3 wont repair my phone but wasnt broken???

chantz

did you get proof of postage when you sent it in?
Did you use the phone in the post office before sending it.
i could be you have to get three to chase this up with royal mail

chantz

call your local trading standards office

glezga

hi yes i have been in touch with RM but they say its an unusual case but to send the claim anyway, they can ask 3 if need be for packaging, photos etc, anyone can crush an item then send it insured, it comes down to individual cases and perhaps morals? ( or am i gullible) rather than poor packaging etc. its actuall me who has to chase royal mail as it was me who sent it back even thought paid for etc by 3.

at best RM will (if it is actually crushed) pay out the insurance and at worst realise its a complicated dispute and add to it by denying the claim, but the girl i spoke to on the phone (RM) was helpfull, not that thats any indicator!

chantz

personally i think these mobile companies have a repairs scam going on. you send your phone in to be fixed and they deem it unrepairable and then con you into buying another handset and possibly renewing your contract in the process
its a win win, for them anyway

glezga

quick update, 3 rang me twice, 1nc to say they dont understand the problem as the phone is now described as "damaged beyond economical repair" and no longer "crushed", they were confused that i dont understand this and the letter i was asking for was already sent explaining this, when i said i already rang, gave them the reference number and told them i need a deadlock letter for the ombudsman they tried to give me a better deal new phone etc on new contract AGAIN!

now im being told i have to make a customer services complaint (already did) when that has been looked into and they send a reply i can then take it further to the executive dept to get a deadlock letter..

so nothing actually new, just back to where i was a week ago! no phone, no letter and a changed description of the damage, still ignoring me when i mention i sent the phone undamaged!

i am now in their system saying i want a deadlock letter as my phone is beyond repair, nothing else!!!!!

i think im being put on the merry go round!

glezga

just got this reply when i emailed about customer services not being able to help...

[FONT=&quot]Thank you for contacting the Executive Office. It sounds like your query needs some more investigation, please contact our team that can specifically help you. Please call our customer services free on 333 from a Three phone, or on 0843 373 3333 (standard rate) from any other phone.[/FONT]

it would be so easy to give up!

contact 3cs about not being able to get anywhere with 3cs?


.
.

i managed to get through to a fellow Glaswegian in the executive office in Glasgow, very polite and able to have a conversation and take notes on the whole issue. i only managed to get her word to read the email i sent (saves a registered letter) and they will consider the case with ALL the details in front of them within 5 days.

kebabkiller

From experience with 3, they will only send a deadlock letter when they really have to i.e 8 weeks after you first complain. This is mainly because they get charged by the ombudsmen service (about £250 AFAIK) for each complaint they take on.

My experience is pretty similar, my screen developed a load of dead pixels and their response was that the internals had been crushed.

I refused the £19.99 charge, but they said they would send it anyway(and add the charge to my bill)

Luckily for me they were changing their repair centre and managed to lose my phone along the way. After 3 months without a phone and about a week before i was due a deadlock letter, a phone call offering me a brand new phone (no new contract) and a refund for the 3 months of service i lost. I was pretty happy because my contract was coming to an end and i was able to sell the phone for £150 and get a new contract on a cheap rate. All in all its worth pestering them loads and just keep asking for a deadlock letter.

glezga

i got a call from the executive office, im on the merry go round again, because the phone is now described as having physical damage not covered by warranty they offered to drop the fee for returning the phone (as in they keep the phone) and i take another contract and add the minutes/data etc that i dont even use on the current contract for "say" £5 a month more ill get another phone but not to the value of my current damaged phone?

i refused, so back again we go to the repair centre because this time they will find out whats actually wrong with the phone? as "maybe" the phones actually still working and not "actually" crushed and im supposed to be delighted that all the letters i accused them of being highly suggestive to butter me up for buying a new one "may" be wrong?

another week to wait!

so depressing!

glezga

THE END

30 mins later from the last call, im getting my old phone back, they cant guarantee its in the same condition i sent it but there will be NO charge and i will be getting a brand new replacement phone! a wildfire s, not the same phone etc but a decent phone.

so anyone that has similar issues with 3, persevere!

during the fight ive found out that for 3 it costs £250 to issue a deadlock letter, well at least for the ombudsman to take the case etc, they did try to fob me off that the obudsman will have the same findings as 3 as in the 30 mins from the last call they rang the repair centre and said my phones actual damage was a "bent" or "broken" pin in the charging terminal (or something to that effect) so they are still suggesting its my fault but when i explained that the returned phone will be independently checked regardless of the obudsmans findings and a small courts application would be made they folded and made the offer,,,,, they did say on closing... blah blah phone will be delivered on tuesday and you "may" even get your old phone back working but this case is now closed and went on to explain this is a 1 off situation blah blah and its only really that they should have explained the damage 1st time round and the distress blah blah blah!


thanks and good luck!

gruffgriff

glezga 24-2-2012

I'm only just seen this site and thread... so my reaction comes very late. Your repairer writes the following:

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.

The language used here suggests that the repairers are responsible for the damage. The sequence of tenses indicates that the damage happened after the series of tests they did. I know they didn't mean to say that, but that's what they've said. If they'd wanted to be clear they should have said something like: We have carried out a series of tests ... and conclude that the mobile must have been crushed or dropped. But they've tried to be clever and got themselves into linguistic quicksand.

A quick survey of my acquaintances reveals that companies invariably claim that a product is unrepairable. They will then try to sell you an upgrade. This may be a scam going on at various levels. Whoever they are - companies claiming to have repair centres when they don't, or staff working in retail outlets who are getting little used products for free - these scammers need to realise that there are data protection issues involved. Govt agencies need to get a grip on this problem.