer or easily return the item.
You’re much better off waiting to read reviews. Whatever you buy will be outdated very quickly. Maybe you’re better off saving money and buying the “old” model, which is probably reduced to clear.
Here are two examples. First, I bought a newly-introduced webcam, reasoning that it would be better than last year’s top-rated model from another company. Wrong. I returned it and got the older model.
Tomorrow, I’m taking delivery of a high quality USB microphone from a BC music store (webcam mics aren’t good enough). I could not find it online locally. I took the time to read reviews first since returning a nondefective item would be difficult.
Don’t forget the other reward of being first: you pay a premium price for the privilege of being a guinea pig.
Alex Robar
Dec 9 2008
I’m entirely in line with Paul on the Instinct problems. If I lived in the US, I’d be very happy with the Instinct. Sprint has released fixes to allow installation of third party applications (like Google Maps), full corporate e-mail synchronization, a stable browser, etc. Bell just doesn’t seem to care.
As it stands now, I’ve got a phone that Bell says does e-mail, instant messaging, live TV, video clips, and full Facebook functionality. What I _really_ have is a phone that requires $8/month for Hotmail only (no other type of e-mail), $5/month for MSN messenger only (again, no other type of IM), skipping, poor quality TV, non-functional video clips, and Facebook access through a browser that crashes 50% of the time I use it. And forget having the ability to actually upload those pictures or videos you’re taking to social media sites like Facebook, Flickr or FriendFeed - You can’t upload through the browser.
The biggest issue is the LCDUI problem, the fix for which would solve just about every problem this phone has. Turns out that Samsung just didn’t have the time to complete their code base, so when I install an application that requires input (say, typing in my username and password for the Gmail application), the screen just comes up empty. A big, blank, glossy screen where a keyboard should be instead. I spoke to Samsung’s product director for the Instinct, and she acknowledged the issue, and Samsung went to work. Samsung released the update. Bell didn’t pick it up. The disconnect between supplier and provider is incredibly frustrating.
So should we keep our old phones? I don’t know… My old phone was a black & white Nokia that did little more than make calls. But it certainly never caused the frustration I’ve had with the Instinct.
benjamin
Dec 9 2008
Holy smokes! I thought I was the only one having problems with this garbage phone.
Telus is totally screwing over its Canadian customers, along with Bell, it seems. Ellen, is there someone at Bell we can speak to about this? Basically anyone to take ownership of the Bell / Instinct customer relationship.
Ian
Dec 9 2008
Just wanted to throw in with the other negative Bell/Samsung Instinct experiences. Not only has this phone been severely crippled by Bell, they still have not updated the firmware to fix the problems. Anytime I talk to someone in support all I get is a, “Oh well that’s the first I’ve ever heard of that problem”.
This phone isn’t working even remotely as advertised. I am extremely disappointed with Bell for their (lack of) service and support.
MR
Dec 9 2008
On August 8, 2008, I purchased the Bell’s Samsung Instinct cell phone at a Bell store.
Later, it was brought to my attention by Bell Mobility’s technical support that there were several manufacturing defects with my cell phone:
- Dropped phone calls
- Unable to connect to the internet
- Connection error messages
- Echoing phone calls
A technical support representative and a customer service representative at Bell Mobility confirmed that the store was responsible for exchanging any phones with manufacturing defects within 30 days of the purchase date.
On Aug. 26, 2008, the customer service representative at Bell Mobility told me to go to the store as soon as possible to exchange my defective phone. She said she had confirmed the exchange policy with a sales representative at the store.
However, the store would not honour the exchange policy or the one-year product warranty because, in its opinion, the cell phone had no defects.
The store became very confrontational to me after I said that according to Bell Mobility, the cell phone had several manufacturing defects. I felt very uncomfortable and felt embarrassed as other customers were watching us.
In order to defuse the situation, I was forced to leave the store with the issues being unresolved.
I had the impression that Bell Mobility assumed these manufacturing defects would be resolved by avoiding them.
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Ellen, thanks for helping me replace my Samsung Instinct phone. The second phone was damaged on delivery as Bell ‘forgot’ to package the phone.
I guess that Bell did not get the memo that cellphones are sensitive devices.
The third Bell phone was hand delivered by the regional manager. However, I still have a couple of issues with that phone as I mentioned before.
I heard that Samsung had released a firmware update to Bell/Telus about the known issues of the Instinct phone. However, Bell/Telus have not released the updated firmware, according to Samsung. My friend works at Samsung at the mobile division.
With respect to the pricing structure, Bell has advised me that they decided to block the access to Samsung PC studio 3 software from the phone. The Samsung PC studio 3 allows you to sync your contact information, as well as transfer files from the phone to a PC.
Bell has suggested that customers should use its backup service, which costs $3/mth or $5/mth. (I can’t exactly remember the exact monthly fee as they are so many with Bell.)
I love the touch screen on the phone. However, I am not happy with the phone for the following reasons:
1. Can’t sync contacts and calendar information
2. Doesn’t support emails (including POP3) except for basic hotmail emails
3. Windows live service is very limited; and it uses a separate contact list which does not sync with contact list in hotmail
4. Can’t open attachments, such as word documents, PDF
5. Most of the features are pay per use (i.e. Music, GPS, Emails, Instant Messenger, Radio, TV and Backup Manager)
6. Can’t send pictures or videos via Bluetooth as Bell blocked the Bluetooth file protocol
7. Firmware is very unstable. Requires constant rebooting
8. Bell’s technical support can’t provide assistance with software issues
Daniel Nadeau
Dec 9 2008
I too have been having problems with the Instinct. It’s not that the problems couldn’t be solved, it’s that Bell is either too lazy or too ignorant to listen to their customers and fix their products.
The users in the US on Sprint have received updates from Sprint for their Instinct and couldn’t be happier, while we are stuck here with this glitchy, crashy piece of garbage.
Why Bell couldn’t just take that same update and modify it to their needs is beyond me.
Luigi
Dec 9 2008
I too have issues with my Samsung Instinct as do ALL, and I repeat, ALL Instinct users in Canada with Bell or Telus.
The first and most important fix and/or update they need to address is the wrong time stamp issues with received/missed voice mail and text messages. It is completely unacceptable to have the times and dates all mixed up when receiving messages.
All the other issues and problems listed above also need to be addressed also, but the time stamp issue is horrible.
I love the style and feel of the Instinct, but it should have never been released to the public plagued with all these issues.
Patrick
Dec 10 2008
WOW! I can’t believe all the negative comments about the Instinct from Bell/Telus. How about one more!
I too have been burned by Bell. I actually renewed my 3 year contract with Bell and got this phone because the salesperson told me it was the iphone killer. A little research on my part would have gone a long way, but what can I do now? I already used up the pathetic 15 minutes Bell gave me before I could exchange the phone.
Everything mentioned in the comments above is true. Constant crashing/restarting, wrong time with messages, features advertised as “included” (MSN messenger, GPS) that you have to pay for monthly on top of your bill.
Something that wasn’t mentioned is the joke of a memory card that comes with the phone. The card comes with something like 200 preloaded songs on it, but what Bell fails to mention is that you have to pay $ to unlock the songs on your memory card. Unbelievable!
Oh, and as mentioned already, the browser on this phone sucks! You can install the MUCH better, faster and more reliable Opera browser on the phone, but you can’t type anything while using it making it useless (LCDUI). I suppose if the LCDUI issue was fixed I might actually get value for the “unlimited browser”, but giving consumers value is obviously not in interest of Bell.
This IS a crippled phone. Bell/Telus are not stupid, they know it, but they refuse to acknowledge the fact or do anything about it.
Mo
Dec 10 2008
I went to a Bell store yesterday to talk to the manager about the updates that US users have received. He told me he didn’t know about the updates. Are you kidding me? What kind of a manager are you that doesn’t know what is going on with the other wireless service providers?
Regular users know; you don’t?
Then, I asked them if I can have a look at a working Instinct. A salesman brought one from the back, turned the on and started talking about it. I told him to show me the internet browser. He pushed the internet icon, the loading sign came on, and after 30 seconds, the phone restarted itself.
Haha, and the funny part is, he’s telling me it’s because of the battery. There’s not enough power in the battery. And I was like you think I am stupid or something?
Ryan
Dec 10 2008
I am currently a Samsung Instinct owner as well. The ads of the “Iphone killer” drew my attention as my contract was getting to its end.
However, once I paid for the phone, I quickly found out that it was no Iphone killer. The phone lacks any ability to surf the web without soft restarting. Should you need to open multiple screens - this phone is not for you. Should you need to sync your email – this phone is not for you. Should you need to use GPS – this is not the phone for you as these functions are either not on the phone or you must pay $8 – $10 for the service! Yes, you have to pay $8 a month to access your free Hotmail account!! MSN or any internet based e-mail service!
I showed a friend how these options are not available to me, and he explained that I should be able to download application programs that “work around” these annoying features of the Instinct. But without the LCDUI update, most if not all the applications are rendered pointless as you can not use the keyboard.
All in all, why can’t Bell stand up and take control? The false advertising and imaging they produced to market the phone should be stopped or they should try to UPDATE the phone and allow it to reach its marketed distinction.
Dave
Dec 10 2008
I don’t have an Instinct phone, but all of you have made noteworthy observations that I would like to add to.
Don’t use your new phone as a phone for the first few weeks, until you are sure. Go past 15 minutes, you own it.
I know that sounds ridiculous, but I bought a Sony Erickson K850i Cybershot 5.0 megapixel Cybershot phone from Rogers. I used it at a wedding, took the worst pictures indoors, any setting, w/flash, without. I was under 15 minutes and got an iPhone instead.
I had researched the K850i online, everyone raved about it, wasn’t true. My wife has the same phone. I tried the dealer’s phone in the mall, terrible pictures.
I’m in sales. A lot of salesmen will hype anything. Get someone to demonstrate it to your satisfaction. The smartphones are computers. My iPhone has a leopard processor. It is, literally, a portable computer to a large degree.
I wouldn’t buy a device of this type from a manufacturer that does not have a long track record in computers. Apple is being very slow, careful. They do regular upgrades. They do it conveniently through iTunes on a Mac or PC.
Everyone laughed when Apple made their projections. In the last quarter, Apple outsold RIM by something like 6.3 million phones to RIM’s 6 million. Apple does make mistakes but they get rectified. The iPhone is the best thought-out phone. Real flash memory inside. Amazing applications for it coming out daily from developers worldwide. And this is just the beginning.
I sympathize with all of you. You may end up buying out your contract and moving on, to end the frustration. My contract with Rogers is about $71 a month, tax in. Good luck to all of you!
Ellen Roseman
Dec 11 2008
I asked Bell to comment on the Samsung Instinct complaints.
Julie Smithers, a Bell spokeswoman, said a software upgrade would be made available to customers shortly.
Bell gave approval to Samsung for the upgrade on Dec. 5. It would arrive tomorrow (Dec. 12) and customers would be notified next week.
Guess that’s good news and will help some of the problems that readers have identified.
brad
Dec 12 2008
I’m thinking of getting a smartphone next year, and my plan is to either get a “tried and true” smartphone that has WiFi and to use that for downloading email and other data, or else just keep my regular simple cellphone and buy an iPod Touch for the WiFi access.
The data packages offered by the mobile phone carriers are too expensive to be practical for me, especially when roaming, and while it’s not possible to get free WiFi everywhere there are plenty of places that offer it.
And, in fact, if you’re a Bell internet customer you can now get free WiFi at every Starbucks, which makes it very handy for me, since I do have my internet through Bell.
Glenn
Dec 19 2008
I am a BELL Instinct owner, and unlike most people here, I love the Instinct. But yes, the updates that have not come out are frustrating, as we all know that Sprint has had them since October.
The recent update from Dec 12/08 has fixed many issues, including the browser crashing that everyone mentions. (I have only had it happen once and I use it constantly for gmail access.) But the main update needed is the LCDUI (LCD User Interface) update. As others have said, this would fix approx 90% of the remaining issues.
The rest of the issues are what BELL has intentionally restricted from its customers, email and GPS. GPS worked free for me for a month and then I canceled it as I was not going to pay $8 a month for something that loses the signal if it doesn’t have a perfectly clear sight of the sky (i.e in the car, not on the dashboard).
And as far as email goes, I use gmail and log into it via the browser, but the option should be available to have the program because the program allows you to view .doc and .pdf files. With gmail, I have to use the browser instead of gmail’s app because of the LCDUI update sitting out there somewhere.
Ellen, I don’t know how or what you could do to help us, but getting some way to have Bell & TELUS, of course, to push out these ‘already available’ updates for the customers who have committed themselves for 3 years would be great.
Then we might actually get our money’s worth, because right now…that is definitely not happening.
Thanks
CommieCowboy
Jan 5 2009
More proof that anybody who opposes regulation of cell phone providers and ISPs is a moron unworthy of a functioning tongue.
CommieCowboy
Jan 5 2009
Mo, that’s unsurprising. Having worked for Bell, I can tell you that managers are sometimes given positions within a line of business without having any prior experience in said LoB.
Ben Elling
Jan 12 2009
Following the most recent firmware update, I had high hopes that the LCDUI issues would be resolved. No such luck. The inability to access 3rd party apps is obnoxious.
I will be going to my local Bell Store tonight to begin what is sure to be a long process of swapping for a Blackberry Curve.
As of this morning, Jan. 12, 2008, here is an ongoing list of issues I have had with my Instinct:
- No LCDUI update to work with a wide range of 3rd party apps
- Browser continues to reset phone at least once a week
- Browser is cumbersome
- No support for PDF, Word, .txt, etc.
- No support for Google Mobile Apps, most importantly Gmail, Google Maps and Google Calendar
- No syncing of calendar
- Battery life is very short, especially with music playback
- Music player is slow and cumbersome
- Stereo Bluetooth often skips and hangs
- Shuffle on music player is not random
- Voice mail time stamp is 5 or 6 hours behind
- When I was paying $8/month for GPS, could rarely get a signal if I was in a car, store awnings, trees, etc.
rentz
Jan 22 2009
I have the same problems with this garbage phone. Very unimpressed
ced
Feb 27 2009
Im frustrated by this i want the upgrade woth LCDUI
Paul
Mar 6 2009
It is really disappointing that Bell has yet to implement LCDUI, even on the update we received this week. The only satisfaction I get is from taking away phone sales from Bell by relaying the technical limitations of the phone to potential buyers. I wouldn’t wish this technological pariah on my worst enemy!
bob
Mar 13 2009
I’ve owned over 25 cellphones in the last 20yrs. I’ve been with all the major carriers at least twice. So I guess you could say that I’m a bit of a phone freak. Well, my 3yrs contract with Bell just ended, and I wanted to pick a Samsung Instinct and sign a new 3yrs contract. Well, based on all of the negative feedback I’ve been hearing about Bell on this phone, I leaving Bell once again for greener pastures. The Samsung Instinct is doing killer sales for Sprint in the USA, and Bell has decided to cripple a great phone in a cash grab. So even though I hate Apple and Apple products, I going to look at a iPhone from Rogers. Bye Bye Bell
Pierre Legault
Mar 19 2009
Ellen Roseman
Dec 11 2008:
“I asked Bell to comment on the Samsung Instinct complaints. Julie Smithers, a Bell spokeswoman, said a software upgrade would be made available to customers shortly.”
We are now in mid-March and still no update on this phone.
All Samsing Instinct users are FLAMING. You can read all about it here join if you are a instinct user:
http://forums.bell.ca/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=785&p=9759&sid=dc1622007ed19facf4d681727fe1e6ba&sid=dc1622007ed19facf4d681727fe1e6ba#p9759
Julie Smithers, Bell spokeswoman
Mar 20 2009
Hi Ellen, overall we have seen very positive feedback on this device (Samsung Instinct).
Only about 1% of users have expressed concerns about it. We are always looking to meet our customers’ needs and have worked with Samsung to resolve issues identified by clients.
Bell accurately communicates the features and services offered by our products.
We have already offered two over-the-air software upgrades for the device, which resolved the following concerns expressed by some clients:
Software upgrade #1
Available: Dec. 5, 2008
Software upgrade #2
Available: Feb. 27, 2009
Issues resolved:
§ Select browser sites no longer crash and reset the device
§ Can now enter text in search bar on select search sites
§ YouTube no longer causes the media player to shut down when select video links are choosen
§ WAP Browser function enhanced to recognize mobile device; results in better page rendering
§ GPS Nav can now be used on HWY 401 between Port Hope and Ottawa
§ Text messaging service no longer causes device to shut down when select words are entered
§ SMS & Voice mail: Message received date & time correction
§ SMS threads now sort time stamp versus by sender name
§ Java apps will recognize device type; required to render ideal screen experience
§ Ability to use picture/video messaging in English and French
§ SMS delay 4 hours in contacts fixed
§ Calendar for reoccurring appointments shows up out of order or not functioning fixed
§ User can now log into Shaw webmail without causing device to restart
Issues resolved:
§ Fixed Samsung World Clock time of Quebec and Quebec City being different. (Quebec:GMT-4, Quebec City:GMT-5)
§ Fast forward and rewind functions work better when playing a video
§ The Weather (Meteo) will now change to FRENCH when one changes phone from English to French
§ World Clock: incorrect zone time value with DST on and off is fixed
§ French accent characters in footnote of icon is decoded as “?” in sub-menu of Web and Loisirs in French version is now fixed
Paul
Mar 20 2009
I emailed you a while back about the Canadian version of the Samsung Instinct.
There is a HUGE uproar right now at the Bell forums, with moderators deleting any content that is negative on the Samsung Instinct.
Instead of addressing the issues, they are just closing down harmless posts AND deleting Bell forum user accounts.
There was one entire post where users actually started to coalesce into one voice, but that post was closed down. Subsequently, people are creating new posts and Bell is locking them too. This is tantamount to censoring our displeasure with this phone!!
Here’s the latest they want to close down. Let me know if you think Bell should be doing this.
They’ve kept this phone’s issues under wrap for a loooong time. I think they are scared of the lost sales if all these unhappy people start posting their experiences with the phone! And still we have no timeframe for the next update (the US has 5, we have 2).
One of the updates we’re missing prevents us from using google mail, google maps, opera mini and the list goes on. These are standard applications for the mobile user. These are the reasons I and many other people got the phone!
http://forums.bell.ca/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1152&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
Sean
Dec 7 2009
What a fricking joke this phone and Bell are. Once my contract is up, I’m leaving and going with any other provider but Bell. Cheaters…