Help with taking on Company over sony ericsson x10 not charging

lilpook

I bought the x10 on a 2yr contract with o2 when the phone got to 5 months old it stopped charging altogether. I took it to my local o2 shop for repair. They said they couldn't repair it and issued me with a reconditioned x10. So this phone gets to 5 months old and also stops charging!! So I take it back to the same shop to be repaired. I go to pick the phone up back from being repaired hoping that they would give another phone to be told that i have maliciously damaged the phone therefore that it is why it is not charging!!!! When i pointed out that it has the exact same problem as my previous phone they said I was lying and that there is not a common fault with the x10 not charging!! I pointed out that the internet was rife with complaints about the x10 not charging and was still told it wasn't a common problem!!
I am now being told that because i wasn't insured that i cannot have another phone even though i'm only 10 months into my contract they expect me to continue to pay £49.00 a month to use my old pay and go phone thats so basic you have to write a text with pen and paper!!!
They are also saying that because their engineer as said the phone is beyond economic repair the warranty is void!!
PLEASE PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME SEE A WAY THOUGH THIS

The_Pedant

Searching on google does seem to throw up a number of people complaining about these phones not charging.
Not sure how many actually have the problem, so it might not be common ... but should be a known issue.
Common cause for this seems to be component failure or minor corrosion around the charging components. If the phone is still covered under warranty, then the fact it is beyone economic repair usually simply means they would replace rather than repair the item, or get the seller to give a refund. For a warranty they can impose whatever terms they like though, as this is in addition to your statutory rights.

Bottom line in all of this is that the phone you bought should last a 'reasonable period of time'. I would not expect something costing so much to only last 10 months if it has been looked after (I would expect even the cheap handsets to last a year!). I would therefore be reminding them of their obligations under the Sale of Goods Act, expecting them to refund, repair or replace the handset (to one of comparable quality+spec). If they still don't want to know, your only option would be to get an independent report on the cause of the fault in your phone. If the report shows the fault was inherent then O2 would be obliged to pay for the cost of the report and to repair/replace the handset.