| Some background: I've been using T-Mobile since I arrived in NYC about 3.5 years ago.?I've been pretty thrilled with T-Mobile, especially since they were willing to give me an account with no deposit when I'd been in town for one day, was effectively unemployed, and had a shitty credit history.Pop had spent the past few years under contract with Verizon Wireless, and was being mauled by their limitations on her plan minutes and the sheer audicity of their overage charges.?So we moved her number over to a family plan with me, utilizing T-Mobile's "MyFaves" feature, thus effectively insuring that she will never run over on her minutes again.However.As some of you may be aware, Pop likes to text.?So do I, for that matter.?The only problem is that her phone, the Samsung t639, saves all incoming text and picture messages to the SIM card by default.?This is a serious liability for the phone, since the phone's internal memory can hold about 500 texts, but the SIM card can only hold about 30.Suckola.So I searched the phone's settings menus - all of them - and the users' manual, but to no avail.?There is no way to change the default text message storage location.?Also, moving the messages you already have is tedious, since you can only do it ONE BY ONE.?There is no "Move All" feature.Fucktastic.I also did some googling - nada.[Insert Q-Bert dialog box here]...So I decided to do the next sane thing: I visited the manufacturer's support site.?After finding nothing useful in the FAQs, I sent them the following email:*????*To whom it may concern, I have purchased a Samsung t639 through T-Mobile.I also have a 1GB micro-SD memory card, and have successfully changed the default camera storage location to this card.However, I have not been able to find any way to change the default text message storage location.Regardless of my efforts at navigating the various settings menus, reading the users' manual, and searching the web, the phone continues to save all incoming messages to my SIM card.The SIM card has a capacity of about 30 messages or so.This means that I am constantly forced to make room by deleting messages or moving them manually from the SIM card to the phone or a folder on the micro-SD card.Given the extra storage I have purchased, to say nothing of the boasted 500-message internal memory capability of the phone itself, this limitation has become somewhat frustrating.I'm not fond of the idea of deleting every text message I receive, nor of moving every single message I intend to keep individually to an alternate storage location.The fact that the Move feature appears to be the only one lacking a 'Multiple' option is particularly disheartening.The only hope I have seen thus far is on page 75 of the users' manual: 'Move to phone/SIM: moves the selected text message to the phone or SIM depending on the default setting' Sadly, that doesn't tell me anything about how to change the default setting, unless default setting in this case only means, 'where the message happens to be already.'Please tell me that there is some hidden, secret, arcane method by which I can either change the default storage location for text messages, or that there is a firmware update on the way which will allow for moving multiple messages at once.Please?Thank you in advance for your time,[Ian] *????*When I read this aloud to Pop, she said, "That's awesome - but you're probably sending that to someone too stupid to be able to read half of what you said."Within ten minutes, I had received a reply.?The speed of the response made me skeptical, and the contents didn't help ease my suspicions:*????* Thank you for your inquiry.?This is something that would be best helped by your service provider.Please contact T-Mobile customer service at 611 free from your T-Mobile phone or 1-800-937-8997.Your continued interest in Samsung products is appreciated.Sincerely, Technical Support *????*To be honest, folks, I'm thinking it was a massive mistake to include "T-Mobile" in my help request, as it may have activated an automatic filter.?Of course, since the model number t639 is made specifically for T-Mobile, and "model number" was a required field, I was pretty much screwed anyway if there are filters involved.Nonetheless, I did call T-Mobile.?The automated voice-recognition system wanted me to tell it/her how it/she could help me today.?I tried to do so in as few words as possible - something to the effect of, "I need help with my phone's options."?After the third, "Sorry, I didn't get that," I hit the zero key on my phone while simultaneously telling the automated voice to Fuck Off.?She responded, "Okay.?Let me get you through to a representative."Part of me wants to believe that "Fuck Off" would have gotten me to a live person without needing the zero key.A few minutes and an Air Supply song later (I swear, I thought I was getting Rick-Rolled), the line was picked up by a rather... energetic [read: friendly and helpful, but oh-so-nervous and possibly flustered] gentleman named David.?I told him what the issue was, what I'd done to try to figure it out on my own, and why I was calling him.Having worked at a warranty call center before, I intimately know the look of relief that must surely have been on his face when he thanked me "for being so proactive" on this.?With the inanity he almost certainly faces day in, day out, my call must have been a refreshing oasis in the vast desert of User Stupidity.He looked my issue up in their support database, and it took him about 20 seconds to realize there wasn't any information there to help me.?He then politely put me on hold to consult with his manager who, as it turned out, also has a Samsung phone - different model, same OS.A couple of minutes later, David was back.?As soon as he'd started describing my problem, his manager knew exactly what he was talking about.?He had the same problem.There is no fix.?There is no way to change the way the phone stores the text messages.?They always go to the SIM card.?If you want them elsewhere, you have to move them, one miserable message at a time.?(My words, not David's.)I thanked David for checking for me.?He asked if there was anything else he could do for me.?I told him yes - I would be requesting a firmware upgrade from Samsung, and I asked him to have his manager do the same, in the hopes that if they received enough requests to fix this inane issue, they would actually do something about it.?David said he'd be glad to, and that they make requests for firmware updates to various cell phone manufacturers regularly.So there's some hope.Here's the email I sent to Samsung after the call:*????*To whom it may concern,Less than an hour ago, I sent a support request under the "usage" category asking about changing the default text message storage location.?Your reply came quickly - if it was a live person replying to my message and not simply an automated process, I commend you on the speed of your customer service staff.Unfortunately, the reply I received did not help solve my problem.?The response from your support staff indicated that my service provider, T-Mobile, would be best suited to help me.?In a way this was accurate, as I was able to speak with someone there who confirmed that, alas, there is absolutely no way to change the default text message storage from the SIM card to another location, such as the 500-message-capacity internal memory.So I turn back to you now requesting a firmware upgrade.Within the Inbox, your "Delete" function gives the options Selected, Multiple, and All.?Your Move function, however, is only available for the selected message, which is very frustrating when one has 30 messages to move from the SIM card to the phone's internal memory.Please produce a firmware upgrade for this phone adding "Multiple" and "All" options to your Move menu.?If at all possible, please also include a way to change the default storage location for text messages.?You already have such an option for pictures from the built-in camera, so I hope that doing the same for text messages will also be possible.Adding this feature will significantly increase the chances of me buying a Samsung phone in the future.?Without this upgrade, not only would I never buy another Samsung phone, but I would strongly discourage others from doing so as well.Thank you in advance for your time and attention,[Ian]*????*In the time it's taken me to write this blog, I received the following reply:*????*Thank you for your comments and recommendations.?We will forward your concerns to the appropriate parties for review and consideration.Your interest in Samsung products is appreciated.Sincerely, Technical SupportJim *????*I may have just taken an important step in making life more tolerable for Samsung phone owners everywhere.Wish me luck, kids. |
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