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Terrible experience with SONY Xperia support. Never get any product from SONY again

I want to share my terrible experience about Sony Xperia customer service and hope this story will warn anyone who is considering getting Sony Xperia phone. Any if you can help, spread this story as you are all loyal Sony customer and you will be like me if your phone needs a warranty repair.
I was excited when I saw Xperia Z launched from Sony (remember, top of the line flagship model) and I bought the phone online as they didn't launch in USA or Canada. I purchased the phone online on March 18 and able to enjoy it for 2 months. On May 24, I started experiencing Xperia Z not recognizing my sim. So I contacted Sony Xperia customer support and my nightmare begin.
They first stated that this phone is a HK model (which I didn't specifically choose that model, just whatever the online retailer provide) and they said it wasn't cover under the 10 business days turnaround. (In the warranty sheet included in the box said if I am in HK the turnaround is only 2 HOURS!!) But I have no choice but to send it in anyway hoping I can get it sooner or a bit later than 10 business days. Since then I called and called and either I was on hold for long or the customer rep just had no idea what to do (even once they said the customer support supervisor is at lunch and ask me to call back!! How can that happen!)
At last I found a supervisor to call me back about status update but he keep saying my phone is the process of repair, even till today June 26, which is 30+ days now, and the latest status update is "NO ETA!!!" SONY customer support never thought how a normal person can work without a phone for 30+ days!! One supervisor even told me to "BE PATIENCE"... I think I am patience enough to wait for 30+ days!!
I hope this story will warn anyone who is about to get ANY Xperia phone or tablet as SONY will NOT be cover your back if your gadget has any issues. Let's have this story spread and let SONY know that they are driving customer away because of their own service. Thank you for reading.

Thank you for your review of SONY customer support.
Unfortunately XDA is a DEVELOPMENT site, not a CUSTOMER SUPPORT site.
Copy your rant to the SONY site and continue your discussion there

Got my Z1 back from repair. Don't buy a Z1.

After waiting over a month for my phone to be fixed I finally got my Z1 back in the mail last week. First off the phone has the motherboard replaced so a new IMEI was given. This was a problem as Sony said my unlock would remain. Now it's not unlocked and I am still waiting for a code from sony one week later! Next up the speaker grill was missing after receiving my phone. And finally to my discovery I have noticed today my front camera does not work. I take a look at the lens and what do you know, no front camera lens. After over 5 calls to sony complaining with still no luck, agents keep telling me "were working on your case". I keep getting nothing but empty promises from Sony along with the standard "you will hear from someone in 24-48 hours" (they of course never call and I end up having to call them.)
What do I do. It feels like a dog chasing its own tail. No progress, just spinning in circles.

khhhhris said:
After waiting over a month for my phone to be fixed I finally got my Z1 back in the mail last week. First off the phone has the motherboard replaced so a new IMEI was given. This was a problem as Sony said my unlock would remain. Now it's not unlocked and I am still waiting for a code from sony one week later! Next up the speaker grill was missing after receiving my phone. And finally to my discovery I have noticed today my front camera does not work. I take a look at the lens and what do you know, no front camera lens. After over 5 calls to sony complaining with still no luck, agents keep telling me "were working on your case". I keep getting nothing but empty promises from Sony along with the standard "you will hear from someone in 24-48 hours" (they of course never call and I end up having to call them.)
What do I do. It feels like a dog chasing its own tail. No progress, just spinning in circles.
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Where did you buy your Z1? Try to go to the store and ask for a replacement because of all the issues.

I wish. I bought the phone privately. Bell would not warranty me because I am not a Bell customer, so after 3 phone calls to Sony they decided to warranty my phone. After all, it is still a sony product.
krabappel2548 said:
Where did you buy your Z1? Try to go to the store and ask for a replacement because of all the issues.
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khhhhris said:
I wish. I bought the phone privately. Bell would not warranty me because I am not a Bell customer, so after 3 phone calls to Sony they decided to warranty my phone. After all, it is still a sony product.
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Oh, that's were the problem starts then.. You don't have a payment paper stuff (warranty sheet)?

What's wrong with your Z1 before sending it to Sony?
Sent from my SGP312 using Tapatalk

If you don't have paper and invoice you are lucky they even want to take it and do anything without paying them.
Of course, that's not the reason to do something like that but it's obviously results of a free repair
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk

Had a proof or purchase from the last owner but It's just bell would not honor me because I am not part of their monopoly. Sony claims bell handles all c6906 warranties, but ended up getting a repair because of this bell would not honor my warranty. Sony didnt even need my receipt either (The phone hasn't been out for a year yet). The phone originally had issues with random shut offs, then eventually just would not turn back on.

khhhhris said:
Had a proof or purchase from the last owner but It's just bell would not honor me because I am not part of their monopoly. Sony claims bell handles all c6906 warranties, but ended up getting a repair because of this bell would not honor my warranty. Sony didnt even need my receipt either (The phone hasn't been out for a year yet). The phone originally had issues with random shut offs, then eventually just would not turn back on.
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Even if you aren't a Bell customer they have to help you in the first place. But like always it's ****ty when you buy a used device
Sent from my Xperia Neo using xda app-developers app

Previous owner knows the issue and probably sold it to you at a factor of price but not letting you know it. Sony repair centers are like lottery. Some are good and some are bad. They usually have contract with other companies to do their repair jobs.
I am not sure if Sony has repair center in Canada, but you can check the address you sent in on Google to see where it is.
Let fight to get it done right.
Sent from my C6916 using Tapatalk

In Canada, Flextronics does the repair.
It was the typical brick.
Maybe I'm lucky that they gave me a new device instead
I had bought it privately and with no receipt - but warranty wasn't an issue.
I gave Sony support the IMEI number and they gave me an RMA number with instructions.
Instead of shipping it, I brought it to Flextronics in person since it isn't that far.

Sony uses serial number to check actual mfg date of their products (imei for phones). If it is within a warranty period, they don't ask you receipt. Otherwise, you will be asked even you just bought within a few months.
Sent from my SGP312 using Tapatalk

Xperia Warranty Service is a joke

Ok, my story with Z3 Compact ended not even started.
Yes, I got lucky and my screen cracked on itself without any force.
And it looked well as sony accepted the phone in US service center even though it was bought in UK.
That's where fun part stops.
First joke is a turn around time. 14 business day for a simple repair. that is at least 3 weeks! Who can wait phone that long?
That means I have to buy a new one and send sony to ebay when and if I got it repaired.
My guess is that people would buy anything else than xperia they just got broken.
What a stupid way to loose customers. Apple store would replace phone in store or take little time to resolve issue for example.
So after 16 business days I called just to hear that part is on back-order with NO ETA!
Also I was told that its not US phone so I should not even expect it to be ready soon.
Nice Sony! Good way to treat your loyal customers.
Seems like my first and last xperia phone unfortunately....
So if you still deciding ... Look at the other phones, that are more rigid or at least have a proper warranty service for 2014.
SonyXperia US has much to catch up.

Sucks man. My screen hasn't cracked yet but if it does this will definitely be my last Sony product.

I hope it won't. I am ok with stuff breaking as soon as you have a good service to get out of the situation.
Sony did not make that easy. The worst part is that there are no more good compact phones around except of iphone and galaxy alpha. which are worse than z3c in many ways.

Sucks that you're phone-less for so long, although Sony is fixing it despite being bought in the UK, which is more than they're doing for some people. Maybe the fact that it's a UK model is why they're not treating the repair with more urgency.
Other than Apple, which other phone manufacturer will instantly replace an unlocked phone as part of the warranty? Normally this is handled through carriers or (if you're lucky) the authorized retailer, but even they usually don't offer the same instant service as Apple. It's why Apple stuff costs so much. Well, that and the fact that iSheep will blindly pay for anything Apple :laugh:

pipspeak said:
Sucks that you're phone-less for so long, although Sony is fixing it despite being bought in the UK, which is more than they're doing for some people. Maybe the fact that it's a UK model is why they're not treating the repair with more urgency.
Other than Apple, which other phone manufacturer will instantly replace an unlocked phone as part of the warranty? Normally this is handled through carriers or (if you're lucky) the authorized retailer, but even they usually don't offer the same instant service as Apple. It's why Apple stuff costs so much. Well, that and the fact that iSheep will blindly pay for anything Apple :laugh:
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For samsung, sony and all other manufacturers even if you pay premium price like note 4 for $700 and xperia Z3 $650 you get ****ty service. You wont get instant replacements what so ever.. No proper estimated ship dates, No proper customer support, No Earbuds bundled is what we pay for and seems you enjoy it more

demon_xxi said:
Ok, my story with Z3 Compact ended not even started.
Yes, I got lucky and my screen cracked on itself without any force.
And it looked well as sony accepted the phone in US service center even though it was bought in UK.
That's where fun part stops.
First joke is a turn around time. 14 business day for a simple repair. that is at least 3 weeks! Who can wait phone that long?
That means I have to buy a new one and send sony to ebay when and if I got it repaired.
My guess is that people would buy anything else than xperia they just got broken.
What a stupid way to loose customers. Apple store would replace phone in store or take little time to resolve issue for example.
So after 16 business days I called just to hear that part is on back-order with NO ETA!
Also I was told that its not US phone so I should not even expect it to be ready soon.
Nice Sony! Good way to treat your loyal customers.
Seems like my first and last xperia phone unfortunately....
So if you still deciding ... Look at the other phones, that are more rigid or at least have a proper warranty service for 2014.
SonyXperia US has much to catch up.
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feel your pain, going through the same thing:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/help/handtec-returns-t2919883
was really glad sony USA would do warranty repair for my phone.. although 14 business day turnaround time seemed like a lot (3 full weeks regularly), but ok. they never emailed me to say they received it - no emails for anything in fact. i had to chat with them to confirm they had received it. and then they returned it to me in about a week - shipped it out in under a week, actually. although i wouldn't have known it had i not seen the 2nd delivery attempt notice on my door. had they emailed me, i would've been looking out for it and had it a few days sooner.
all that's fine, it's their stipulated process and timing, i just could have used some communication throughout. but then comes the icing on the cake. they removed the SIM tray from the phone and sent it back to me without it. so my phone is useless as a phone for a week now, and i'm still waiting to get a replacement or hear anything about it. they've stopped responding to my daily follow-up emails.. the latest response i got had an order number of some kind but no idea where i can put it to check status (it's no retail order number or anything). no tracking. just a blurb that it may take 14 business days to send out a SIM tray to me. and here i thought when i called they'd be like "oh sh*t, we'll get one right out to you asap". but i had to go through this RMA process a second time in order for them to send this to me. i've now owned the phone for 6 weeks, and only 3 of those have i been able to use it. first experience with sony not going so well.

mohlsen8 said:
feel your pain, going through the same thing:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/help/handtec-returns-t2919883
was really glad sony USA would do warranty repair for my phone.. although 14 business day turnaround time seemed like a lot (3 full weeks regularly), but ok. they never emailed me to say they received it - no emails for anything in fact. i had to chat with them to confirm they had received it. and then they returned it to me in about a week - shipped it out in under a week, actually. although i wouldn't have known it had i not seen the 2nd delivery attempt notice on my door. had they emailed me, i would've been looking out for it and had it a few days sooner.
all that's fine, it's their stipulated process and timing, i just could have used some communication throughout. but then comes the icing on the cake. they removed the SIM tray from the phone and sent it back to me without it. so my phone is useless as a phone for a week now, and i'm still waiting to get a replacement or hear anything about it. they've stopped responding to my daily follow-up emails.. the latest response i got had an order number of some kind but no idea where i can put it to check status (it's no retail order number or anything). no tracking. just a blurb that it may take 14 business days to send out a SIM tray to me. and here i thought when i called they'd be like "oh sh*t, we'll get one right out to you asap". but i had to go through this RMA process a second time in order for them to send this to me. i've now owned the phone for 6 weeks, and only 3 of those have i been able to use it. first experience with sony not going so well.
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Haha and they wonder why their sales are falling..

i bought their protection plan for $50.. 2 years covered and they will send me a loaner asap when i send my phone in for repair.

radiohead14 said:
i bought their protection plan for $50.. 2 years covered and they will send me a loaner asap when i send my phone in for repair.
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where did you get that for $50? online it says 79?

sravanz said:
where did you get that for $50? online it says 79?
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employee discount :good:

Where can I get the plan for at least 79? Can I get in in USA for phone I got from Clove?
I'm willing to pay for the plan as soon as it has accidental damage coverage. This is better than going with 3rd party warranty coverage.

Fond here http://store.sony.com/gsi/webstore/...le-Phones-Protection-PLUS-Standalone-Warranty
It says $59.99 + tax I assume.
Will check tomorrow if I can get it for the phone that already went to the service.
Really had no idea that sony has these extra plans for phones.
From my previous experience I had AHD warranty for 3yrs for my laptop from Sony Japan and they easily fixed all issues with shipment around the week even when there was a disaster going in Japan few years back. Japan service worked like a clock. They would also fix issues that I did not report. Just to replace components with fresh ones.

U guys are complaining because it took a week to get a phone not warranted in the usa to be fixed for free.... Try samsung or any unlocked, non apple phone and youll beg to go back to sony.
Oh and apple makes you pay for out of warranty repairs anyway. Like cracked screens.

The biggest joke is the screen cracked by itself. What's this Sony?

i had the back glass crack by itself here in the uk, sony repaired the device for free under warranty.1 week turn around time.

Just as a heads up, most decent credit cards give you an additional year of warrenty (on items costing up to $500) on purchases made with the card. This includes SonyRewards, which also provides 90 days accidental damage protection on purchases up to $500.

When I had a Samsung S4 Active I sent it twice for warranty repair. 2 weeks was normal turn around. Quit complaining.

Just to cool down the drama I see a UPS notification today that my phone is coming home.
I still think that 3 weeks is too much for screen repair. It takes less than a hour to replace it.
It would be ok if I have to wait 3 weeks for TV or Vacuum cleaner but its hard to survive without daily driver as a phone.
Good that I have dozens phones at home to use as a replacement, most people don't. I'm just saying that this is the way for Sony to loose customers.
For most it is better to go to Apple Store, PAY and get it fixed asap than look for a replacement phone, PAY for shipment and wait ... IMHO
Where Sony could improve even with current approach is bring more transparency and feedback. They have not notified me about receiving the phone nor about the backorder delays.
The simplest check my RMA status page would help a lot. I guess it is much more expensive to have staff answering phone calls and chat about RMA status. And all they can say - in progress or yes/no received.
The other way to improve is to start using quality glass and make more durable back for the phones
Meanwhile I started considering LG G2 or Nexus5 as a possible alternative. They are pretty old but still excellent phones. Also fragile though but less.

I feel your pain. I dropped my z3 compact here in the uk and cracked my screen. I sent it off to Sony mobile repair company in the uk and they said that it would take 14 days to come back. They quoted me £97.30 for the repair which is ok I guess, I mean i did drop it. After about a week thee website said that they had diagnosed the phone and it needed a new screen (genius) but that part was out of stock. What kind of repair service doesn't have replacement screens in stock, nice one Sony, how is this your official repairer?
I then found out that I had phone insurance through my work and for £50 I could get a new phone. So I decided to contact the repairer to cancel my repair and get my broken phone back. Despite ringing the repairer numerous times they wouldn't send it back even though every time I spoke to them they said it was in the process of being done. After 10 days I decided to contact Sony customer support and to be fair to them they got it sorted and had my phone back 4 days later. So i get a new z3 compact from my insurance company, and guess what the new phone's battery is ****ed. It drains like 25% every three hours and cant make it through a single day. So I'm back onto Sony and they say it needs to go off for repair. Yep, brilliant so i can wait another 10 days for you to tell me you don't have any parts in stock. So frustrating.

Blimey mate that's rough
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app

Problems with phone AND Sony

So I have had my Z3 for about 9 days. I bought it as my work phone and it is used as my primary work line as I travel a lot. I bought the phone directly from Sony.
I have experienced major volume fluctuations where people cannot hear me, static, and garbled voice on both ends.
The phone also runs hot, the camera is not real great and the screen is sometimes completely unresponsive, and the radio is not very good at holding signal. They are adamant that if I return it they will charge a 15% restocking fee even if the phone is defective. So almost $100 to send you back YOUR defective product? Basically, they told me that they are not interested in taking it back on a return. My impression is they they want to do whatever they can to get me beyond the 14 day return window so I cannot return it. Sad. What is your return policy for again? Or I can send it to them and they can return it in 20 days. This is not acceptable for a work line.
So they also had me run the PC companion. No help on phone voice calls or quality. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with Sony for not standing behind the phone when I have problems with it.
It makes me wonder how they would be for warranty issues down the road.
I had high hopes for the phone and for Sony and their mobile division, but no more..........
I need a dependable quality phone that I can count on to be used as a PHONE.............
Will be back on the phone with them tomorrow to see if I can get them to take it back. And no, given the issues I have had with this phone, and their attitude about it, I would be very concerned about them exchanging it.

I'm sorry for your problems. My questions are where did you get it? I mean the country. What is your carrier? And what is your Z3 model?
Sent from my SGP561 using Tapatalk

Bought it directly from the Sony store. I am in the U.S. And using it on AT&T.
It is the z3 unlocked model.

habu968 said:
Bought it directly from the Sony store. I am in the U.S. And using it on AT&T.
It is the z3 unlocked model.
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try doing a firmware repair through PC companion to see if it fixes those software problems.

habu968 said:
Bought it directly from the Sony store. I am in the U.S. And using it on AT&T.
It is the z3 unlocked model.
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I am using tmo version and have no problem.
Sent from my SGP561 using Tapatalk

That's weird which Sony store if you don't mind me asking I returned my z3c no problems full refund no question asked in Orlando millennia mall Sony...
Think that's more bad manager in the store than Sony policy he probably would not meet some kind of sales quota if he does your return so he is being difficult...
I was thinking about trying z3 but now I won't since all these bad stories about Sony taking 3 weeks for warranty replacement without a loaner or worst if they charge me to return it just changed my mind

I'd say take it back to the Sony Store you bought it from, inform them that it's malfunctioning and still under warranty and keep pushing until they agree to fix it. If they still give you a hard time try to find a customer service number for Sony and see if they can help.
If neither can help then return the phone, eat the restocking fee and NEVER EVER buy another Sony product of any kind again.
I'm loving my Z3 but if I had a problem and Sony didn't stand behind their product, ALL their products would be gone from my household.

Most manufactures take that long for a replacement, thats why HTC does cross shipping for $29, giving you a brand new device as you send yours in. Maybe Sony has a similar option, avoiding the wait.

I bought it online directly from Sony. I did the PC Companion update on it Saturday and used it today for quite a while. Still seeing garbled voice and volume issues.
To their credit, called Sony customer support back and got a very helpful person. She pulled the history on the update and offered to either exchange it or let me return it without a restocking fee due to my concerns. She was VERY helpful versus the attitude I got the first time I called.
But they did again confirm a 20 day repair turnaround I'd you have it send it in for repairs.
Needless to say I think it is good business not to charge a restocking fee on a tech issue. Samsung does not nor does Mototorla or Apple.
But in the end they came through. But I will tell you they are very specific on their 14 day return policy. And the days start the day they ship it not when you receive it. Just fyi if that helps anyone.

They don't have cross shipping?

i don't think so as they never offered it to me.

Had a random Crack, sent it to Sony 2 days later they replaced it and sent it back

ya sounds like the phone has issues for sure . However try turning off VoLTE , its under the call settings. Made a world of a difference when i tried my Z3 on att for 2 days. Also there are tons of options under sound/audio. Play with those and see what comes of that as well. I will say though soon as i put my Tmobile sim back in everything went back to normal.

How long it took Sony USA to repair my SGP 621, Z3TC LTE. A case study

Hello all,
Just wanted to share my experience with you all on how long it will take to get a Xperia Z3 TC model SGP 621 fixed/repaired.
When I purchased my tablet, since it is an international model, I had to buy it from the only shop in the NYC area that offered it. Which in itself is hard to believe since you can pretty much find anything in NYC, but in this case, only one shop had it (which shows how hard it is to obtain the Z3 with LTE capability).
So I purchased it and all was well. Was loving it, and using it, till one day, it just stopped working. I was using it fine, checking email, and reading news online, put it down, and when I came back about 30 mins later, it wouldn't turn on. I tried everything. Holding the power button for like 10 seconds. Power + Volume up button for 10 seconds. Connected the power cord. Everything. No response. Heck, even the charging light wouldn't come on, but the Z3TC would get warm to hot when plugged in.
I called Sony care from the number on their website, and explained to the tech what was going on. He emailed me a link to recovery software, and installed it on my Mac, and still, no response. Eventually, he determined I had to send it in to be evaluated/repaired. (Use this day of reference as day zero)
Here's were things go really bad. They told me they would send me a FedEx email label to have it shipped. After almost a week, still no email. I called, they said I cancelled my repair request (which I hadn’t), and then after complaining, he said he was going to get my label expedited. I actually got it the next day, and shipped the tablet out to them the next day. (Day 7)
I used the tracking number, and confirmed that they received it on day 11. I waited an extra week to hear back from them if they started working on it. Nothing. Waited another 5 days, nothing. I finally call them, and they inform me that they haven’t received nothing, but since their repair services has been closed for almost 2 weeks due to the holidays, they have a huge backlog and it’s probably in there. So now I wait again. Finally on around day 30 (after calling, because they don’t contact you), I am told that it has been received, and they are going to work on it. After about another week, I call back. They say there is a problem, and waiting for the parts, but to be patient. I wait another week.
I call again, they say they repaired it and are awaiting final paperwork. I am really happy. I ask what the problem was, they say they have no information, but that it was fixed, and that they are going to ship it back to me as soon as the paperwork is ready. I say ok, and wait another 4-5 days. Finally I call back, and the guy says that they haven’t done any work to my tablet, and were waiting for me to call them back and let them know what I wanted to be done.
*PAUSE*
By now, it’s been like day 49 since my tablet stopped working. It’s going on a month and a half. Note: this is my phone. It’s now been in repair more than twice as long as I’ve had it. I am beyond livid at this point, and believe I have been MORE than patient and understanding in being given the run around.
At this point, and having a verbal back and forth with the 6 or 7th tech I’ve talked to in the past 6 weeks, he suggests I speak to his supervisor.
I start speaking to his supervisor Jerry in customer relations, and we started going at it too. The long and short of it was this. He said they couldn’t give me the same tablet I own, (the SGP 621) because it is an LTE/international model. So what they could do is offer me the U.S. variant (the SGP 612) that was only WIFI capable. I told him this is unacceptable It would be like me buying a premium version of a car, it stops working, I go to the dealer, and they offer me an inferior model, even though I paid heavily for the premium one. After more going back and forth, he told me in order to get it serviced, I would need to contact United Arab Emirates, because that’s apparently where my phone was imported from.
After going back and forth, I asked him why I wasn’t told that in the first place, instead of wasting almost 7 weeks on back and forth with Sony North America? He informed me that, “As a starting point and courtesy, Sony North America has to try to fix and it first.
I was flabbergasted. I was shocked on why they would even need to attempt to fix something, they knew they could never fix. He again repeated it was a courtesy. After this circular argument, I told him FedEx me my phone back. I want it on my desk by tomorrow. Now that I have wasted all this time. At this point I was very angry. And he said he would try to get it back to me by the next day, and he had to call the repair center and bla bla bla. I told him to call them, and we hung up.
The next day, expecting to see my tablet, there was nothing. I was going to call back by the end of the day, but instead Jerry called me back. He informed me that there was good news. That Sony had found the parts, and were going to fix my tablet for me and ship it back to me.
Finally! Good news! I was very happy and pleased by this point. And he told me I should get it soon. I waited about 4 days, and finally a package from FedEx arrived. When I opened it, to my amazement, it was a brand new Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact SGP 621. Shockingly, it was a demo U.S. variant!
First off, I didn’t even know Sony made U.S. Variants of international devices, but this one was totally legit. I was sooooo happy. I tried to write him a letter to give to his boss and team, but unfortunately, I never heard back from him. I told him to send me his email address, and I would have gladly sent a letter for him and his staff to be recognized for their efforts.
After almost 2 months (8 weeks) since this whole debacle started, I finally had my phone/tablet back.
I left out a lot of parts to this story, but this is the jist of it. The long and short of it is this. If you buy an international model of their products, and it breaks or something goes wrong, be ready to wait for it to be serviced (if it can even be serviced). It’s very possible, and likely, that Jerry went above and beyond the call of duty by contacting people high up in the food chain, to get me a rare demo unit that is not available (if ever). In general, if you buy a phone/tablet/whatever from another country, be ready. It is going to be EXTREMELY difficult, if even possible.
In the end, I am very grateful to Jerry, and his efforts. But I think that Sony should have a better system in place for getting you to the right people you need soon, in order to get you back up and running. If it wasn’t for Jerry, I’d still be in limbo trying to find a way to call UAE, and most of all, overcoming the language barrier and even trying to set up a method or way for them to service my broken phone.

Wow, almost 2 months. I would have thought US had better customer support for such things. In my country if they can't get it fixed in 1 month you can ask your money back or a new product.
You were very patient with them, I probably would have called every 2 days.

I had a similar experience in getting my xperia z2 repaired last year for a broken magnetic charging port. It was 2 months of me calling them every week. At first it was waiting for parts, then it was repaired and awaiting paperwork, then it was they cant fix it because its a model intended for taiwan. Finally after a lot of escalation they sent me a an international model replacement. Whole process took 2.5 months when they quoted 8 business days originally. And Yes I gave them my IMEI on the inital phone call and verified with the person that sony USA could service it. Sort of a bitter sweet exp overall, mostly bitter
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tonysunshine said:
I had a similar experience in getting my xperia z2 repaired last year for a broken magnetic charging port. It was 2 months of me calling them every week. At first it was waiting for parts, then it was repaired and awaiting paperwork, then it was they cant fix it because its a model intended for taiwan. Finally after a lot of escalation they sent me a an international model replacement. Whole process took 2.5 months when they quoted 8 business days originally. And Yes I gave them my IMEI on the inital phone call and verified with the person that sony USA could service it. Sort of a bitter sweet exp overall, mostly bitter
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Was it fixed under warranty? Was your product an import?
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Yes it was an import. Bought off ebay. And eventually they agreed to replace it under warranty. Took quite a few angry phone calls though
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AirBruce said:
Hello all,
Just wanted to share my experience with you all on how long it will take to get a Xperia Z3 TC model SGP 621 fixed/repaired.
When I purchased my tablet, since it is an international model, I had to buy it from the only shop in the NYC area that offered it. Which in itself is hard to believe since you can pretty much find anything in NYC, but in this case, only one shop had it (which shows how hard it is to obtain the Z3 with LTE capability).
So I purchased it and all was well. Was loving it, and using it, till one day, it just stopped working. I was using it fine, checking email, and reading news online, put it down, and when I came back about 30 mins later, it wouldn't turn on. I tried everything. Holding the power button for like 10 seconds. Power + Volume up button for 10 seconds. Connected the power cord. Everything. No response. Heck, even the charging light wouldn't come on, but the Z3TC would get warm to hot when plugged in.
I called Sony care from the number on their website, and explained to the tech what was going on. He emailed me a link to recovery software, and installed it on my Mac, and still, no response. Eventually, he determined I had to send it in to be evaluated/repaired. (Use this day of reference as day zero)
Here's were things go really bad. They told me they would send me a FedEx email label to have it shipped. After almost a week, still no email. I called, they said I cancelled my repair request (which I hadn’t), and then after complaining, he said he was going to get my label expedited. I actually got it the next day, and shipped the tablet out to them the next day. (Day 7)
I used the tracking number, and confirmed that they received it on day 11. I waited an extra week to hear back from them if they started working on it. Nothing. Waited another 5 days, nothing. I finally call them, and they inform me that they haven’t received nothing, but since their repair services has been closed for almost 2 weeks due to the holidays, they have a huge backlog and it’s probably in there. So now I wait again. Finally on around day 30 (after calling, because they don’t contact you), I am told that it has been received, and they are going to work on it. After about another week, I call back. They say there is a problem, and waiting for the parts, but to be patient. I wait another week.
I call again, they say they repaired it and are awaiting final paperwork. I am really happy. I ask what the problem was, they say they have no information, but that it was fixed, and that they are going to ship it back to me as soon as the paperwork is ready. I say ok, and wait another 4-5 days. Finally I call back, and the guy says that they haven’t done any work to my tablet, and were waiting for me to call them back and let them know what I wanted to be done.
*PAUSE*
By now, it’s been like day 49 since my tablet stopped working. It’s going on a month and a half. Note: this is my phone. It’s now been in repair more than twice as long as I’ve had it. I am beyond livid at this point, and believe I have been MORE than patient and understanding in being given the run around.
At this point, and having a verbal back and forth with the 6 or 7th tech I’ve talked to in the past 6 weeks, he suggests I speak to his supervisor.
I start speaking to his supervisor Jerry in customer relations, and we started going at it too. The long and short of it was this. He said they couldn’t give me the same tablet I own, (the SGP 621) because it is an LTE/international model. So what they could do is offer me the U.S. variant (the SGP 612) that was only WIFI capable. I told him this is unacceptable It would be like me buying a premium version of a car, it stops working, I go to the dealer, and they offer me an inferior model, even though I paid heavily for the premium one. After more going back and forth, he told me in order to get it serviced, I would need to contact United Arab Emirates, because that’s apparently where my phone was imported from.
After going back and forth, I asked him why I wasn’t told that in the first place, instead of wasting almost 7 weeks on back and forth with Sony North America? He informed me that, “As a starting point and courtesy, Sony North America has to try to fix and it first.
I was flabbergasted. I was shocked on why they would even need to attempt to fix something, they knew they could never fix. He again repeated it was a courtesy. After this circular argument, I told him FedEx me my phone back. I want it on my desk by tomorrow. Now that I have wasted all this time. At this point I was very angry. And he said he would try to get it back to me by the next day, and he had to call the repair center and bla bla bla. I told him to call them, and we hung up.
The next day, expecting to see my tablet, there was nothing. I was going to call back by the end of the day, but instead Jerry called me back. He informed me that there was good news. That Sony had found the parts, and were going to fix my tablet for me and ship it back to me.
Finally! Good news! I was very happy and pleased by this point. And he told me I should get it soon. I waited about 4 days, and finally a package from FedEx arrived. When I opened it, to my amazement, it was a brand new Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact SGP 621. Shockingly, it was a demo U.S. variant!
First off, I didn’t even know Sony made U.S. Variants of international devices, but this one was totally legit. I was sooooo happy. I tried to write him a letter to give to his boss and team, but unfortunately, I never heard back from him. I told him to send me his email address, and I would have gladly sent a letter for him and his staff to be recognized for their efforts.
After almost 2 months (8 weeks) since this whole debacle started, I finally had my phone/tablet back.
I left out a lot of parts to this story, but this is the jist of it. The long and short of it is this. If you buy an international model of their products, and it breaks or something goes wrong, be ready to wait for it to be serviced (if it can even be serviced). It’s very possible, and likely, that Jerry went above and beyond the call of duty by contacting people high up in the food chain, to get me a rare demo unit that is not available (if ever). In general, if you buy a phone/tablet/whatever from another country, be ready. It is going to be EXTREMELY difficult, if even possible.
In the end, I am very grateful to Jerry, and his efforts. But I think that Sony should have a better system in place for getting you to the right people you need soon, in order to get you back up and running. If it wasn’t for Jerry, I’d still be in limbo trying to find a way to call UAE, and most of all, overcoming the language barrier and even trying to set up a method or way for them to service my broken phone.
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Yup, had something like this with the z ultra. It wouldnt charge at different angles but they said since it was imported, they arent responsible for it (think i had something like this with a samsung device too). This is why I have insurance with worth ave grou o(google them, legit, i've legit used the warranty for some very expensive repairs and they've always come through just read the fine print carefully) they wont fix mechanical breakdown but they do cover accidental damage so...

Motherf... well, as well as Sony has learned from Apple's pricing, they could certainly learn a little fruity customer service too.
What does surprise me is that they actually try and repair those gadgets. I think it'd just be cheaper for any manufacturer to simply ship a new/refurb one to you after confirming a shopstopper defect and be done with it.