A friend of mine is an addict. She’s addicted to one of the most consuming of all drugs. The mobile phone.
Problem is that her phone was playing up. Periodically locking up and causing angst. She contacted her mobile provider who in turn asked her to drop the phone off at one of their contracted repairers.
Two weeks later the phone was ready after what should have been a firmware upgrade. She collects the phone and upon getting home finds that the slide out keyboard on her HTC Touch Pro is no longer locking into place. Bugger she thought and contacted the network again.
An hour later, after speaking to unhelpful people on the sub-continent, she is left with the remark, “well, maybe you should take it back to where you bought it from”.
Thanks 3, typically all care and no responsibility. They distribute electronics and recommend repairers and then pass the buck. Is 3 alone? I doubt it.
Is this typical of all the networks and resellers? What kind of experiences have you folks out there had with 3, Vodafone, Telstra, Optus and co?
Gus Tinkle responded to some of my generic questions in the great forum on Whirlpool.
About the policies of the telcos on returns of handsets under warranty:
Where it gets tricky is finding the correct information between the Telco’s, retailer’s and Dept of Fair Trading.
Usually the handsets sold come with a 12 month warranty. During this time if the handset faults it will be sent to an authorized repair agent for assessment and repair/replacement.
Once the 12 months is up and the warranty is over, the standard practise is ‘you’re on your own’. The Telco’s will argue they provide a network service, the handset is your responsibility.
Some people argue that under ACCC/Fair Trading guidelines if a phone is sold on a 2 year contract then it should last 2 years. Also, if a phone faults during this time it should be replaced or refunded, not simply repaired. Everyone has a differing opinion here.
On multiple failures:
Telstra have a policy to cover repeated faults. There are some conditions on it, but if it appears as though a handset can’t be repaired successfully then they will replace it. I’m unsure of the other networks, I would assume they all have similar policies in place.
When, if ever, will they replace the handset:
Most handsets come with a 14-30 day ELF (early life failure) period. Basically if a handset faults within this time then the place of purchase can swap it and return it to the manufacturer/supplier as it is clearly faulty.
Once this ELF period has expired the handset is usually sent for repair. Also, not all companies offer the ELF period, so it depends on the place of purchase.
What compensation can be expected:
Generally nothing. Some times you can get a credit on your bill, depends how nice you ask and the individual circumstances around it.
The ‘comman acceptance’ is phones are sent away for repair, not swapped. If it’s out of warranty then too bad, you need to buy another one. Most shops operate this way and most customers follow this.
Should you wish to fight it (as others have posted about on the forums here) you can. Expect a lengthy and mind numbing fight. Only when you become ‘more annoying than its worth’ are you usually given your desired outcome. Most people don’t have the time or patience to take it to this level.
If you are having problems speak to a team leader or manager at your Telco. Try lodging a complaint with the manufacturer as well, they can sometimes authorise a replacement handset.
Once you have exhausted all your opportunities within your Telco, you can then contact the TIO if you wish to take it further.
Anyway Gus, thanks for your time.
She’s a lawyer, she writes great scary letters. Maybe she can get a free coffee out of them. But perhaps she should have taken out some insurance.
