Faulty Nokia N86 Charger - Nokia won't repair - What now?

bigdon

After around 5 months of phone owenership of my Nokia N86, and coincientally happened when I started to charge the phone via the supplied USB cable as opposed to the mains charger (I had lost the mains charger) the charging connection started to fail. Initially the charging connection felt a little insecure, and then after a little while it wiggled it's way loose, and the phone would refuse to charge.

Initially I took it to my local Carphone Warehouse, as I am in Edinburgh and this is our 'official' Nokia service station. They repaired it locally but unfortunately that repair lasted two weeks before wiggling loose again. The guy at the time had said it'd be sent down South to get repaired and get new 'clips' because it is a known fault that these phones have dodgy clips to hold down the charging socket, and the new ones supplied by Nokia are better. This time it got sent down to Nokia, and Nokia have replied saying the phone is both water damanged and the USB cable connection is broken, therefore they will not replace the part due to customer damage. I dispute this for two reasons:

1. The phone has never been near water, let alone submerged. If the phone cannot take rainwater from within my pocket, it is not fit for purpose.
2. It is imposssible to take the charger out of the USB socket without moving the connection once the clips are unhooked, so inevitabley this is broken.

I am still to pick up my phone from the Carphone Warehouse, but apparently they take pictures to highlight the damage. I've never felt angry enough to take a complaint to Trading Standards before, but for a phone that sells for £300 off both Play and Amazon on pay-as-you-go, frankly I'd expect more from Nokia, but apparently they don't want to know. It is clear that Nokia know of the fault based on what the staff member at Carphone Warehouse initially said to me, they are just trying to shirk they're obligations. What can I do next? How do I file a claim with Trading Standards saying the phone is not fit for purpose?

Jon_01

There's a moisture sensor in the phone, a small circle of paper like sticker. If that changes colour you're sunk. Any water/moisture damage is expressly excluded from phone guarantee's.

The phone doesn't need to have gotten wet as such, high moisture or just using it in the rain will trigger the change.
You can challenge it, but it's up hill work.

Fifer

Jon_01 wrote: »

There's a moisture sensor in the phone, a small circle of paper like sticker. If that changes colour you're sunk. Any water/moisture damage is expressly excluded from phone guarantee's.

The phone doesn't need to have gotten wet as such, high moisture or just using it in the rain will trigger the change.

If the fault is a physically broken or detached charger socker, that is extremely unlikely to have been caused by water damage, so wriggling out of their responsibilties using that excuse is not only immoral, but in all likelihood, illegal. The state of the moisture sensor is of no significance.

I'd write to your retailer (which is who your contract is with), asking them to fulfil their obligations under the Sale of Goods Act. If they refue, the small claims court should be your next port of call.

bigdon

Thanks for the replies. I have bought a charger which is external to the phone, so I am hoping that once I get the USB cable for this I will be able to charge the battery outwith the phone, and once inserted, I am quite certain the phone will be 100% fully operable, regardless of the colour of the water damage sticker (unless they have done something themselves to the phone).

Unfortunately I bought the phone from 3, known for their awful customer service, but I will try and make them fulfil their obligations under the Sale of Goods act, and if they do not, take them to the small claims court.