Vodafone asking me to pay for repairs on a repair they did previously

MitchKoobski

Bought smartphone in late October 2011.
Stopped holding a charge in early October 2013.
Phone sent for repair by Vodafone store.
"Faulty Mechanical Component. Replaced Mechanical Component"
Received it back in working order.
Same problems happening again last week in June 2014.
Store just rang to say it is being held in warehouse until I pay €130 for repairs because the phone is now out of it's 2 years warranty.
I explained they replaced the part in October 2013, it should still be working and the onus is on them.
Store disagrees and says it doesn't matter because the phone is out of warranty.
Rang Consumer Rights. They agree with me and said it was a part that was fixed by Vodafone. It became faulty 8 months later. Onus is on Vodafone.

About to head back in to the shop to request a repair or a replacement.

Just wanted to check with you folks that I have everything right in order to request a repair or replacement?

dudara

You are entitled to expect a repair to be permanent (to be taken in the context of a reasonable lifetime for the product).

In this case, next steps would be a replacement or refund - assuming of course that the fault is not due to misuse or damage to the phone. In addition, you have had the use of the phone for two years, so that should also be taken into consideration.

MitchKoobski

Cheers Dudara.

Just back from the store. Spoke to two pleasant sales staff who gave me a bit more information.

Their 'Authorised Repair Centre' is claiming that they need to repair the whole phone now, not just the part (which was not explained to me beforehand).
I explained that my documentation shows that they ran a full diagnostic, found it to be a faulty mechanical component and replaced it and it worked perfectly so it should still be working 8 months later.
I also explained that it was the exact same issue as before so I know exactly what the problem is and what part needs to be repaired or replaced.

Manager was walking past, overheard my situation and said to me "You only get two years warranty and that's it" and walked off. I waited around to speak to him and when I explained that I still wanted and was entitled to a repair, he said it doesn't matter because the phone is out of warranty.
I said the new part is still in warranty, he said it doesn't matter.
He tried to say it was a manufacturer issue and I responded that because it was sent for repairs to an "Authorised Vodafone Repair Centre", they accepted responsibility and the onus is on them to fix it.
He said it doesn't matter because it is out of warranty.
I said that Consumer Rights supersedes any warranty and that I am still entitled to a phone that works properly and to not have to pay for repairs that are not caused by me.
He said it doesn't matter, all I get is two years warranty.
I asked then why when I asked "Will this cost me anything this time?" last week, did the sales agent say "No, you'll be fine."
He said he doesn't know, but it doesn't matter because it's out of warranty.
He said if I want I can take it further but that is it from the store's point of view.
He asked if I wanted the phone sent back down from the repair centre so I said fine.

Rang Consumer Rights when I got back and they said the next step is an official letter of complaint sent to the store and a request for repair or replacement.

The phone is a Samsung Galaxy S2, which they no longer sell, so I can't ask for an exact replacement.

I unfortunately no longer have the original receipt. When I went to the store back in October 2013 for the original repair, there was two days left on the phone's store warranty. The girl I was dealing with kept the receipt. I do however still have the documentation from when the phone was sent for repairs back in October.

MitchKoobski

One of the sales staff just recommended that I try get it repaired around town somewhere.

dudara

TBH, I can't believe sometimes how the phone retailers behave. I can only assume that it is worth their while to discourage claims, and it probably also serves to weed out a lot of spurious claims. Mobile phones *can* take a lot of knocks & hits, so not all faults will be due to manufacturing issues.

Still though, at this point, I'd be writing a registered letter to the store manager and HQ, outlining the issue and asking for resolution within XX working days. If not satisfied, I'd be off to the Small Claims Court. That continuous repeating of the "two year warranty" phrase would really annoy me.

ZENER

Not siding with either party here but just a comment on this part.

Their 'Authorised Repair Centre' is claiming that they need to repair the whole phone now, not just the part (which was not explained to me beforehand).
I explained that my documentation shows that they ran a full diagnostic, found it to be a faulty mechanical component and replaced it and it worked perfectly so it should still be working 8 months later.
I also explained that it was the exact same issue as before so I know exactly what the problem is and what part needs to be repaired or replaced.

I would guess that the USB port was damaged or became loose from the PCB, it can be re-solderd and then continue to work but this can weaken the tracks on the PCB meaning that a subsequent repair may not be possible, or having been attempted was not successful, this could then require a replacement logic board hence the request for payment. Just giving a possible reason.

Ken

MitchKoobski

Would be understandable then, but then I would have to ask why did their documentation from the repair in October state it was tested and met manufacturer specifications. Why did break again after 8 months after they supposedly fixed everything basically.

ZENER

Like I said above, each repair will weaken the existing tracks on the PCB. The heat involved can detach the tracks making future repairs less reliable hence the reduced number of months between repairs and failures.

Purely speculation, I have no experience of the S2 or it's design but I have repaired mini-usb connectors on tablets and external 2.5" drives - the tracks are tiny and very very delicate. It doesn't take much to ruin them.

This is a picture of what I believe is the USB port on an S2, you can see the Micro-USB port and the tracks on the board. That said I doubt a phone repair company would do anything other than replace that whole assembly. It simply wouldn't make economical sense to attempt a repair on that small board. They can be bought on ebay for a few euro.

Ken

MitchKoobski

Yeah that looks like the one.

Well the exact wording on the repair docket and their reason for the fault back in October was:

FAULTY MECHANICAL COMPONENT
REPLACE MECHANICAL COMPONENT
YOUR HANDSET HAS THE LATEST MANUFACTURER APPROVED SOFTWARE
UNIT HAS BEEN TESTED AND MEETS MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS

So I was under the impression they just completely replaced it instead of repairing it.

That being said, your info does shed a lot of light on why they would be saying they want to repair the whole phone instead of just the part. I just wish someone working there would have told me that.

Cheers ZENER!

snowey07

I had a similar problem but with a washing machine. It was repaired but the same fault occurred when it was out of warranty. Indesit insisted that as it was out of warranty I had to pay the charge for a repair man. I did as was suggested to you and wrote an official complaint out lining the exact issue, the lack of service from staff and what I wanted to be done to rectify the problem. I also gave a reasonable time frame for it to be resolved. Hey presto washing machine was fixed within a week with no charge.

hdowney

Honestly phone shops do seriously try to discourage you from your consumer rights in my personal experience. Drives me nutty cos I don't have the best self control of my anger and the more they spout the same lines the more I want to explode

wmpdd3

having worked in phone shops I agree, there is no system in place for dealing with consumer claims. phone broken, good to repair center.

op, I suggest you do as above, write to the store and head office detailing what you want and if you don't get it, scc.

at least you have your sheets from the repair center etc, your case looks reasonable.

as you said, ignore the 2 year warranty thing and stick to your consumer rights only.

P. Breathnach

Ignore the fact that the phone was previously repaired. That makes no real difference to your consumer rights. Ignore also what Vodafone say about warranty periods because, as you know, that cannot supersede your consumer rights.

This is your issue: you bought a Smartphone in October 2011; now it doesn't work. Is that a reasonable product life, taking account of the price you paid for it, and the amount of use you got from it?

I'm asking the question but, to be honest, I don't know the answer. There are people here much more savvy about the technology than I am, and they might have an opinion to offer. If the consensus is that you have not got a reasonable life from the product, then Vodafone have an obligation to remedy things for you.

ShaShaBear

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Ignore the fact that the phone was previously repaired. That makes no real difference to your consumer rights. Ignore also what Vodafone say about warranty periods because, as you know, that cannot supersede your consumer rights.

This is your issue: you bought a Smartphone in October 2011; now it doesn't work. Is that a reasonable product life, taking account of the price you paid for it, and the amount of use you got from it?

I'm asking the question but, to be honest, I don't know the answer. There are people here much more savvy about the technology than I am, and they might have an opinion to offer. If the consensus is that you have not got a reasonable life from the product, then Vodafone have an obligation to remedy things for you.

Just on this, I have an s2 here that was purchased around the same time, and it is still in full working order - still does absolutely everything it did when I bought it, and with the same level of efficiency. Considering the phone was up on 400 euro to buy back then, I'd definitely expect to get proper use out of it now!