Phone in for repairs - quoted ~R2400, water damage - on IP67 certified phone.

[xrapidx]

EDIT: Vodacom have accepted doing it under warranty.

Well this is rather rich.

Finally had change to drop off my phone (Samsing S7710) at Vodacom - it stopped charging a week or two back.

Got a call this morning quoting ~R2,400 for repairs - reason its not covered by warranty is corrosion, due to "liquid substances".

I asked the woman how they can claim that when the phone is waterproof - she came back that its only water resistant. I said it was IP67 certified, meaning it can be held underwater, I told her 3 or 5m, but I see now its only 1m, but for up to 30min. (http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/consumer/mobile-phone/mobile-phone/touch/GT-S7710TAAXFE)

Although I was expecting this, I saw rust around the screws when I took it in, those screws were outside the little water seal.

I'm now waiting for the call back - although I'm not expecting wonders.

Even when you buy a waterproof phone, you'll be hit with the water damage cop-out.

 

[Maverick Jester]

A friend had a similar issue with his Xperia Z. He was basically told to sod off by both Sony and MTN.

 

[WaxLyrical]

Dunk it and get another one.

Samsing?

 

[xrapidx]

A friend had a similar issue with his Xperia Z. He was basically told to sod off by both Sony and MTN.

Yeh, sort of expecting that sort of response from them.

Dunk it and get another one.

Samsing?

Yip - Samsung, definitely won't get another one - the thing hasn't been near water since December. (when I was pushed in the pool)

 

[xrapidx]

Wow - and they just called back saying they'd do it under warranty.

I am impressed.

 

[bruce_the_loon]

Wow - and they just called back saying they'd do it under warranty.

I am impressed.

Cool. Probably a standard, see corrosion, call water damage, reaction, then they discovered it is rated for water submersion. Read the warranty for the model and realized.

 

[Maverick Jester]

Wow - and they just called back saying they'd do it under warranty.

I am impressed.

Good on Samsung.

 

[Maverick Jester]

Cool. Probably a standard, see corrosion, call water damage, reaction, then they discovered it is rated for water submersion. Read the warranty for the model and realized.

Such a shame that Sony can't do the same thing.

 

[xrapidx]

Good on Samsung.

Think this is more Vodacom - its being repaired in house.

 

[xrapidx]

%$T$%^%^^^^%%^$

So - it's been awhile, I've been getting updates via SMS - and yesterday I was called to collect my phone.

Today I go through the hassle of going to Canal Walk - hand in my receipt - and guess what, you owe us money, water damage is not covered by warranty.

I explain, firstly, that we've had this discussion, and they accepted the phone as waterproof, and repair would be done under warranty, and secondly, the phone is waterPROOF - so that excuse doesn't fly.

Woman types a few things on the PC - "Ok, you must pay, water damage". Go through the process repeatedly, getting quite annoyed that I've had to repeat the same thing multiple times - she gets up and walks away without saying anything. I've also told her that at no stage did I agree to any cost to repair the phone. And she still insists I must pay because the PC says so - even after I asked for proof of my acceptance.

A good 5-10min later she comes back and says the manager is busy. She disappears again.

10min I ask a second person for the manager, person comes back that the manager is busy.

10min I ask again for the manager - again, the manager is busy, I tell the person to tell the manager I'm leaving in 5min, he does so.

7min later - I tell the guy to go and fetch my receipt, I'm leaving - off he goes and the original woman comes back, "the manager is looking into my repair". I still have not had a chance to even see this manager. I ask again for my receipt, saying that I'm not spending my Sunday waiting for the manager.

She fetches it, comes back, and asks for my details :wtf: - At this stage I'm thoroughly pissed off - so I just leave. WTF do they need my details for, they have EVERYTHING, including the phone.

 

[Ancalagon]

Facebook and Hellopeter. And phone Samsung directly. I have heard of Samsung intervening when their brand is at stake.

Spread the word - embarrassing companies is the only way you can get them to take any action.

 

[xrapidx]

I'm more annoyed at the service received... there is no way they can make me pay for it if I didn't accept a quote.

 

[AstroTurf]

I would just go find the manager myself.

 

[d0b33]

Even when you buy a waterproof phone, you'll be hit with the water damage cop-out.

lol what a gimmick, it's useless anyway you need to keep all seals tight for it to be waterproof so all those idiots splashing their phones end up allowing water damage claims by actually... *shock* splashing water on their phones.

 

[AstroTurf]

lol what a gimmick, it's useless anyway you need to keep all seals tight for it to be waterproof so all those idiots splashing their phones end up allowing water damage claims by actually... *shock* splashing water on their phones.

Thank goodness for Samsung's new warranties

 

[xrapidx]

Nothing so far from Vodacom, next week I'll pop round to the sherif of the court, and start a small claims process.

 

[covfefe]

Nothing so far from Vodacom, next week I'll pop round to the sherif of the court, and start a small claims process.

What does your contract say regarding disputes?

 

[xrapidx]

What does your contract say regarding disputes?

Not disputing my contract. They have my device, they did not get my approval to repair it at a cost, they will not return it.

 

[Progenix Oj101]

Do you have insurance on the phone? I had a similar story with MTN a few years back. I had a Nokia 6210 Navigator, let me just post a picture so you understand what I'm about to explain:

See those buttons just below the screen? Well they stopped working when the phone was slid open, and after a day the screen would also only work with the phone closed. I took it back to MTN under warranty (it wasn't even a year old) and got it back with big "BER" sticks - beyond economic repair due to water damage. I also got a quote of just over R7000 to replace the mainboard. Hello Peter, angry emails and angry phone calls didn't help, I even contemplated taking MTN to the small claims court but figured it wasn't worth the effort.

That was back in 2009. Fast forward to 2012 and I took the phone to one of these Pakistani repair guys just to see if he could do anything about the water damage. Guess what? There's no sign of water damage. NONE. What he DOES find, however, is that the ribbon cable between the two "halves" of the phone is damaged from repeatedly being slid open and closed. R80 later and the phone is repaired. Two years later the phone is still working.

Again, MTN, GFY.

 

[Maverick Jester]

%$T$%^%^^^^%%^$

So - it's been awhile, I've been getting updates via SMS - and yesterday I was called to collect my phone.

Today I go through the hassle of going to Canal Walk - hand in my receipt - and guess what, you owe us money, water damage is not covered by warranty.

I explain, firstly, that we've had this discussion, and they accepted the phone as waterproof, and repair would be done under warranty, and secondly, the phone is waterPROOF - so that excuse doesn't fly.

Woman types a few things on the PC - "Ok, you must pay, water damage". Go through the process repeatedly, getting quite annoyed that I've had to repeat the same thing multiple times - she gets up and walks away without saying anything. I've also told her that at no stage did I agree to any cost to repair the phone. And she still insists I must pay because the PC says so - even after I asked for proof of my acceptance.

A good 5-10min later she comes back and says the manager is busy. She disappears again.

10min I ask a second person for the manager, person comes back that the manager is busy.

10min I ask again for the manager - again, the manager is busy, I tell the person to tell the manager I'm leaving in 5min, he does so.

7min later - I tell the guy to go and fetch my receipt, I'm leaving - off he goes and the original woman comes back, "the manager is looking into my repair". I still have not had a chance to even see this manager. I ask again for my receipt, saying that I'm not spending my Sunday waiting for the manager.

She fetches it, comes back, and asks for my details :wtf: - At this stage I'm thoroughly pissed off - so I just leave. WTF do they need my details for, they have EVERYTHING, including the phone.

I was actually going to say that I would be worried if Vodacom are doing this in house...