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Hi all
I've just received my MDA Vario II back from T-Mobile for a warranty repair relating to a fast battery discharge and dead camera. After a 5 week wait I picked it up today only to learn they've refused the repair, alleging that the unit has been "crushed or dropped" I could show you photos but you might as well look at official marketing pics - my handset is pristine (as the original warranty claim form acknowledged) and has never had a serious drop, let alone crush.
On looking at the condition of the handset, the store manager urged me to dispute the decision (Service Centre seems very detached from Retail) and volunteered to act as a witness on my behalf. That is good to know, but I'm wondering what general strategy to take. I'm supposed to call the Service Center tomorrow for an explanation but I'm expecting to hit a blank refusal and dead end.
On a technical note, how do they determine "crush or drop" other than obvious case damage (there is none)? I'm guessing that unlike water damage there is no specific indicator widget.
Any tips for fighting this case gladly received! (I won't let the sods go without a fight!!)
Thanks all!
sim
PS I can live without the camera but the battery problem makes the unit effectively useless - dead by lunchtime.
Federal & State actions filed against SE re: cracking/warranty issues (Please sticky)
Like so many of you, I had issues with my Xperia cracking; but I kept the device in a hard case so the cosmetics of the device never concerned me. I never had any intention of sending my Xperia in for warranty repair until I experienced the dreaded "ribbon cable" failure (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=563448).
I called SE & was told to send the phone for warranty repair. One week after SE received my phone, I called them to find out the repair status & was told they would not honor the warranty due to the phone's "physical damage", even after I explained that the cracking had nothing to do with the ribbon cable failure & amply documented that the cracking was due to SE's design defect.
Fed up with repeated "escalations" & failures from SE to return my calls, I requested that they return my phone for outside repair. And rather than be mad at SE for failing to honor the warranty, I decided to get even with SE, by filing complaints with the US Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General of the State of North Carolina (the location of SE's US headquarters.)
After speaking with both of these offices, they state that any subsequent complaints filed by other consumers are allowed to reference those I've already submitted, so I would encourage anyone else who feels ripped off by SE over these issues to follow the steps below & join me in taking action.
Text of my original complaints
1. I sent my X1a in for repair because longer respond after sliding out the keyboard; after doing some research, it appears there are other users experiencing the same issue and that it is related to a simple ribbon wire connecting the screen to the keyboard - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=563448 The phone was in no way damaged to cause this malfunction.
2. But after calling to check on the status of the repair, I was told that my warranty would not cover the repair because the service department felt the cracks in the case of my Xperia indicated it had "been physically damaged." (Please note that on page 11 of the Xperia warranty, Sony Ericsson itself "warrants this Product to be free from defects in design, material and workmanship.") http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/dow...80736/LegalAndWarranty_1223-9693_2_AE_12 .pdf
3. After doing further research, I determined that countless Xperia owners around the world have been reporting excessive fragility/cracking in the cases of silver Xperias. There are 141 pages of complaints here - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=447211 ; and 24 pages of complaints here - http://www.xperiax1.net/forum/xperia-x1/1137-your-x1-cracked.html Here is a news article about the issue on the Engadget blog (http://mobile.engadget.com/2008/12/28/sony-ericssons-xperia-x1-developing-cracks), which Sony Ericsson even links on its official Xperia blog, http://xperiancers.com Please note that many of these owners have remarked at how difficult it has been to get Sony Ericsson to acknowledge its warranty obligations over this cracking.
4. It is difficult to understand how this issue could have escaped Sony Ericsson USA's attention, since Xperia owners have even posted about this on Sony Ericsson's official Xperia blog: here http://xperiancers.com/2009/02/24/n...h-open-gl-support/comment-page-1/#comment-835 & here http://xperiancers.com/2009/09/10/x1-upgrade-not-in-the-roadmap/comment-page-1/#comment-2040 And Sony Ericsson's head of marketing in Holland, Harold De Kort, admitted in an interview that there has been a problem with the Xperia cracking (translated from Dutch): http://translate.google.com/transla...fe=off&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS319US320&sa=N&start=30
5. There appears to be a serious design defect with the device and Sony Ericsson is attempting to not only avoid its warranty obligations related to this defect, but to use this as a way to avoid its warranty obligations over unrelated issues.
Addresses & Websites needed to File complaints
SE Corporate Info -
Company Name/Address:
SONY ERICSSON MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS
7001 DEVELOPMENT DRIVE
P.O.BOX 13969
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. 27709 USA
Phone: +1 919 472 70 00
http://www.ericsson.com/ericsson/worldwide/usa.shtml
US Federal Trade Commission - https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en#last
File your complaint as a computer hardware issue & make reference to my previous complaint, Reference # 24809284.
NC State Attorney General - http://www.ncdoj.gov/Consumer/2-2-12-File-a-Complaint.aspx
Click the "Submit Electronically" link under "General Consumer Complaints" & make reference to my previous complaint, ConsComplaintID # 4229.
Space Reserved
Space Reserved
Whats weird is I had exactly the same keyboard issue. My x1a also had case cracks. I filed for an RMA and they (SE US) had me a new x1a in less than ten days. This all happened in august. I've had A plus customer service..
Whats weird is I had exactly the same keyboard issue. My x1a also had case cracks. I filed for an RMA and they (SE US) had me a new x1a in less than ten days. This all happened in august. I've had A plus customer service. Also they are moving their north american headquarters from morrisville, nc to atlanta, ga.
emuneee said:
Whats weird is I had exactly the same keyboard issue. My x1a also had case cracks. I filed for an RMA and they (SE US) had me a new x1a in less than ten days. This all happened in august. I've had A plus customer service. Also they are moving their north american headquarters from morrisville, nc to atlanta, ga.
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Happy you had a better outcome; obviously, I would only have taken this step if there were no other recourse.
And the AG of every state in which SE sells the Xperia has jurisdiction, but NC is easiest, since their corp HQ is there; making subpeonas easier. The future move to GA is not so material.
so what is going to be the outcome of all this?
comeradealexi said:
so what is going to be the outcome of all this?
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I'm not Nostradamus, but the process should work something like this:
1. From the FTC website: the FTC will add all complaints about the Xperia "it receives into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database that is used by thousands of civil and criminal law enforcement authorities worldwide. The FTC does not resolve individual consumer complaints." So the FTC complaint will allow government agencies worldwide to review complaint data & initiate their own actions against SE; FTC complaints may be filed by non-US citizens, also.
2. The NC Attorney General will attempt to resolve individual consumer complaints; in the US, state attorneys general are usually the lead agencies on non-safety related consumer complaints. Either individually or collectively, they often negotiate settlements on behalf of consumers with companies accused of deceptive trade practices; NC AG complaints may be filed by individuals outside of North Carolina & the USA.
3. SE is in the midst of rolling out the X2 & X10, so negative publicity about this product line & SE's warranty practices could affect their bottom line. If we can get enough disgruntled consumers to complain, it should help to get coverage in the media & blogosphere and put additional pressure on SE to honor these warranty claims.
Bumped to get the bandwagon rolling.
All the best with your fight against SE.
When my X1 developed cracks in the case in exactly the same place as others have had cracks I phoned SE and asked them for some advice and they told me to send the phone in to their repair centre so they could assess the damage and then make a decision on what to do next.
It then took them several weeks and many phone calls from me before they finally sent me a letter saying that they decided it was cosmetic damage and that if I wanted it repaired it would cost me £40 which included the cost of returning the phone to me, if I didn’t want it repaired I would have to pay £10 to have it returned unrepaired or if I wanted they would environmentally dispose of my phone for me.. That’s a 3 month old X1 with nothing wrong with it other then the case cracks and which I actually paid the full sim free price of £500 as Orange were not supplying the phone at the time of launch.. As you can imagine I was quite upset with SE's findings but felt like I was over a barrel so I paid for the repair and got the phone back.
No matter how much I argued with them that this must be a manufacturing fault / substandard materials etc they wouldn’t listen. I also asked them how my phone had developed cracks in the exact same place as many other people who had posted images on line and they couldn’t respond at all they just kept saying that there engineer had decided (more likely was told to decide) that it was cosmetic damage and they stand by that decision.
Anyway all was well with the phone until just last month as the same cracks have now reappeared in exactly the same place as before! Obviously this must be cosmetic damage and misuse by me right, surely it cant be substandard materials or a design fault..
As you can image having paid £500 for the phone I have kept this phone in mint condition ever since I brought it keeping it in a hard plastic case and keeping it in my inside jacket pocket never in my trouser pockets where it might get crushed etc..
SE do not look after their customers at all.. I think I'll have to forget my brand loyalty on the next phone I purchase…
Trying to bump this up...great idea, I am working on it as well
i doubt this will work or change anything but i hope u prove me wrong
i dont have a crack in mine but ive been very carefull since word got out about cracking.
anyways, a bump to show support for those who have problems (who knows i may be in the same boat someday)
A bump to keep this front & center; thanks to everyone for their support!
Go get them tiger, we are just right beside of u man
its a shame i'm in the uk...
Just developed the exact same problem, with the ribbon cable, last week, and it being xmas time, I cannot get it repaired until past the new year.
This morning I discovered my x1a, also had a nasty crack that I had not noticed. Hope it all goes well, and I can hopefully get a replacement, it's really bumming me out.
At least they called you!
SonyXperia said:
All the best with your fight against SE.
When my X1 developed cracks in the case in exactly the same place as others have had cracks I phoned SE and asked them for some advice and they told me to send the phone in to their repair centre so they could assess the damage and then make a decision on what to do next.
It then took them several weeks and many phone calls from me before they finally sent me a letter saying that they decided it was cosmetic damage and that if I wanted it repaired it would cost me £40 which included the cost of returning the phone to me, if I didn’t want it repaired I would have to pay £10 to have it returned unrepaired or if I wanted they would environmentally dispose of my phone for me.. That’s a 3 month old X1 with nothing wrong with it other then the case cracks and which I actually paid the full sim free price of £500 as Orange were not supplying the phone at the time of launch.. As you can imagine I was quite upset with SE's findings but felt like I was over a barrel so I paid for the repair and got the phone back.
No matter how much I argued with them that this must be a manufacturing fault / substandard materials etc they wouldn’t listen. I also asked them how my phone had developed cracks in the exact same place as many other people who had posted images on line and they couldn’t respond at all they just kept saying that there engineer had decided (more likely was told to decide) that it was cosmetic damage and they stand by that decision.
Anyway all was well with the phone until just last month as the same cracks have now reappeared in exactly the same place as before! Obviously this must be cosmetic damage and misuse by me right, surely it cant be substandard materials or a design fault..
As you can image having paid £500 for the phone I have kept this phone in mint condition ever since I brought it keeping it in a hard plastic case and keeping it in my inside jacket pocket never in my trouser pockets where it might get crushed etc..
SE do not look after their customers at all.. I think I'll have to forget my brand loyalty on the next phone I purchase…
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Click to collapse
Hi,
well, same here in Austria. I had a headphone jack problem (broken, see other forums). At least you got a phone call! I got my phone returned after 4 weeks and had to pay 40 € for the service (aprox. 50$) for nothing. Also here, there was a crack in the case which SE used as an excuse not to do anything with my phone arguing that I (or somebody) already tried to open it thereby causing the crack. So no warranty valid they said instead of calling me and asking whether to repair it for another 10-20 €.
Arguing with SE about it? Forget it. I found a replacement part on the internet for 5 €. Imagine that?! Changing it yourself is not that easy but can be done although this REALLY voids all warranty (well, what can I loose since I can not use my phone without the headphone anyway?).
Guess I will be looking for an Iphone, Nokia or similar next year.
im getting a black one, hope it doesn't have this problem
im loyal to SE, but i think.... have too look for an alternative if SE doesn't look seriously into this problem.
It fell out of my hands face flat onto a concrete floor - I tried to catch it mid fall and ending up flicking it further away, around 4-5ft drop with quite a bit of force in the end.
NO DAMAGE at all!!
This phone is not as fragile as people are making out on xda.
Just thought I would let people know as all I see on here is 'it smashed/cracked by itself' 'i didn't drop it far etc etc
Perhaps I am just lucky, either way front and back glass are still perfectly fine.
This might help people who are still on the fence to buy it or not.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
Yeah I've had my phone fall a few times onto wooden floors, once into the crevices of my car seat, tossed on my bed etc; phone is still mint. No case or screen protector.
Sent from my D5803
pricey2009 said:
It fell out of my hands face flat onto a concrete floor - I tried to catch it mid fall and ending up flicking it further away, around 4-5ft drop with quite a bit of force in the end.
NO DAMAGE at all!!
........
This might help people who are still on the fence to buy it or not.
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Click to collapse
Well maybe you should change the title lol. Now people will think this is yet another thread about a Z3C that has fallen to pieces.
I've dropped mine after 1h from taking out of the box... from the microwave to to counter and to tiles floor, i lost few years of my life, but the phone was absolutely immaculate, not wearing any protection at all
Robin>Hood said:
Well maybe you should change the title lol. Now people will think this is yet another thread about a Z3C that has fallen to pieces.
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Click to collapse
Don't you think that makes it more likely to be read though? Lol
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
You could change the title to something like "Post about your drops with no damage!"
every drop is different.
if you are lucky it survives a 2m drop.
if you are unlucky it cracks from 50cm
pricey2009 said:
It fell out of my hands face flat onto a concrete floor - I tried to catch it mid fall and ending up flicking it further away, around 4-5ft drop with quite a bit of force in the end.
NO DAMAGE at all!!
This phone is not as fragile as people are making out on xda.
Just thought I would let people know as all I see on here is 'it smashed/cracked by itself' 'i didn't drop it far etc etc
Perhaps I am just lucky, either way front and back glass are still perfectly fine.
This might help people who are still on the fence to buy it or not.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
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Click to collapse
@pricey2009
Hey Pricey
Tbh I think you're massively lucky... but please add your experience to the survey, so that it's as representative as possible.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/general/sony-xperia-z3-z3-compact-glass-survey-t2900149
Regards,
Gary
gazzawazza said:
@pricey2009
Hey Pricey
Tbh I think you're massively lucky... but please add your experience to the survey, so that it's as representative as possible.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/general/sony-xperia-z3-z3-compact-glass-survey-t2900149
Regards,
Gary
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Click to collapse
All done
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
Sounds like a defective unit to me - ask Sony to replace for one that cracks properly :good:
To the OP.. What week is your phone was manufactured?
Sent from my C2104 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Sparksys said:
To the OP.. What week is your phone was manufactured?
Sent from my C2104 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
W39
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
you must be lucky - I dropped mine 2 days after getting it and it landed on a corner of a glass scale and entire back screen was in bits.... I still have a chipmark on the bezel at the back (tiny but still) but luckily I managed to get the back glass replaced by my insurance. What I'm worried about now is how it affects the water resistance but hopefully they would have done a decent job and put the back screen in properly...
Dropped mine today after a week of use. Was in my shirt pocket and fell on the concrete floor as I was bending down. There was no case on it. Only screen protectors. I was really nervous to check for any damage after reading through the plethora of negative reviews regarding cracks. To my surprise the phone did not suffer from any damage whatsoever. Was quite relieved. My case (Ringke fusion) is still on the way. Hope it arrives soon.
I placed my order from Sony's USA site this past Friday. I had the option to also purchase the 2 year warranty from Sony for an extra $79.99. I am very, very careful with my devices, so I normally don't purchase the extra protection. But this will be my first all glass phone, so I'm wondering if I should shell out the extra $80.
Weird thing is that Sony's website states that I have up until 365 days after my purchase to get the 2 yr warranty. So, does that mean I can wait until my phone breaks to get the warranty? How exactly does this work?
Issemann said:
I placed my order from Sony's USA site this past Friday. I had the option to also purchase the 2 year warranty from Sony for an extra $79.99. I am very, very careful with my devices, so I normally don't purchase the extra protection. But this will be my first all glass phone, so I'm wondering if I should shell out the extra $80.
Weird thing is that Sony's website states that I have up until 365 days after my purchase to get the 2 yr warranty. So, does that mean I can wait until my phone breaks to get the warranty? How exactly does this work?
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Click to collapse
sorry that no-one replied Issemann.
Personally, the 2 year 'cover' sounds ok. It does significantly increase the cost of the phone though, surely?
Just make sure you've read what the warranty covers. If this is literally just an extended period (but otherwise standard) warranty, you're not covered for stuff like accidental damage / self-inflicted stuff.
I thought I'm careful with products but accidents can happen. Also, the phone is made of glass (predominantly i.e. both front and back are glass) and it's slippy in a way that I've not encountered with other phones (not that I've had many). You really must get a case for it.
Regarding your comment about phone breaking and then getting warranty. Technically, if the incident occurred and you weren't covered by the warranty, then you're not covered (I'd have thought - it's like taking out insurance after an accident occurred). But who's to know? Tbh, if you take out the warranty, then make a claim on it days / weeks later, it'll just look suspicious
You could just say you were blessed by foresight and took out the warranty at the right time
Everything I've said though is speculation, in that I've not looked at the cover you're talking about. However, I stand by that you need cover in place to be covered!
Anyway, this is an extract from the latest published Z3 compact warranty, language is UK (am taking this to imply it's the UK warranty ). The warranty listed here is two years, so either yours would be an extended cover or an extended period of warranty (I'd imagine). Finally, I say it's the z3 compact warranty, as this is the pdf produced when I browsed to the z3 compact and downloaded the warranty doc:
"Our warranty
Subject to the conditions of this Limited Warranty, Sony warrants this Product to be free
from defects in design, material and workmanship at the time of its original purchase by a
consumer. This Limited Warranty will last for a period of two (2) years as from the original
date of purchase of the Product for your mobile device, and for a period of one (1) year
following the original purchase date of the Product for all original accessories (such as the
battery, charger or handsfree kit) which may be delivered with your device.
What we will do
If, during the warranty period, this Product fails to operate under normal use and service, due
to defects in design, materials or workmanship, Sony authorised distributors or service
partners, in the country/region* where you purchased the Product, will, at their option, either
repair, replace or refund the purchase price of the Product in accordance with the terms and
conditions stipulated herein.
Sony and its service partners reserve the right to charge a handling fee if a returned Product
is found not to be under warranty according to the conditions below.
Please note that some of your personal settings, downloads and other information may be
lost when your Sony Product is repaired or replaced. At present, Sony may be prevented by
applicable law, other regulation or technical restrictions from making a backup copy of
certain downloads. Sony does not take any responsibility for any lost information of any kind
and will not reimburse you for any such loss. You should always make backup copies of all
the information stored on your Sony Product such as downloads, calendar and contacts
before handing in your Sony Product for repair or replacement."
"This warranty does not cover any failure of the Product that is due to:
• Normal wear and tear.
• Use in environments where relevant IP rating limitations, if applicable, are exceeded
(including liquid damage or the detection of liquid inside the device resulting from such
use).
• Misuse or failure to use in accordance with the Sony instructions for use and
maintenance of the Product.
Nor does this warranty cover any failure of the Product due to accident, software or
hardware modification or adjustment, or acts of God."
Source: http://www-support-downloads.sonymobile.com/common/warranty_phones_GB_24_2.pdf
Basically, under the standard warranty, you have to prove that there is a defect to avoid having to pay a repair bill.
Regards,
Gary
gazzawazza said:
sorry that no-one replied Issemann.
Personally, the 2 year 'cover' sounds ok. It does significantly increase the cost of the phone though, surely?
Just make sure you've read what the warranty covers. If this is literally just an extended period (but otherwise standard) warranty, you're not covered for stuff like accidental damage / self-inflicted stuff.
I thought I'm careful with products but accidents can happen. Also, the phone is made of glass (predominantly i.e. both front and back are glass) and it's slippy in a way that I've not encountered with other phones (not that I've had many). You really must get a case for it.
Regarding your comment about phone breaking and then getting warranty. Technically, if the incident occurred and you weren't covered by the warranty, then you're not covered (I'd have thought - it's like taking out insurance after an accident occurred). But who's to know? Tbh, if you take out the warranty, then make a claim on it days / weeks later, it'll just look suspicious
You could just say you were blessed by foresight and took out the warranty at the right time
Everything I've said though is speculation, in that I've not looked at the cover you're talking about. However, I stand by that you need cover in place to be covered!
Anyway, this is an extract from the latest published Z3 compact warranty, language is UK (am taking this to imply it's the UK warranty ). The warranty listed here is two years, so either yours would be an extended cover or an extended period of warranty (I'd imagine). Finally, I say it's the z3 compact warranty, as this is the pdf produced when I browsed to the z3 compact and downloaded the warranty doc:
"Our warranty
Subject to the conditions of this Limited Warranty, Sony warrants this Product to be free
from defects in design, material and workmanship at the time of its original purchase by a
consumer. This Limited Warranty will last for a period of two (2) years as from the original
date of purchase of the Product for your mobile device, and for a period of one (1) year
following the original purchase date of the Product for all original accessories (such as the
battery, charger or handsfree kit) which may be delivered with your device.
What we will do
If, during the warranty period, this Product fails to operate under normal use and service, due
to defects in design, materials or workmanship, Sony authorised distributors or service
partners, in the country/region* where you purchased the Product, will, at their option, either
repair, replace or refund the purchase price of the Product in accordance with the terms and
conditions stipulated herein.
Sony and its service partners reserve the right to charge a handling fee if a returned Product
is found not to be under warranty according to the conditions below.
Please note that some of your personal settings, downloads and other information may be
lost when your Sony Product is repaired or replaced. At present, Sony may be prevented by
applicable law, other regulation or technical restrictions from making a backup copy of
certain downloads. Sony does not take any responsibility for any lost information of any kind
and will not reimburse you for any such loss. You should always make backup copies of all
the information stored on your Sony Product such as downloads, calendar and contacts
before handing in your Sony Product for repair or replacement."
"This warranty does not cover any failure of the Product that is due to:
• Normal wear and tear.
• Use in environments where relevant IP rating limitations, if applicable, are exceeded
(including liquid damage or the detection of liquid inside the device resulting from such
use).
• Misuse or failure to use in accordance with the Sony instructions for use and
maintenance of the Product.
Nor does this warranty cover any failure of the Product due to accident, software or
hardware modification or adjustment, or acts of God."
Source: http://www-support-downloads.sonymobile.com/common/warranty_phones_GB_24_2.pdf
Basically, under the standard warranty, you have to prove that there is a defect to avoid having to pay a repair bill.
Regards,
Gary
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Click to collapse
what you are referring to is the original manufacturer warranty...Sony provides an additional warranty option for $80. It is for 2 years and covers accidents in addition to defects (still covered under original warranty). It does not cover theft/loss. From what i read, they will repair it or replace the device 1 time during that period. If you send it for repairs the coverage continues, if they decide to replace it, the warranty becomes void. A good bargain for $80, breaks down to $3.33 a month with no deductible. Better than carrier insurance.
jdiddy_ub said:
what you are referring to is the original manufacturer warranty...Sony provides an additional warranty option for $80. It is for 2 years and covers accidents in addition to defects. It does not cover theft/loss. From what i read, they will repair/replace the device 1 time during that period. Once you use it, it becomes void. Still a good bargain for $80, breaks down to $3.33 a month with no deductible. Better than carrier insurance. The only "catch" is the theft/loss and only 1 claim allowed.
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Hi @jdiddy_ub
I know I was referring to the standard / original warranty - I wanted to be certain that what @Issemann was talking about was different / additional / beneficial
Very good point that $3.33 a month is good, although it being a single shot isn't so good.
I'm investigating whether I can get a similar deal over in the UK. Unfortunately I didn't buy directly from Sony, so might not have this extension, if available at all, available to me.
I bought via my carrier - O2 - on an upgrade. They offer insurance but you have to take it within 28 days of purchase (and I'm outside that now).
There are price bands for the insurance. I don' t know which the z3 compact falls in but I will bet it won't be the cheapest one
However, you get accidental damage and accidental theft cover. You can also get accidental damage cover only.
I've skimmed the T&Cs and cover is upto £300. Am assuming this is per claim. Couldn't find any cap on numbers of claims you can make.
Assuming you have similar insurance packages via your carriers, it might be effectively not much more expensive to get insurance and have the 'more than one use' option?
Alternatively, take out the accidental damage warranty and look at 3rd party insurance, if that warranty gets 'used'.
Just be careful about insurance T&Cs (I know you read them but others might not be so vigilant). I've just, out of curiosity, checked out a UK insurer called gadget cover. Their monthly cover for the z3 compact is basically £7 p/m. You can pay annually too. Interesting 'penalties' though.
Excess will be £50 or £75 for z3 compact (damage / theft or loss, respectively), with an additional £25 on top, if claiming within first 3 months of cover.
Additionally, if you pay monthly, you have to pay the balance of the 12 month premium before any claim can be made (effectively increases the 'excess' hugely, if you make an early claim).
So you could effectively have to pay out £177 for a lost phone, including your initial payment, assuming the insurer honours the claim, if you claimed in the first month. Ouch.
I guess cheaper than buying a new phone though.
I do appreciate I've been rather UK-centric, but I just wanted to flag this kind of detail of UK users and to warn non-UK users of possible pitfalls with insurance (assuming mobile device insurers have similar policies - I'm fairly confident they would, particularly regarding mobile phone cover).
Regards,
Gary
gazzawazza said:
Hi @jdiddy_ub
I know I was referring to the standard / original warranty - I wanted to be certain that what @Issemann was talking about was different / additional / beneficial
Very good point that $3.33 a month is good, although it being a single shot isn't so good.
I'm investigating whether I can get a similar deal over in the UK. Unfortunately I didn't buy directly from Sony, so might not have this extension, if available at all, available to me.
I bought via my carrier - O2 - on an upgrade. They offer insurance but you have to take it within 28 days of purchase (and I'm outside that now).
There are price bands for the insurance. I don' t know which the z3 compact falls in but I will bet it won't be the cheapest one
However, you get accidental damage and accidental theft cover. You can also get accidental damage cover only.
I've skimmed the T&Cs and cover is upto £300. Am assuming this is per claim. Couldn't find any cap on numbers of claims you can make.
Assuming you have similar insurance packages via your carriers, it might be effectively not much more expensive to get insurance and have the 'more than one use' option?
Alternatively, take out the accidental damage warranty and look at 3rd party insurance, if that warranty gets 'used'.
Just be careful about insurance T&Cs (I know you read them but others might not be so vigilant). I've just, out of curiosity, checked out a UK insurer called gadget cover. Their monthly cover for the z3 compact is basically £7 p/m. You can pay annually too. Interesting 'penalties' though.
Excess will be £50 or £75 for z3 compact (damage / theft or loss, respectively), with an additional £25 on top, if claiming within first 3 months of cover.
Additionally, if you pay monthly, you have to pay the balance of the 12 month premium before any claim can be made (effectively increases the 'excess' hugely, if you make an early claim).
So you could effectively have to pay out £177 for a lost phone, including your initial payment, assuming the insurer honours the claim, if you claimed in the first month. Ouch.
I guess cheaper than buying a new phone though.
I do appreciate I've been rather UK-centric, but I just wanted to flag this kind of detail of UK users and to warn non-UK users of possible pitfalls with insurance (assuming mobile device insurers have similar policies - I'm fairly confident they would, particularly regarding mobile phone cover).
Regards,
Gary
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Click to collapse
I edited my original post after re-reading the terms. The "one-shot" only applies to replacement. You can get the device repaired and continue to have coverage until the 2 years expires. I have been comparing the Sony $80 warranty vs. 3rd party companies and i still think that Sony comes out on top. The major difference is theft/loss coverage. If you are someone that has the tendency to lose things or have lost your phone in the past, then the Sony coverage won't cover you.
If we are talking about accident coverage, Sony comes out way on top if you talk about pricing. Take a 3rd party insurer for lets say $5/mo and add a $75 deductible to it...on month #3 you would be paying $90 and if you dropped it on say month #20 it comes out to $175..more than double Sony's price.
Also, Sony is a major brand whereas 3rd party insurance (based on google reviews-i've never had it) sounds like a 50-50 crap shoot, 1. to find a reputable company 2. turnaround times, and what they cover/don't cover...some reviews state they had to provide like 10 different proofs of purchase and the company tries to find a loophole out of it.
In my opinion, if you're lucky enough to be able to purchase the Sony warranty, that is the best deal.
jdiddy_ub said:
I edited my original post after re-reading the terms. The "one-shot" only applies to replacement. You can get the device repaired and continue to have coverage until the 2 years expires. I have been comparing the Sony $80 warranty vs. 3rd party companies and i still think that Sony comes out on top. The major difference is theft/loss coverage. If you are someone that has the tendency to lose things or have lost your phone in the past, then the Sony coverage won't cover you.
If we are talking about accident coverage, Sony comes out way on top if you talk about pricing. Take a 3rd party insurer for lets say $5/mo and add a $75 deductible to it...on month #3 you would be paying $90 and if you dropped it on say month #20 it comes out to $175..more than double Sony's price.
Also, Sony is a major brand whereas 3rd party insurance (based on google reviews-i've never had it) sounds like a 50-50 crap shoot, 1. to find a reputable company 2. turnaround times, and what they cover/don't cover...some reviews state they had to provide like 10 different proofs of purchase and the company tries to find a loophole out of it.
In my opinion, if you're lucky enough to be able to purchase the Sony warranty, that is the best deal.
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Click to collapse
Yep... sounds like the best deal tbh.
I can't find any option regarding warranties on the Sony Mobile website
Have had a look in the Sony online store, tried accessories, etc, to no avail.
Suspect it must get offered after you've made a direct purchase?
Did have a quick browse via my carrier too but couldn't find anything pertinent.
Regards,
Gary
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
where did you get that for $50? online it says 79?
sravanz said:
where did you get that for $50? online it says 79?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Just wanted to share my experience so far with my Z3, a phone that I actually love. I have owned mostly Sony Mobile products for the last 5 years but after this experience, this will undoubtedly be my last. Any constructive opinions or advice would be appreciated as im sure other have had similar experiences.
So in essence, my phone has been sent in 3 times for warranty work to the Canadian Repair Centre in Ontario. Each time the phone has been returned with damage or defects.
I purchased a Sony Xperia Z3 in November 2014 direct from Sony for $721.05 (Phone #1).
In August 2015 I sent this phone in as the phone stopped working completely (RMA #1). The repair center tested and replaced this phone with a new one (Phone #2). In September 2015 the replaced phone arrived back with a white pixel issue on the screen (this wasn't even an OCD issue, there was clearly a white spot on the screen that almost looked like a hole, but was probably a pressure point).
This phone was sent back to the repair center in October 2015 (RMA #2). The phone was still new when sent back for repair and had the protective plastic wrapping on it (I didnt even bother to set up the phone as I knew when I turned it on that I would be sending it back). When it was received back from repair (still IMEI #2) the glass back plate was detached and the phone had heavy scratching on the back panel as it was shipped loosely without any protection in a large cardboard box. The glass back was not properly attached because they of course had to remove it to replace the screen ( I could literally slide a credit card between the panel and the frame). This time, I had to contact the repair center over 15 times to get another RMA number. I had my issue escalated to 3 different supervisors, each who never returned phone calls when they said they would and refused to look into my issue despite photos being sent outlining the issue. I demanded the phone be replaced as I had no confidence that the phone would ever be repaired properly to original specs (this is advertised as a waterproof phone and the back plate was not even attached properly from the repair center). In addition, the phone was shipped across the country improperly in a loose box with no bubble wrap which heavily scratched the back panel and potentially hurt the longevity of the device. I kid you not, the phone was literally thrown into a cardboard box with nothing around it and shipped. Angry about the lack of service for such an expensive device and the clear incompetence of the repair centre, I demanded a replacement and they agreed to look into the issue and agreed to provide me compensation for the time I was without the device (as it took several weeks for them to agree to issue the RMA).
Finally, after over a month in Dec 2015 I received another RMA number (#3). I sent the phone back for the third time and it was returned to me on Dec 14, 2015 with the same issue (still IMEI #2). The back panel is still heavily scuffed (this phone was new when originally sent in) and the back panel is not attached properly. The panel has a gap at the bottom as before and makes a noise when held as if the panel is coming detached from the device. As previously mentioned, this device was advertised as IP65 and IP 68 dust and waterproof and this repair is not acceptable. The repair facility is clearly incapable of repairing the phone to an acceptable condition. The customer service experienced is absolutely horrific and I have been treated very poorly. I spent over $700 on this phone and have been without a working device for almost 6 months because this repair facility is unable to provide timely service of any acceptable quality. I have wasted hours and hours on the phone describing this issue to people who do are not interested in solving a legitimate warranty problem. I cannot waste any more time sending this phone back to a repair center that cannot repair phones properly. I can't waste any more time on the phone with service representatives who do not take this issue seriously and refuse to provide a solution. It is now December 29th and I have received no response from Sony despite being promised a response within 48 hours on December 16th. I highly doubt they will contact me so the next step is to seek legal advice.
In my opinion its just not worth it to buy one of these phones anymore. The service quality and attention is so dismal that there is just too much risk if you ever find yourself needing warranty service.
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Sorry to read about your experience, that back is terrible... I think you got a lemon, I have the same D6603 since day 1 and never had a single issue with it, this phone still runs like it's new out of the box. I've never been so impressed with a a phone since owning this one.
Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk
I love the phone too but the service level if you need warranty work is atrocious. It's a helpless feeling.
The infamous 3rd party logistics repair company that sony contracted in mississauga. Heard too many complains about them.
I had to deal with them one time because my z3 had quite a few stuck pixels. Sony gave me the rma and I shipped the phone in along with my receipt for a warranty repair (yes i realized you were suppose to send a copy of receipt). One week later, they sent me a quote for out of warranty to fix the screen and the parts because they threw out the box i shipped with and the receipt in there. I escalated with sony at least 3x before the 3rd party centre decided to give me 'courtesy' repair for no warranty. Here's the thing when they say they will reply to you about the escalation. They won't even bother to call back so I always call them on the same day demanding to speak to supervisor about the case.
A week later they shipped my phone back repaired and in decent box to cushion. The phone to my surprise was in a new frame and looked like new along with the back panel glued properly. in the box, there was also paperwork saying it passed waterproof test and i confirmed it with my own pressure sensor test.
Now back to your topic. Did you try to run diagnostic on your phone with the pressure sensor to see if its waterproof? Did they send paperwork saying the phone is waterproof?
darkknight200 said:
The infamous 3rd party logistics repair company that sony contracted in mississauga. Heard too many complains about them.
I had to deal with them one time because my z3 had quite a few stuck pixels. Sony gave me the rma and I shipped the phone in along with my receipt for a warranty repair (yes i realized you were suppose to send a copy of receipt). One week later, they sent me a quote for out of warranty to fix the screen and the parts because they threw out the box i shipped with and the receipt in there. I escalated with sony at least 3x before the 3rd party centre decided to give me 'courtesy' repair for no warranty. Here's the thing when they say they will reply to you about the escalation. They won't even bother to call back so I always call them on the same day demanding to speak to supervisor about the case.
A week later they shipped my phone back repaired and in decent box to cushion. The phone to my surprise was in a new frame and looked like new along with the back panel glued properly. in the box, there was also paperwork saying it passed waterproof test and i confirmed it with my own pressure sensor test.
Now back to your topic. Did you try to run diagnostic on your phone with the pressure sensor to see if its waterproof? Did they send paperwork saying the phone is waterproof?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look at the photos. I dont think that is a waterproof phone. Its not even assembled properly. I took one look at it and didnt even bother to turn it on. Its been sitting in the box because I dont want to touch it. This is the second time its come back from the service center with back panel issues.
forzanerazzurri said:
Look at the photos. I dont think that is a waterproof phone. Its not even assembled properly. I took one look at it and didnt even bother to turn it on. Its been sitting in the box because I dont want to touch it. This is the second time its come back from the service center with back panel issues.
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Click to collapse
I have been asked now to send the device in for the fourth time and was told I would be getting info and a shipping label on Dec 23rd. I still havent recieved that and I cant get anyone to return calls or emails. This is infuriating. Their mobile division is pretty much dead and I seriously advise people to stay away from their devices. The support is nonexistant post sale.
forzanerazzurri said:
I have been asked now to send the device in for the fourth time and was told I would be getting info and a shipping label on Dec 23rd. I still havent recieved that and I cant get anyone to return calls or emails. This is infuriating. Their mobile division is pretty much dead and I seriously advise people to stay away from their devices. The support is nonexistant post sale.
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Click to collapse
just gotta keep following up and pursuing their supervisor. Ya i know its frustrating and probably everyone went on holiday during that time.
darkknight200 said:
just gotta keep following up and pursuing their supervisor. Ya i know its frustrating and probably everyone went on holiday during that time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man. Its just I have been without a resolution or a fully functioning device since August 2015. Does Corporate Sony not want to know about this stuff? It makes them look awful.
forzanerazzurri said:
Thanks man. Its just I have been without a resolution or a fully functioning device since August 2015. Does Corporate Sony not want to know about this stuff? It makes them look awful.
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Click to collapse
hm you can try posting your problem on sony canada fb page. I remember few months ago, someone that was as frustrated as you posted and managed to get the upper people to contact the person.
to clarify the fb page since theres too many that can cause confusion, it would be sony mobile CA.
https://www.facebook.com/sonymobileca/
darkknight200 said:
hm you can try posting your problem on sony canada fb page. I remember few months ago, someone that was as frustrated as you posted and managed to get the upper people to contact the person.
to clarify the fb page since theres too many that can cause confusion, it would be sony mobile CA.
https://www.facebook.com/sonymobileca/
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Click to collapse
Thanks for your help. I am just going to sue them. Seems far easier than dealing with them.
What a pity..
I am quite shocked by your experience, however I can't agree with conclusion that it is not worth it to buy these phones.. And I can illustrate it by my very own service experience here in Germany.
My Z3 was purchased on contract with carrier, for the phone + unlimited flat + 2GB LTE + 1GB LTE in roaming I pay 35€ on 24 month contract. I have had been good to my phone, carrying it in Sony wireless charging case, which has a quite hard back and the phone survived many hard ground landings, sometimes scratching the metal edges. I also flashed different firmwares (maybe 60-70 times).
After 9 months, I spotted yellowish spots on display, close to where on/off button is. After making sure that it is not anyway firmware related, I sent the phone to repair center, claiming warranty repair.
The phone got checked, malfunctioning backlight was diagnosed, phone was repaired and sent back, whole thing took just 1 week and phone arrived by DHL on 24th December, costing zero to me. I expected that the backlight/display would have been replaced, but when I got the repair statement later on by e-mail, I was quite surprised, as the parts exchanged for new was display/touchpad assembly, sound speakers, cover glass, and metal casing (goodbye scratches)... The phone looks again like total new. Plus the repair center sent with it free screen+back protectors.
So, maybe you just had a back luck, but I am definitely satisfied with service here..
ondrejvaroscak said:
I am quite shocked by your experience, however I can't agree with conclusion that it is not worth it to buy these phones.. And I can illustrate it by my very own service experience here in Germany.
My Z3 was purchased on contract with carrier, for the phone + unlimited flat + 2GB LTE + 1GB LTE in roaming I pay 35€ on 24 month contract. I have had been good to my phone, carrying it in Sony wireless charging case, which has a quite hard back and the phone survived many hard ground landings, sometimes scratching the metal edges. I also flashed different firmwares (maybe 60-70 times).
After 9 months, I spotted yellowish spots on display, close to where on/off button is. After making sure that it is not anyway firmware related, I sent the phone to repair center, claiming warranty repair.
The phone got checked, malfunctioning backlight was diagnosed, phone was repaired and sent back, whole thing took just 1 week and phone arrived by DHL on 24th December, costing zero to me. I expected that the backlight/display would have been replaced, but when I got the repair statement later on by e-mail, I was quite surprised, as the parts exchanged for new was display/touchpad assembly, sound speakers, cover glass, and metal casing (goodbye scratches)... The phone looks again like total new. Plus the repair center sent with it free screen+back protectors.
So, maybe you just had a back luck, but I am definitely satisfied with service here..
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Click to collapse
Thing is in Canada, sony contracted a 3rd party logistics company to deal with repairs for Canadians. Their reputation is not that positive and will seldomly have some good effortless repairs.
darkknight200 said:
Thing is in Canada, sony contracted a 3rd party logistics company to deal with repairs for Canadians. Their reputation is not that positive and will seldomly have some good effortless repairs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same in Germany, repairs are done by 3rd party contractor..
sad to see such bad service. I'm located in malaysia, and they are using 3rd party service centre for repairs as well. the one i send my phone in just happened to service Mi phones as well.. and got me worried on the level of service.
i sent my phone in due to inresponsive touchscreen at the centre. (ok, this is actually my fault as i was replying text before i doze off at night. woke up with the phone under my bum)
the service centre told me usually this is not covered under warranty (phone is 9 months old) but they will repair it under warranty anyway and advised me to be more careful in the future.
The phone was repaired in 3 weeks (it was christmas weekend)
this... has a HUGE contrast with direct service centres experiance i had with Samsung Malaysia (SME) when i was on my previous phone, the Samsung Note 2. The experiance is downright horrible.
I don't think you can blame Sony. I have had my Sony repaired three times, all my own fault. The first time, I dropped it and broke my screen. Sent via Vodafone to Dynafix. Got it back with a week(!) and cost me nothing.
The second time, dropped it again and the next day, I woke up bu tmy phone didn't. Sent via Vodafone to Dynafix. Got it back with a week(!) and cost me nothing.!
The third time, dropped it again, slide out of my pants when I went to the toilet. Again, broke my screen. Sent via Vodafone to Dynafix. Got it back with a week(!) and this time it costs me 219 euro! :silly: A shame, but my own fault. Now using a bumper case again, which I think is a waste since the phone doesn't look nice at all with it.
In my experience it depends on the service center head not the company. When i had a similar issue with the service center people, i raised to the sony care and they sorted out my issue.
I have just the opposite experience. Phone hit the ground 9 months ago and one bump of the corners war broken. Rest ok. After 9 months, the screen started to flicker and sometimes a pixel-salad of all colours appeared instead of the usual screen interface. Also, screen broken. I expected Xperia Care to tell me that the screen was broken as my phone fell off but instead of this, they repaired the screen, the bump, one scratch on the back panel, provided me two additional screen protectors... and everything under guarantee and for free!!
I loved Sony products in the past... but now even more. With the around 200$ I expected to pay for the repair I will buy now a Smartwatch 3
It varies from one country to another, here in Spain, if you send in your Xperia phone for repair, they'll even change the covers if they've scratches, it happened to me twice but you gonna be without a phone for 3 weeks
I'll share my story as well - I was a long-term iPhone and Windows Phone user - since the first iPhone I switched to Windows Phone when it launched, and then to Android because I fell in love with Xperia Z. My experienced, however, quickly began to deteriorate.
First, I experienced problems with the screen on my Z - which somehow disappeared later. But after a few months, the phone developed a really big issue with the battery which couldn't hold half a day of being locked and in my pocket. Foolishly, I went to Sony Centre hoping they would help me - there I was told that Sony Centre has nothing to do with Sony Mobile - even though they do see Xperia phones there...go figure... and was told to contact Sony Mobile directly. So I did - the less then polite customer service representative told me I have to ship the phone to their warehouse/repair centre in London - and pay for it. Since the phone was still under warranty, I did - and after 23 days I got it back with a note "no fault detected". Needless to say, the battery was not replaced and ironically completely discharged when it arrived back. Charged it, turned the phone on, went to work... at 12am, 18% left. At this point I should mention I tried many things to fix it - software, roms, reboots etc. nothing helped. I contacted them and sent it back again - this time, I got the battery replaced, but the phone arrived completely destroyed... you remember those anti-shatterproof films Sony used to apply on their phones ? It was scratched all over, front and back.
Well, that's life - but after a while I got Xperia Z3. Man, what a beauty - I was in love with Sony again. BUT! A little over 12 months after I got the phone - the microphone started to misbehave. Whenever you plugged in a headset, microphone would not work. Then, it stopped working when using loudspeaker. Then the camera stopped working, displaying errors all the time. In the meantime it broke 3 microSD cards ( sandisk ). So I contacted Sony again... this time it went even worse. Got told that phone is no longer under warranty and If I want - I can send it to the same, dreadful location in London, at my own cost - and pay 75 quid for "diagnosis" after which, if there are any faults, I can decide to have it fixed and pay for the repairs. After explaining what's wrong, the technician said they would probably have to replace the microphone, wiring and the camera for an approximate price of 250 quid... plus diagnosis and shipping - both ways. I was speechless... told him it would be cheaper to get a new Z3 off Amazon to which he basically laughed at me...
The moral, or conclusion of this story is - ladies and gentleman, however we might love Sony or Sony devices - they do not give a flying fk about their customer.
Sorry to hear your experience.
My experience has been very good with sony. After a year of Z3 (under contract with EE) had a crack in the corner front screen, i had switched to Moto X. Thought let me give a try by sending it to the repair centre and get a quote. I sent on a thursday. And next tuesday, I get a mail saying, My phone is on the way back. But did not give any indication on the repair status. Two days later, i received the phone and to my surprise screen was fixed. No charge..everything under warranty!!! High Street repair guys asked for 110GBP!
Next I sent my wife Z3 compact (again contract but with Vodafone), which has the front screen glue coming off and proximity sensor not working. This time go the phone back in two days.. but old phone exchanged with new phone. (But unfortunate that it is still locked to vodafone)
But atleast the both phones fixed free of cost. Was really impressed. When compared to other manufacturers, Sony is still much better. My Samsung tab S screen cracked and cost of fix is 140GBP and samsung centre quoting 220 GBP (Cost of a New tablet!!!)
Looks like sony repairs are hit or miss.