Database Develop

Warranty Woes - help please!!

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.

Nexus One Repair Experiences

Long story short HTC Rocks!!!!!!!
I purchased my lovely nexus one in Feb, as soon as i convinced my wife why a $529 phone was worth it.
I rooted the phone almost seconds after I unboxed it and never looked back.
4 Months later i started having problems with the power/lock key not responding.
First i thought it was a ROM issue so i tried a few debugging techniques, No such luck.
Then after research i discover this was a known hardware issue.
Crap!! I voided that warranty with a smile on my face and now i may have to pay for it to be repaired.
To hell with that, i have fixed my Palm Tungsten, Blackberry and countless other consumer electronic devices ill fix this too.
I bust out my precision screwdriver set and the case pry tool and find a dis-assembly tutorial on the net. Warranty already void i think nothing of breaking the case seals. But alas i cannot seem to repair the button.
I break down and call HTC repair hot-line. I present the following.
Do you sell parts for repair ---- No sir we do not.
Is there are known issue with the power button ---- Yes there is
I setup a repair ticket.
I tell them i have rooted the phone and am proud of it.
The rep explains that with the phone being rooted it would be out of warranty repair.
They would be re-locking the phone, which is accomplished by replacing the motherboard entirely and i would owe the $196 for that service.
I also explain that i have broken the seals in an attempt to repair the phone
The tech gulps and tells me that i will also have to pay for any damage done while disassembling the phone.
she then writes on the ticket
"Issue Description: defective power button, cx has rooted the phone, and broke the seals in an attempt to repair the device."
SO Everyone is aware that i voided the warranty, the rep the service tech
I knew i would have to pay, so i waited for the email with the quoted price and i would shell out my credit-card and suck it up.
I received an email they received my package
I checked the repair website every couple hours.
I called them every day.
I never received an email for a price authorization.
I called and spoke with a rep who told me my phone was in post-repair testing and should be shipped out soon.
WHAT!!!! THEY REPAIRED IT AS A WARRANTY REPAIR!!!!!!!
I Cannot believe it, but it is on a fed-ex truck destine for my house today!!!
Holy Crap!!!! HTC Rocks.
Is this windfall of fortune because the part that was defective was the same part they would have had to replace because of boot-loader re-locking ???
Who has other experiences.
I searched for threads of peoples repair experiences but found few. I desperately needed to have an idea of what was happening to my beloved phone

HTC seems to be honoring the warranty if it's a hardware problem, even if you've unlocked your bootloader. I haven't had problems with it, but from what I've read that power button tends to go bad. If mine does, I'll call HTC (and not mention the unlocked bootloader), then when I get the phone back I'll do the root-without-unlocking method.
But yeah, HTC seems to have pretty stellar support for their hardware. Can't complain about that.

My similar experience here, but scroll up for a bad experience with a service center outside the US: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=7076177#post7076177

They sure have very good customer service in the US...but for the repair center, well I can only say they are horrible!
My experience with them here

same problem as me. Got mine back today, and rooted it again. I didn't feel like cutting the sim card slot up and stuff.

They told me that I should ship mine back to HTC because (since frf50) it's been freezing and I need to pull the battery to restart. I don't want to though.

suicide_trend said:
Long story short HTC Rocks!!!!!!!
I purchased my lovely nexus one in Feb, as soon as i convinced my wife why a $529 phone was worth it.
I rooted the phone almost seconds after I unboxed it and never looked back.
4 Months later i started having problems with the power/lock key not responding.
First i thought it was a ROM issue so i tried a few debugging techniques, No such luck.
Then after research i discover this was a known hardware issue.
Crap!! I voided that warranty with a smile on my face and now i may have to pay for it to be repaired.
To hell with that, i have fixed my Palm Tungsten, Blackberry and countless other consumer electronic devices ill fix this too.
I bust out my precision screwdriver set and the case pry tool and find a dis-assembly tutorial on the net. Warranty already void i think nothing of breaking the case seals. But alas i cannot seem to repair the button.
I break down and call HTC repair hot-line. I present the following.
Do you sell parts for repair ---- No sir we do not.
Is there are known issue with the power button ---- Yes there is
I setup a repair ticket.
I tell them i have rooted the phone and am proud of it.
The rep explains that with the phone being rooted it would be out of warranty repair.
They would be re-locking the phone, which is accomplished by replacing the motherboard entirely and i would owe the $196 for that service.
I also explain that i have broken the seals in an attempt to repair the phone
The tech gulps and tells me that i will also have to pay for any damage done while disassembling the phone.
she then writes on the ticket
"Issue Description: defective power button, cx has rooted the phone, and broke the seals in an attempt to repair the device."
SO Everyone is aware that i voided the warranty, the rep the service tech
I knew i would have to pay, so i waited for the email with the quoted price and i would shell out my credit-card and suck it up.
I received an email they received my package
I checked the repair website every couple hours.
I called them every day.
I never received an email for a price authorization.
I called and spoke with a rep who told me my phone was in post-repair testing and should be shipped out soon.
WHAT!!!! THEY REPAIRED IT AS A WARRANTY REPAIR!!!!!!!
I Cannot believe it, but it is on a fed-ex truck destine for my house today!!!
Holy Crap!!!! HTC Rocks.
Is this windfall of fortune because the part that was defective was the same part they would have had to replace because of boot-loader re-locking ???
Who has other experiences.
I searched for threads of peoples repair experiences but found few. I desperately needed to have an idea of what was happening to my beloved phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are lucky

Problem with HTC Support (and the N1 phone) - Need advise

Has anyone been able to dispute a repair charge and does anyone know if there would be charges if the power button was not working?
I just want to share my story and am wondering if investing $400 of repair charges on top of a $530 phone is worth it.
4/7/10 - Purchased N1 (Compatible with 3G on AT&T U.S.) from Google Webstore.
6/7/10 - Begin having 3G data & phone signal loss in New Orleans. Contacted AT&T and was told they were having tower issues in the area. Spent one week using 2G instead.
6/13/10 - Went to AT&T store to check on service. Got a brand new SIM card that worked on another phone. At this point, carrier issue has been ruled out
6/14/10 - Phoned N1 support, performed a master reset and then got transferred to HTC for warranty support. It was either replacement or repair. Chose replacement option.
6/17/10 - Received replacement phone and shipped my original phone back to them the very next day.
6/23/10 - Received email for a $196(!) repair quotation. Phoned into HTC support and was told that it was a customer induced motherboard damage. I asked for more details on the damage & charge, and customer service said that they need information from the "warehouse" and get back to me. Never heard back from CS.
7/10/10 - New replacement phone shut off by itself and could not be powered back on.
7/11/10 - Called N1 support and performed master reset which did not work. Got transferred to HTC support but a case cannot be opened because the previous case was still outstanding. The customer serivce rep confirmed that the case notes stated that I had called for more information, and they were supposed to get back to me. I was told that I need to talk to a supervisor for further support and they do not work on weekends.
7/12/10 - Called HTC support and spoke to a supervisor. Basically she told me that my options are
my options are either to pay the $196 and close the case or wait up to 48 hours to get the details back from the "warehouse". Either way, no replacement can be processed until the previous case is closed. I was told that there is no way to:
1. Get the open case closed temporarily so a replacement for my current issue can be dealt with.
2. No other person beyond the supervisor(s) I can talk to.
3. No way to escalate to the wareshouse to speed up 48 hours needed on getting the previous repair details.
4. No one can do anything else for a customer who is going through an exception situation.
5. No clear instructions on how to dispute a repair quotation.
All customer service reps sounded pleasant but HTC has procedures that do not support customer satisfaction. Here are somethings that I find completely unsatisfying. Neither phones have been rooted, tempered with, dropped, or water damage on neither device.
1. First let's talk about 2 defective phones.
2. Sending repair quote to customers demanding payment without more information is unacceptable.
3. Blaming customer for self-induced damange while there is a known 3G issue for the N1.
4. Not getting back to customer on repair details is also unacceptable.
5. Not being able to open more than one case is absurd. In my situation, we're dealing with 2 different issues but for some reason, one is related to the other in the system.
6. Where is the repair charge dispute process documentation?
7. The is no exception to the "normal" escalation process is a huge gap. Basically I was told that after the supervisor level, it goes to the "warehouse". No one can talk to the wareshouse without going through the 48 hour escalation process.
8. Tell customer that damage maybe water related when the battery has no record of such.

You studiously do not deny self induced damage.did you break it? We're not here to play guessing games.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Hi
I faced a similar situation as you. My power button went wonky and I sent it in to HTC for servicing. It was a very tiring ordeal for me.
The HTC support (in Singapore) kept insisting that my motherboard needed a replacement and they wanted to charge me for it as I had an unlocked bootloader and was unable to claim warranty.
I kept arguing with their phone support that I just wanted my power button fixed and I was skeptical that that required a motherboard replacement. They kept insisting that I needed to replace my motherboard in order fix the power button.
As I was getting nowhere with phone support( I spent 3 days arguing with them) I made a trip down to their service center to try to speak to the engineer actually servicing my phone.
Had a similar argument with the CSO there who repeated the same BS to me and finally said she will go inside and have the engineer come out to explain further. So I waited. After several minutes (of which i believe she was informing him that there was an angry customer outside), she emerged alone and said they will wave the charges for the button repair.
Do you know what disgusts me the most about this entire ordeal?
When i finally received my phone back from them, they repaired my power button but my boot loader remained unlocked!
They did not need to replace my motherboard!
IMO, HTC simply wanted to replace the motherboard cos I had an unlocked bootloader. What better way to make easy money then to milk me with an unnecessary but expensive repair simply cos I voided my warranty. It' s unethical and personally, HTC has lost any future business from me.
It ironic as I bought my phone from Google.

caysman said:
You studiously do not deny self induced damage.did you break it? We're not here to play guessing games.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm putting my money on an unlocked bootloader

No I have not unlocked or rooted neither phones. My replacement N1 received the Froyo push. I did not even install it myself. Seriously there was no tempering, dropping, or water damage on neither device.
I would agree that HTC is passing repair charges to customers because it makes good business sense. It'll be highly unlikely that I am going to purchase another HTC phone.

TangBiz said:
All customer service reps sounded pleasant but HTC has procedures that do not support customer satisfaction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly my thought. I've had my phone repaired for almost a whole month now and I still have no hope of getting it back.
The customer service is nice but they are absolutely useless. Everything regarding the actual status of the phone has to be initiated by the escalation team or warehouse, and I highly doubt that they give a **** of the customers.

TangBiz said:
No I have not unlocked or rooted neither phones. My replacement N1 received the Froyo push. I did not even install it myself. Seriously there was no tempering, dropping, or water damage on neither device.
I would agree that HTC is passing repair charges to customers because it makes good business sense. It'll be highly unlikely that I am going to purchase another HTC phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has this been resolved?
If you haven't unlocked the bootloader, then there's no reason to charge you for the repair. Definitely talk to a supervisor and don't be afraid to insist that the phone if fully covered under warranty and they need to replace the unit or repair it.

I guess HTC support is 50/50, i've read that many HTC sends over a new phone the next day i guess it depends on certain malfunctions they do that. You should find out on what malfucntions do they send phones right away, and claim that as the problem.

KidTech said:
I guess HTC support is 50/50, i've read that many HTC sends over a new phone the next day i guess it depends on certain malfunctions they do that. You should find out on what malfucntions do they send phones right away, and claim that as the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting my rooted/unlocked phone repaired for free. So yeah, it really is 50/50!

My headphone jack started wigging out and thinking there was a headset plugged in when there wasn't. I also explained that I started to see dust coming in underneath the screen in the bottom left corner.
I opted for a replacement. I got it the next day. New one is great. Bootloader was unlocked and no charge was issued.
I would be livid. How old was the original phone with the "broken motherboard"? April? Well all hardware defects are covered up to 1 year. If the phone casing shows no physical signs of abuse yet the motherboard is broken... then that is a ringer that it is a manufacture defect.... especially if you'd had the phone for 2 months.
If there are no signs of physical damage and the water sticker is clean then you have full entitlement to your warranty. This includes motherboard replacements.

AT&T Warranty Replacement?

Anyone have any experience yet getting a Captivate replaced through the warranty department at 800-801-1101?
My sister got her phone on launch day, past few days the screen has really been acting up, and it's now just outside the 30 day store return period.
Anybody try getting a replacement from the warranty department? I'm figuring they have replacements available but I want to check before I waste my time calling in.

When my first captivate was randomly shutting down and the store I purchased it at was having a hard time keeping them stocked I called ATT and the guy said they absolutely could just send me another, but urged me to go to the store, call him back, and let him on the phone with the clerk so he could credit my return immediately and I could go elsewhere to buy another that same day, thus not eating anymore of my 30 days. So yeah, long story short, they can replace it right away from what I was told.

screw att. lol

go to the nearby att service center and replace it.

Several months ago, I woke up one morning to a phone that refused to charge, power on, or otherwise do anything.
Walked into an AT&T Warranty place, 30 minutes later, left with a new phone.

I purchased a captivate back in December at Sam's club and luckily haven't had any real issues with it(1010 build). My wifes been bugging me since then, that she wanted one, so I just bought another one off craigslist (0610 build).
I was curious to see what anyones thoughts are on this.
1st) The craigslist one has a small crack in the plastic casing around the charger door, so the door is kinda sunk in a little, but still works properly. I'm just a little worried that down the road it may become an issue.
2nd) It seams to have some of the gps issues. When running stock it will hardly pick up anything. I flashed a few other roms on it incorporating the various gps fixes, and Paragon seams to work best. But it still wont pull in a tight lock.
So my question is:
Do you think I could do a warranty exchange on the Craigslist one through the Att repair center? Basically pretending its the one I purchased through Sam's or will they be able to figure out that there 2 different phones?

Well, that's fraud but if you feel you must I would just play dumb like you didn't know and must have mixed up the phones. Heh

Not likely since they will have the IMEI record of the original purchaser. But go ahead and try. Come back and tell us how it worked out.

I have seen where many have gotten at&t to warranty their phone even though it was not purchased from them.

Try samsung, their stupider
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

newter55 said:
I have seen where many have gotten at&t to warranty their phone even though it was not purchased from them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course they will warranty a phone purchased by the original owner from another authorized retailer (I bought mine from Radio Shack and AT$T replaced the first 2), but they have zero obligation to warranty a phone to a 3rd party purchaser that bought the phone used. Most warranties are not transferable and are only good to the original purchaser.

Miami_Son said:
Of course they will warranty a phone purchased by the original owner from another authorized retailer (I bought mine from Radio Shack and AT$T replaced the first 2), but they have zero obligation to warranty a phone to a 3rd party purchaser that bought the phone used. Most warranties are not transferable and are only good to the original purchaser.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was referring to people who have bought via Craigslist and eBay as that was what was being discussed. I know they have no obligation but have read many people say they have.
Thanks anyway for your expert insight :/

Fried my phone the other day and had the power off issue.... went into my local AT&T warranty center and they hooked me up with a Refurb in about 20 minutes - no questions asked.
IF you have insurance and it's within the 1rst year of the phone's life they should replace it as long as it's not water damaged related.
(And... I had Serendipity back on it when I got home much to my wife's chagrin)
Note: The kid actually seemed to know what he was talking about too strangely enough. Knew about the IMEI range issue and claimed that the refurbs - even if they have the problematic range should be find as they replaced teh internal hardware.
I have a 1011 build now - and it seems to be working great (sans typical GPS BS)

newter55 said:
I was referring to people who have bought via Craigslist and eBay as that was what was being discussed. I know they have no obligation but have read many people say they have.
Thanks anyway for your expert insight :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are authorized AT&T resellers on eBay. Craig's list is pretty much used only. Since AT$T has acknowledged a manufacturing defect issue with some of these phones, they will probably replace ones that fall within the affected IMEI range regardless where/when it was purchased. You may have to badger them a bit, but they generally prefer to just exchange it rather than lose a customer. Unfortunately, as the OP has told us, this particular phone has some visible physical damage. On that basis AT$T is unlikely to replace it for free as they will probably say any malfunction is related to that damage and not any manufacturing defect. That's my expert insight on it.

ryanmahan said:
Try samsung, their stupider
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't know how to spell "they're," maybe you shouldn't be calling anyone stupid.

eelton said:
If you don't know how to spell "they're," maybe you shouldn't be calling anyone stupid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tenchars

phone return
i bought my phone off craigslist used, and when i bricked it as a newbie, called samsung for any info. as it was under a year old they took it back and repaired it free of charge. thank you! lol!

You'll either be completely out of luck and get a refurbished phone that will break in 91 days, or get a brand new phone with the same 90 day warranty that will take roughly 10 months to break.
I got lucky; the first refurbished replacement that I got was dead on arrival, so it gave me leverage to scream at ATT for being crap.
You can tell if your phone is refurbished or new by looking at the label under the battery cover; if it is white with ugly font and no indication of the Samsung logo, it's refurbished. If the logo is present, your phone is new.

Water Damaged S5 Active Replaced by Samsung

Hello all! Just had something wonderful happen.
I recently got the S5 Active from AT&T. The phone I was using beforehand was the HTC G1 (what a throwback!), so naturally when I get a phone that is supposed to block water from damaging it, I tried it. The surprising thing was, the first few times it worked underwater, no issues at all. Then, one day, to demonstrate to my friends how much better my phone was over iPhones everywhere, I dropped it in a pitcher of water in front of them, just like they did in the commercial. It worked immediately after, but a few minutes later it just shut off. I ripped off the cover and saw there was water everywhere by the battery. It looks like there was a little cut by the seal of the back, which is what I presume to be the culprit to be. The screen would not turn on, even after several attempts to resurrect it.
I ended up setting up a claim with Samsung, even though the man on the phone said they would not cover water damage at all. For kicks, I wrote a little note saying what happened, and how I would appreciate it if they could fix my phone, and slipped that in the package.
Low and behold, I received a new phone from Samsung! Even though they said I wouldn't get anything, a working S5 was just shipped to me. It isn't the one I sent in, so I assume it's a refurbished one. It also came with a new back and battery.
Anywho, I just wanted to explain what happened to give some peace of mind to anyone out there was frantically Googling what is going to happen to their water resistant S5 Active after water slips through the cracks. Cheers!

Hello.
Hey there,I am EXACTLY in the same situation as you are,please tell me what should I do now.I have left 22 months of warranty,I have the IMEI and serial number.But I can't find my bill (for purchase date they ask).I would appreciate if you help me mate.Im really scarred and I dont want to pay for the phone again.I guess the phone is totally damaged,as it doesn't even vibrate,turn on.It is completly dead.My cover was safely as my charger slot.And if they examinate the phone and the warranty cant cover the damage,what are the chances to ask for more than 200$?Please I need any information!

khryzye said:
Hey there,I am EXACTLY in the same situation as you are,please tell me what should I do now.I have left 22 months of warranty,I have the IMEI and serial number.But I can't find my bill (for purchase date they ask).I would appreciate if you help me mate.Im really scarred and I dont want to pay for the phone again.I guess the phone is totally damaged,as it doesn't even vibrate,turn on.It is completly dead.My cover was safely as my charger slot.And if they examinate the phone and the warranty cant cover the damage,what are the chances to ask for more than 200$?Please I need any information!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all the warranty is 12 months unless you bought square trade or something. And if the S5 active is anything like the S4 active, they don't advertise it but they will replace it because there's no way to tell whether it failed at being "water resistant" or was fully submerged. As for the receipt, sometimes they ask for it and sometimes they don't. If you can't get it replaced through your carrier, the best option is to use the Samsung support chat & they'll tell you what you need to submit. Otherwise the carrier should have a receipt on record

Water damaged Samsung Galaxy S5 HELP!
Hey, I read your thread and I thought it was exactly similar to my situation, except after calling customer service many times, they told me they would not replace my phone. I was wondering you talked to or requested on the phone when you called? Any tips? Did you write to anyone? Is there anything you'd recommend that I do?
My email is [email protected]
I'd really appreciate you getting back to me, thanks!

Hi I'm in the same situation. I was wondering how you went about doing this...
I used the live chat and she gave me a ticket number and told me to call the voice customer service people. I was wondering if that was all they did.
If you could please get back to me with info that'd be great my email is
[email protected]

Don't be fooled by Samsung and AT&T Commercials for the s5 Active!!!
Up until just a few days ago, I have been a very loyal Samsung and AT&T Customer. Both my husband and I have Samsung phones, Samsung Tablets, and have been customers of AT&T forever. I was EVEN thinking about purchasing the Samsung Smart phone. Not anymore.
It is beyond comprehension to me at this time that NEITHER AT&T NOR SAMSUNG will apparently stand behind their products! Although BOTH AT&T AND SAMSUNG advertise that the Galaxy S5 Active devise is rated IP67 using the Ingress Protection rating system! As the Samsung user manual AND the AT&T commercials state: "The dust rating is 6 (highest level of protection), and the water resistance rating is 7 (WATER RESISTANT UP TO 1 METER for UP TO 30 MIN). Watch their commercials ...but don't be fooled.
My phone was in contact with water for less than 3 seconds! ( It accidentally dropped in water and was retrieved almost instantly) LESS TIME THAN advertised:
The phone turned on for a few seconds...then went off....Then an hour later turned on with a green screen...then back off and was totally dead. I sealed the phone in a desiccator for three days and it still would not come on. Samsung service said yes, it was under warranty and to send it in. IF they couldn't repair it , they would send an new one. Guess what!? They lied. I just received my original phone in what looks like worse damage than I sent it and I have been told that the mother board is fried..( NO DUH!) And that voids the warranty?
My mind is spinning. I really loved my Samsung Active, but I am sooo disappointed in the Service and the fact that Samsung would not replace it since it was less than a year old!
I posted a complaint to Samsung's Mobile Facebook page and immediately got a response to private message them. I got the same "canned" response there as well. I may as well go bang my head on a wall. Thank you for taking the time to at least listen to my "rant".

This is how this is done!
If you are reading this post, you probably dropped your s4/s5 Active phone in a glass of water or decided to take it with you swimming. If you did, I am sure you have now realized the error of your ways! ANYWAYS.... if you want any chance of getting your phone fixed WITHOUT paying for the repair, just follow these simple instructions!
Make sure the phone is in warranty! If it's over a year old, the manufacturers warranty is expired and this is not info you need. They will not fix a phone for free if its out of warranty... (well, most of the time! lol)
IF ITS WARRANTY IS GOOD.... Read on! Or, I guess if it's bad just read on anyways... although most of this won't help you in that case...
The first thing you have to know before you even pick up your phone to call Samsung and the most important thing in this process, is to understand that Samsung is not responsible for ANY ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE, PERIOD! So with that out of the way....
Call up Samsung's Technical Support and Give the representative any information they need. Next when they ask why you are calling, simply tell them what symptom you are having and immediately state that you have verified that it is still under warranty and that you'd like to send it in for repair.
Now, you must watch what you say from here. your best bet is pleading the fifth, but they will ask you questions you are going to have to answer... Like, Has your phone suffered any physical or liquid damage?...
Well the obvious answer if you're reading this forum, is YES!!! But let's think about this real quick... If you're calling in about a G870a, it's specs show that it is ip-67 certified, which means it should be "dust and water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes." So should that 5 seconds in a cup really have done it in??? Common sense argues, NO! And this should be your thought process when being asked the question I wrote in the last paragraph.
This is where most of you loose the chance of ever getting the phone repaired under warranty again! And remember you don't want to lie! If you do you'll just get an e-mail after sending it in telling you that the damage is NOT covered. They will then give you a quote for the cost of repair, and tell you that if you do not respond, the phone will be sent back to you AS IS.
So how do you get it fixed for free already?!?!?!?!
The goal now is to make sure you don't incriminate yourself! SOO.... If I dropped mine in a glass of water to show it off to friends and they asked me weather or not it was physically or liquid damaged, I WOULD say something like this...
"No, this phone has been taken care of VERY well it's whole time in my possession, and nothing has occurred that the phone was NOT built to handle based on the specifications listed on Samsung's web page for my SM-G870a specifically. It is in great shape and **** simply stopped working properly after it was briefly submerged in shallow water. I purchased this phone because it's ip-67 certification and it should be fine after such a small indecent!". (**** could mean anything from the LCD to the charger port and anything in-between)!
Now, a good rep will notate that information on your case and provide you with an RMA number, that is, if your phone was in fact under warranty still. Then they send you a shipping label and instructions. Now you just send the phone in following all their instructions. and you should get a nicely refurbished phone in the mail 7-14 days after they receive it!
Easy, right!?!?!
NOT EVERY TIME!!!
If the rep decides to tell you that the phone cannot be serviced under warranty and there will be a charge for the repair......
DON"T GET MAD! It will ensure the status of your phone to be flagged as "beyond economical repair" and it will no longer be covered under warranty again!
Simply tell that rep, that you disagree with that policy and ask KINDLY to speak to their supervisor. (remember, they are going to brief the supervisor on the situation before you talk to them and you don't want them degrading your character!!!)
When you are finally connected to the supervisor, you must be FIRM but KIND, and assert yourself as knowledgeable but not with too much confidence. In laymen terms, treat them like your Grandmother!
Tell them ONLY that you are attempting to send your phone, which in is warranty, in for service and that the previous representative told you it MAY not be covered under the warranty. Then, without hesitation, reiterate to the supervisor now, that this phone is listed on their documentation as ip-67 certified and that the conditions that caused the failure SHOULD NOT HAVE CAUSED THE DAMAGE IT DID!
After that, you must also make sure they understand that you understand that certain measures on the users behalf are expected to meet the ip-67 certification. They must be convinced that your were using proper operating procedures and were using common sense when the phone was damaged.
Any supervisor is going to have a very hard time arguing that type of common sense and will probably place you on a short hold before returning to the line and informing you that they will make an exception, but if the phone is found to be badly damaged, there may still be a charge for repair. AGREE WITH THIS!!!! They will create the RMA and send you the shipping label and instructions
WAS ALL THAT A WASTE OF TIME??? Are they going to try to charge me for the repair anyways??
Most likely not... it should be notated to the tech, and they usually overlook the liquid damaged, because of your conversation with the reps on the phone.
BUT in SOME CASES there is one last step to ALMOST 100% ensure the repair/replacement of your phone FREE of charge!!! and this will probably be the most important step for a lot of people! Especially if a lot of water made it into the device!
All I am asking is for you to "like my Business Page for Capital City Computer geeks on Facebook and comment on my Liquid damage post!
After you do, I will message you the last step!!!! I know a lot of you won't need this last bit of info, but it's the most valuable piece to the puzzle and can make the biggest difference!
Head over to Facebook and search for Capital City Computer Geeks to get the last step!!!!
And if you liked this post or succeeded with my help, please take a second to go there and like my page anyways!!
Maybe, just maybe that'll help get some more priceless info outta me
Good Luck Everyone! Let's make sure we all get what we pay for!
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