Vodafone keep giving me faulty phones!!

tjhjunior

Hi

Desperately need some advice!

I have just ended up having to terminate a contract with Vodafone due to their failure to supply me with a working phone. Now, the background of this is long and painful, so I apologise for the long message.

In the space of 14/15 months prior, I have been through FIVE HTC One Mini handsets. Each time Vodafone has sent them away for repair and as a result, I have ended up with a new handset.

This is all fine, but there is so many times before they have to "go the extra mile", right?

I asked to finish my contract early because it is blatantly clear they are unable to supply me with a phone as part of my contract (whether it be another HTC or one I asked for which would've been of a similar value), but they wouldn't do it without charging me £251 for terminating early. I said I refused to pay that because I don't see why I should if they weren't supplying me with a working phone. After a lot of arguing etc they agreed to deduct £100 off the settlement.

I agreed to this on the understanding that I would be given a working phone that had the same value as an HTC One Mini after sending in yet another one for repair.

HOWEVER, I have just received yet another HTC handset today, and have found that the screen is faulty. In between all this happening, like I said, I had cancelled my contract due to their VERY poor customer service etc.

Now, because I have done that, they are saying that it isn't their problem anymore. Surely that isn't right? I had the phone from them, the phone was still in warranty (and that is according to their own letter which came back with the "replacement" phone) and as far as I can see, seeing as I only collected the phone this morning, surely it's still their responsibility and I am still fully within my rights to reject it?

Their only answer has been to get in touch with HTC. As I agreed to everything before receiving this faulty phone, they are saying they are not prepared to help now. As far as they are concerned it's settled.

Now, the interesting part...

I phoned up HTC, and the replacement phone (which Vodafone had assured me was brand new) has in fact, been in for repair before. They had all the notes (based on the IMEI code) from a previous official repair where the screen, the speaker and the microphones where all replaced. So, this supposed new phone they gave me in store was a faulty one to start with!

My questions are:
- Can they say I am not covered now I cancelled my contract?
- Are they responsible for the phone which is still in warranty?
- What about the fact that the phone they've given me is faulty anyway?
- Can I take this further?

ANY help or advice you can give me would be really appreciated.

Thanks



Tom

Collabora

replacement phones from all providers will 9/10 be refurbished phones, so the one you have now has had the screen, the speaker and the microphones all replaced, so refurbished and not a faulty phone

tjhjunior

Hi

It's still faulty though (the screen for definite). I tried to upload a pic of the screen but couldn't.

A good chunk of the bottom part of the screen is malfunctioning.

visidigi

Collabora wrote: »

replacement phones from all providers will 9/10 be refurbished phones, so the one you have now has had the screen, the speaker and the microphones all replaced, so refurbished and not a faulty phone

Did you actually read the entire post?

OP you should push Vodafone for a resolution, in saying that, when you went to HTC did they say they would repair it again if you submitted it in or would they require proof of purchase to do so, which of course you can't do...

tjhjunior

Hi visidigi

I am awaiting yet another call back from a "manager". Last time I spoke to one though when I quoted the Sale of Goods Act to them they put the phone down on me... :-(

HTC to be fair though, have arranged an immediate pick up and repair, so hopefully I may have this sorted via them, but Vodafone have been totally unhelpful. I must have spent over three hours on the phone to them and in their local store, and each time I got a different set of instructions.

As HTC had a record of the very phone that Vodafone had given me as a supposed nearly new phone, they could see everything that was wrong back in August 2014 when it was sent in, and they confirmed that it was under warranty with them until August 2016.

I am just amazed by Vodafone's rudeness and incompetence during the whole problem.

visidigi

Something isn't right here for sure, your mobile phone and your airtime contract are two separate things. So if you have a handset problem them not resolving this does not give grounds to cancel your contract, hence why there were ETF's.

The sales of goods act really isn't applicable, as HTC handsets have a two year warranty, so you can get it fixed for free anyway. The fact its under till August 2016 implies it probably had a fault out of the box originally in August 2014.

Additionally your previous post says Vodafone says it was new, then you say Vodafone said it was 'nearly' new. Refurbished would be classed as nearly new, well its one of the ways to classify a phone which is used, but repaired back to original state.

tjhjunior

To be honest with you, I have been told so many different things now by Vodafone, I don't even know which version is right any more.

Just on the condition of the handset received from Vodafone you refer to in your message, I was told:

1) The handset was a brand new replacement
2) The handset was a phone that had been bought and brought back within the 14 day "cooling off" period
3) The handset was refurbished "as new"

The HTC person I had spoken to earlier today had said that if the phone had been repaired before by someone else (i.e. Vodafone) it could invalidate the warranty and I could be charged £27 for them just looking at it, then be charged for whatever needs repairing.

All in all, if they could have just said from the start what I needed to do (and not told me different things each time I called/visited the store), I wouldn't have been complaining. I was being sent here, there and everywhere for no reason.

My problem now is that as they still haven't provided me with a working phone, I don't see why I should have to pay the termination fees at all. Even the girl in Vodafone agreed. I was quite happy with their agreement to waive a proportion of it (but still me paying most of it), but that was on the basis I got a working phone back.

Does that make sense?

visidigi

It makes sense, but the point is the handset is separate to the airtime contract.

A sim can be used in any phone which is network unlocked or on the voda network - it doesn't only work with the HTC One Mini.

If HTC have a record of its repair against the IMEI I would imagine this means its logged in that same system who did the repair.

It might be worth checking with HTC on this before sending off the handset (if you haven't already).

shaun_from_Africa

One of the common reasons given by phone retailers and manufacturers for not allowing a SOGA or warranty repair is that the fault was caused by water or moisture ingress.


I wouldn't want a "14 day return" or a refurbished phone for this reason as I would have no way of knowing what happened to it before it was sent to me.
The previous owner may have used it in the rain or left it in a steamy bathroom, and the results of this might not become apparent until some time later.

tjhjunior

Yes I understand.

I have checked everything with HTC, and it was them who actually did the repair apparently, not Vodafone's own Fonecare repair division.

I just hope that they can sort this out for me once and for all, and do what Vodafone couldn't.