I still want a expanded softcover user's manual to come with a new phone.
I recently purchased (2) new phones from Verizon, and was shocked to discover no user manuals for either phone. All that was provided was a "Tips, Hints and Shortcuts Pamphlet? I got no where with the salesman, nor the store manager. Called Corporate Customer Care and was provided a Manufacturer's phone number, who after arm twisting agreed to send a free manual. All claim this is a GREEN Initiative. My reply was "that's a cheesy excuse to cut corners and boost profit." I'm 57.5 and will use that manual like a college text book to highlight and paper clip pages. My 10 year old daughter needs a manual because of no previous cell phone experience. Granted prior phone knowledge can be carried from phone to new phone, but the best way to exploit...
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It's your own senility. While I am not a green nazi I think printing manuals for the 98% who don't use them is pretty much a waste. And if you don't like the computer PDF simply hit the print button.
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If I might add to texaswireless' comment, I'd point out that the cost of printing a manual effects to much more than environmental concerns.
First, most phone boxes aren't much bigger than the phone. Boxes have shrunk by more than 50%. If we cater to the 2% of the customer base that wants a manual, I'm sure they'd be dissatisfied with the size of it. To accommodate the 2% again, they would have to increase the size of the manual, which would in turn increase the size of the box, both of which cost money. The size of the box would then increase the many cost associated with shipping the device from Korea to a US port, then the shipping of the device to the warehouse, and of course the shipping of the device to the store.
Second, t...
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First, most phone boxes aren't much bigger than the phone. Boxes have shrunk by more than 50%. If we cater to the 2% of the customer base that wants a manual, I'm sure they'd be dissatisfied with the size of it. To accommodate the 2% again, they would have to increase the size of the manual, which would in turn increase the size of the box, both of which cost money. The size of the box would then increase the many cost associated with shipping the device from Korea to a US port, then the shipping of the device to the warehouse, and of course the shipping of the device to the store.
Second, t...
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Well
Thanks to both of you. I had not purchased a phone in (4) years and so so much has changed. The Manufacturers did agree to send me a manual, so on a per occurrences basis, maybe they sell 75,000 phones and have 1,000 manuals printed up for people like me. I wrote this thread for your opinions because I am such a dinosaur. Again thank you for your points of view.
AIRWAR
Thanks to both of you. I had not purchased a phone in (4) years and so so much has changed. The Manufacturers did agree to send me a manual, so on a per occurrences basis, maybe they sell 75,000 phones and have 1,000 manuals printed up for people like me. I wrote this thread for your opinions because I am such a dinosaur. Again thank you for your points of view.
AIRWAR
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I always joke with my customers that change happens to us all, either willingly, or with us kicking and screaming.
Initially, the loss of paper manuals was to save on costs. But it ended up saving so much more. As gas got more expensive, shipping for more expensive. The reduction in the size of boxes by about 60% in the last six or more years has kept many shipping costs at bay. It would have never happened if they hadn't lost the manual, CD, and plastic clip from the boxes.
As I said, at least there's a way around it. When the day comes that you can't at least get a manual in some fashion, then we've all got issues.
Initially, the loss of paper manuals was to save on costs. But it ended up saving so much more. As gas got more expensive, shipping for more expensive. The reduction in the size of boxes by about 60% in the last six or more years has kept many shipping costs at bay. It would have never happened if they hadn't lost the manual, CD, and plastic clip from the boxes.
As I said, at least there's a way around it. When the day comes that you can't at least get a manual in some fashion, then we've all got issues.
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I think a lot of older people make things a lot harder than they really are.
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Jay needs to help Craig and DeDe learn to pass the time and leave retail to the rest of us.
🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DGg6XsYTJ8 »
🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DGg6XsYTJ8 »
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Thank you all for your input. I now have from all of you the direction to go. My last phone lasted (4) years until total destruction last week. The LG Octane I chose as a replacement was so far advanced that it scared me for a day. But again thank you all.
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You have a valid point. But I don't think they should come with the manual any longer. If requested they SHOULD send one via mail without so much hassle, but most people do not read the manual. You're a rare breed.
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Honestly I never thought the books were all that helpful anyway. They are generic for the phone and have nothing about the carrier. A good majority of what people want to know such as checking voicemail or things like that are carrier specific and the instructions in the book just don't cut it.
Not only that, a phone is a phone. They're pretty simple. One is like all the rest. They all have numbers and a menu/ok button plus a couple soft buttons that correspond to the right or left option on the screen. That's pretty much it. Browse through the menus and you'll learn all you need. I've never ever once used a book in my life for a cell phone or honestly really any technology. If I have a question and can't figure it out I google it...
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Not only that, a phone is a phone. They're pretty simple. One is like all the rest. They all have numbers and a menu/ok button plus a couple soft buttons that correspond to the right or left option on the screen. That's pretty much it. Browse through the menus and you'll learn all you need. I've never ever once used a book in my life for a cell phone or honestly really any technology. If I have a question and can't figure it out I google it...
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My family agrees with you; we'd rather have a printed manual.
Prior to when we owned a laser printer, here's what we'd do. Kinkos [which is now called Fedex Office or Fedex Kinkos] can print the pdf manual for you. The last time that we had them print a manual, you could bring the pdf file to them on various formats -- CD, CDR/CDRW, flash drive, 3.5" diskette, or a Zip disk. I think you could also email them the file.
The price Kinkos charged per page was same amount they charged for making your own photocopy -- around 8 or 9 cents. And they can print the manual for you double-sided.
Furthermore, you can ask them to bind the manual; at the register they have examples of various covers that you can have them put on the documen...
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Prior to when we owned a laser printer, here's what we'd do. Kinkos [which is now called Fedex Office or Fedex Kinkos] can print the pdf manual for you. The last time that we had them print a manual, you could bring the pdf file to them on various formats -- CD, CDR/CDRW, flash drive, 3.5" diskette, or a Zip disk. I think you could also email them the file.
The price Kinkos charged per page was same amount they charged for making your own photocopy -- around 8 or 9 cents. And they can print the manual for you double-sided.
Furthermore, you can ask them to bind the manual; at the register they have examples of various covers that you can have them put on the documen...
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Here's a .pdf of the User Guide for your LG Octane:
http://cache.vzw.com/multimedia/mim/lg_octane/octane ... »
http://cache.vzw.com/multimedia/mim/lg_octane/octane ... »
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I'm sure he knows where it is, his initial post states that he uses it like a college text book. I highly doubt a highlighter and a computer screen play nice together. Not to mention the book marking tabs. Yes you can do all that electronically, but some people like to have something to thumb through. My wife is of the newer generation and still hates having to read things online and usually just asks me how to do things with her phone if she can't figure it out.
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I'm sure if he is asking about it on here he has thought about that. Most people don't want an 8x11 copy of a user manual.
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