BlackBerry

[kg84]

Hi, I have a Blackberry Torch with Vodafone. I have had it for around a year now and am still under contract for another year, I pay £30 per month. Last week my phone stopped charging - I tested the charger and it works on other blackberrys so it was definitely the handset. I phoned Vodafone and they told me to take the phone into the vodafone store to be sent off for repair. I did this last Friday, the store told me I was still under warranty as I got the phone directly from Vodafone and am still in contract, therefore they said there would be no charge to get it fixed. Last night I got a voicemail saying it would cost £100 to repair the handset as the phone battery has been overcharged?! I phoned vodafone. On hold for 5 minutes, they gave me the number for the repair centre. Phoned them, they were closed. Phoned back this morning, they told me I shouldn't be phoning them directly so dumped me in a queue for customer services, on hold for around 10 minutes for the guy to tell me that I have damaged the phone and the USB socket so my warranty is void. Said all I can do is submit a written complaint and wait 5-10 days for a response!! I charge my phone every other evening when the battery is low. I don't connect the phone to a computer, just put the charger into the phone and take it out when it has charged. My work blackberry is charged and used much more and never has any problems! I talked to the IT tech in work who manages 3000 blackberrys for our employees, he says it must be a fault with the phone and vodafone are trying to charge me for it when it couldn't be my fault. So, how do I go about finding out from vodafone exactly what the problem is, exactly what work they have to do to fix it, and exactly how much it will cost? These forums seem to have a common theme of people being charged £100 no matter what the phone problem is. I have been a vodafone customer for 11 years without any problems and feel pretty let down by this, I have already been without my phone for a week, now its going to be another 2 weeks for them to respond to my complaint, and even then I don't know what the outcome will be - the guy in customer services told me today to buy a pay-as-you-go handset and use my sim card in it, but why would I buy a cheap handset and pay £30 per month when that monthly contract fee should include a working blackberry torch that I am paying for?! Any help or advice would be very very much appreciated, kg

[grolschuk]

If the damage isn't beyond reasonable day to day use (and charging it every other day is not) then it should be a warranty repair
If they are saying the battery has been over charged, and that has damaged the handset, then the handset is at fault as you have only been charging it when required.

If it is just a dead battery then they don't tend to be covered as it is in their nature to wear down over time, but a new battery won't cost £100 nor should you need one if the handset still won't charge it.

The only thing you do have a misconception on is that your handset is not covered by your tariff and contract. You were given/sold a subsidised handset at the point of taking out your contract, and that is the only tie-in.
If it breaks it's covered by a 2 year warranty - which works most of the time, but seems to have fallen over here.
If you crack the screen, drop it in a pint, or lose it, it is not, and that is why people take out insurance... You will still be charged for the airtime even if you don't have a working handset.

Hopefully one of the tech team will be along soon so they can take a look at your account and advise on what can be done, but from the description given above, I certainly wouldn't pay.

[_365_]

What u need to remember is that the repairs are carried out by blackberry trained and certified technicians....they will only be following the diagnostics and guidelines set by the RIM, not vodafone

[grolschuk]

To be honest _365_ i'm not overly convinced by the repair centres...

We had a moisture damaged execuitive level handset on our enterprise contract that we could pay to get fixed... usually done for a fixed fee and swapped out next day for a like-for-like

Whatever reason the swap out couldn't happen and we were asked to send to the 'repair centre' for a week (rather than our usual 24h SLA).

Full notes were put that it was damaged due to moisture, and we were paying for it, both on the system at voda... and also on the manual return note that I had to include in the pre-paid returns bag....

10 working days later we got the handset back saying they could not repair it under the warranty terms because it was water damaged!!! (with pictures and everything)

Surface to say, not a happy exec who had been given a 'loan' handset by us for a day, which turned out to be 2 weeks+ and no replaced device

[Lee]

Hi there kg84,

Thanks for your post. It seems you charge the handset in much the same way as I do.

I've sent you a PM which can be accessed here. If you could follow the instructions in the PM and send us your details one of the team will be with you as soon as they can.

Cheers,

Lee

[kg84]

I have been getting email responses to my compliant and eforum complaint stating vodafone will contact me, when they phone i am not in, i ring back and they pass me between customer services and the repair centre. I've been told 2 different reasons for being charged £100 - that the USB port is damaged, and that I have overcharged the phone. They will send my phone back unrepaired or charge me £100, no other option. Does anyone have any idea how much it actually costs to repair USB port and who else other than the rip-off repair centre could do this for me? Thanks

[ironduketrains]

hi

not sure on repair cost. But you seem to be having the same problem as me with the repair center. I sent my   htc phone in for repair last month, it was on contract, under guarantee and total undamaged. The repair center tried to charge me £100 saying there was damage to the phone. After several phone calls and a visit to my local vodafone shop I managed to get the £100 refunded to my account.

last week my other contract phone a Samsung s2 developed a fault. This was returned to vodafone for repair under guarantee. Again no damage just a fault " not showing any network".  today the phone call came from the repair center, saying there was internal damage and I would have to pay £100 for the repair.

There seems to be a common theme developing, it would be interesting to hear from any one else that has had the same experience.

[domoboy]

Hello,

I'm in exactly the same boat. My previous HTC phone had a usb fault on it (but i wasn't on contract) and my HTC Cha Cha, which i've had for 11 months under a 24 month contract, has the same. I sent it away last week, to have a voicemail today saying that the 'USB ws damaged and it's a £100 repair fee'.

The only reason the usb port is damaged, is due to the design and faults of HTC. You provide the HTC phones. I charge my phone like any normal person. Do you really think I've tried putting a saussage into the USB port Vodafone? This is a fault on the phone, a phone that you provided. I am under warranty. You have an obligation to adhere to that warranty.

What course of action did you guys take?

[domoboy]

My previous HTC phone had a usb fault on it (but i wasn't on contract) and my HTC Cha Cha, which i've had for 11 months under a 24 month contract, has the same. I sent it away last week, to have a voicemail today saying that the 'USB ws damaged and it's a £100 repair fee'.

The only reason the usb port is damaged, is due to the design and faults of HTC. You provide the HTC phones. I charge my phone like any normal person. Do you really think I've tried putting a saussage into the USB port Vodafone? This is a fault on the phone, a phone that you provided. I am under warranty. You have an obligation to adhere to that warranty.

What course of action shall i now take? Bear in mind i have already repeated this to a repair person via the phone, who was downright ignorant.

[Magicman13]

If it is damaged then this is claased as user damage and is not covered under the Warranty. Ask for the handset returning to you and take it to HTC and see how much they ask for to repair the damage! At the very worst, they would give you a second opinion and if it is, as you say due to a design flaw then that needs to be addressed directly via HTC as they manufacture the handset, not Vodafone.

[pjelsworth]

Exactly the same for me. I have a Curve 9300 and the Trackpad stopped working. I took it in to the shop and they said iti is covered by warrantly and sent it to the repair centre. I then got a call from the repair centre saying there is damage to the housing (actually the top rubber buttons have come off) and therefore I will need to pay £100 even though it is totally unrelated to the fault.

This is like taking in a car with a broken engine and they refuse to repait it uner warranty because it has a dent in the boot.

I can get the phone repaired elsewhere for £14.99 so that is what I will be doing. I might lose my warranty, but as far as I am concerned it is worthless anyway; I can buy a brand new PAYG handset for the Vodafone repair cost anyway.

This looks very much like a plan to use any excuse to generate repair money and it stinks!

[BellTheDestroyer]

1st thing (if you haven't) follow the directions from the admin above (go to your PM).

Then if not resolved after this go to the shop where you spoke with the Manager and get him/her to ring the repair centre, get it turned around in minutes.

[hawkeye007]

Hello All,

I know you are not going to like this, but the fact is that water and physical damage is not covered under warranty. Hence if the USB port is damaged or the handset has a fault due to moisture, you'll be charged as per the the standard charges applicable.

I understand that moisture is some thing you can't avoid and its natural so you can't stop that. However, if there is a physical damage, i.e., USB port is damaged, in your case, charges would be applicable.

I know you'll not like this one.

Regards...