Related
Okay, just purchased my first Snap (s521 - purchased off eBay, quite sure it's an Asian version) a couple of weeks ago and been thoroughly happy with it. Haven't taken the plunge to HardSPL it and put on a cooked ROM (just concerned I suppose - shouldn't be though, I know). Yesterday with all the excitement of boxing day, managed to crack the LCD screen, and now can only see half the screen (the other half is white with a couple of really nice ink marks - would probably look like a butterfly if I looked hard enough.....lol ).
Been searching real hard on the internet, and can't seem to find a replacement for it any where. I'm from Australia, and only 1 carrier has the right's to the Snap here at the moment, therefore general repair shops don't seem to want to know about it.
Can anyone recommend a place to purchase a new screen? Any and all help greatly appreciated.
Cheers, Chris.
Hi
Im still looking for a replacement screen for one of ours as well. The only place in AU i can find is www.fonebiz.com.au
They quoted me $135 to install a replacement screen. They won't sell the screens seperatley though.
Hopefully it helps.
Matt
Thanx for that Matt.
I sent an email off to them this weekend, and I was waiting for a reply. They are supposedly the only authorised HTC repair centre in Australia, but I've read many bad reports about them in other forums. But I suppose $135 is far better then several $100's to get a new one. Fonebiz pretty much has the market to themselves in Australia until HTC allows other businesses to sell the Snap (once the contract with Telstra ends). If I come up with anything, I'll let you know as well.
I'm just surprised that I can't seem to find any for sale any where in the world. Not on eBay, through various stores in other countries - it's almost like we have a very specialised phone, with very little after sales / parts need.
Yep i would have thought it would have been easier to get a screen from the US or HK but no luck.
Ive had nothing but issues with fonebiz in trying to get phones replaced that are dropping reception and freezing. Hopefully you get through ok, they were quick to reply to my emails during business hours so you may need to wait till tomorrow for a response.
go to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=405566
and
http://cnn.cn
Another reff
http://www.mikechannon.net/page4.html
http://www.jetcitydevices.com/htc-snap/screen-repair
Thanx Harunjo,
After many calls and email to the Australian HTC help line, and then later to the SEA help line, I find out that my phone's serial number shows that the phone was destined for sale in Indonesia. No repair shop in Australia can source the screen except for the official repair centre, which refuses to touch the phone as it was purchased from overseas. Therefore I had 2 choices;
1. Send it to Indonesia to get fixed - Couldn't do as the phone number is not connected.
2. Go through one of the Global Repair Centres.
After contacting Honk Kong, UK, and trying to contact US (really bad time difference with Australia), I decided to follow through with the email contacts with SEA help, and just sent the phone off to Singapore today. Hopefully I will get it back within a few weeks.
One thing I'll say is that every person I spoke to at HTC were more then willing to do everything they could to help me, I just suppose it has everything to do with the whole repair / exclusivity / contract deal with Telstra in Australia - plus a fairly arrogant phone repair company that thinks they are so extremely fantastic that they decide how things work - wish I had a business that was so profitable that I could turn fully paying customers away on a whim (just ranting, couldn't believe how hard it was to try and get this phone fixed - seam to get a lot of bad press through forums does this repair business).
Anyways, as much as the whole experience may have turned me off HTC phones (as this is my first), I like them so much already, that I'll stick with them, just make sure the next phone I get is from Australia or has been out in Australia for a while and has full repair support.
Anybody looking to buy parts from Global Direct Parts .com beware of them, it's a scam.
I placed an order for 4 ribbon cables for HD2 phones on a sat. The next monday I wanted to add something the said it was already processed, so I had to place another order and pay shipping.
They FAQ says they can reduce min quantities if I buy at least $ 125 of parts, so I add a LCD and place order. They cancelled since now they want $ 149 min. They also went over and changed their web site, so I cannot prove anything.
After 2 weeks my parts are not here, so I call and a wiseguy said I still have to wait until the next 2 days since it was still processing.
The next day they email me they lost my package.
I reply demanding they ship another with Express delivery to make up for the poor service.
They decline and want to issue a refund, and guess what, price on items has gone up (what a coincidence).
I emailed today asking where is my refund (paid with Paypal) and they stated it takes 2 BUSINESS days to issue it.
I placed a claim on Paypal and they emailed back threaten me to stall refund indefinitely unless I remove the claim.
Sorry for this long rant, but such a poor customer service place shouldn't be allowed to do business. I invite anybody NOT to use this place.
They also falsely claim they have all the parts in USA, while they actually dropship from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Beware guys !!!
Wow. That sux
Sent from my Ally using XDA App
I will agree. Terrible customer service. They say they have new or "a" stock.... the "a" stock are used parts, including damaged and unusable. the others are just in poor shape. then there's the problem with them making you pay to ship their junk back, even after it has been determined to be their error. that's just shady. then the total bs they call customer service... if your lucky to get someone, they are uneducated and clueless about anything going on. good luck trying to get answers or some management to reply to you. i own a repair shop and have spent (wasted) thousands of dollars with these losers.
BEWARE AND AVOID!!!!!
thanks will know
I bought 10 Ffc and no problem I'm sorry you had pRoblems with them
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I bought a Samsung Captivate housing almost a year ago and it took about 5 days to get it. Part was new with no scratches at all.
Had no problem with them
I have bought some FFC's from them before and didnt have any issue. Good to know though if I do anything through them in the future!
I bought some. Speakers for an evo 4g about 8 months ago and all went well. About a month or 2 later I got emails from them saying that they had a major employee leave and not to trust emails coming from a. Similar company.
I had a great experience with them and the parts were perfect
Hi All,
It seems that this company went through a bit of a struggle at some point. Being a business owner myself I know that dealing with the public is not always easy especially when you have employees that are not the right fit. You can only do your best and learn from your mistakes and successes.
I just purchased tablet frames from them and they were perfect, the customer service was perfect and I am going to their website now to purchase more. I found some really hard to find products in new condition and at a great price. Personally my experience was great and I would highly recommend them. Definitely NOT a scam. They delivered.
Lance
Clay333 said:
I bought some. Speakers for an evo 4g about 8 months ago and all went well. About a month or 2 later I got emails from them saying that they had a major employee leave and not to trust emails coming from a. Similar company.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it is true that maybe a competitor is trying to sabotage them. I saw the same exact review plastered across several different review sites. I just got parts from Global Direct Parts recently. While I can't say the parts are so good, the customer service was very rapid and good. Apparently they sent an aftermarket that was suppose to be OEM. The customer service agent said the Huawei OEM parts are hard to come by and they usually get it out of refurbished phones now and some might have been refurbished before with aftermarket parts that they didn't end up catching. They immediately refunded me saying since the OEM parts is hard to come by, there is a good chance I'll get another aftermarket.
The other 3 parts they sent are good and as described. I would definitely do business with the company again.
i've just bought a new nexus s from cpw, and the seal tag is broken, but with another seal tag put over the top. i'm guessing this isn't normal and the phone has been used before and a new seal has been slapped over the top. anyone else experienced this?
i'm sure i'm in my rights to reject this.
I would reject it. My first Nexus S was from Best Buy and they tried to sell me the display model. The screen had a dead spot in it. They were baffled when I returned it a few days later as to what could have been the issue with that. Its a display model, and you:
A) didn't tell me that
B) didn't offer me some sort of open box discount as it was essentially used
C) didn't bother testing it to make sure it worked properly
I took it to a different store and they exchanged it for me right away and I am much happier.
after 20 mins phone tussle with cpw the advisor didn't understand that i bought a sim-free phone and kept telling me about my upgrade would be cancelled, that my contract would have to be cancelled too, and that i have to take it back to the store - at my expense - to return it and wait 3 days for a refund. i could then buy another phone instore though... after a bit of to'ing and fro'ing it looks like i can now actually walk out with a new phone, without 'purchasing' a new phone.
to cpw's credit though, i now have a new phone in my posession even after travelling to the store. so all's good (i hope)
also - not sure how true this is - but after i said that sim-free's usually have an extra seal inside the box, and i didn't think it was kosher - she pointed out that this is only with htc devices, and not samsung, and only samsung would have put that seal on over the original box as 'they' don't have samsung stickers...
which also kinda hints that they do resticker other brands.
mine was like that, I wasnt bothered to be honest
Mine was like that as well, seems to be widespread
The ones from Best Buy dont even come sealed. It drives me crazy
OK. SO, This was my first dealing with handtec or any of the overseas online companies.
It was on the 5th of November that I bought a Galaxy Note from them. Before I actually made the purchase, I used the "live support" to ask them regarding the availability of the product and quality support they can offer me after the purchase. The chat was very professional and I even got a discount with the phone. I ended up getting the sim free version for the price of the network logo version.
Few weeks after I received my phone, I finally have the time to have a good look of my phone, I found 3 dead pixels on the screen. Man! was I devastated! (for those of you remember my thread about it). I used the live support again and they suggested me to return it back to them asap and ensured me that everything will be taken care of and not to worry. I remember the operator said to me "Don't worry, handtec will take care of you"
After about 4 days of sending back the phone (which is today ).....my tracking status showed the item was delivered. So I immediately use the live support again to ask them about whether or not they have got the phone. They said they have, so I asked them when they will be sending the replacement back to me. They said they will try to send the replacement today.
I told them that I hope the replacement phone that I will be getting will be without dead pixels. I don't want to have to pay the expensive return postage again. They said they can help me to gain a peace of mind by letting them open my box to check to make sure. So I agreed (it took me a while to make that decision as I have always like the feeling of opening a brand new package )
I then logged off the live support, but as soon I logged off...I was like...oh crap!
I forgot to tell them to wear a glove and also make sure that none of the protectors were taken off while they check my screen. So I logged back on in about a minute after I logged off and asked them not to take off any protectors. Guess what they said to my surprise?! (apparently, it was the same operator)...and he said the check has already been done, nothing is wrong with the phone, and it is going to the warehouse as we speak, ready to be sent out today, and I will be getting it early next week.....
WOW....they must be SUPERMEN or something close....so professional and efficient.....
At this point....I would never hesitate to buy from them again in the future because they are very professional, responsible and efficient...
I will let you guys know when I actually receive the replacement back from them......and hopefully by then, I can also say...yay...my screen is PERFECT too
Anyways...thanks for hearing me out....hope I get my lovely GNote back soon!!
My experience has been near the same with them, sans the dead pixels. I placed my order with them at 1:30 EST (Im in the US) on the 28th of November. Email conformations were quick and informative. On the 29th I received an email stating that because of my first time order with them, and that I was overseas, I needed to answer some additional security questions (Credit Card Bank Authorization number, etc.) I responded quickly to this, and they continued the vetting process. I ended up calling them to be sure they had everything. They were very polite and helpful on the phone. Rather than continue to delay the shipment, they asked that they be able to send the shipment to my work address so that they didnt have to wait for the security team to validate my home address with my CC. Because of the time difference between the US and UK, they werent able to ship it on Tuesday. I checked my tracking number on Wednesday and found that they sprung for overnight AM shipping! So Thursday morning my package comes in (my only complaint here is that they didnt ship it in a box, it in a loose bubble envelope). All has been working great since! No dead pixels, and this phone is simply amazing!
Hats off to Handtec for doing it right!
Bought both SGS II and the Note from handtec. I'm probably going to continue the trend with Galaxy S III. Despite what some people say about handtec not selling "UK" version of the note, it's not like it matters much here in the US
Both times, my phones arrived in less than 24 hours from UK!!!
Glad to hear there are good experiences with them, I will have to try them out on my next phone Galaxy S3? xD
plasket said:
My experience has been near the same with them, sans the dead pixels. I placed my order with them at 1:30 EST (Im in the US) on the 28th of November. Email conformations were quick and informative. On the 29th I received an email stating that because of my first time order with them, and that I was overseas, I needed to answer some additional security questions (Credit Card Bank Authorization number, etc.) I responded quickly to this, and they continued the vetting process. I ended up calling them to be sure they had everything. They were very polite and helpful on the phone. Rather than continue to delay the shipment, they asked that they be able to send the shipment to my work address so that they didnt have to wait for the security team to validate my home address with my CC. Because of the time difference between the US and UK, they werent able to ship it on Tuesday. I checked my tracking number on Wednesday and found that they sprung for overnight AM shipping! So Thursday morning my package comes in (my only complaint here is that they didnt ship it in a box, it in a loose bubble envelope). All has been working great since! No dead pixels, and this phone is simply amazing!
Hats off to Handtec for doing it right!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you reach them on the phone? I tried to call them many times, but all end up being referred to go to the website.
How can the package get there overnight? wow
what version of the note are they selling?? and where is it made (although i'm not quite sure what problems are inherent with which manufacturing site)
DMax99 said:
.....So I logged back on in about a minute after I logged off and asked them not to take off any protectors. Guess what they said to my surprise?! (apparently, it was the same operator)...and he said the check has already been done, nothing is wrong with the phone, and it is going to the warehouse as we speak, ready to be sent out today....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that Handtec is a good/reliable company and also no offense to you but seriously..? In a minute? Come on... Since you said they asked for permission for opening it I assume it was opened/checked after you close the chat.
Lets see:
Closing chat with you and email or phone the Service Dept to check the phone? Time: 1-3min
Service Dept: Find your phone or any phone that will be sent, open box, open back cover and put presumably a used battery in it and start it up? Time: 5-10m if they haven't anything else to do.
Doing some quick tests directly on the phone or connected to the PC? I will give it another 3-8min because some pre-requirements might be needed.
Tests done and ready to ship, shutting phone down, removing back cover, out the battery, backcover on, phone in box closed, report made for the phone(not always), everything ready to sent and finally in it's way to the "warehouse"? Add another 10-20min
We are looking at about 20-40minutes if everything goes smoothtly. No offense OP but some common sense doesn't hurt here. Many people might jump to wrong conclusions reading that.
DMax99 said:
WOW....they must be SUPERMEN or something close....so professional and efficient.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are just being sarcastic aren't you...? Please tell me you are!
Also please, this post in not directed to you OP. But at Handtec.
koniakki said:
I agree that Handtec is a good/reliable company and also no offense to you but seriously..? In a minute? Come on... Since you said they asked for permission for opening it I assume it was opened/checked after you close the chat.
Lets see:
Closing chat with you and email or phone the Service Dept to check the phone? Time: 1-3min
Service Dept: Find your phone or any phone that will be sent, open box, open back cover and put presumably a used battery in it and start it up? Time: 5-10m if they haven't anything else to do.
Doing some quick tests directly on the phone or connected to the PC? I will give it another 3-8min because some pre-requirements might be needed.
Tests done and ready to ship, shutting phone down, removing back cover, out the battery, backcover on, phone in box closed, report made for the phone(not always), everything ready to sent and finally in it's way to the "warehouse"? Add another 10-20min
We are looking at about 20-40minutes if everything goes smoothtly. No offense OP but some common sense doesn't hurt here. Many people might jump to wrong conclusions reading that.
You are just being sarcastic aren't you...? Please tell me you are!
Also please, this post in not directed to you OP. But at Handtec.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL....It is TRUE....when I was on the chat the first time I have already given him the permission to check the phone. I don't know how their company works, but when I logged back on (maybe about 30 seconds to 1 minutes after) He told me the phone has already been checked.
BTW....They only said they would check the screen with my new replacement phone as the problem with my faulty phone was with the dead pixels on the screen.
But seriously I am not sure how the company works.....I am suspecting that the company is quite small. So maybe their warehouse and return department are the same department, and maybe there are only a few people working in the company with each person doing multiple things. Therefore, it take less time for communication. I really believe they try to make their company look bigger than what it really is.
Finally, I was not being sarcastic when I told them they are supermen. I really thought that they were really efficient.
ps. all the things I have told you are what they have told me on the chat. who knows what really happened over there on the other side of the world.
They were pretty easy to get ahold of. I called their number that was listed on the website, reached an automated prompt, chose sales support and waited a few minutes on hold. Guy picked up pretty quickly. They have hours from like 7-5:30 UK time
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
You people must be really lucky to get the phone delivered so fast. I ordered mine with some accessories on the 29th, I have yet to get it. Fedex status says clearance delay. First, Customs wanted an itemized breakdown with value. Then they want an FCC form. Having sent many phones to the U.S, I would have expected Handtec to know what documents are required to get through Customs.
That aside their customer service is pretty good so far. I'm just frustrated I didn't have the phone over the weekend.
So finally received my gnote.
Powered up got the OTA and now I'm enjoying it. Handtec even credited my credit card because the price has dropped since I purchased it.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
My replacement should get here by tomorrow
Ok....so I have finally received the replacement back from handtec. They have also given me a Travel Power Adapter as a gift. I think they have given me that because the phone was supposed to be sent to me last Friday but didn't end up getting sent on Monday (not really a big deal to me though).
I have quickly turned on the phone to check the screen and it looks fine. I am pretty sure it's a German version as there is a German Manual in the Box plus, the phone was in German when it first booted up. It is kind of weird because everything on the back of the box is in English and even says UK at the buttom.
Anyways...I will start using the phone tonight after it's being charged fully and with a screen protector on. Hopefully there will be nothing wrong with this handset
I must say this again at the end....I am very satisfied with handtec's customer service. I will definitely buy from them again!
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
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
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
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was it fixed under warranty? Was your product an import?
Sent from my SGP621 using XDA Free mobile app
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
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
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.