Liquid damaged phone

natnifnolnacs

I was having a few problems with my phone (Samsung touch screen thingy) over the past few days. I tried the normal things and then did a hard reset. No improvement (it was mainly 3G coverage related) so I phoned my provider. They advised me to drop it into a repair centre.

They have just advised me that it is water damaged. Apparently. As far as I am concerned, I took good care of the phone(it was in a case all the time) and it as never exposed to water. It was treated the same way as all my previous phones and none of them got water damaged. I honestly can't think of a single way it was exposed to liquid so as far as I can see it is either

a) a design flaw making it susceptible to condensation build up or something
b) the repair centre just stick down liquid damage so the provider don't have to pay for it.

Have I any recourse at all?

seithon

It's been shown that in area's of high humidity that the little water sensitive sticker they use will slowly turn purple over time, even though the device itself has not been exposed to water.
Now admittedly that was in I think Singapore where they have up to 90% humidity but those stickers are not foolproof by any means.

natnifnolnacs

seithon wrote: »

It's been shown that in area's of high humidity that the little water sensitive sticker they use will slowly turn purple over time, even though the device itself has not been exposed to water.
Now admittedly that was in I think Singapore where they have up to 90% humidity but those stickers are not foolproof by any means.

Good to know, I'll be picking up the phone tomorrow so I'll ask was it just the sticker they are basing it on

seithon

I had a look around.. sadly I couldn't find the article in question Still good luck!

Jev/N

It will also happen in a warm pocket in jeans over time, apparently

natnifnolnacs

Jev/N wrote: »

It will also happen in a warm pocket in jeans over time, apparently

Now that is more likely. But can any of that help me to get the phone fixed under warranty? As far as I am concerned I haven't mistreated it at all...

foggy_lad

natnifnolnacs wrote: »

Now that is more likely. But can any of that help me to get the phone fixed under warranty? As far as I am concerned I haven't mistreated it at all...

the whole warm pocket of the jeans argument brings you to where the phone was not fit for purpose by not being reasonably durable, the small claims court might be worth a try?

User Friendly

As a last resort......... put the phone into a jar of uncooked rice,open the phone,and put battery in separate........leave it in the rice for a day or 2 even better,remove phone,battery back in of course and it might,just might work.;)

i have done this twice at home with phones that have fallen directly into water,one into a basin of water,went through the rice route......phone still working and in use today,happy days!

its worth a try anyway.



.

Jev/N

User Friendly wrote: »

As a last resort......... put the phone into a jar of uncooked rice,open the phone,and put battery in separate........leave it in the rice for a day or 2 even better,remove phone,battery back in of course and it might,just might work.;)

i have done this twice at home with phones that have fallen directly into water,one into a basin of water,went through the rice route......phone still working and in use today,happy days!

its worth a try anyway.

.

Unfortunately that won't have an affect on a water-sensitive sticker but it's a good idea though!

MunsterCycling

If they are still insisting that the phone is water damaged, get them to show you the exact sticker they claim shows this, not a photo as most repair shops use a generic photo to fob people off with.

natnifnolnacs

Thanks for the ideas folks. I picked up the phone yesterday. I should have mentioned that the phone still works pretty well and I can do just about everything on it, the only thing that wasn't working was the 3G internet stuff.

Anyway, they showed me a photo. I asked her how much it would cost to repair outside of warranty. They won't/can't repair it as it is liquid damaged. I took the phone home and took it apart. They didn't give me a generic photo it was of my phone and there was indeed some trace of liquid inside it. I still maintain that he phone has been nowhere outside of normal use where it could be damaged...

When I opened the phone I am not convinced the liquid was water either. Anyway, I have cleaned it up as best I can and put it in the hot press for a few days. I think I will contact Samsung directly and see what they have to say about it. The liquid was under the buttons towards where you would speak into so I'm wondering if it is possible that if this isn''t sealed correctly that the moisture from your breath as you are speaking could cause it...

It might sound like I am reaching for reasons but I really can't figure out any other way...

Oryx

I read a notice in the Nokia service centre, and the list of reasons for water damage was extensive. Stuff like picking up the phone with wet hands, talking on the phone in the rain, bringing it from a very cold area to warm, leaving in in a warm car. (causes condensation). So its not just direct stuff like dropping it in the loo (which is apparently, the most common cause of liquid damage!)

jimmycrackcorm

It's my firm belief that the mobile providers are using water damage as a blanket excuse to avoid claims. After bringing my wifes phone in because the Robert wouldn't work but everything else was fine.

Surely water doesn't discriminate in favor of particular pieces of the hardware?

racso1975

Same here left phone in. Very obvious the problem was charger related. It came back as water damage!

Cuddlesworth

natnifnolnacs wrote: »

Thanks for the ideas folks. I picked up the phone yesterday. I should have mentioned that the phone still works pretty well and I can do just about everything on it, the only thing that wasn't working was the 3G internet stuff.

Anyway, they showed me a photo. I asked her how much it would cost to repair outside of warranty. They won't/can't repair it as it is liquid damaged. I took the phone home and took it apart. They didn't give me a generic photo it was of my phone and there was indeed some trace of liquid inside it. I still maintain that he phone has been nowhere outside of normal use where it could be damaged...

When I opened the phone I am not convinced the liquid was water either. Anyway, I have cleaned it up as best I can and put it in the hot press for a few days. I think I will contact Samsung directly and see what they have to say about it. The liquid was under the buttons towards where you would speak into so I'm wondering if it is possible that if this isn''t sealed correctly that the moisture from your breath as you are speaking could cause it...

It might sound like I am reaching for reasons but I really can't figure out any other way...

Isopropyl alcohol and a que tip. Cleans it right up. Contrary to popular thinking water isn't that good at damaging electronics. Its not that conductive.

whiterebel

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

It's my firm belief that the mobile providers are using water damage as a blanket excuse to avoid claims. After bringing my wifes phone in because the Robert wouldn't work but everything else was fine.

Surely water doesn't discriminate in favor of particular pieces of the hardware?

Absolutely. They just take the easy way out.