I'm curious what the experiences of XDA users have been with Sony's customer support when it comes to their Xperia devices. I had to send mine in for what I think was a shorted out battery (had it in/around the pool for a few hours, got out and it was fine, but then an hour later it just shut off, refused to stay on unless it was plugged in). They didn't contact me for two weeks, then I called and they just said "yeah you'll probably be good we would have called you if there was a problem". Two days later I got a (what I assume to be) refurb unit in the mail.
I'm actually extremely happy with this. Mainly because A: The device I sent to them was bought second hand off craigslist so I fully expected them to tell me that would void the warranty somehow, B: It was rooted, and C: it had some scuffing on the screen and bezel, and the power button was "mushy". Given that it was probably water damage and technically my fault (it spend most of it's time on the side of the pool getting splashed, but definitely overdid the "30 minute" rule), and they could have easily given me a hard time over any of the three things mentioned, I don't think I can be anything but very pleased with Sony right now.
:good::good::good:
My experiences have been mixed. My x10 was a nightmare to get sorted, first one didn't work out of the box, it took 13 weeks to get a replacement
My arc however was the opposite, screen died but had a new handset in 2 weeks.
Good guy Sony
Just got my 6 month old Z1 replaced.. Initially they offered me a refurbished unit but I refused to accept it and mailed them and got into a conversation with them. I was able to convince them to offer me a New unit and they immediately did! A company that listens!
Related
Just wanted to share with everyone my experience I just had with HTC regarding the repair of my beloved Kaiser.
About 4 weeks ago my phone tri-color screened on my me. After several weeks of posting to this forum trying to get a fix I finally called for an RMA#.
Sent the phone off, got a call 3 days later saying they were running it through is diagnostics and would report back to me. 3 days later they called me and said it was being repaired and I owed them $20. Paid them and then 4 days later received a call saying my phone was repaired and it was being shipped out and the guy gave me my tracking number.
So the phone shows up and it has a description of what repairs were done. The replaced the mainboard as well as the usb connector. Loaded on WM 6.1 for me and also replaced the entire key pad on the front of the phone. Keep in mind they only thing I think was wrong with the phone to begin with was I screwed up loading the newer SPL so I could flash the phone.
Not sure if everyone has had such a good experience with HTC but this is the reason I will keep buying the phones as they come out. I honestly thought they were going to charge me $150 plus to do this.
So I will take back my 3G iPhone I got and start using my favorite phone of all time.
Now if HTC will make a phone with a larger screen the world will nearly be a perfect place!!!
Happy flashing,
heat
I think I need them to... sounds like the same problem I have. I'll call HTC today so the process can be started to repair my phone... In the Netherlands I heard less positive reactions to HTC's Service.
yah i sent back a tilt with a broken lcd and red light of death and they didnt charge me a dime..they said there was pressure damage to lcd and the mainboard needed to be replaced and also housing because they stated that they need to break the housing to replace the lcd (which is crap) so they quoted me like 300 or something (i dont remember it was 6 months ago) and i told them just to send it back to me with nothing done to it and i dont hear back from them and a week later they call me saying theyre shipping it back and everything has been replaced and i didnt even get the $29 diagnostics fee so that was awesome and to think i almost sent it in to att through exchange by mail warranty program
I sent my kaiser to their repair service for unresponsive keys on the keyboard.
It came back about 10 days later with a new keyboard, new back cover (the rubber external gsp cover was a bit loose) and a new lcd screen (don't know why).
It was warranty, so I didn't have to pay anything.
Satisfied customer over here
I have a Kaiser with the 3G/HSDPA problem in Spain, at this moment is at the Service centre for three times, each time along one month and return with the same problem. I am very unhappy
recently my camera failed and the x1 went back to Sony, I've now had an email saying the phone is unrepairable and I have to pay £10 to have it returned unfixed.
I called them up and they say the mainboard is bent and not covered under warranty. The case is perfect, the screen is perfect and the phone has never been dropped etc.. They said this can happen even when the phone is in a pocket or bag but classed as accidental damage so not covered. They also said it's not a replacement part and I would need to buy a whole new phone, even if I was happy to pay for repair myself.
Is this right? Do they have to prove it was dropped? Is there no way of getting this fixed even if it costs me? Who can I complain to about this?
Thanks for any advice you can give..........
What country do you live in? And has this issue happened within 6 months?
If in the UK, you may be covered by 'The Sale of Goods Act 1979' if you believe the phone was not of satisfactory quality (plus a few others reasons). However as far as I know, this would protect you from the seller, not SE.
Put simply, goods are expected to last a reasonable amount of time within normal usage (which i would argue means keeping within your pocket). If it breaks within 6 months, it is the sellers responsibility to prove that it was fit for use at the time it was sold (very hard for them to do if others are working fine). After 6 months you have another 5.5 years (4.5 years in Scotland) where you are still protected but it your responsibility to prove the goods were unfit at the time of sale.
Might be worth a shot. Info can be found on the website for BBCs Watchdog TV program: http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/consumer_advice/consumer_law_sale_of_goods_emp.shtml
thanks for that, unfortunately i've had it for about 9 months so SOGA won't be easy for me to prove. I just cant get how they say it has been damaged by me, there's no signs of dropping, the phone is absolutely mint! I'm very mad indeed
the same thing has just happened to me with vodafone in the uk.
phone was sent back to the service centre as some of the keys on the right-hand side of the keyboard were working intermittantly which i believe is a common issue.
the phone was returned to me with a blurry picture of what may or may not be the inside of my phone saying that the phone had been damaged and was not covered by warranty. my phone has never been dropped and has been very well take care of. :-(
I have asked that they escalate my complaint and I'll be getting a call back tomorrow but I don't hold out too much hope. Not quite sure what too do after that but I wont stop there, considering the cost of the phone originally it's taking the p***
sounds shocking. Good luck mate and what country are you in?
I have just picked my phone up from an o2 store after sending it off for repair, the keys only worked intermittently (as previously posted) along with a few other issues. I received t.he handset back with a "Beyond Economical Repair" diagnosis, claiming that i had somehow bent and cracked the motherboard due to physical damage. I had to instead claim from o2 insurance costing me £25. I think in the future its much better to contact Sony Ericsson directly.
I'm in the UK and today had a call back from the escalations team who just confirmed what I was told yesterday, basically bent board, not our problem, buy a new one. They will send it back for free though which I'm supposed to be grateful for.
I'm now going to take it to their director of support, when you look at the 1000+ posts about the cracks and another 2 replies in this thread about the 'bent mainboard' the manufacture of this phone is questionable to say the least and goes a long way to prove the sale of goods act 'unfit for purpose' rule. I'm happy to take this to civil court if needs be........I'm a principals man and I'm seriously pi**ed...
Can you send it back to Sony? Sony repaired my damaged screen/cracked casing for free in about 7 days
i think it depends on country, in my they even charge me changin the case, becouse "they didnt get any input about cracks in case". i show them xda thread with numeros complaining and no luck, had to pay...
I recently sent the phone back to change the keyboard and upgrading of firmware. I had to wait 3 weeks for a keyboard cos they went out of stock for it.
They even changed my cover that had some scratches without even me asking. Also the D-pad was changed cos of some peeling.
I thought that they gave me a reburbished set so I checked the IMEI, its ok. They even offered me an extended warranty program where I pay around 70SGD and it covers even accessories like headphones and such for a one-to-one exchange scheme.
This is SE Singapore Support.
Did any of you here swap your phone with HTC and your phone was unlocked?
My phone's defects are obviously hardware: Power button failing and Screen has a gap around sides, (Dust gathers around screen everyday, have to clean manually).
Can they charge me for unlocking and rooting it, even though these issues are hardware specific? Anyone has a story to share?
During the call, the HTC Rep told me that "we will charge your credit card for any non-warranty problems." Does unlocking count as one?
yes they will charge you for having your phone rooter,cause is out of the warranty that's what they told me over the phone...
I heard some Reps are unaware that HTC honors Hardware warranty. Maybe they said that to you because they are just reading a script that says "unlocking = void" I've read stories here that they still repair though. Is it true?
I just had my Nexus One (unlocked bootloader) replaced through HTC without a charge for a similar hardware defect. When I called, I didn't mention anything about it being rooted, nor did he ask. I received my replacement, HTC received my defective unit, and I was told my ticket was closed with no charge on my account.
The replacement I received has a new defect and I'm currently awaiting another replacement to swap it out as well. I don't think they care, but I wouldn't parade around talking about it. Just be courteous and flash everything back to stock as much as you can.
Ok, thanks for the info! It would be great if they didn't charge me for this.
Please keep us informed on how everything turns out. Several people have said they've had no trouble. It would be nice to get a list if reasons for RMA with success rate. I have a fairly strong feeling as long as it's hardware related and involves no root caused problem (led from n1 torch, speaker from louder music, etc.) the rate would be pretty high. HTC really, in all the times I've had any problems has been one of my favorite call centers to contact.
I have successfully swapped my phone. I had the dust under screen issue and i called them up. Not questions asked about unlocked. I got my phone and they waited a week or so and i saw my ticket was closed. Now im calling back because my replacement one now has dust under the screen also.
Did you guys get these phones new that you are able to do this?
I just bought my N1 used from someone and I'm wondering if this will apply to me if incase i get the dust issue
I have a question regarding replacement swapping as well.
My phone has the power button defect and I'd like to swap it for a new one.
However, I dropped my phone on asphalt recently and there are minor scuffs on 2 edges and a ding on the top left edge. Will this be a problem in swapping?
Will I get charged or something after they receive my phone? The defects are not related to me dropping it.
Coderedpl said:
Did you guys get these phones new that you are able to do this?
I just bought my N1 used from someone and I'm wondering if this will apply to me if incase i get the dust issue
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I got mine on Craigslist. I traded my Iphone 3gs for it. Wonderful trade. Android fanboy since G1, but wanted to see what all the hype was about for the iphone. I never saw it. haha.
So I called HTC. Told them the IMEI they asked if i still live blah blah address(the original owner). I told them nope. Gave them new address and name. They got my CC number and off we go. Got a replacement phone in 2 days. Sent the other one back. Case closed. All is good, until yesterday when I saw just under my replacement one also. Its been 3-4 weeks. Now i'm waiting for another replacement.
I got mine on craigslist too, not that AWESOME of a deal since i pretty much just got the phone (the charger barely charges) and the usb i got from a small cell store at a mall doesnt work...pfftt
so I need: Data cable, charger & car charger.
bleh
futango said:
I got mine on Craigslist. I traded my Iphone 3gs for it. Wonderful trade. Android fanboy since G1, but wanted to see what all the hype was about for the iphone. I never saw it. haha.
So I called HTC. Told them the IMEI they asked if i still live blah blah address(the original owner). I told them nope. Gave them new address and name. They got my CC number and off we go. Got a replacement phone in 2 days. Sent the other one back. Case closed. All is good, until yesterday when I saw just under my replacement one also. Its been 3-4 weeks. Now i'm waiting for another replacement.
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you didn't have to show proof or purchase/receipts?
blt51 said:
I have a question regarding replacement swapping as well.
My phone has the power button defect and I'd like to swap it for a new one.
However, I dropped my phone on asphalt recently and there are minor scuffs on 2 edges and a ding on the top left edge. Will this be a problem in swapping?
Will I get charged or something after they receive my phone? The defects are not related to me dropping it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to know the answer to this too. My phone has a stuck pixel but I also dropped it and now there is a crack in the screen. I'm wondering if they'll charge me for the swap.
I've had my N1 replaced almost 5 times, so I have some experience with this. Everything was perfect with my first phone except for one dead pixel, which was only visible from certain angles. However, considering the price that I paid for the phone, it wasn't acceptable from my perspective.
I read a lot about people having successes with replacements so I decided to do a swap. My recommendation is to think about doing a swap very carefully. Each time a replacement was sent to me, I found new problems with the phone.
For example, one replacement had a weak vibrate while another had a camera that took oversaturated photos. One of the phones had minor scratches on the screen. Another replacement turned out to be the replacement that was sent to me which I sent back (but with a different sticker and IMEI).
So I think that if the phone is not damaged significantly, such as huge cracks, they will not charge you any fees. So minor scratches on the phone and "normal use" damage is fine.
Also, if you purchased your phone from someone else, you will still be under the warranty and do swaps. I've asked this through the phone twice and both times I was told that they decided to honor warranty transfers.
HTC gave me a new one was well with unlocked bootloader. The problem with my phone was a software issue too. No questions asked.
This is great to hear.
I traded my iPhone 3GS for a N1 on craigslist only to discover it has some sort of hardware problem - Strange rebooting - not sure if it's heat related (doesn't seem so) or bad RAM (I've seen many reports). Went the replacement route (that's another story all together - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=698156) and am awaiting the new unit. Just got my return shipping label, hopefully they wont charge me either!
x986123 said:
I heard some Reps are unaware that HTC honors Hardware warranty. Maybe they said that to you because they are just reading a script that says "unlocking = void" I've read stories here that they still repair though. Is it true?
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I had my Nexus One rooted and it was sent it to HTC for "power button failure" and they fixed it for no extra charge. Came back with a more firm-feeling power button and relocked.
They tried to charge me but after some reasoning with the right person on the phone they dropped the charge. You can also file a ticket with the Google Sales team and they will make sure you are not charged if you have a manufacturing defect unrelated to your phone being unlocked.
I bought mine from someone locally in salt lake, and after I had bought it, i noticed some dust under the screen. When I called HTC, they wouldn't replace the whole unit because there was an engraving on it. But they said they would send me a packing slip and i could send them the phone and they would take it apart and fix it. So hopefully it works.
adamhlj said:
I bought mine from someone locally in salt lake, and after I had bought it, i noticed some dust under the screen. When I called HTC, they wouldn't replace the whole unit because there was an engraving on it. But they said they would send me a packing slip and i could send them the phone and they would take it apart and fix it. So hopefully it works.
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Click to collapse
Hey, I would try calling HTC again and talk to another representative if you want to do a swap for a replacement; sometimes the customer representatives tell you what they know and so they give different responses.
The warranty specifically says:
If you have engraved your phone with a personal message, the device that you receive will not include the engraving, and the engraving on the defective device will not be sent back to you. If you want to keep your engraving, you can opt for the express repair option.
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Click to collapse
That is, unless you want to keep the engraving.
Good luck!
If so then what happens? because i've been told something special happens and they wouldnt tell me what it means? do i get a brand new xperia or a brand new phone all together because in total i've sent it back 4 times now and its just broken for the 5th
***bump***
I've sent mine in 3 times I think. The last time, they sent me a new X1. Pretty sweet. But I think the reason they sent the new one was because the problem was not one they can fix (volume button stopped working).
Actually, I was off warranty, but used by credit card warranty that extends the manufacturer warranty by a year. Good to keep in mind, eh?
ah cool yeah they said they are gonna give me a brand new x1 - i was under the impression it was discontinued though? :S
Yeah, I was hoping they'd give me an X2, but the company that does the repairs in the US apparently has a big refurbishing business too. So who knows, they might have given me a refurbished model.
In total now i've sent my x1 in for repair 5 times and just got it back again today and guess what, they forgot to repair the camera! So going to have to send it in AGAIN, seriously this is ridiclious. And all they did was escalate my case for the millionth time while i wait 5 days for a reply...
That sucks - so frustrating.
Wow Impressive! My cousin sent his "China" ZTE modem 3 times in 10 months. Every services took about two months. The last time, he just recycle that modem. I can't believe Sony Ericsson has poor services like this china ZTE company. If it's china I can't understand but Sony Ericsson,
"we didnt replace your device with a new one because the IMEI number was different to the one we had on record, so we only repaired it" (forgetting the camera) "so send it back in again and we will give you a brand new replacement" this'll be the 6th time now, seriously wtf they playing at!!!!
FYI, if you are in the EU and you bought your phone in the EU then you are protected by consumer laws.
UK version -> http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/3045/contents/made (long read)
Basically: If the device has been sent in 3 times for the same issue you are entitled to a new device on the 4th time, period. It's the law!
Also, if a device does not perform as stated on the box or has a significant manufacturer defect, again you are entitled to a new device or an exchange for something else or even your money back. This depends on your retailer.
How do I know it's true? Well my X1 had been sent in numerous times and after some references to the law my retailer agreed to send me an X2 if I paid the minor difference in price between the two. Well we all know how abysmal the X2 was software wise. SE agreed with me that I should return it and get a full refund or an exchange. My retailer was not so cooperative. In the end SE returned my X2 and sent me a new X10 straight across. I am very happy with the X10 You also get a new 2 year warranty with the new device.
mtechfan said:
FYI, if you are in the EU and you bought your phone in the EU then you are protected by consumer laws.
UK version -> http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/3045/contents/made (long read)
Basically: If the device has been sent in 3 times for the same issue you are entitled to a new device on the 4th time, period. It's the law!
Also, if a device does not perform as stated on the box or has a significant manufacturer defect, again you are entitled to a new device or an exchange for something else or even your money back. This depends on your retailer.
How do I know it's true? Well my X1 had been sent in numerous times and after some references to the law my retailer agreed to send me an X2 if I paid the minor difference in price between the two. Well we all know how abysmal the X2 was software wise. SE agreed with me that I should return it and get a full refund or an exchange. My retailer was not so cooperative. In the end SE returned my X2 and sent me a new X10 straight across. I am very happy with the X10 You also get a new 2 year warranty with the new device.
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Click to collapse
hmmm thats pretty cool! i'm gonna email them saying what i want.
but my retailer (Vodafone) it was hard enough for them just to repair it >.<
Hi!
I've sent my Xperia 3 times.. First time, because screen went black when sliding the keyboard. When I received after 2 weeks, I realized, new screen had a flaw. The backlight was visible on the screen itself(it was very easy to see when the background was black: for example, when turning on the device). It was placed in upper right corner. So I sent the device again for a repair. And after 5(!) weeks, I've been told that every part of my device was replaced. And when I turned it on it showed the same flaw on the screen! But now both upper corners of the screen had that issue. So I wrote a complaint to Sony Ericsson. After a month(!) I received a reply, they told me to send my xperia to another repair point. So I did. After long few weeks, my device returned. With the same screen flaw. Oh God I hate them...
About the flaw: It looks like the screen is pressed by the front panel.
My warranty ends by November I think. I can't go to retailer, because xperia was bought by previous owner in France and I'm really tired of those 'repairs'. Every repair takes between 2 weeks and 1.5 month.
Maybe they don't see it as a flaw? Well, screen has a unequal backlight, for me it's a flaw.. What do you suggest? Send the device for the repair again?
Crapppppp just realised i forgot to restore stock SPL - do you think they will realise? cause just sent it off!
Hurrah, SE sent me a "new" X1 - everything works fine now so i'm not complaining, even though its probbably refurbished
About a month ago (Specifically January the 16th) my Xperia Z3 Compact just completely won't turn on. It's a similar case to a previous forum XDA post where none of the common solutions to forcefully rebooting the phone such as pressing volume and power buttons a specific way or pressing the yellow button near the SIM card slot whilst the power adapter was on (Methods that I found on the Internet and was recommended to by other posters). In the end the consensus was that it would be best to hand it over to Xperia Care considering that my warranty was still intact. A month on and I finally got it back. The service center people told me that the waterproofing capabilities has diminished and will not be as good as it was prior to the repair. They also told me that they changed the innards of the phone. When I asked the service people for a report they said that they did not have a report to explain what happened to my Xperia. (It is in my countries' consumer law to understand the condition my phone is in though, should I have pressed further?) Although I was pretty disappointed I went on to use it and I noticed that the device started to heat up more quickly than usual and that it has reached a higher average temperature (44 Degrees Celsius average and around 62 Degrees Celcius (very rarely however)) on my usual use. Another abmormality I observed on the day of posting was that the right audio channel (it was also a problem I mentioned to the Xperia Care people when I handed it in for servicing) goes out (This time with a newly bought pair of Sony MDR 1A's). Pretty frustrated I then gave the phone a couple of light taps to the top right back of the phone with my palm and the audio managed to come back to life on the right audio channel. Further taps would lead to the audio dying out and more taps would lead to audio springing back to life. Which is odd in my opinion as they said that they So with this, I would like to ask the XDA community whether these problems are common to the Xperia Z3 Compact, is my repair job shoddy and whether I would have a strong argument for a new replacement instead of just another shoddy repair job.
tl;dr: I had my phone repaired, after a few days phone showed problems. Are these problems common? Was my repair done poorly? Are these problems good enough reason to ask for a replacement.
Honestly man, the repair companies that Sony and other manufacturers outsource the job to, often tend not to do a very good job in some cases. I've had my fair share of problem with Sony Xperia Care in the past when I sent in a phone for repairs due to an issue with the charging circuitry, and it took maybe 3 repair attempts before they decided just to give me a new phone instead. I think you should just take the phone back to the shop and ask them to send it in for repairs again, as I doubt they'll be willing to offer an replacement before a few repair attempts have been made, which is a real bummer.