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I-Mates USA Warranty Repair Experience

This is just an FYI. I had my SP5 and SP5m repaired via I-Mates USA warranty repair and this is my personal experience. Phone was sent in to PocketPC Techs.com for repair and they do not give you a refurbished or new unit. They will though replace the circuit board for the unit and ship the exact screen and chassis back to you. They do this, as explained to me, because some people scratch the screen and drop the phones. You don't get no replacements with I-Mate. Another thing that you have to do is pre-pay $60 for the repairs and if THEY determine that the damage or faulty hardware was still under warranty, they will refund you the money. If not, they keep the money and your phone. They will send you an estimate if its more and you have to pay in full before they will ship it out.
My experience was OK. I was refunded the money back because it was still under warranty but it took 1-month to have my phone repaired and sent back to me. They did not have the circuit boards in stock so they held onto my phone. You would think that they would send me out a refurbished one just because of the circumstances but they stick to the guidelines imposed by I-Mate. So kids, if you buy an I-Mate, be fair warned of some of the caveats. Not that they are bad, just some things to know. Remember, there are many versions of the same phone by HTC and other manufactures. Do your research and check warranty fine print. I have found that carriers phones are not that bad. Especially when you can change the ROM's and you can do a next business day replacement for 1-year.
Enjoy ~~

[Q] Question about HTC Global Warranty

Sorry if this can't be asked here.
My question is, what is the extent of the coverage? Any details at all if possible from anyone who's had their phone physically damaged without warranty from the seller.
My situation is: bought a Touch HD from clove.co.uk a month ago, without insurance, and my dog just recently destroyed it . I called the north american service hotline, and heard my case, and suggested I call the hotline for the country my phone came from. Which I'll have to do tomorrow as theyre only open 8am - 8pm eastern time (im in CA).
So please, anyone with a similar experience, please let me know what can be done. Bad news or good news, doesn't matter.
Oh then the guy said "happy holidays".

Hi. Wow expensive chew toy! I will tell you from experience HTC is the absolute worst company I have ever had to deal with especially for warranty! I swear they will do everything in their power to avoid honoring the warranty so be careful how you answer their questions.
One example: I bought a used HTC S710 off ebay that was only 2 months old but had some keys that were not working right after about a month. Seller even gave me a copy of his original receipt showing it was under warranty which had 9 months left by time I realized the problem. First guy I talked to said it had to of been damage I caused or accused me of getting it wet but I didn't think that was the case. I know I didn't do either & it had been working for awhile & either way you'd think it should be covered under warranty within the 1st year or they'd at least look at it. When I brought up if it would be covered under warranty he said it depends on if it was damage I caused or not. Next guy I talked to asked if I had the original receipt & if I was the original purchaser. I said yes & no. Then I was told it was non transferable & only good for the original purchaser. I asked the seller if he'd mind sending it in for me & he said sure no problem. Well the next HTC guy said the warranty was invalid because they knew the phone had been resold. (It seems they take notes when you call in) They said they'd be happy to look at it but it'd be at least $80 & could be $120 for keypad issue & maybe much more depending on what the problem was, it could even hit $200 which is almost as much as I paid for the phone! I asked about buying parts & they send they don't sell to end users. I do some computer support for a company that sells & repairs cell phones (Sprint/Nextel) & had them contact HTC to find out they couldn't buy parts either. Run around left & right. I ended up buying replacement parts on ebay for like $30 & fixed it myself. It was a pain but it worked & I didn't give them my $. I swore I'd never buy another HTC but here I am with a Touch Dual & a Fuze. lol
I've read similar horror stories on the net so I know I'm not alone. Moral of the story is don't rely on HTC to honor any warranty & if they do you are one lucky SOB. I highly doubt they are going to cover yours if it is obvious it was chewed on (or dropped or run over or sat on or got wet etc) as they'll say it was abused & not a manufacturer's defect & therefore not warranty. (Not sure any company will cover such things, that is what insurance is for. lol) Odds are they'll gladly offer for you to ship it to them & they'll fix it for a fee but you might be better off cutting your losses now & selling it as-is for parts & buying a replacement. Along with some raw hide bones for yer pooch.
Good luck!
Bill

Ah, figured as much.
Yeah I don't put any faith at all into manufacturer warranties, I just wish they had hearts . But really, this blows and the irony is that earlier I was telling myself, after weeks of tweaking, that I'd lose some hair if I have to hard-reset anytime soon.
Looks like that statement was taken to the extreme....

sp8805 said:
My question is, what is the extent of the coverage?
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I wanted to buy my device abroad, and lucky me, I called reseller here.
Answer was "Warranty is valid only locally", meaning only in my country for device bought in my country!
And sorry to say, damage caused by a dog is not covered by warranty! At least here...

http://www.crc.id.au/2010/11/25/htc-when-warranties-go-bad/
Adding my bit to the piece. Even when its a genuine fault, they are still hopeless.

New ATT Warranty Exchange Policy?

Ok i have had to exchange my Fuze 2 times now..while going through the process on the phone to exchange the second device they told me that this refurb would only have a 30 day return..they said it because ive done too many exchanges..this fuze was a warranty exchange device upgrade from a tilt i returned a few times and they offered me a fuze..but i have never heard of such a thing..ive talked with plenty of people who have returned fuze after fuze and tilt and tilt because of recurring issues..even the refurbs coming defective or damaged..should i call and demand that this refurb follow normal guidlines as far as warranty length as all other refrbs or just let it go and if it fails me in say 2 months give it a shot and gripe then?

Hmmmm... Seem to be lacking in some important info
1) Did they tell you that you only have a 30 day warranty period? or that you simply have 30 days to return in? There is a difference.
2) Most places will only let you "Return" it within 30 days -- and even then that's a courtesy, not required by any federal law in the US (State laws may vary). I'd be careful to demand anything laws wont back you up on, it'll only hurt future interactions with the company as they write notes on everything.
3) In the days of the Tilt companies were not on such a crunch to penny pinch.. It could be a change in policy to try and stem the losses from 'abusive returns' (Not saying you are, but there are a LOT of people that return a phone thinking it's "Defective" when it's user error, e.g. I had a customer return an LG incite because WiFi didn't work -- the real reason was that he didn't know if he used WPA/WPA2-PSK and what encryption method he used so he couldn't get wifi to work at his house)

no they said it a 30 day warranty instead of 90 day..i have a feeling its just loss prevention junk..but seriosuly its htc..its bound to crap out and i think they should understand that ..im considering just getting th refurb that comes and selling it and buying a new one and picking up a new contract because im sure the fuze 2 is gonna suck (i NEED dpad) so i could go another year with the fuze...

How many exchanges have you done?

i got the fuze in december..exchanged it in feb and now exchanging it again today (called today)

pazookie said:
i got the fuze in december..exchanged it in feb and now exchanging it again today (called today)
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It's fine. Your warranty include 1 year parts and labor from the day you bought it. It doesn't matter if the fuze is being exchanged multiple times as long as the damage is a manufacturer defect or error.
FYI - Just because you exchanged it today doesn't mean the new warranty starts today. It's still the day you purchased the Tilt even though they gave you a Fuze since it is a warranty exchange.

no i got the fuze as a warranty upgrade as i stated previously..therefor when i got it first it was a refurb with 90 day warranty only

oh and the tilt warranty expired in deceember..a few days after i got the fuze

pazookie said:
oh and the tilt warranty expired in deceember..a few days after i got the fuze
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Haha Nice, then yeah. Refurb warranty is 90days from the first Fuze you got which is in December. That means sometime within this month is when your warranty ends unless the customer service rep gives you an extension which i think you stated 30 days.

you totally didn tread the thread loo..they are stating that this next refurb will only have 30 days instead of 90 because i have returned too many..which is rediculous because i have talked with people who have seriously returned 4 in 1 week...so that is the dilemma..can they do this? i was going to call and demand from a manager that i recieve the same terms of warrsnty that any refurb should and not some special crippled warranty..

I actually just warranty exchanged my second one on Monday, just received it yesterday. So counting the original this is my third one. On Monday they told me that I still had 1 year from the original purchase date or 90 days, whichever is longer. My purchase was in November so I still have that much left on it. That is their policy, don't believe it's changed at all.
What's funny is the phone I got back from them already had HardSPL on it, so I know one of you guys had it. I'm thinking our warranty returned phones just get traded back and forth all the time.

pazookie said:
you totally didn tread the thread loo..they are stating that this next refurb will only have 30 days instead of 90 because i have returned too many..which is rediculous because i have talked with people who have seriously returned 4 in 1 week...so that is the dilemma..can they do this? i was going to call and demand from a manager that i recieve the same terms of warrsnty that any refurb should and not some special crippled warranty..
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Since your warranty has ended back in December, AT&T's obligation to repair anything pass that point has ended. Since you were getting an all new hardware device they gave you a new warranty which is the 90 day refurb warranty.
As a consumer you also have rights. If they give you a defective phone, you have the right to return/exchange your phone within a time frame. Since you have been receiving defective phone after defective phone, you can request an exchange, get a different phone (i.e. Samsung Epix) or push for a brand new Fuze in box.
Now take it from AT&T's point of view. If a warranty has already ended, and someone keeps returning an item claiming it is defective. This is a loop hole to maintain a lifetime warranty. All they have to do is keep claiming it defective and they will receive another phone with a new warranty. This is why after your original warranty expires (which was the refurb Fuze in December) their obligation has ended.

ya but can their claim that this refurb thats on its way omly holds a 30day warranty instead of a 90day really hold up? or should i tzke my chances and if by chance i need another replacement in 60 days hope they exchange it

They are obviously under the impression that you are trying to commit fraud with all these exchanges and are digging in their heels. Could you prove yourself right that the phones were indeed defective and demand the full 90 days ? Probably, but the burden of proof would be on you.
I have been in business a long time and learned early on. " Right is right and wrong is wrong, but 95% of the time, the one with the most money wins "

I have had to send my fuze back three times.. so far my fuze has been stable for almost two months now.. (knock on wood).
What I think that sucks is you can exchange the fuze for a new one withing 30 days, after that then you recieve a refurb which is a crock of crap... but thats life.
Tvos

pazookie said:
ya but can their claim that this refurb thats on its way omly holds a 30day warranty instead of a 90day really hold up? or should i tzke my chances and if by chance i need another replacement in 60 days hope they exchange it
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Actually the 30 days is a trial period. Your warranty for the Fuze actually started the day you got your first one which is back in December and lasts 90 days.

Apparently AT&T can change their policies at will. I had a Tilt, had to do 6 warranty exchanges over one year. On the last exchange I was told they would upgrade me free to another phone, since I had so many problems. Well, the Fuze was about to come out, so I asked if I could call back in a couple weeks to do the upgrade. They said yes. When I called back, I was told that not only would they not give me the free upgrade, but I was also no longer able to exchange the Tilt at all, even though I still had a few months left on the original one year warranty. I even called back a few times thinking I would get someone nicer, but no luck. They refused to honor the remainder of the warranty.
Please keep in mind that all the exchanges I did were for completely valid reasons (microphone didn't work at all from the time they sent it to me, phone started dropping all calls etc). None of them were my fault (i.e. dropping it, or misuse, I have never even flashed my phone ).

variablex said:
Actually the 30 days is a trial period. Your warranty for the Fuze actually started the day you got your first one which is back in December and lasts 90 days.
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that makes no sense

pazookie said:
that makes no sense
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What are you talking about? That makes perfect sense.
Your warranty expired in December. Before it expired they offered an exchange of your tilt for the fuze. Now as the law states that holds a maximum of 90 days. If within that period it needs to be exchanged under those 90 days, it is up to the service provider if it will have 30/60/90 days (and this is the same for everyone, not hand-picked per user), and its not a warranty, more of a non-D.O.A.
Makes perfect sense to me.

but i already exchanged it again in febuary so that refurb holds a NEW 90 days warranty..

HTC Repair Quote?

So I sent my phone in to HTC to get repaired, got an email today saying it'd cost me either $185 to get it repaired and sent back, or $35 to get it sent back, not fixed or anything. Here's what the repair tracking said:
Code:
Repair Description
We have diagnosed your device and have determined that due to the following reason(s), your device is out of warranty:
• Case Damage not covered by warranty
In order to properly repair your device, the following action(s) will need to be taken which will require payment due to the out of warranty diagnosis:
• Replace Device Main Board
When I called to get my phone repaired, the guy said it was under warranty until the 28th of January (3 days ago), but since I called before that, it'll be under warranty even if it gets there after.
The amount of case "damage" was incredibly small, and I don't really need it to be replaced, and replacing the device main board sounds more of a manufacturers defect, not something I did, considering I never opened the phone up, and it would turn on (though I could be wrong).
From what I'm reading, I'm being charged because of the case damage, and if that wasn't there, I wouldn't be charged. So does anyone know if I can have them JUST replace the main board so I don't get charged?
I'd rather not pay $185 to get this repaired, and I don't want to pay $35 to have them tell me something was wrong with it, since I already knew that.
If I do decide to pay $185 to get it repaired, would replacing the main board also replace the eMMC chip?
Thanks

[Q] HTC U11 - Cracked Screen - Parts?

Hello all,
Anyone know of any issues with HTC's supply chain for replacement LCD's?
My U11 is cracked after a drop on the road.
My insurance company (O2 Insure) cannot replace or repair my device, as there isn't stock.
HTC UK have advised they can take the phone in, advise me how much the repair will cost and return it.
Although judging by others on this forum and on Twitter, repairs are going slowly or not at all.
Is anyone in the same situation as me?

I have the same problem.
I dropped my phone and the backside broke.
First contacted Dynafix, a Dutch company that performs repairs for HTC. They couldn't say anything about the costs and did not want to say if they had parts.
Because I was afraid I would lose my phone for a long time, I didn't go on with this.
then I contacted HTC, but that didn't help much either. If you want to repair with them, they simply send the device to Dynafix.
Finally contacted Probello (another Dutch company that repairs phones), they told me what I already thought, there are no parts available, something HTC couldn't tell me.
I think it's very bad that there are no parts available and that HTC can't tell anything about when there will be.

josding85 said:
I have the same problem.
I dropped my phone and the backside broke.
First contacted Dynafix, a Dutch company that performs repairs for HTC. They couldn't say anything about the costs and did not want to say if they had parts.
Because I was afraid I would lose my phone for a long time, I didn't go on with this.
then I contacted HTC, but that didn't help much either. If you want to repair with them, they simply send the device to Dynafix.
Finally contacted Probello (another Dutch company that repairs phones), they told me what I already thought, there are no parts available, something HTC couldn't tell me.
I think it's very bad that there are no parts available and that HTC can't tell anything about when there will be.
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Quick update:
I had my U11 replaced on the 7th September by O2 Insurance. It took them 5 weeks to get stock in.
Seems to be a real parts shortage or HTC are holding parts for some unknown reason.
Good luck with repairing yours. I got lucky the insurance came through.

My HTC U11 also cracked!
My U11 is also cracked and it is out of guarantee because it is an user mistake. I have never seen such a sensitive phone. I am living in Turkey and replacement part cannot found. I do not know what to do, just I am frustrated.

patela20 said:
Quick update:
I had my U11 replaced on the 7th September by O2 Insurance. It took them 5 weeks to get stock in.
Seems to be a real parts shortage or HTC are holding parts for some unknown reason.
Good luck with repairing yours. I got lucky the insurance came through.
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FYI, all contract phones through o2 are fully insured for the length of their contract, within the contract itself. Should anything happen to your phone and it is still within its contract just call o2 support on 202 and speak to an advisor. The reason they cover the phone is to get their full money, they must ensure you have a working phone otherwise you may be able to pause or 'squeeze' out of your contract early and no carrier wants that.
Not only that, you're paying over a grand for that phone in the long run so it's only fair they insure it for a few pence too..