Problems with HTC Warranty - Wont repair camera due to unrelated crack on screen

aa.ahmed1987

Hi everyone,

My HTC One (m7) has the common purple haze camera issue. I sent it off to HTC for repair as it was under warranty.

They've come back and said the CAMERA issue won't be fixed because a scratch on the screen has voided it's warranty. They said that they need to take the screen out to repair the camera but in doing so may shatter the screen as a result of the scratch. Because of this the phone is out of warranty.

They've admitted that the camera issue has NOTHING to do with the scratch on the screen. They keep saying that the warranty is void because of the scratch. My complaint it this;

1. The crack on the screen clearly has nothing to do with the camera issue - It's a common fault with the htc one. Why should I not get a genuine htc fault repaired simply because theres a scratch on the screen?
2. If they need to go through the screen to get to the camera, thats HTC's fault. They designed the phone this way. Why should I be punished for their design choice.
3. It is not stated in the warranty that a cracked screen voids the warranty completely. It simply states that a cracked screen is not covered.

Section of the warranty in question;

THIS LIMITED WARRANTY SHALL NOT APPLY IF THE DEFECT WAS
CAUSED THROUGH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
c) use other than in accordance with the user manual, rough
handling, exposure to moisture, dampness or extreme thermal
or environmental conditions or a rapid change in such
conditions, corrosion, oxidation, unauthorized modifications
or connections, unauthorized opening or repair, repair by use
of unauthorized spare parts, accidents, forces of nature, or
other actions beyond the reasonable control of HTC (including
but not limited to deficiencies in consumable parts) unless
the defect was caused directly by defects in materials or
workmanship. This Limited Warranty does not cover physical
damage to the surface of the Product including but not limited
to cracks or scratches on the LCD screen or camera lens; or

The above states that the warranty is not void if the cracked screen caused the issue - which it did not.
And that the warranty does not cover physical damage - I am not claiming physical damage so this part of the warranty does not apply to me either.

Nowhere does it state that a cracked screen voids all warranty issues, even those that are unrelated.

My first question is, do I have a point? Secondly, who can I go to regarding this problem? I already escalated it to HTC but to no avail. I'm a customer who has a genuine htc manufacturing fault not being repaired because there is an unrelated scratch on the screen. I'm feeling aggrieved and want to take this above htc if I can. Who would I go to for this?

Thanks for reading
Al

grumbler

Crack or scratch?!

You are unlikely to go anywhere with this.
It's a norm for all manufacturers to reject warranty claims if the screen is cracked. One of the reasons is that they have to disassemble the phone to repair it, that is next to impossible for modern phones with a cracked screen.

However, often manufacturers agree to proceed with the claim if you pay for the screen replacement.

JJ_Egan

I would start with the vendor as HTC is a limited warranty and not your rights under sale of goods act .

As you are claiming a hardware fault then you will need an independent engineers report to back this claim up .