Received a faulty replacement phone

[jellybean99]

My Samsung Note 4 battery drained very quickly so it was sent for repairs. Repairs replaced my Samsung Note 4 with a Grade A refurbished phone. I was told it's just like new, it would last a long time. Within 2 months it wouldn't even start up! The warranty has already come to an end. Got in touch with Vodafone who agreed to repair my phone free of charge since they sent me a faulty phone. Repairs team got in touch about fees for repair work. Now Vodafone denied that they promised a free repair. I am not paying over £170 for a faulty phone that was given to me. I feel misled and lied to once again.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @jellybean99

I appreciate its stressful enough when a phone fails and has to be repaired from personal experience. 

Samsung phones have a 24 Month Manufacturing Warranty. 

I'm not sure why anyone has advised "it will last a long time" as none can know if technology will fail at any specific time. 

If vodafone has advised the repair will be covered then this should have been reported on your Account Notes to support that.

Which way did you speak with Vodafone ?

If by phone then some calls but not all are recorded and retained for 60 days. A person can ask for this to be checked if a call recording exists and listened back to via 191. 

If by Live Chat then a person can request a copy of the Chat transcript before the Chat Session is closed. 

Manufacturing Warranty covers certain issues but not all. I.e. Water damage which shows up if the internal water sensors are tripped. 

Other damage caused by a drop which typically shows up by damage to the casing or something inside has been violently disturbed. 

What problems have the engineers stated. 

Vodafone have a Code of Practice that allows a person to pursue resolution in a number of ways. Link > Vodafone Code of Practice.

If this was my situation I'd ask Customer Service via 191 to investigate first. 

[Getafix]

And this is why it is recommended to send it to Samsung.

I had a similar issue that I lived with for about a year as it was very intermittent. But let me down once when I needed it most, So sent it to Samsung and came back working like a dream. Started playing up again (Out side 24 months). Sent it again and they sorted it out.

Works fine, Battery lasts longer than a day.

[hrym]

Promises made by frontline customer service staff are sometimes incorrect and sometimes not communicated properly.   In this case, it's a bit of a moot point.  Your original phone was faulty and was replaced.   The warranty is normally from the original date of purchase and doesn't reset after a repair or replacement, so what you were subsequently told is, technically, correct.   There is also the issue of what manufacturers allow 3rd party repairers to do.  I agree that a replacement that fails in such short order should be fixed, if only as a matter of goodwill and that's pretty much what Getafix reports Samsung as having done - as the manufacturer, they allow themselves more leeway and will usually take a pragmatic view.

I think this is one for the forum team, so hang on for them to pick up your post.  They'll be able to look at the history and any records/recordings.

[Tash]

Hi @jellybean99, we'd like to take a look into this further for you to help. 

So we can do this, please complete the steps provided in the private message that will be sent to you shortly.

[jellybean99]

I managed to resolve this issue with Vodafone. It was a faulty circuit board! it was replaced free of charge after a lot of stress. But now after a few months use, I noticed the screen cover is coming away. I decided to get this repaired locally, they found the battery had swelled up causing the screen to come away. They refused to repair the phone incase the battery blew up. I was advised not to use the phone as it was dangerous with a swollen battery and to contact Vodafone about it. Got in touch with Vodafone who was not interested at all since the phone is out of warranty. I pointed out that it was a dangerous and serious issue but there was nothing they could do. I got in touch with Samsung, the phone was sent away to be inspected, the outcome was- damaged battery terminal causing the battery to swell up. Repairable with a cost. I'm very disappointed with Vodafone letting me down time and time again with these faulty phones.

[hrym]

A replacement device will normally be one of comparable age and in comparable condition to yours.  It won't be new or in new condition.  The warranty will normally be a continuation of the original (ie 24 months from purchase).   It's likely that a device of this age would have failed by now and swelling is a sign of an exhausted battery, which should be discarded at the earliest opportunity.  How long a battery lasts depends almost entirely on how it's used and 3rd party repairers are often reluctant to replace them under warranty as they may not be reimbursed by the manufacturer - it's always best to go direct in these circumstances.

If Samsung have said that the battery you had was faulty, you could try arguing that it was an inherent fault and that consumer legistaltion covers it, though this may be difficult (especially in the case of a battery).  It's also possible that the terminal was damaged when the battery swelled, though I assume Samsung would have allowed for that.

Vodafone, as the seller, have a responsibility to you, but they've fulfilled most of that and would have tested the replacement device as far as was possible.   As I said, due to the nature of batteries, life expectancy and warranties are tricky things.   Manufacturers tend to give 24 months more because they're not user-replaceable than anything else.   Incorrect use can shorten life artificially, but that's a hit they take.  I'm not suggesting you've caused early failure, just pointing out that it can heppen without an actual fault.

[jellybean99]

They said the battery terminal was damaged causing the battery to swell up. The battery came with the replacement phone. So I guess, I was given a replacement phone with a faulty battery terminal and a battery that's almost had it's life.

[hrym]

In that case, it was probably faulty from new and I'd pursue the matter with Samsung.   They've admitted the fault, so you're half way there.

[jellybean99]

Received my phone back from Samsung repairs, unrepaired! The engineers have found damage on the device and this damage is not covered under the manufacturer's warranty- they found unauthorised rework due to a missing component from the mainboard! I spoke to Vodafone about this and they said all repair work is done by Samsung, not unauthorised. Clearly, Vodafone has replaced my original phone with a faulty replacement. The battery swelled up and the wifi function doesn't exist anymore.