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Ugh! Cell Phone fell in water!
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Posted by: scottjf8

I have a SprintPCS phone (older model, not the new Vision ones) and it danced it's way off the counter today into the dog's water dish... ugh!

Should I hope it will work when it dries?

Or should I get a new phone...

Anyone here happen to WORK for sprint, and let me know if I can get a deal at Costco, or Radio Shack? Am I going to end up spending another $300? ugh!

Posted by: RJsilvermann

TAKE THE BATTERY OFF NOW....

stop reading this GO DO IT !! :)

If you have access to a compressor, blow it out real good. If you are the "handy " type, then take it apart too. If that scares you then leave it alone, but let it dry out for at LEAST a day or 2 before putting the battery back.

I have had success with many phones / beepers etc by completely drying them out.

The biggest mistake people make is leaving the battery on, or re-connecting it before it is TRULY dry.

I like to open them up and wipe the contacts between the circuit boards / display / keypad, etc down with alcohol too. Of course a lot depends on the phone and how it comes apart!

good luck with it.

PS if you CAN'T revive it, I'd suggest Ebay for a replacement (assuming you are under contract, and they hit you up for big $$$ for a replacement.)

Posted by: Raj

Cell phone fell in water?

You got insurance right?

Posted by: scottjf8

quote:
Originally posted by RJsilvermann
TAKE THE BATTERY OFF NOW....

Actually it's the first thing I did... I also have it sitting upright (it's a clamshell phone) opened so I can let it dry.. and the battery
is definately OFF the phone.

Posted by: bluenoise

Most water that comes from the tap is pretty harmless to electronics. Just follow RJsilvermann's advice and you should be fine. If you dropped it in salt water, you would be in worse shape.

bluenoise

Posted by: Ruth

My friend dropped her Nokia into the water on a rafting trip last summer, less than a week after she bought it. (Not her finest moment.) Once it dried out the voice parts worked fine, but the display was hosed. That made the phone pretty useless, as she couldn't tell who was calling, whether she had messages, look up numbers, etc. Hope yours fares better! Let us know how it turns out.

Posted by: Steavis

Take the cover off if you can to give the guts the best opportunity to dry off. I had a Nokia 5190 with me when I went on Roaring Rapids at Magic Mountain (Six Flags) a couple years ago and it got soaked. The vibrating battery was vibrating out of control, even after I took it off the phone, and it kept going until it drained all the power. I took it to the car and took it apart, and laid out the pieces to dry. Worked fine the next day.

Posted by: gregpr

I took my pager swimming a few years back in the Chesapeake Bay. Luckily we were north of the salt line or it would have been totally hosed.

pulled the battery and took it apart later and dried it on the deck the next day.

worked fine :)

Posted by: Raj

I've dropped a handheld 2 meter ham radio in the water once. I thought it was a goner. But I just took out the battery pack, opened it and blew it out with a hair dryer. I then left it to dry overnight and the next morning it was working again.

Posted by: scottjf8

Well the phone is totally dead today. I tried opening it up last night, but
Sanyo uses these weird screws that I could get to open (it's a cross between flatheads and phillips.)

Guess I'll give it more time, but it's not looking good.

Posted by: Robin

Before going the ebay route check with your provider to see if they'll cut you a deal.

The antenna broke on my phone (wouldn't you know that's the one thing specifically excluded by my insurance? Just ask how happy I am about that.) and I ended up with a shiny new Motorola i60 which I love love love for about $50 and a one year comittment. I've been with my company (ntelos) for several years now and was happy to extend my contract.

Oh, and even if the cell phone insurance had covered it there would have been a $50 deductible, and that would have just gotten me a fixed old Nokia.

Posted by: scottjf8

Ebay is a last resort... I have a friend who works for Sprint, and I'm
going to see if she can hook me up. Also I'm going over to Costco
at lunch, since they sell phones there.

Posted by: Frylock

Where did you buy it from? My wife bought her cell phone from a Cingular store. About a year and a half later she dropped it and cracked the screen. We went to the store to check out what kind of deal they would give us and they said they could repair it. She paid 30 bucks and they gave her a temporary cell phone to use while it was in for repairs. About a week later we got a call to come pick it up.

Best 30 bucks we ever spent to avoid buying a totally new phone!

Posted by: scottjf8

I got it directly from Sprint.. I'm going to take it to a Sprint store at lunch today and see what they can do to help...

Posted by: johnmoorejohn

quote:
Originally posted by scottjf8
I got it directly from Sprint.. I'm going to take it to a Sprint store at lunch today and see what they can do to help...

You may want to try radio shack. They gave me one penny for a Nokia phone, free esn conversion. No strings attached. It was part of an instant rebate program. So, I have a new phone...free...existing service plan, no new committment.

My wife's phone went through the washer and dryer...ON THE WHOLE TIME. And worked..and still works.

Posted by: Animgif

If you do get a new phone (a nice vision one) then the insurance is worth it. I tend to buy expensive phones (pda combos normally), and I've had a few problems (namely one lost and one in a rain puddle). The $35 deductable and $4 a month to Sprint was WELL worth it for me! Just a thought.

Posted by: scottjf8

Good idea, especially since I expense my monthly bill to my work...

Posted by: eric90

My girlfriend dropped hers in the tiolet and it appeared to be dead. She ordered and recieved a new phone. 5 days later the phone came back to life.

My sister also dropped hers in the toilet. She took it out and dried it with a blow dryer then put it in the freezer for a few hours (I'm not sure who told her to do that...) and it worked fine.

Posted by: ZikZak

I've been seriously thinking of getting rid of my Sprint service. If you'd like to buy my Samsung A-300, I'll give you a deal on it.

Posted by: pmyers

Dog dish? sure sure.....I'd bet toilet ;)

Posted by: TiVolcano

quote:
Originally posted by rsanborn
The antenna broke on my phone (wouldn't you know that's the one thing specifically excluded by my insurance? Just ask how happy I am about that.)

Reminds me of when the antenna broke on my old Ericsson. I called them up and was told the warranty didn't cover the antenna. I asked why and the lady said, "Because it's not supposed to break." Isn't that what a warranty is for? To fix stuff that isn't supposed to happen?

Interestingly enough, the coating on the phone was starting to chip off and that was covered under the warranty. Go figure.

Posted by: RJsilvermann

quote:
Originally posted by Animgif
(pda combos normally), and I've had a few problems (namely one lost and one in a rain puddle). The $35 deductable and $4 a month to Sprint was WELL worth it for me! Just a thought.

Don't know how Sprint's insurance carrier works, but Cingular's (Lock Line) specifically states that it does NOT cover PDA / Combo units AT ALL ! so it wouldn't hurt to double check if you are not sure about their policy !

Also, they don't cover water damage :rolleyes: I heard the guy at the store telling someone else, " Well the insurance does not cover damage caused by water. But if you COMPLETELY lost the phone, it would be covered no problem (wink wink)"

Also they raised the deductible to $50.00 now. :eek:

I finally dropped my insurance. Although over the years it has come in handy, it had more of a value in the days when I paid $800 - $1,200 for a phone (in the early Startac days !)

Posted by: headroll

Spilled Sprite on my work laptop. It fizzled and died. Fortunately, it was covered under the companies 'our users are idiots that destroy computers' warranty.

-Roll

Posted by: scottjf8

Well, update.

I bought a new Sanyo 5300 camera Vision phone at Costco yesterday. It was a good
price, and Costco gives a LIFETIME guarantee
on the phone, so if I want a different one
ever, I can just exchange it. Pretty
good deal if you ask me.

Here's a picture I took off it yesterday, just
screwing around.. the quality isn't
too bad really.

http://www.freedyhome.com/497993347.jpg

Posted by: Todd

quote:
Originally posted by scottjf8
Well, update.

I bought a new Sanyo 5300 camera Vision phone at Costco yesterday. It was a good
price, and Costco gives a LIFETIME guarantee
on the phone, so if I want a different one
ever, I can just exchange it. Pretty
good deal if you ask me.

What do you mean....you get a free phone (same price) whenever you want for the rest of your life??

Posted by: scottjf8

Yup, and if the phone I want is cheaper, they will give money back. At least that's what I was told... guess we'll have to see if it's ever true.

Posted by: Todd

I know Costco's return policy is pretty generous, but this sounds like a bit much...

Posted by: Animgif

I have the 5300 and love it, just waiting on the T608 to come out. As I've said in other places, it's amazing how many times I really have used the camera when i didn't have my bigger digi with me...just for that 'OMG, where's my camera' type moment!