Text bug - Working on possible solutions

Thats what I was thinking, but I went over and over and told her about the bug. I hope i didn't waste 45min on the phone just to go over a whole different problem.

EDIT: Okay... I just had the problem happen... So forget everything I mentioned They are calling me back tomorrow, and I will tell them that it was a whole different issue.

First, a bit of background.
- My Impression was brand new (upgraded on 5/4/10)
- The fake internet settings are implemented
- The removal of access to AT&T Data bloatware is implemented
- The text inbox and sent messages contain under 50 each
- The text outbox is empty
- I have never activated T9 (I didn't even know how to do so).

My phone froze sending a text once last week, and I didn't think anything of it.  Then, it froze again today and I decided to see if there was a solution, so I stumbled upon this thread.  I decided to take goat's advice and request a re-registering of my phone, so I went onto the online chat to get this done. 

Below is what was said, whereas "ME" represents my side of the conversation, obviously.  I only edited out personal information related to my name, account, and phone number.  Everything else is copy/pasted.  Enjoy!


Welcome to AT&T Technical Support Chat. My name is 'Keir Horton' and I’ll be happy to assist you today.
ME: Hello, I am having issues with the text freezing. I read online that AT&T needs to re-initiate my account
Keir Horton: Hello, how may I help you regarding a text bug?
ME: er re-register
Keir Horton: I apologize that you are having a problem with your device freezing while text messaging. I will be glad to help resolve your issue today.
ME: I have only had it since two Tuesdays ago, and it's froze twice already
ME: I had to turn off and turn it back on to get texts to work
[Long, boring account verification process . . .]
Keir Horton: Do you currently have the device with you at this time?
ME: yes
Keir Horton: Are you only experiencing the issue with your device freezing when sending or receiving text messages?
ME: sending, I tried to delete the outbox contents, and would still freezw
ME: A new phone isn't going to be a solution, it's on AT&T's side
Keir Horton: The service doesn't cause the device to freeze. The issue would be with the device software.
ME: ok, flash the software update then
Keir Horton: Touch screen devices will normally experience a issue with the screen display freezing.
Keir Horton: Is this is only time that you experience a issue with the device freezing?
ME: twice so far, and 200 others have mentioned the same issue
ME: Chat InformationWelcome to AT&T Technical Support Chat. My name is 'Lance Barkster' and I’ll be happy to assist you today. Lance Barkster: Hello. How are you today? Doug Plooster: Fine Lance Barkster: According to your pre-chat survey: "I am having a problem with the texting on my phone. About once or twice a day I send a text message and it hangs on the 'Sending' screen for a couple minutes then says sending failed. In order to send any more messages I have to restart my phone." Is that correct Mr. Plooster? Doug Plooster: Yes it is. Also, I contacted you yesterday about the same issue. They had me do a master reset on my phone which they assured me would fix the problem, even though I was pretty sure it wouldn't. And today, I had the same problem again. The message stuck on 'sending'. Lance Barkster: I apologize for this inconvenience, but I will be happy to assist you with that today. Have you noticed any particular pattern with the problem, such as the same number your texting or certain time of the day perhaps? Doug Plooster: No, it appears to happen randomly. Lance Barkster: Do you always have adequate signal strength when this occurs? Doug Plooster: Yes, it happens even when I have full bars and 3g. Lance Barkster: It appears that this may be a problem with many of the Impressions. I'm checking now to see if there has been an official product advisory sent out about this problem. Thanks for your patience Mr. Plooster. Doug Plooster: Ok thanks. Doug Plooster: Also, I have read on many forums that people call in with this particular problem and have the connection reset (or the device 're-registered') on your end and that solves it. Might that work? Lance Barkster: I located some information that may be relevant here: Some customers who have purchased the Samsung A877 have found their handset occasionally locks up and/or resets when using the device with T9 predictive text mode turned on. This happens in the following scenarios: When using the virtual keypad in landscape mode for SMS - with T9 on. When using the physical QWERTY in landscape mode with T9 on - except for SMS, i.e. MMS or when entering a contact. Doug Plooster: The last sentence says "except for SMS". So I don't think that is the problem. Plus I never have T9 on when this happens. Actually, I never use T9. And FYI, I am pretty sure this has been fixed in Samsung's new firmware. I can't reproduce that problem. Lance Barkster: You are probably correct. It appears that this is an older product advisory listing. Would you be willing to swap this for another Impression or would you rather try a different model? Doug Plooster: Here's the deal. I have read about lots of people having this problem. Some people even exchange their phones for new ones multiple times and have the same problem with them all. I also talked to Samsung, and they are adamant that the problem is with the connection on your side, even though it may show no problems. The people I have read about managed to get the tech guys at AT&T (i.e. you) to reset their connection (or 're-register' their device on the network) and that fixes the problem every time. So could we just try that please? Lance Barkster: Sure, no problem. Let me know when your phone is off and we will try that to see if it resolves the problem. Doug Plooster: Ok it is off. Lance Barkster: You can turn it back on now and try sending a text message. However, since it appears that the problem is sporadic, it may send out ok right now. Thanks. Doug Plooster: Thank you very much. Doug Plooster: I have one more request. I will likely be traveling to another country in the next couple months, and was wondering if you might be able to supply me with the lock code so I can use the phone overseas? Or if not where can I get it? Lance Barkster: I will need to submit a request for you to have that unlock information sent to an email address of your choice. Were you able to send a text message out? Doug Plooster: Yes it is working good right now. Thank you again for that. Lance Barkster: Okay. If you would like to request the unlock code, what email address you would like it to be sent to? Doug Plooster: [my_email] Lance Barkster: Thank you. Please allow 2-3 minute while I work on this. Thanks for your patience. Doug Plooster: Thanks Lance Barkster: Your unlock code request confirmation number is [**********_*******] . Please allow 48 hours for this information to be delivered to the email address you provided. If you have not received an email after this time frame, please chat back in for further assistance. Do you have any other questions or concerns that I can assist with today? Doug Plooster: No I don't think so. Thank you for your help. Lance Barkster: Thank you for visiting the AT&T Live Support Chat. It has been my pleasure to assist you today. We appreciate your business with us here at AT&T. Please click the button to end your session. Feel free to fill out the chat survey that appears which is based on this chat experience. Thank you for choosing AT&T as your wireless carrier. Have a great day. A customer satisfaction survey will automatically appear when you close the chat window and we appreciate your feedback.
ME: check the history log, please
Keir Horton: Do you use T9 predictive text on your device?
ME: I've not turned it on, unless it is set on default
Keir Horton: We receive notification regarding known issues with a device from the manufacturer and our Warranty Department.
ME: I do not want a new device, I am happy with this new one
ME: I will not sacrifice my new phone for a refurb
Keir Horton: Some customers who have purchased the Samsung A877 have found their handset occasionally locks up and/or resets when using the device with T9 predictive text mode turned on. When using the virtual keypad in landscape mode for SMS - with T9 on. When using the physical QWERTY in landscape mode with T9 on - except for SMS, i.e. MMS or when entering a contact.
ME: yes I read that on the website
Keir Horton: Are you experiencing the same issue?
ME: At least 4 users said the re-register helps with the same issue
Keir Horton: Are you experiencing the same issue?
ME: yes, I said my text froze twice in a week
Keir Horton: I'm asking if you are experiencing the issue on your device when using the device with T9 predictive text mode turned on or when using the virtual keypad in landscape mode for SMS - with T9 on? If so, we have been advised by Samsung that you will need to turn off the T9 mode on your device to resolve the issue and that Samsung is working on a update to resolve the issue.
ME: I never turned on T9, unless it is default
ME: I don't even know where it's located at
ME: but simple answer, my phone doesn't predict what I typed from past texts
Keir Horton: I will send a link from the device tutorial so that you may verify if T9 is currently active on your device.
Keir Horton: Please click here.
Keir Horton: Were you able to verify if the T9 is active on your device?
ME: it was on Abc mode
Keir Horton: Thank you for advising.
Keir Horton: Is the display cracked or bleeding?
ME: no
Keir Horton: Has the handset been dropped, damaged, or exposed to extreme temperatures?
ME: no
Keir Horton: Please remove the battery with the phone powered on to perform a Second Level Reset and check for liquid damage. Once you remove the battery from your device, you will need to verify the color of the small square.
ME: it is still white
Keir Horton: Thank you for advising.
Keir Horton: Please reattach the battery and power on your device.
ME: ok done
Keir Horton: Please verify if you are still experiencing the issue on your device.
ME: I've been texting while typing here with no issues so far
ME: before the reset
Keir Horton: Thank you for advising.
ME: another issue is that the processor doesn't keep up with the keys I press, and misses one or more
Keir Horton: If you continue to experience the issue on your device, you will need to contact our Warranty Department to replace your device or you may return the device at the point of sale within the first 30 days of purchase. Please contact our warranty service center at 800-801-1101 for assistance with replacing your phone or with questions about your replacement phone. Their hours are Monday-Friday: 7:00 am to 11:00 PM, Saturday: 9:00 am to 7:00 PM, and Sunday: 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM.  All times are Eastern.
ME: so you re-registered the phone?
Keir Horton: I had you perform a soft reset on the device, due to the device is not experiencing a issue with the connection to the network which is the reason that we re-register   devices to the network. Your issue is with the device software, not the network.
ME: This sounds close to my issue:
ME: the first 30 incoming messages go to the SIM and then starting with message 31 they start saving on the phone (all outgoing appear to only get stored on the phone) There's no way to change the setting for the first 30 going to the SIM. Today, as soon as I received incoming message #30, my very next message send attemp put the phone in the 'sending..sending...sending' mode that I had to escape from, with my message getting dumped in the outbox and not sent. I could call up existing received messages and attempt to reply, but those attempts would just get dumped into the outbox. If I tried to create a new message, I could type the message but when I hit the "Send to" button nothing would happen so I couldn't assign it to anyone.
ME: I delete most of my messages that I don't need, is probably why it only happens every 4 days
Keir Horton: The information that is provided regarding the devices are reviews from some user's, not information provided by Samsung or AT&T,
ME: the website I read this on says it could be a tower issue
Keir Horton: If you continue to experience the issue on your device, you may exchange the device at the point of sale with the receipt, or you will need to contact our Warranty Department to order a replacement device.
ME: replacing doesn't seem to correct the issue
Keir Horton: We have completed the troubleshooting steps on the device to resolve the issue, if not, your device will need to be replaced.
ME: I am not going to replace this phone, I've been using AT&T phones for 4 years and never had this issue
ME: it has to be a software issue
Keir Horton: I am glad that we were able to assist you with your issue regarding your device freezing when sending text messages from your device by performing a soft reset on your device. You will need to contact our Warranty Department to order a replacement device or exchange the device for a different Impression at the point of sale. Is there anything else technical that I may assist you with?
ME: either the phone or AT&T side
ME: Tell Samsung to release the locked backgrounds, they stink
Keir Horton: The issue would be with the device, not the service on the device. We troubleshoot the issue on the device to verify if the issue may be resolved or if the device needs to be replaced in which we have completed the necessary troubleshooting steps on your device.
ME: I read where people go through 3 phones with the same issues, that tells me it's not the phone
Keir Horton: Is there anything else technical that I may assist you with?
ME: ergo, troubleshooting the wrong hardware seems logical
Keir Horton: I have advised you that this is a known issue with the device in which Samsung is aware of and are working on the update to resolve the issue. This is not a issue that is caused by the AT&T service, it is a software issue on the device. Is there anything technical that I may assist you with other than this issue?
ME: we already know the "master key" to add games from a computer, but how do we get rid of those annoying icons on the main screen or at least "reassign" programs to them?
Keir Horton: I would recommend that you contact Samsung for further assistance regarding reassigning programs to the icons on your device. The number for Samsung is 1-888-987-4357. They are open Monday - Friday: 9 am - 8 PM EST and Saturday: 10 am - 7 PM EST. The web address is http://www.samsungusa.com .
Keir Horton: Is there anything else technical that I may assist you with?
ME: I guess that's all I have a question about. I hope this corrected the issue.

I've had the problem for a few weeks now.

I called AT&T, and they reset my IMEI code, and it seemed to fix the problem for about a day, then this morning, it happened again.

I'm about to throw this phone out a window, I'm a huge texter and this isn't good. I don't know where else to go.

Can't we figure out what's causing this? Can't we get a tech or somebody to figure out? We're not making any progress at all.

I just got off the phone with Samsung.  The moron wants me to send in the phone to have it investigated.  I told the rep that it is my only phone and can't send it in.  I told him that I have the master key and could do it myself, but he ignored (didn't respond to) that idea, saying I have to send it to them.  Maybe calling a different day and a different rep will be successful, I hope.

I forgot to mention in the last post that on this third freezing, I tested a few things:
- I could not delete the attempted text, that is now stuck in the "Outbox"
- I could not access stored inbox messages to reply via text
- I could not get the "Messages" icon on the menu to open at all
- I called another cell phone sitting beside me:
  - My phone sounded like it connected to the other, but it went to voice mail;
  - Then, the same phone called me, the call was connected & I could hear the person on my side, but I                was not heard on their side.

Four days later, and my phone is froze trying to send a text.  This is really annoying having to power cycle a brand new phone!  None of my other phones had this issue, so my feeling is that it's a software issue, either on AT&T or Samsung's side.  I don't buy their "power cycle daily" technique to fix this; we deserve something permanent, not a temporary fix!

Were did you find the firmware

AT&T sent me a new phone, and it's working great so far. There's something different about it- the buttons are more responsive and are easier to press, and it's faster when using the keyboard. No text problem nor T9 bug. No alarm clock bug either.

I also checked the serial, and it's above my old phone. Looks like Samsung did fix it somehow on the newer phones.

Solution: get your Impression replaced!