Vodafone refusing to replace faulty iPhone

Mic

I upgraded my phone to an iPhone 3GS in August and it started to shut down intermittently when browsing the Internet a few weeks later. I phoned Vodafone and after struggling to get the lady in the call centre to understand me, she eventually said that the fault was with the sim card so she would send me a new one. When it arrived the phone wouldn't even work with the new sim card and the problems continued. The next person I spoke to suggested restoring factory settings which I also did but to no avail. The problems with the phone continued and it now shuts down after about 10 minutes of any telephone conversation. I today phoned Vodafone to ask for a replacement as the phone was clearly faulty originally and they refused saying they can only give me a refurbished phone as I didn't tell them within the 7 day cooling off period which is ridiculous as it wasn't shutting down in the cooling off period and surely that period is about changing your mind about the contract, not reporting faults! Anyway, after debating with them for 5 minutes I finally got them to agree that they would take it away to be fixed but I would be without my phone for 7 days without a temporary replacement. I would just like to know- where do I stand legally on this? Is it ok that they refuse to replace their faulty product?

latecomer

They are allowed to repair or replace at their discretion and if its replaced I would expect a refurbished unit.

grumbler

Consumer Rights

Unfortunately, they don't have to supply you with a new phone.
Unfortunately, neither they have to supply you with a temporary replacement handset and 7 days is a reasonable time for repairing.

Take a good photo of your phone before sending it to Vodafone. If they send you a refurbished handset it has to be not worse than the faulty one.

jrrowleyws

I'd book an appointment at an apple store if you have one near by. Generally much quicker for any apple issues.

mrochester

Mic wrote: »

I upgraded my phone to an iPhone 3GS in August and it started to shut down intermittently when browsing the Internet a few weeks later. I phoned Vodafone and after struggling to get the lady in the call centre to understand me, she eventually said that the fault was with the sim card so she would send me a new one. When it arrived the phone wouldn't even work with the new sim card and the problems continued. The next person I spoke to suggested restoring factory settings which I also did but to no avail. The problems with the phone continued and it now shuts down after about 10 minutes of any telephone conversation. I today phoned Vodafone to ask for a replacement as the phone was clearly faulty originally and they refused saying they can only give me a refurbished phone as I didn't tell them within the 7 day cooling off period which is ridiculous as it wasn't shutting down in the cooling off period and surely that period is about changing your mind about the contract, not reporting faults! Anyway, after debating with them for 5 minutes I finally got them to agree that they would take it away to be fixed but I would be without my phone for 7 days without a temporary replacement. I would just like to know- where do I stand legally on this? Is it ok that they refuse to replace their faulty product?

If you have easy access to an Apple shop, you can typically walk in and out within 15 minutes with a replacement device. Remember you need to book an appointment time slot online first before heading to the shop.

http://www.apple.com/uk/retail/

Mic

Thanks for the advice! How does it work with the apple shop? Do I need any documentation?

mrochester

Mic wrote: »

Thanks for the advice! How does it work with the apple shop? Do I need any documentation?

You don't need any documentation as they use the IMEI/Serial of the phone to establish the warranty status. Don't forget to backup your current phone (if you can) as any replacement device will be totally blank and you'll need to restore all of your personal data and settings yourself.

Mic

Thank you so much �� so nice to speak to helpful people after arguing with Vodafone all day!

simax

Interesting...... Vodafone replaced my 7 month old iPhone 4 by courier next-day for my fault free of charge?!?

Mic

No way?! Argh! Someone has just told me that apple will only replace phones bought directly through them

MissKeith

Not sure who told you that but it's incorrect information.