The Author Explains

Here’s the full text of my letter to Robert Dotson, CEO of T-Mobile.  I also sent it to the Consumerist, OC Register, and CPSC.

Mr. Dotson,

I am writing to inform you of an egregious issue which I had with my Google Android G1 phone last night at approximately 10:05 PM. I was at home alone, when I heard a young woman shrieking and loudly demanding that someone “get [their] hands off [her].” As you might suppose, I immediately grabbed my G1, which is my only phone, and attempted to dial 911.

Rather than connect, my phone immediately powered off, and proceeded to restart. After the approximately 1 minute reset process, I once again dialed 911, and was was able to speak with an operator long enough to give the address of my apartment complex, at which point my phone dropped the call and reset its data connection.

This was not a reception issue, as no more than five minutes later, and in the same location, I was able to dial 611 for tech support. I have had no prior connectivity or reception issues with my G1, and until last night, it could be said that I was incredibly happy with the performance of my phone.

I spoke with a young man whose name I did not write down, I was still rather shaken as you might imagine. He informed me that he himself had heard of a similar case involving a gentleman attempting to report a fire. We went through the standard diagnostics, but as I didn’t have a spare T-Mobile phone to try a SIM swap, the case was left open until this morning, when I was able to visit a T-Mobile store.

At the store, a gentleman by the name of Zee M. replaced my SIM card as the tech support ticket requested he did, though he did not make a test call to the 911 service. While in the store I spoke with Heidi R. and then her supervisor Greg T. (#3730259-23PDA), both were very helpful, but were unable to provide a satisfactory solution.

I mentioned to Greg that I understood there had been at least one report of this problem before mine, and he told me that T-Mobile has received “a lot” of reports of similar incidents, and that product development “needs more tickets” in order to resolve the issue. Greg told me that the most likely culprit was third-party software clashing with the Android operating system, and that while product development was working on “a guaranteed fix” in the meantime the solution was to master reset the phones. He also offered to exchange my phone for another G1.

However, if the problem is with the software, and there is no way to tell which software might be causing this problem, this seems like an unreliable fix at best, and certainly not one I would be willing to wager my life on. It is not exaggerating to say that a dropped call to 911 can be a matter of life or death – and I ask you honestly if you yourself would feel comfortable relying on a G1 at this point.

This is where we get to the heart of the problem. I had asked only for a complimentary replacement phone of equal or greater functionality to my G1. My brother, who shares my account, also has a G1, but had felt comfortable keeping his. That was, until Greg mentioned that this issue is affecting up to one in ten G1 phones.

In light of this information, I must request a replacement for not only my phone, but also my brother’s. Both phones are on the same account and were purchased at the same time. As there is no timeframe for a fix to the 911 reset issue, and as we rely solely upon our cellular phones for service, I am requesting complimentary replacement phones for both my brother and myself. I ask only that said phones have equal or greater functionality to the G1.

Due to the gravity of the situation, I believe this is a reasonable request.

I have filed a report with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which I will be happy to amend with any resolution you may offer to this issue.

I thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

****

EDITED at 5:11PM TO ADD:
Within about an hour of sending off the previous email, Angela Beckett from the executive relations team got in touch.  (If you’re worried about your G1, drop me a line and I’ll send you her number.)

T-Mobile is willing to replace both phones with a different model of a comparable price.  As we had originally paid about $175 for each phone, they’re willing to offer a complimentary exchange for any phone which retails to new subscribers for $175 or less.  If we want to upgrade, we can pay the difference.  It’s an adequate resolution, and I’m reasonably satisfied.

What’s missing is a resolution to the larger problem with the G1.  T-Mobile seems reasonably responsive to the issue, so hopefully they’ll come up with a solution for everyone in the near future.  In the meantime, maybe it’s best to stay near a land line.

****

EDITED AT 8:52 TO ADD:
This is the sort of thing the FCC takes very seriously.
Here’s a link to the FCC’s 911 rules.

Also, this has been going on for some time.
Here’s a link to the Google forums.
Here’s a link to the T-Mobile forums.

Since they share an OS, this also affects the MyTouch 3G.
Here’s a link to the T-Mobile forums.