[mastamoon]

Hey All,

This past weekend my pearl started to not work/act weirdly and im not sure how to handle the situation.

Symptoms:
Phone is doing random things (camera starting up randomly, email opening up, etc..) without me touching it.

Scrolling up, left or right works correctly with the trackball but scrolling down is registered as a trackball click instead of just moving the cursor down.

Sometimes I can dial a number, sometimes I cant.. Sometimes the menu button works, sometimes it doesnt.. very sporadically.. Like I could dial *228, but cant press 1, 2 or 3 when prompted. Phone does nothing. Volume key is also iffy when on a call.

Cause:?
Not sure what the cause is. Phone was in my pocket like it always is. Didn't spill anything on it while in my pocket... Didn't run into anything. Didn't drop it. No errors, no new applications installed/removed.

Steps to fix I have taken:
I have tried plenty of battery pulls, no change. I have tried doing a backup then restore, no change. Tried wiping and reinstalling OS, both .138 and .77, no change. I tried using a q-tip with some 91% isopropyl alcohol to clean the trackball and socket... no change.

I finally gave up and tried to file a claim (have TEC on the phone) via the website (Welcome Verizon Wireless Customers) after clicking all the options that I thought I should, the site said the problems I described arent covered by ins and I should try to use my phone warranty.

I know the pearls are not the most expensive phone to buy out there nowadays, but I would have like to gotten a refurb'd phone for 50 bucks than try to deal with ebay or something for more money most likely.

So should the TEC cover this issue or am I SOL?

And has anybody ever heard of these issues with the Pearl and have any tips on maybe fixing it?

Thanks,
Jon

[jeffh]

It really sounds like moisture damage. If you are carrying it in a pants pocket, it could have picked up enough moisture from perspiration. And salty perspiration would have a slow but cumulative affect on the phone. With everything else you've ruled out, moisture damage seems likely as the culprit.

[mastamoon]

I stuck the phone in a bag of rice last night just in case... see what happens. If that dont work, I guess I will refile a claim as water damage and hope for the best.

[BergerKing]

That would be a reasonable thing to do, the symptoms you describe are classic moisture infiltration.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[mastamoon]

Update!

Well I read up on the TEC (total equipment coverage) insurance I have on my phone (5.99 a month) and saw that it extends the manuf. warranty so if your phone breaks but its not physical damage (like dropping or water) you can get a new phone for free.

So I went into my local VZW corporate store and left with a new pearl free! Told the lady exactly what was happening and she said if a battery pull didnt fix, I would get a new phone. And I did.

Well actually if you take the price of the insurance 5.99 * the 20 months ive had this account, its 119 bucks... so i didnt actually get a free phone I suppose.. but its better than having spent 119 and then another 50 for a refurb or another 150 on ebay for one.