Verizon cables for enV Touch generate error on phone.

[mmmmna]

Short version: Verizon stores currently sell incorrect data cables (the same cable is also used for charging) for enV Touch VX11000; the phone tells you it is incorrect. Get your cables somewhere else until Verizon comes out with something that is NOT called "Universal blah blah Cable".

Long version: It was a wonderful argument, in the midst of a busy friday.

I went in to the local Verizon corporate owned store to purchase 2 spare cables for my and my wife's new LG enV Touch VX11000s.

I paid over $29 for 2 cables. I went to my car. In my car power outlet, I have an adapter which provides ONLY power for USB devices. It is not a data device, just a power port for USB devices. I know the power port works with my Sandisk Sansa e260 MP3 player, I used to charge the MP3 player on the way home from work. I am an electronic technician, I know this power port idea works fine. I have no fears about doing what I do, aside from the idea that universal is often not universal.

I opened one package, pulled the paper label off the 'sealed' end (some warning like 'Do not insert the cable until the software is installed'... something Windows users must pay attention to). I connected the phone to the cable and plugged the cable into the power port. 3 seconds later, I see the phone shows an error message saying the 'cable is not the correct cable for the phone'. Glad I didn't drive away.

I grabbed the 2 cables, the packaging, and the receipt, and I went back into the store. I asked to be entered into the tech support queue, which was showing on the displays as 3 people deep. I waited a half hour. I see my name disappear from the sales queue (it should have been pulled when the cables were sold to me 10 minutes before, but whatever, it is their machine and if they choose to ignore the proper use, not my problem). The branch manager sold the cables to me, he comes over to me in the tech support area and asks was there a problem. I said the cables produced an error, I need to talk to tech support about it. He looked at me funny and asked if I tried the cable in my laptop, I said no, I have a USB power port in my car, not a data connection. He wants to talk more, but being the manager, he has other fish to fry so he turns and walks away. A few moments later, I hear him as he speaks to a woman salesperson about helping the tech support crew. That's odd, both Tech Support and Sales were swamped that day.

Since my name had made it to the top of the Tech Support list, my name was called by that woman sales person. She approaches me (how did she know?). I told her that I already made my purchase, I'm needing to talk to tech support. I knew the technicians could verify my problem. Salesperson says "I'm here to help out the tech support crew, come with me.". I was taken to the cash out area, and she asked what the problem was. I told her the cables produced an error when I connected the phone to the USB power port in my car. She started to phrase a defense that the phone should not be connected to a USB thing in my car, but I cut her off: "The phone comes from LG with an AC adapter which provides a USB connection for the cable. LG provides a cable, one end for the AC adapter, the other end of the cable connects to the phone and that is how you charge the phone. This is a NEW industry wide standard, to eliminate multiple plugs and non-standard voltages. All the newer phones will use the USB connection to charge and the cables I bought were purchased just so I could charge the phone via PC or via these new power ports which are sold by after market accessory companies. I got an error from the phone telling me the cables the store sold me were not the correct cable for the phone, so I'd like to exchange these 2 incorrect cables for the correct cable.". This clearly put a brick in her basket. Total overload. She went to the branch manager and talked for a bit.

Branch manager comes over, tells me these are the only cables they sell for the enV Touch VX11000. I tell him they cause an error with my phone. He asked me if I had a laptop that I plugged into, I said: "No, these cables are purchased so I and my wife can charge the phone at work or in the car with my USB power port. The battery life on these phones is only one day. I went to my car and plugged into my USB power port.". More cluelessness from the man in charge. He speaks again, tells me something like there are no other cables for these phones and we sell millions of these phones.... I can see where he is going. I tell him something like 'the enV Touch was just released a few days ago, so you haven't yet sold 'millions' of these 'Universal' cables to enV Touch users. I'm telling you I got an error with this cable, the phone told me the cable was the incorrect cable, and I was in line for tech support to discuss the matter. I am a career electronic technician, you folks will have your hands full if you sell these cables'. His jaw hits the floor. He turns to the 'sales woman who is posing as a tech support person' and says: "Do a refund". No, I was never taken to the tech support area.

I got the refund from Verizon, and in light of the treatment I got, I took my business elsewhere.

I went home, searched online for the part number on the cable which came with my phone. I found a Yahoo merchant and for about $7 more that the final Verizon cost, I got 6 cables from that online merchant. The cables arrived within 5 calendar days, including shipping Air Mail shipping from Hong Kong! The cables I bought have the 'LG' logo molded into the cord and the letter 'B' on the phone end plug. That means the universal cables from Verizon cost almost 3 times the cable which the OEM is using, and the universal cable will cause errors in exchange for the higher price.

Way to go, Verizon: Sell incorrect cables for more than twice the market price, Ignore proof that you are selling incorrect cables, Ignore a technician who can demonstrate the problem, Misdirect and then snub the customer who is trying to prevent a minor Verizon Wireless support hemorrhage.

[Buickman]

A standard USB cable will not charge many phone unless the power supply it's connected to is compatible also. Older Moto phones with the mini USB connectors would not charge unless you were using a charger made for it, not just any mini USB would work, like plugging into a computer without something like Moto mobile phone tools running. The newer LG plugs must be using the same kind of thing, where they not only have to be the standard power and ground, but also the appropriate signal voltage on the data pins. I used to have the exact same issue trying to charge my Moto Z6 in my car with a generic USB power source and a mini USB cable, it just isn't made to work that way (though with my BB Curve it does because it has a completely "standard" USB connector). The cables you purchased that do work probably have a resistor in them connected to the data pins and power putting the proper voltage on the data line to trigger the charging mode. The cables you bought at the store are made to connect you phone to a computer to sync data, they are not made to be a charging cable from a generic power source. Now, if your USB power source also generated the proper signal, any cable would work fine.

[JasonLAllerdings]

I may not be the cable at all, but connector that the "A" end of the cable connects into. If you look at plugging it into the computer, you need to install the driver onto the computer to charge and connect with the computer. So that would infer that it may have to be how the "A" connects into the power end in order to charge.

Just my 2 cents.