Verizon halts Glyde sales, says it has "an issue" (update: maybe not)

[Thanks, Carter]
Update: One important additional detail here -- this information was received in a Verizon customer service call center. It's not clear when (or if) corporate and third-party stores will receive the same story from the big wigs.
Update 2: We're still trying to get some official clarification from Verizon, but it seems that Glydes haven't been pulled. We still believe the screen shots we were provided to be authentic, though -- so it's not clear if Verizon changed its mind, hasn't yet pulled them, the stoppage was very brief, or this information only applies to certain departments or situations. We'll continue to update as we get more.












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
vaxick @ Oct 26th 2008 11:13AM
No shit there is a issue. There has been a issue with it since it has been released. The touch screen on those phones is completely broken. Sometimes the screen will work and sometimes it wont. Sometimes parts of the screen will work and other times it'll just lose calibration. Other times it'll just press buttons for you without you ever touching the screen.
Donald Hansen @ Oct 26th 2008 11:25AM
Since this thing was mainly marketed towards soccer brat tweens, I was thinking it was more along the lines of one of them getting their fingers jammed in the slide-out keyboard. Soccer mom (note: Palin fans, you can replace with "Hockey Mom") probably filed a lawsuit with her high-profiled attorney, and now there's an injuction against sales. Wouldn't that be a literal "crying shame"???
M @ Oct 26th 2008 11:32AM
wow.. bitter?
cl347bv @ Oct 26th 2008 11:29AM
when i first read the title for this entry, i mis-read it to say, "verizon hates the glyde" and it made me chuckle.
cause i do hate the glyde. i wanted to like it alot, but the touch screen sucks. for me anyway
M @ Oct 26th 2008 11:34AM
How could they give the env2 in place of this? The env2 doesn't have HTML web browsing; one of the major features of the Glyde
cl347bv @ Oct 26th 2008 11:54AM
because it has a qwerty keypad, permium plan capable, and it is less of a POS than the glyde.
still not 100% on the env2...
Donald Hansen @ Oct 26th 2008 11:40AM
At least VZW practices "consumer protection" and yanks a POS when they find they're selling one, and it's not just a bunch of whining customers who didn't get everything they've ever wanted in a dirt cheap handset.
Esquire0399 @ Oct 26th 2008 1:19PM
Wow, does anyone actually believe it took VZW this long to realize they were selling a piece of crap? I sure don't. The fact that it was being sold for less than $100 only two months after its release (down for $250) tells me they knew exactly what was going on, but were trying to get rid of as many as they could before they had to pull it.
SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Oct 27th 2008 11:05PM
yea and why does it come on the day they announce two new touch screen/sliding keyboard phones (Touch Pro and Omnia)? of course they knew what was going on.
Rollins @ Oct 26th 2008 1:56PM
It's good that they finally acknowledged it, but it took way too long. And shouldn't they replace the Glyde with a Voyager? They cost about the same last time I checked. That said, I hope they fix the Glyde, because I really like the form factor and keyboard.
David @ Oct 26th 2008 2:00PM
That the reason i got the dare. It works fine no problems and a lot of fun to
Heritor @ Oct 26th 2008 2:22PM
Interesting.... i work for Verizon Wireless and i have not heard of this....
Ezra @ Oct 26th 2008 3:15PM
I to work for Verizon Wireless and have not heard of it
Dima @ Oct 26th 2008 2:34PM
Are you sure? Can you double check maybe?
Fernando @ Oct 26th 2008 2:46PM
Hissy fit handling procedures ftw
vinsideguy @ Oct 26th 2008 4:53PM
I haven't seen anything on this internally, though it IS the weekend.
The reason for the env2, assuming this report is correct, is because Verizon has the black 9100 queued up as a replacement device. The FRULGVX9100W/KIT sku would likely be used, as many stores (at least, in the areas I have contact with) have been receiving them for the last couple months.
This announcement, if true, doesn't shock me in the least. In fact, it shocked me more that we continued to sell it after the first month it was out. I have told anyone who asks me about the Glyde to avoid it like the plague, and I know many people at the store level who do the same. The store near me sees Glydes in their technical department every day.
V
charstar @ Oct 27th 2008 2:18AM
How can you honestly give out internal information like this and not expect some sort of retribution on the company's side? You signed a LEGAL document stating you wouldn't do exactly what you're doing. It's agents like you that really piss me off I hope you lose your job because it's not the "cool" thing to do to give out information like this, just so you know some of us actually care about our jobs. BTW you do know that WHEN you're caught you face criminal charges don't you?
vinsideguy @ Oct 29th 2008 3:14AM
Charstar,
Wow. I'm glad you feel up to the challenge of judging me.
1) I'm not an "agent" so do not call me one.
2) I value and enjoy my job. My job, however, is not my daughter, my mother, or my wife. Nor is it my house, my car, or even the computer I write on. It's just a job. I don't need someone else taking it upon themselves to insinuate that I'm hurting the company. It's not like I'm giving away information that couldn't be easily learned at your local Verizon store. How do you think customers know the term "FRU," anyway?
3) I fully understand the risk I take in "talking shop," but respectfully point out that the Internet tends to work to the benefit of those wishing to remain anonymous when said people take a few minutes to ensure that anonymity.
4) The latter half of my comment, specifically concerning what I think about the Glyde, was opinion, and really has little to do with your judgmental finger-pointing. It is my opinion. My opinion is based on observation. And just because it's an opinion, it's not necessarily wrong - don't jump to that conclusion.
5) The fact that the store near me sees many Glydes is true. The Glyde has become the latest Chocolate in that particular store. At least one is updated each day.
6) The fact that you have, use, and enjoy the Glyde is great. Many people loved the 8500. Many people were ready to do anything to get rid of it. If it works for you, that's awesome for you.
7) Please don't spend all your energy in an Internet comment area.
V
Kris @ Oct 26th 2008 5:26PM
Well.... I just went to a verizon corporate store to get rid of my glyde... and the tech laughed when i mentioned the phone getting pulled off the shelves... he said "they havnt done that since iv been here, it will never happen". and then he gave me a refurb replacement... ha... guess ill try again tomorrow
jay @ Oct 26th 2008 6:25PM
yes this is true. i have seen the email myself.
charstar @ Oct 27th 2008 2:22AM
Hey Jay did you really see this "email" why don't you send me a copy of it?
mike @ Oct 26th 2008 7:08PM
We pulled this piece of crap off the shelf after 2 days. I can't remember a more worthless piece of junk....
AwlAmericanDawg @ Oct 26th 2008 8:41PM
I think it's pretty weird that as of right now, they're still selling the Glyde on verizonwireles.com
HOFOQUOTE @ Oct 26th 2008 8:49PM
Actually the Glyde was quarantined only in the Midwest. This was due to a software conflict problem between some Samsungs and the switching equipment used in the Midwest. You are SOL if you are in any area other than the Midwest and VZW will continue selling Glyde's business as usual. There will be no swaps into an ENV2 outside of the Midwest unless you qualify for a multi fru.
Brent Schmidt @ Oct 26th 2008 8:52PM
Surprised it's still up on the Verizon Wireless site to buy...
Sofunnytom @ Oct 26th 2008 9:20PM
they did the same thing for the sch-i760. I tried to get a refurb under warranty, but they said they had frozen their inventory.
Heritor @ Oct 26th 2008 9:27PM
I know a 3rd software update is in the planning but i have yet to hear of the phone being pulled. Infact all directives point away from that. I think they got this confused with the i760 which is being pulled from the shelves.
Brian @ Oct 27th 2008 1:36AM
I've tried to like it, but Im about done with it. I am hoping that the BB storm comes out soon and I can get some credit towards one.
charstar @ Oct 27th 2008 2:09AM
This is the kind of moronic information that really makes my job harder than it has to be. First of all there is not an ounce of truth to this ridiculous claim, anyone who works for the company knows that because the company doesn't release information about a defect in a device as if it were an ad. Second of all there is no issue with the Glyde I have one myself and it works great, if you have one and you think it doesn't there are 2 possible issues, you need to get a software update or you're trying to use the touch screen with a stylus (or pen or anything else "not alive") it's a lot like the touch screen of an iphone it won't respond unless you touch it with your finger, honest to god try rubbing a jacket sleeve on it and you will understand. These kinds of mindless unfounded articles cause nothing but a lot of headache for these companies. And the morons who post this kind of crap are not realizing what they are doing could be grounds for a lawsuit. If anyone who has a cellphone wonders why their bills have been going up this is a perfect example. Someone posts information that is completely not true, people get upset and call customer service to complain, all these calls do cost the company money and it has to come from somewhere, so the next time you decide to do this think about how many people you're affecting. The samsung glyde is a great phone, there are no issues with it and there is not some mass recall on the device, remove this post or at least post a retraction, that's the decent thing to do. Otherwise I hope verizon sues the hell out of you.
jay @ Oct 27th 2008 9:11AM
wow, you're really out of line. no one needs to prove anything to you. I saw the email, and someone even mentioned its for the midwest area, so relax and consider that you were one of the lucky ones who got a working phone. Or how about this, if you need more proof just call any store in the midwest, then you can get it from the horses mouth you horses ass.
JunkJugget @ Oct 27th 2008 3:48PM
Wow, you're pleasant! Do you kiss your mom with that mouth? I bet you do, tongue and all!
Look, I've heard nothing but issues with this phone. I know people who purchased it and exchanged it a week later because of how terrible this device is. It's nice to hear that you have no issues, but fact is that even terrible handsets do kick out good ones every once in a while. Count yourself lucky, I guess. But across the board, there are issues. I know people who work for Verizon (in the midwest) and many have stated that they refuse to sell this device due to it being so problematic. This post does not surprise me, but your anger towards everyone else does. Unless your naturally like that and just one big tool. Or douche. . . or both. We'll let God decide that.
Peace out
brandi.suffecool @ Oct 28th 2008 12:31AM
the phone sucks. who cares if verizon loses some money? I'm sure they can afford it with their painfully expensive plans, overage fees, etfs, phone prices, etc. They also compensate their employees quite well. I work for a 3rd party and I'll refuse to sell this junk. The screen rarely works and I had to return two before just swapping it out completely. Not to mention, I've returned defective ones from others.
dshosu @ Oct 27th 2008 4:17AM
This guy is trying to trade his on CL, normally I wouldn't find this post worthy but he even used the stock image from Engadget...
http://corvallis.craigslist.org/ele/894886618.html
Dakota @ Oct 27th 2008 8:26AM
Stop self-promoting your own items on Engadget.
DigitalCactus @ Oct 27th 2008 10:52AM
damn charstar, sounds like you got more than just sand in your vajay-jay. I used to work as a tech for VZW up untill recently and I have seen plenty of issues with plenty of phones. Many of the Glydes I came in contact with did seem to have faulty touch displays. Maybe it was a bad batch or maybe the phone just stinks. I tried to like it, even though it was a dumbphone.
Gib @ Oct 27th 2008 8:12PM
After we had 3 defective Glydes in a row, our store stopped selling them and we just kept shipping them back as defective to corporate. Why waste the customer's time, or ours? I do feel bad for our corporate people though :( That was alot of phones.
Joe @ Oct 28th 2008 3:10AM
Wow this is the most rediculous post I have ever seen on a forum. This is 100% false and should begin a lovely law suit by Samsung and by Verizon for the misinformation provided. The people having problems with the device are always going to be delt with on a per case basis and it is quite amusing to see how many people can take a fake posting and run with it. There is no internal email for this information an it would not go out in an email for that matter it would be an internal communication and in device alerts. May wanna check your facts before you post what you dont know anything about. All I can say is someone who hates this device is obviously fond of photoshop. Good luck on the posting cant wait to see the lawsuit posting.
drocpsu @ Oct 28th 2008 9:02AM
Whether this is true or not, it wouldn't surprise me. I, too, have had nothing but issues with the Glyde. My first one worked reasonably well for the first couple months. The touchscreen would be unresponsive at times, but not enough to warrant me returning it. Then after that, it was all downhill. The screen got glitchier and glitchier. I held out in hopes that the firmware update would fix it, but alas, it did nothing (even though Verizon claims that it fixed all the problems). I went through 3 replacements of this POS before I was authorized to swap it for a different phone, which is on it's way to me right now. They tried to give me a Voyager at the store, which I didn't want because it's huge and I don't want another touchscreen phone. Then they offered me an EnV2, which I didn't want because I hate the way that phone looks. I just asked if I could "downgrade" to a chocolate3 flip phone, and they were fine with it.
Hopefully it'll be better than the glyde. I'd find it hard to believe that anything wouldn't be.
A-lo @ Oct 28th 2008 9:48AM
Who cares if its fake at this point? The Glyde is a terrible phone and every customer who bought one deserves an exchange. The fact that the price of the phone dropped rapidly within months after its release (while the Voyager keeps on marching forward), is proof that Verizon knew that they had a dud on their hands.
yea4moo @ Nov 8th 2008 7:44PM
here here..
xinginteg @ Oct 28th 2008 9:58AM
This is not true, I have not seen any emails or anything in regard to this but I have already have had calls with people even asking for a replacement with the sku given above demanding a replacement. To the people that are mad at the post, well at least you can enjoy the angry calls when you say no and dont budge with you answer.
Zlinko @ Oct 28th 2008 10:17AM
But it seems like the Glyde is selling for $199 with contract and the LG enV is selling for $179 plus the face that the enV is not really comparable to the Glyde in features.
That just seems wrong to me. Why not offer something that is around the same amount that the customer paid for it. Especially if its defective and the fault of Samsung and Verizon for selling it to consumers.
CT @ Oct 28th 2008 3:38PM
The SCH-i760 is getting pulled due to an update...supposedly an MEID issue and incompatibility. Although I am getting some sort of replacement for mine today...supposedly (not much faith in the tech that almost bricked mine).
infinate @ Oct 28th 2008 7:49PM
i went to a verizon store on saturday to complain about how crappy this phone is. i had it auto dialing people in the middle of the night among all the other issues being reported. they told me that as of saturday, the phone had been quarantined and give me an env2. i was also able to exchange my accessories. i don't like having the limited web browser and thought that i would be given a replacement that would at least have the same capabilities. i asked about upgrading to a more expensive phone and was told no.
gado @ Oct 29th 2008 11:54PM
whoa...I was almost tempted to buy the glyde online when it was on sale for only $69.99 (before 2-year extension upgrade discount) 2-3 weeks ago and now it's back up to $149.99 after $50 mail in rebate. Is this phone really from the same company that made the Omnia that's getting such high reviews? Verizon should just concentrate on their network, open it up already and let it's customers choose which phone they want! (don't be scared Verizon, nobody can compete with your "cutting edge" UI!) lol
Rob @ Nov 3rd 2008 9:16PM
Well i am a sales Rep for verizon wireless and this is indeed true. We are not able to sell any Glyde and we are told to give them the ENV2 i believe its because its touch is horrible and i was told that we are going to have an update to the phone and they will ship them out again
Chuck @ Nov 5th 2008 2:53AM
It really surprises me that people keep insisting the glyde recall /
"quarantine" / whatever you want to call it is a "fake".
There is a copious amount of information on the web that corroborates
what has been mentioned on this website, not to mention the anecdotal
support from Verizon customers like me.
I have a Samsung Glyde, and when I went to get it looked at last
Monday (the keypad backlight wasn't working) I was told the Glydes
had been quarantined (they couldn't really explain to me why), they
would need to take mine from me and that they would gladly replace it
with an env2. I asked if I had any alternatives to the env2 and they
said that was my only choice. Reluctantly, I accepted the replacement
phone and took it home.
A few hours later I was back in the Verizon store. I hated the env2,
and the lack of HTML web browsing was a real sore point for me. I
argued with the clerks for the return of my original Glyde. They
seemed surprised (shocked, really) that I would even consider doing
something like that. After some persuading and managerial
intervention my old glyde was re-activated and returned to me.
Due to the confused reasoning for the quarantine and the lack of
information about it on the web or anywhere else (apparently word
went out the Friday before I went in), I decided the best play would
be to hold on to my Glyde and ride it out.
Let's hope this "software update" will somehow resolve whatever
universe-shattering issues the glyde is having. Maybe the touch
screen will work worth a damn now, but somehow I doubt it :p
P.S. I live in Pittsburgh, PA and took my phone to a brick and mortar
verizon store on 5th Ave downtown.
Chuck @ Nov 5th 2008 2:53AM
It really surprises me that people keep insisting the glyde recall /
"quarantine" / whatever you want to call it is a "fake".
There is a copious amount of information on the web that corroborates
what has been mentioned on this website, not to mention the anecdotal
support from Verizon customers like me.
I have a Samsung Glyde, and when I went to get it looked at last
Monday (the keypad backlight wasn't working) I was told the Glydes
had been quarantined (they couldn't really explain to me why), they
would need to take mine from me and that they would gladly replace it
with an env2. I asked if I had any alternatives to the env2 and they
said that was my only choice. Reluctantly, I accepted the replacement
phone and took it home.
A few hours later I was back in the Verizon store. I hated the env2,
and the lack of HTML web browsing was a real sore point for me. I
argued with the clerks for the return of my original Glyde. They
seemed surprised (shocked, really) that I would even consider doing
something like that. After some persuading and managerial
intervention my old glyde was re-activated and returned to me.
Due to the confused reasoning for the quarantine and the lack of
information about it on the web or anywhere else (apparently word
went out the Friday before I went in), I decided the best play would
be to hold on to my Glyde and ride it out.
Let's hope this "software update" will somehow resolve whatever
universe-shattering issues the glyde is having. Maybe the touch
screen will work worth a damn now, but somehow I doubt it :p
P.S. I live in Pittsburgh, PA and took my phone to a brick and mortar
verizon store on 5th Ave downtown.
Andy @ Nov 9th 2008 5:36PM
I took my glyde in since it sucked yesterday, and the customer service lady immediatly offered me an env2 as areplacement.
Rob @ Nov 16th 2008 8:03PM
I work for an indirect Verizon Wireless location and we were told to pull all Glydes from inventory and return them to the warehouse. We received emails and internal memos at the end of October, so this claim is definitely not fake. The Glyde has been nothing but problems since it was released anyway, who cares? Just get the Blackberry Storm :)