[KitKatSplat]

I bought my phone in early July 2006. A couple of months ago, I noticed that the inside screen looked all scrambled and blurry (not the hardware, the software inside of it), like something had gone wrong with it internally.

I rang 3, sent my phone off, and now have been told that it's my fault the phone is damaged and I have to pay for it. They say they've sent me a letter detailing the problem, but I've never received it. I have infact asked for the letter to be re-sent three times, to no avail. The first time I rang them up they told me it would cost around £50 to repair. Now they're saying £75, but of course, I don't know why - I have no detailing of the costs. Also, I don't think it is my fault. I carried my phone in my pocket (pocket didn't contain any other items to damage it.) I never dropped it. I never knocked it.

Time is getting on. I really need my phone back, but I don't want to pay until I at least know WHY I have to pay. It doesn't help that their call centre is in India.

Has anybody else experienced this? Can anybody tell me the best way to go about this?

Thanks in advance.

[Ben]

This is where Three's service offering really falls down.

Do you have the contact details for the repair centre the handset was sent to? If you have their address then you might be able to get a phone number off directory enquiries or Google.

You could also email your complaint to [email protected] - some people have had better success with the email support where they can get their problem understood better.

At the end of the day the handset is under warranty and if Three wont repair it for free I'd advise getting it back off them and dealing with SE directly for the repair.

[Hands0n]

Ugh! 3's CS bite yet again! The only way to get this resolved is to get in touch with the UK CS Team as Ben has suggested above. The Mumbai people will be completely unable/unwilling to help you in any way other than to lift money out of your pocket! They truly are an utter shambles and let 3 down at every single turn!

[KitKatSplat]

Well, I've sent an e-mail of complaint to the address suggested. Let's hope that does the trick. I will let you know!

[3GScottishUser]

Just keep track of all the details....

Calls, Times, What was said/promised etc etc.

The more you are armed with the better the propect to get release from your contract commitment if it gets to that stage.

Good Luck...

[KitKatSplat]

Well, a couple of days after I sent my e-mail off, I get a phone call... From the Indian call centre! Pretty much repeating what I was already told before. When I asked them if they could at least send me another letter detailing the costs and the damage by Royal Mail recorded delivery, he didn't seem to know what I was talking about. He replied, "Oh, I'm sure 3 have done everything in their power to get the letter to you."

Well, clearly not!

I also asked them why 3 were now telling me that repairs would cost £75, when before they told me £50. His reply? "Oh, I don't really know. Even the lady who spoke to you previously has written £50 down here on my screen."

Brilliant!

I am fed up of talking with someone who can only speak within a pre-arranged script. They can't answer my questions and they can't help me. The least 3 could do was take my e-mail seriously, and they don't seem to have done that. The next stage is Trading Standards and the Ombudsman.

[Hands0n]

Not an unanticiapted Customer Service experience at the hands of 3, I must say. Give the TS and Ombudsman a shout, press the point and fingers crossed for you. That is pathetic service in the extreme!

[We-R-3-London]

I would suggest contacting ur most local store ( list here:
http://www.three.co.uk/xseries/get_x_series/stores.omp ) and asking them to look up your repair on their system, it is possible for ALL Three stores ( Superdrug and Standalone ) to do this for you... they need either.... your reference or your IMEI number.... they can then explain exactly why the cost is incurred.

CS are sadly not so great at understanding your needs, and I can personally appreciate your fustrations. I hope you can get this sorted out asap.

Regards,


* these are my own views and not those of the company I work for *

[Hands0n]

Welcome to Talk3G We-R-3London (cor wot an 'andle :D) nice to have you along. Advice like yours is golddust and very welcome to your Customers.

Personally, I like the network, I like the handsets, I often like the tariffs ..... not always, but I utterly hate and despise the Mumbai Customer Service Centre which has cost 3 my business, not once but twice!. But I watch for improvements and hope that your new emerging senior management structure will do the wonders that your firm needs.

Cheers :)

[We-R-3-London]

Cheers HandsOn... I have to say I only decided to sign up to here, to see if I could offer some help. All 2 often it's common for a business to be called bad at customer service, only because they have limited contact methods. Three are not alone in this respect, and I personally feel that they could do so much better, however I guess it is mostly cost driven... so I can't see much changing.... :-(

We shall see,

Regards,

* these are my own views and not those of the company I work for *

[KitKatSplat]

Thanks for all the advice. At the end of last year I called OTELO. From speaking to them, I got the impression that - like the posters here - they didn't find the bad customer service particularly surprising. They suggested I write to the "3 Executive Office" explaining the situation, and giving them 10 days to sort things out. I'll put the address here in case future generations need it!

3 Executive Office
123 St Vincents Street
Glasgow
G2 5EA

At the start of this year they called and were extremely helpful. They said that they couldn't really go against the opinion of the repairers - because the repairers had to abide by SE's warranty. Instead, they offered me a refurb K800i phone. This seemed like the best deal I was going to get, so I accepted.

Now, a few weeks later, the refurb phone seems to be dead. This time it crashed part way through initialising for file transfer mode (with the USB cable plugged in) and will no longer switch on.

I get the impression these K800i's aren't the most robust phones ...

[Ben]

Sony Ericsson's in general, in my experience, are a bit, well, fragile. I've never had one that I haven't sent away for repair, but they've all survived without death becoming them completely.

If I were you I'd get back on to the Exec Office and try your luck again! Maybe plump for the Nokia N73 instead? ;) I know the SE's are more desirable, I still have to touch my W900i from time to time (ahem), but the N73 is an absolute killer phone, the unsung hero of Nokia's current range and probably the best mobile phone on the market today.

[We-R-3-London]

Ben, one thing I will politely point out RE N73's are Nokia's less than robust charger, which in my personal opinion is just useless. I have had numerous calls from unhappy customers with broken chargers. Sadly they are NOT covered under warrenty.

Just my 2p worth.

Regards,


* these are my own views and not those of the company I work for *

[Hands0n]

LOL @ Nokia chargers :D

I have managed to keep my 6280 charger (suits N73, N70 etc ....). My first thought when seeing it was "Wow! how very weak and fragile-looking that is". I've had mine working solidly, charging my handset each and every night religiously and without fail. Sometimes I have to charge it on the move using a car charger. So far there has been no problem, and it is unexpectedly resilient.

But, on the flipside, my lad had his N70 charger for not more than six weeks before he snapped the plug off in the handset when plugging in. This was caused by not much more than a heavy-handedness, and since replacing it has been much more careful when using it. It has survived a similarly long period of regular and routine charging use.

I really do not understand why Nokia chose the route of creating yet another plug/socket combination and, when doing so, making it as minimal and subsequently fragile as it is. An older Nokia plug/socket arrangement would not have snapped so easily!

[3GScottishUser]

Under the Sale of Goods Act 1971 all goods must be of 'merchantable' quality and fit for purpose. Eectrical goods sold as new have to be repaired or replaced with 12 months if they become defective and the responsibility for providing the solution lies with the company that supplied the customer (not the manufacturer).

This appplies to the whole product including any supplied accessories and it's statutory consumer protection.

[We-R-3-London]

3GScottishUser, for those of us that don't talk "legalese" would you mind saying that in normal english? No offence. On a small note I agree if the customer can prove it was not them who caused the fault, it should be fixed free of charge, as it would see 3 believes that the user is at fault. I still stand by my point the the SE models are better than Nokia on build generally.

With regards to Ben, don't even get me started on the Nokia 6280, the sooner that unit ceases to exist on the network, the happier I will be!

Regards,

* these are my own views and not those of the company I work for *

[Hands0n]

@We-R-3London - if you are in sales then you really should familiarise yourself with the Sale of Goods Act requirements. The local Trading Standards Office (TSO) will have leaflets that explain the full details without resorting to legalspeak. However, there are certain keywords and prases that are very essential to the interpretation and understanding of the Sale of Goods Act.

Merchantable Quality - basically, the item/s must be fit for sale and of "satisfactory quality". This last is key, it is up to the Customer whether or not the goods are of "satisfactory quality". If they are in any way defective or unsatisfactory, any at all, then they do not meet the criteria and it is incumbent on the Seller (not the Manufacturer or Distributor) to remedy the problem. The Customer must be honoured in all cases.

Fit for Purpose - the item/s must do the job that they are described and sold to do, and they must do it in a fit and proper manner. If a charger for a mobile phone does not charge the phone then it is not "fit for purpose" and must be replaced or refunded in full (no re-stocking fees).

There is a rather neat plain-language article at the TSO website here (http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/calitem.cgi?file=ADV0043-1011.txt)

It is my own personal experience that the vast majority of sales staff know zero to nothing about the UK Sale of Goods Act. Nor do their Supervisors and Managers. Stores such as Comet, to name but one, are lamentably poor at implementing what is the Customer's statutory (written in UK law) rights. They often befuddle the user with their own T&Cs, many of which fly in the face of the UK laws. There is nothing actually wrong with them making such T&Cs but when conflicting with statutory law the T&Cs become completely invalid. But these organisations rely upon the general legal ignorance of the Customer. They struggle to cope when someone walks into the store who has knowledge.

Many online retailers are excellent at their implementation of not only the UK Sale of Goods Act but also the UK Distance Selling Regulations and I am happy to name Mobilefun and Mobymemory as two who do it very well indeed - even providing a full refund of return postage (which they are actually legally obliged to do!). Remember that when someone tells you that you are personally responsible for the return postage costs - you are, in law, most definitely not, and if you stand your ground they will comply.

I hope that this has been of some help to you, and anyone else who reads this thread. UK Sale of Goods law is easy to understand and implement - but like I said above, very many businesses either don't know it very well or choose to ignore it in the hope that Customer ignorance wins the day for them.