3 wont repair my phone but wasnt broken???

glezga

hi all 1st post be gentle!

i sent my phone back to 3 as the battery was dying really quick, they sent me a special delivery envelope and a wee square of bubblewrap. anyway i get a letter this morning saying its not getting repaired and they want £19.99 to send it back?

they recon its been crushed and beyond repair? all was wrong was the battery wasnt lasting????

i rang them and they just repeated the same thing and same as the letter tried to sell me a new phone etc...

i rang them from the actual phone before i sent it back and used it for a week before sending back after getting the envelope, also never dropped it etc? (not that i can prove that)

is this common cos it either got crushed by royal mail or they are telling porkies?

is it worth pointing out that royal mail must have crushed it or are they gonny waffle on and ill be without a phone?

cheers

grumbler

I think it is unreasonable to expect from RM to treat every packet like a fragile item. That's why delicate objects are supposed to be sent well packed in cardboard boxes and with special stickers.

IMO it was you who decided to take the risk of sending the phone almost unprotected. I can blame '3' for sending you "envelope and a wee square of bubblewrap" too, but I don't see how you can make anything out of this.

glezga

ah well 'my bad!' luckily i have an old phone but dosent have half the stuff im paying a contact for.

Buzby

Pick up a S/h hand replacement that will get you back on track. It would have been cheaper for you to buy a replacement battery yourself and keep them out of the loop - but too late for that now!

glezga

ye i get that but i did buy a high capacity battery from ebay that made no difference, i went through this with tech suport before they said to return it. the more i dwell on this the less fairly i feel treated, the return envelop came with detailed instructions that i followed and the refusal letter mentions i should claim my home insuranse, this makes me feel they are assuming i sent back a crushed phone deliberately?

ok the return wasnt boxed etc but was bubble wrap they sent with detailed instrutcions. surely this has happned in the past? tbh i didnt even think about damage in transit when posting. whos to blame. me, 3 or rm??

glezga

lol i literally just got a text from 3 saying "were sorry your repair is taking longer than expected" gotta laugh!

glezga

oh dear! i was chatting to a friend who had the same problem (phone wouldnt charge) who sent his phone to 3 for repair, he got an identicle letter saying it was the main circuit board drop or crush damage. he paid the fee and got the phone backand guess what, swapped the charger and problem solved!

after re reading the letter, it struck me that they are only suggessting the phone is unrepairable (under warranty) , twisting the words so it looks like your phone has beed "crushed" and is so bad it cant be repaired! they either cant find the fault or never even opend the phone up! they even go on to offer you a discounted phone or tell you to claim your home insurance making it sound worse.

ill pay and get phone tested locally, ill bet its never been opened!

debbiejk

Hiya,
I sent my phone to Three about 5 weeks ago with the same thing ............ battery life none existent and it kept turning on and off (whilst I watched).
I have had problems like this since new and have had new chargers and it went for repair last summer, came back the same.
Had a letter a couple of weeks ago saying it had been crushed/dropped and as that was my fault they wouldn't repair. I should claim on my household insurance and accept a new phone from them.
I am still in dispute with them. They are now saying thte phone has been glued (???) and I have done it. I maintain any damage was done by them either recently or last summer.
The phone was sent by the shop, so not the post offices fault!
I have been on the phone every two days and am on hold now ................ 43 minutes so far.
If you get anywhere, let me know!!!!!!!!

glezga

hi debbie, ive been advised by the obudsman to ring 3 and ask for a "deadlock" letter then they will take my case further. i rang 3 today and aked for the letter, they said i have to wait untill my last complaint is ended, and btw they have it on their system as a "not paying fee complaint" nothing else, the reason why etc.. then i can ring back and escalate the complaint to a "customer care complaint" and only then i can ask for the deadlock letter!

when i asked them on the phone to explain my last log further, like the reasons as in i never sent the phone in damaged condition, she went silent then when i prompted her again she says it just says you wont pay the return fee!

if you read through the wording of the letter they sent it can be interpreted in different ways, but is suggestive that the phone is beyond repair and crushed! very clever! they dont actaully say the phone has been crushed beyond repair the just suggest it! leaving them open to say whatever they want!

i recon when i eventually get the phone back in the same condition i sent it and then complain that it hasnt been crushed they will say they never said that in the 1st place.

ill post back here as someone else is interested, btw i found loads of the same situation online dating wayyyy back and not 1 single response saying it was ever sorted! so i think im in for a long ride.

chantz

I suggest you call or write to three and ask them to ask if there is any way check your last call and time and the details of the phone the call it was made from. this would prove the phone was it working condition. You could then make a claim with royal mail for the cost of the phone.
Argue amicably that when you sent the phone it was working now its not and what are they gonna do about it.
if the first person you speak to doesnt seem helpful, politely hang up and call again. be persistent, stand your ground but always be polite.
Take a note of who you speak to and what was said, try different departments- accounts, repairs disconnections. tell them you are not happy and this is not acceptable.
I gave my working phone with a slight fault to vodafone instore for them to send off and get fixed. it came back not working. they tried to say it was uneconomical to repair so just wired up the power and sent it back. i complained for two whole day. i made at least 8 lengthy phone calls to them, visited instore. called the vodafone then the store then the repairs centre, the store and finally vodafone disconnections. this man finally saw things my way when i just asked for a replacement phone, even a refurbished handset as long as it was working. He gave me a choice of phones up to the value of my phone (£250) so i now have a nearly new iphone 3g s 8gb
BE PERSISTANT

glezga

heres the actual text from the letter ( i dont have the best ocr)


22 February 2012 Dear xxxxxxx, Sorry, your mobile cannot be repaired.
Having put your Sem X10 Mini Pro through a series of tests to repeat the Battery dead issue you reported, we’re sorry to say that the mobile has been Crushed or dropped which has caused damage to your main electronics board. This is not covered by your manufacturer’s warranty, so we’re returning it to you.
So, how can we help?
Well, here are some suggestions that we hope you’ll find useful:
• We can offer you a refurbished mobile at a discounted price. A member of our team will be contacting you to discuss this option. If you are interested in this option and haven’t received a call from our team give us a call on 0844 338 0136*.
• If you are a contract customer you may be entitled to a free upgrade and may also be able to take advantage of some of our new highly-competitive line rental offers. Why not give us a call on 0844 338 0136* to speak to our upgrade team.
• If you have insurance, please contact your insurance provider as you may well be covered for this type of accidental damage.
If we do not hear from you within 14 days, we will return your Sem Xl 0 Mini Pro. Under the terms and conditions of your contract we will apply a charge of £19.99 on your next bill to cover costs incurred.




im taking bets lol on the phone being returned unopened with the same battery issue, basically untouched! not crushed and CAN be repaired!


if they even added the words "under your warranty" after "cannot be repaired" it would change the meaning of the letter! but they then say its actually been crushed or dropped and is damaged internally?

im also thinkin that the refurbished phones they can offer me are the ones from people that wont pay the return fee, lol