SBE Repair Centre/Sony Xperia

kjmarway

Hi MSE's,

I'm looking for some advice re 'SBE Ltd', a company well documented on the web for its horrifying service.

1) My Xperia Z1 developed a line of dead pixels on the display (fair enough, it can happen to any display) - so I sent in the handset for repair.

2) Display was fixed, only for SBE to have caused an audio malfunction, rendering the loudspeaker unusable on calls (sounded like I was underwater/interference).

3) Sent Z1 back, SBE reported 'no fault found' and sent my device back.

4) Contacted Sony again, to be told to send it in again - so I did so - this time, SBE 'found' the audio fault (which they caused) and replaced my Z1.

5) Having waited as long as I did, I was stoked to get my Z1 back...after opening the box, I saw the Z1 they sent out was damaged and chipped all around.

6) Contacted Sony, reported issue, and despite having been 'escalated' (this was done before to 'ensure' my Z1 was sorted), I've not heard back - each time I contact them, I get the same response, 'wait until we call you'.

7) What made it worse, is that the 'escalations' chap who called me initially made out that its a 'like for like exchange', and implied that my Z1 must have been in similar condition - which it most definitely wasn't - how very rude.

So, I'm now sat with a Z1 (which I haven't even used, it still has the protective film on it) which is damaged, and this whole saga has gone on for over three months. It's damaging to Sony and its Xperia brand, and genuinely has me thinking how SBE Ltd are still in business - they're a total joke - I'm sure a zoo would've done a better job.

Thanks for reading, if there's any advice, it would be most appreciated.

Frankthetank123

I couldn't agree more . I work for them - I am constantly banging my head against a wall .
EVERY DAY IS A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN!

The managers are evil
The company is a dishonest disaster
The benefits are zero
The pay is bad

They've even taken away our breaks .

Customers complain non stop and the people who answer the phone are powerless to change anything.

Repairs are not properly done , we often lose phones and we don't even have a proper complaints procedure . I'm embarassed to work there .

Disgraceful disgusting unethical corrupt dishonest company .

I would advise every customer to sue us.

sashman87

Sorry to bump an old thread - can anyone assist with this?

I also have problems with SBE Ltd. I paid roughly £40 for a repair on my Xperia Z, simply because I sent it in for a fix under warranty, only to find a warranty fix requires all other issues to be fixed too - in this case the back glass panel was cracked and needed to be replaced. Since it costs £14 to send back I reluctantly agreed to pay the £40.

I was told after payment I would receive the phone within 3-5 working days. Sounds reasonable.

It's now almost one month later and nothing. When I call up, after being on hold for 15 minutes every time, I'm told I can only deal with this through the employee who took my payment. And surprisingly, he's not available. I've made my feelings clear to Sony, but they aren't any help as they say this is an issue I need to take up with SBE.

Can anyone please assist me with what action I can take? I'm getting to grips with the Consumer Rights information on here but this is a slightly odd case since the company I'm complaining about has my phone and I just want it back! I couldn't even care less about the repair anymore.

Advice is greatly appreciated!

ice_babe

Omg just seen this post. I posted my Z2 to SBE yesterday as having problems with poor call quality! I am really hope it does get fixed and it comes back mint (I am a bit ocd about keeping my phones nice). I only brought it in September and it was faulty the day I got it. Unfortunately Phones 4u went into administration a couple of days later so couldn't return it :mad:

sashman87

I wouldn't despair just yet, the reviews on Google show that they do have a few satisfied customers.

One thing you should note is that they are very slow to process newly received phones. I sent mine by RM special delivery which was eventually confirmed to have arrived the next day, but SBE claimed it didn't arrive until several working days later (I recall 6 days). The staff on the phone admitted they take a while to log phones. I originally thought RM had lost my phone because the tracking hadn't been updated.

Let us know how you get on!

sashman87

Just to update, I did eventually get my phone back. They couldn't make the fix so just gave me a refurbished phone. Although it arrived 29 days after paying for the repair, it took 4 days to arrive from the day I started calling up to complain. My advice would be to keep an eye on the online repair tracking and call up if the status hasn't been updated in a while!

maurice28

I recently had to send my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact mobile phone in to be repaired. I arranged this through Sony as it was still under warranty, and had to send it off to SBE Ltd to do the actual repairs.

I’ve read a lot of negative reviews about SBE online but I have to say I was very impressed.

I sent the phone 1st Class Signed For, as I wanted to get it back it ASAP. I sent this on Thursday at 5.30pm, it arrived the next morning (so well done Royal Mail too!) and SBE Ltd had repaired it and sent it back by the end of Friday. I then got the phone back on the following Tuesday.

Touch wood, it’s all working fine again. It was well packaged in a new box, with a new charging cable provided and the latest version of the phone software installed.

I know people have issues with SBE but I thought they were great, so credit where credit’s due!

Watchful_eye

Sent my Xperia Z Ultra in for repair in September. Found a number of extras charged on the invoice. No price and simply listed with item numbers. Was more than willing to pay for the screen as it was due to impact damage but wondered about the other pieces.

After a number of calls and e-mails, with both Sony and SBE, I discovered what the extra parts were and that they were in fact covered under my warranty as a standard repair practice. I was lied to in a number of these calls. Other than that I was given opinion and not fact.

Once I caught SBE with their hand in the cookie jar they quickly decided to send my phone back so I would have to continue the fight with Sony. Their undoing was not following standard practice of using Purolator and sending it regular mail. Phone got lost and after a couple weeks dealing with a Sony escalation manager I now have a new phone, originally I was offered a blu-tooth headset for my non-repaired, non-existent phone.

This company is crooked and all OEM's should pull out of dealings with them as they are ruining the reputation of these companies. Unless of course they are simply helping companies by making you purchase new units.

Unethical, deceitful and dishonest.

xuvius

I sent my phone to the repair centre after advice from Sony, because I was having problems with the headphone socket.
The phone is a z5 premium, and only had it for 6month. The problem
seemed to occur after the Android 6 update, but could be coincidence.
Anyway I followed Sony instructions and took it to post office, put in a
jiffy bag with charger and cable and sent it to the freepost address.
Now apparently it arrived and they agreed it needed repaired, but not under warranty?
I didn't understand so I contacted sony support chat and they told me
cracked damaged case wasn't covered by the warranty. I told him I never
sent it back for that, neither did it have a mark on it...I take great
care of my phone.
So they say they want in excess of 60 pounds to repair
the damaged case to return it to a warranty condition, Then they are
going to test the now warrantied condition phone, find that the headphone socket doesnt work, remove the new repaired case to repair the defective headphone
socket?
If there is damage to the case, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR IT. I did
exactly as I was asked when I sent it, if that's not good enough then
the blame lies with Sony for giving incorrect information on how to package and send it.
Sony should have some form of insurance policy in place to cover any
damage in transit, or by incompetent repair personnel. How do I know
someone at your end hasn't dropped the phone and is passing the blame to
the customer?
This is ridiculous and I am absolutely livid that this is situation I
find myself in. I have a lot of Sony products in my possession, but
believe me if this is your attitude, the z5 will be my last
NOTE It also was fitted with Tempered Glass Screen protectors front and back!

diamonds

Sony phone quality suffered massively after it split from Ericsson, best advice is dont buy a Fony mobile!

Ashaaban

I have the same problem with Sony care or Repair Centre.
My Xperia Z3+ phone got water damage three weeks ago, I sent it to repair centre as advised. They contacted me a week later after chasing them to find out the phone was bent and seal got damaged. The guy I spoke to at the repair centre told me the bend was less than half a millimetre and not noticeable by eyes. he also told me that the warranty got void too because of the physical damage. I was shocked as I kept my phone in protective cases since day one. I paid the return postage and admin fees to get the phone back and thought to repair somewhere else. The phone arrived after 5 days. as soon as I opened the package, I found a big crack across the back of the phone and the bend was very severe.
I was so angry that I called them straight away to report the damage. they advised to email them. good job I took some photos of the phone before I sent to them. I emailed them three images. one before I sent it to repair and two after I got it back.


email was received after two days telling me they have escalated the case and will get back to me between 3-5 working days.
yet I heard nothing back from them.
I am expecting !!!!!! response from them after all I read about the way they treat their customers.


I used to be salesman at Sony Centre for 6 years. never heard of such terrible experiences during that time.. I have many devices from Sony and never had a problem with them. first time in the last 10 years and got this ((


will let you know their response.