Poll: Have you had charging or USB problems with your N900
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Have you had charging or USB problems with your N900

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Posts: 12 | Thanked: 2 times | Joined on Mar 2010
#1381
Originally Posted by Texrat View Post
If you have actually read the entire contents then you know the problem is being addressed. Not completely consistently, but persistence will pay off.

And I would advise against any soldering.
I understand.. I bought the phone In Dubai while working for a company there....with all i have read, i dont think Nokia will even attempt to honor fixing the phone. This is sad, i wish i knew this before purchasing... i think i will just go for a Nexus One this time....im thinking of other uses for the N900 without a functional usb port. Except that charging will be frustrating (having to charge via desktop charger), I could just mod the phone to be my music streamer for my home...... men... im so frustrated... Can you believe this is my first Nokia phone?.........this sucks.....
 
Banned | Posts: 3,412 | Thanked: 1,043 times | Joined on Feb 2010
#1382
Originally Posted by Dominator24 View Post
Hi there,

I want your advice on what to do. I have my Nokia N900 since December from the release date bought on contract on vodaphone from mobilephonesdirect.

Since having the device I have had to get it repaired twice, both reasons was because of the USB port was not working/broke. I took this to my nearest Carphone Warehouse express store.

The first instance it took 3 weeks for my phone to get back to me as the USB port just wasn't responding (it was always kind of wobbly), in the end it went back to Nokia for them to look at it, after a few days I got my phone back, the USB charger was still kind of wobbly when the charger however I just assumed that's what it was supposed to be like.

About a month later, plugging the charger in - the USB snaps inside the phone. I took it to the Carphone Warehouse express store where I was told " Repair Outcome: Beyond Economical Repair" and they are refusing to fix this as they are holding me responsible for the damage and regrettably the fault is not covered by the warranty. I was told that it was due to mistreatment etc. - the phone is in pristine condition I even bought a zag shield for the device.

This is outrageous, many people have reported problems with the USB becoming loose, broken and just not working. Of all the phones I have ever had, not one has broke.
I have been following the thread here,

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=37107

I am asking for any advice on how to go about this? Personally with the amount of problems that have been caused by this USB port, I am thinking of using the sales of goods right under "faulty goods" as the amount of people with this problem suggests that the phone has a fault.

Any information on how to go about this will help me very much.

Regards,

Lee Johnson
This is such a sad post to read and a kick in the balls for Nokia, never will i agree that nokia do this to people and i think trading standards should become involed in a big way because after all this is a design fault of Nokia and i have not seen a conclusion that would stop USB ports from breaking off again after the repair, i have howver seen a repaired device and its the same as it originated with no mod at all to prevent further problems.
I just dont understand the logic from Nokia at all regarding this issue after all this IS suppsed to be there current FLAGSHIP device.
 
Banned | Posts: 3,412 | Thanked: 1,043 times | Joined on Feb 2010
#1383
If it is any use to anybody that has had a refusal from Nokia i really DO suggest you go to trading standards and point them in the direction of this very thread for a starting point.
It IS 100% a badly designed fix to the motherboard for a USB port destined by design fault to rip itself off due to minimal pushing in of the USB lead and from pure experiance alone i can remember the days when Nokia actually bolted either side the USB port and THAT was a proper design.
This USB port is secured by 4 very small soldered points on 4 corners of the port socket itself and the problem is the points of solder are far far too small to hold something in place that needs a lead plugged into it.
The actual USB data connections are at the back of the port itself and are tack soldered to tiny tracks that lead up to it, those tracks are inevitably going to rip off the M/B if the port itself is pushed in any way too hard by inserting the USB cable into the port.
I have now repaired 4 N900's and i was actually able to recover those data tracks by minute soldering links to them.
I can give a complete fix for anyone needing this repair done OUT of warranty.
Please note that epoxy or any other glue applied in any way is NOT a fix even as a preventative fix.
 
Posts: 159 | Thanked: 88 times | Joined on Feb 2010
#1384
@abill_UK:

I've had contact with Consumer Direct (Trading Standards Consumer port of contact), I think I said this in my posts, not sure.

They don't appear to have a front for consumers as a mass to go against Nokia...I'm not too sure how you go about this.

They can give you all the details you need in order to get your phone repaired under warranty however, since you have to ask
Nokia to prove explicitly that this issue is due to user damage and that the device can withstand normal usage.

The downside is that this has to be done by post and can take a while.

The current solution in the UK seems to be to call Nokia's head office direct and go through to the complaints department (after first sending it to Nokia Care and having it returned), then you should get your phone replaced/repaired the quickest.

I've sent letters off to various newspapers on this issue in the hopes of trying to get some publicity on all this, but unfortunately haven't received any replies so far...shame, it would be a big article and cause a lot of fuss.
__________________
USB, Charging Problems, Nokia not helping? Read my story:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
The finale and a summary

Last edited by Wichall; 2010-05-06 at 14:56.
 
Banned | Posts: 3,412 | Thanked: 1,043 times | Joined on Feb 2010
#1385
Originally Posted by Wichall View Post
@abill_UK:

I've had contact with Consumer Direct (Trading Standards Consumer port of contact), I think I said this in my posts, not sure.

They don't appear to have a front for consumers as a mass to go against Nokia...I'm not too sure how you go about this.

They can give you all the details you need in order to get your phone repaired under warranty however, since you have to ask
Nokia to prove explicitly that this issue is due to user damage and that the device can withstand normal usage.

The downside is that this has to be done by post and can take a while.

The current solution in the UK seems to be to call Nokia's head office direct and go through to the complaints department (after first sending it to Nokia Care and having it returned), then you should get your phone replaced/repaired the quickest.

I've sent letters off to various newspapers on this issue in the hopes of trying to get some publicity on all this, but unfortunately haven't received any replies so far...shame, it would be a big article and cause a lot of fuss.
Once again i am so sad to read this and i guess you have some very valid experiances to tell, i am just wondering if the Moderators of this community can do something? i know Texrat himself (moderator) has addressed this USB issue with Nokia direct and maybe he is the first port of call to talk too.
I think Meamo.org should if not already done so make a solid move on this issue because it is without doubt even without my reports a very clear fault to see even by a blind man !.
Lets see what comes from this forum.
 
Posts: 12 | Thanked: 2 times | Joined on Mar 2010
#1386
Im very interested in your fix. How can i get more information...
 
Banned | Posts: 3,412 | Thanked: 1,043 times | Joined on Feb 2010
#1387
Originally Posted by etnconnect View Post
Im very interested in your fix. How can i get more information...
I need firstly to find out just how bad the situation is with the actual damage caused by the USB port ripping off the M/b but in due course i will publish pics of a before and after situation for all to see.
I have before pics already but i never took pics after the fix as yet because i needed firstly to test the fix out before i release it, and i am currently doing this before i finally open my N900 up for pics. (the fix to my N900 was in fact a prevenative fix and not already broken)
It can be a very easy fix for some but i dont know yet how bad the damage can be on the motherboard as it will fully depend on how hard they have pushed the USB socket before ripping it off, this will depend if the data tracks have gone with it.
Please understand i have only repaired 4 units and all were minimal damage as in the tracks were workable..
I need till the weekend and by that time i will have done more work on this.
One thing i CAN tell you now is IF the USB socket is wobbly in ANY way but is still working at that point STOP USING THE USB as it MUST be repaired before it rips off the M/B as this will only be the 4 cornered solder points that have worked loose from the M/B (the data connections will have to be re-soldered in any event).

FINALLY PLEASE NOTE ANY REPAIR / FIX WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY WITH NOKIA AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME.
 
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Posts: 2,121 | Thanked: 1,540 times | Joined on Mar 2008 @ Oxford, UK
#1388
Originally Posted by abill_uk View Post
Once again i am so sad to read this and i guess you have some very valid experiances to tell, i am just wondering if the Moderators of this community can do something? i know Texrat himself (moderator) has addressed this USB issue with Nokia direct and maybe he is the first port of call to talk too.
I think Meamo.org should if not already done so make a solid move on this issue because it is without doubt even without my reports a very clear fault to see even by a blind man !.
Lets see what comes from this forum.
Although there is some overlap, I think the body that should take this forward with Nokia is the Maemo Community Council. The forum moderators are just here to look after the forum itself.
 

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Posts: 1,283 | Thanked: 370 times | Joined on Sep 2009 @ South Florida
#1389
I am Glad that Meego will be on Multiple Vendors. I hope Nokia never tempts me to buy one of their devices again. Here's my list of $600 failed Nokia phones

9210 Failed Clamshell Hinge
9300 Failed Clamshell Hinge
9300 Replacement Same Failure

N900 ??When will it hit me?

I've invested enough in poor Nokia Engineering I think...
 
Posts: 4 | Thanked: 2 times | Joined on Apr 2010 @ Belgium
#1390
I sent my N900 off to a Nokia carepoint for repairs sometime in March for a malfunctioning USB port.
I got it back a couple of weeks later, with nothing changed. I sent it off for a second time, and got it back exactly the same 1 month later.
I contacted Nokia Belgium for this.
I don't know how Nokia does it for the rest of the world, but in Belgium Nokia sends out a new device if repairs have failed 3 times in a short period of time.
So hopefully I just have to wait a couple of weeks, and I'll either get my phone repaired or a new phone.
 
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bad design, broken, charging, failure, hardware, loose, microusb, microusb port, n900, nokia, part, port, repair, return, surface mount, usb, usb port, warranty


 
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