[Q] ASUS Fonepad build quality issue - General Questions and Answers

I had high hopes for this and had imported from taiwan to USA> I am appalled by the build quality of ASUS Fonepad. The bottom portion where micro USB is present, the back has come up significantly right side as we are holding tablet. I tried pressing the sides in the hope of there is some latch which will cling to. But it is quite noticeable, and if I pull it it will surely come off. I am not sure how I can fix it. Returning is last option as I want to keep it and fedex charges/getting $350+ back is remote in these cases. If I return I end up losing $150 for 2 way shipping/customs etc.
Any ideas how I can fix it ? Can I get one of those gorilla glues and put under front and back and sqeeze it to single piece. I am afraid I may make it more ugly with squeezed glue on outside.
Anybody in similar situation or has seen a Fonepad teardown
thanks!

Sorry to hear about your dilemma, maybe you can investigate other options for getting the item returned with cheaper shipping. I think you should be able to get it cheaper than $75 as the package is not too big, and you don't necessarily have to use fedex just because it arrived via fedex? USPS might be cheaper.
Also on the way back to you, really the company should pay that, otherwise they might have cheap EMS deals so ask them to mail it for you and you can credit their paypal account.
I just ordered one, as the price has just dropped $50 on ebay and they are now $288

Contact Asus about it, maybe you can send it directly to them and maybe they can send you a return label for free shipping. Always try to find returning solutions before trying to fix it yourself as it would void your warranty modifying it.

Related

Anyone return their phone for warranty?

(service is AT&T)
When I bought my phone, I got full warranty on it (been paying $5 for it monthly)
Its all scratched up and now I want to return it for a new phone or a refurbished one. My current phone has been flashed with a new ROM, which was against the warranty policy.
Has anyone returned a phone like this for warranty after flashing back the original software/ROM? Were they able to find out?
Also, would it be easier if I just threw my phone into the lake and just asked them for a replacement? (I'm fully insured)
flash it back to the original rom.
and restore the SPL
and.. you should be all set.. you do need a good reason to have it fixed...
I can't just say that it's been banged up and has scratches? And that I've been paying $5/monthly for this?
Also, what would happen if I said I lost it,and they send me a replacement raphael, and ended up finding my orginal one under my bed. would they be able to find out that I still have my old one?
banged up and scratched is a normal thing. unless there is something broken in some way shape and form, then you can use that warranty. that's like saying the manufacturer have to give you a new car if your car has a scratch from daily use.
dunno what you can do if you say it's lost, but your phone does has an IMEI which is a very unique and if it ever connects, they can technically make an inquiry...and you might get charged for the price of the full phone. (only a possibility, but don't leave it to chance) Live with the scratches and next time, get yourself something like Bodyguardz or invisible armor...
theomni said:
I can't just say that it's been banged up and has scratches? And that I've been paying $5/monthly for this?
Also, what would happen if I said I lost it,and they send me a replacement raphael, and ended up finding my orginal one under my bed. would they be able to find out that I still have my old one?
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Wear and tear is not something that's covered under the $5 a month insurance plan.
If you tell them you lost it (and that acutally DID happen to me) they'll bill you the $125 dedcutable on your next bill - and they didn't replace the SD card mine came with either (they did send me a SIM card and another wall charger though).
Once you've lost the phone, that flag the unit so it won't work anymore and yes they will find out you still have it if you try to use it by putting yer new SIM chip in it. Plus techically this is considered 'insurance fraud' which is a crime you can get in a LOT of trouble for. There was an article I read about 2 weeks ago that said these companies are now keeping an eye on forums like this one trying to catch people doing such things. I suspect if everyone was honest we'd be paying $1 a month instead of $5...
Anyway - I know you can buy replacement screens pretty cheap - heck of a lot cheaper than the $125 deductable as matter of fact.
I really want to get this thing replaced. What if I accidentally drop this on my driveway and run it over with my car. WIll they still charge me anything extra? This phone has plently scratches on the screen that it becomes annoying to use the touch screen. Also, the face plate over the home, back, call send and end buttons is coming off, and the sliding mechanism has become a bit herky jerky.
So I guess whatever happens, I will have to pay up to get it replaced or fixed, despite their "fully insured" that I'm paying?
you need a probably cause to have it replaced... not just suddenly a car ran over it. trust me.
theomni said:
I really want to get this thing replaced. What if I accidentally drop this on my driveway and run it over with my car. WIll they still charge me anything extra? This phone has plently scratches on the screen that it becomes annoying to use the touch screen. Also, the face plate over the home, back, call send and end buttons is coming off, and the sliding mechanism has become a bit herky jerky.
So I guess whatever happens, I will have to pay up to get it replaced or fixed, despite their "fully insured" that I'm paying?
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Like I said - even if they replace the phone it's still going to cost you $125 for the deductable. Just spend 30 bucks and order a new screen and face plate.

My UK RMA Experience from Asus Service Czech

For the background to my issue please read the following thread;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=44279573#post44279573
This thread is to give my experience of the RMA service that I have received, not the fault itself which was "fixed".
So essentially I was advised by Asus support that DHL would come with a special box to take the tablet away and to send all accessories such as the charger with the tab. However the DHL email said that I should pack in my own box and not to include any accessories. It was not clear to me whether the keyboard and charger would count as accessories or not. I decided not to include the charger as I had already verified that wasn't the cause of my issue and the charger is listed on Asus's own website as an accessory. However I was later told that I should have included the charger. All a bit confusing, mixed information but a small issue when you read below. I can't fault the tracker service or the speed of the "repair" either. I was happy to know exactly where my tablet was at all times and that it wasn't going missing.
Now everything I thought was fine until my I opened the box last Friday with my freshly "repaired" tablet. Like many of you guys I take extremely good care of my tech. I could have easily passed my tablet off as brand new with not so much as a hairline scratch on it after 10 months use. You can imagine my horror when I saw what it looked like on return. Essentially the list of problems is as follows;
Curve along bottom edge of tablet that should be flat.
Screen not fitted properly on right hand side.
Screen not fitted properly on left hand side.
Damage to case on power connector socket.
Plastic strip on top rear not fitted properly.
Haptic vibration creates a noise like a duck quack.
HDMI output has horrible red interference.
Glue residue on back of casing.
I have attached images below for you to see the quality of the repair work. What is especially annoying is that when I first called up to complain on Friday the only thing they were interested in was if I had pictures from before I sent the tab in. I am annoyed because when I raised a concern about the quality of repair work prior to sending my tablet I was assured by Asus Support that the repairers were monitored for quality of work and everything would be fine. It was only because of my mistrusting nature with this type of thing that I took pictures showing the condition it was in and how I packed it.
It should be noted that I only expected the battery to be replaced during the repair. According to the service report the screen and the motherboard were also replaced. I now believe that they must have been damaged during their removal from the now damaged shell case. To cover their tracks they listed faults with them which would require replacement such as "mechanical fault". I am absolutely furious with Asus over this shoddy repair and have informed them that I do not accept the repair and am seeking a new tablet to replace the one they have ruined. I am yet to have a response after sending them the pictures and I will keep the thread updated as I do. :crying::crying::crying:
Mine is in Texas right now with digitizer problems. Mine is as yours WAS, like new in appearance. I hope to God it is returned in the same condition. There is no excuse for returning a customers stuff in that condition. If they botched up the repairs that badly they should have replaced it.
Good luck, hope they resolve it for you. It clearly appears from your pics that they botched the job and owe you a replacement.
I recently had my digitizer repaired by the Texas facility and mine came back in the same pristine condition it was in when I sent it and the repair was without problems.
Keep us posted.
That truly is one awful repair job.
"Haptic vibration creates a noise like a duck quack."
This did make me laugh tho
flumpster said:
That truly is one awful repair job.
"Haptic vibration creates a noise like a duck quack."
This did make me laugh tho
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Yeah, if I wasn't so annoyed I'd probably find it funny too.... Sound file uploaded for your consideration... (I had to zip it as the forum didn't like mp3 or aac).
I'm sorry to hear all that mate! That is shocking. Stand your ground and don't take no for an answer.
I appreciate the kind words folks. Apparently my photos have been forwarded to the correct department within Asus. Which I hope is the "sending out new tablet department".
Your case tells me I should consider myself lucky they (the same service center) only slashed the box!
Sent from my Xperia Neo V using xda app-developers app
Wow, talk about screwing up a repair... This reinforces my belief that sending in my 700 for a screen repair (a nice crack in the upper right corner) is a bad idea.
Good luck with the fight ahead!
An update for everyone. I sent over the pictures of before and after as requested. My email was rejected as being too large (around 12Mb I think it was). I asked what was the maximum size email I could send and received no response. I then decided to split the email in to 5, ensuring that each email was less than 5Mb. Over a week later I enquired what was the status to be told the person dealing with my request was on holiday and would reply the next day. I duly received a reply saying that they still needed pictures of (.....) so it seems they could only find 1 of my clearly labelled 5 emails (number 1 to 5).
I was also informed that I would not be entitled to a replacement tablet as warranty only provides for a repair. I replied to that email by saying that "I am also entitled to a quality of repair that doesn't damage the rest of my tablet in the process. I am not claiming for warranty repair work to be done on my tablet, I am saying that during the warranty repair of my tablets battery, my tablet was unneccessarily damaged due to poor workmanship and now needs replacing."
The last email I have received says they have now got the photos and my request has been forwarded to "higher management". I don't know who higher management is, but let's hope it is someone who is just as horrified as me at the quality of repair work and agrees that somoene paying top price for their electronics and takes the time to look after them properly, should not have to accept such poor standards from Asus themselves. They're making it really hard for me to ever consider spending money on an Asus product again.
Once again, fingers crossed.
I have receied a response from Asus;
"Dear John,
Thank you for awaiting our response.
Kindly note that the management investigated your case and decided to offer you a free of charges repair.
They came to that conclusion as the key out video, the video that record whether a customer’s unit left the repair centre in a good condition was of poor quality, because so we can't see if the unit was damaged or not.
Please let me know if you want to proceed with the free of charges repair? Once your response is received I will create a new repair RMA to and book a collection. What would be a convenient collection date?
We look forward to your response.
Kind Regards,"
I read that to mean: Asus can't prove that it wasn't their fault the tablet was damaged, and I can. Therefore they will just repair it for me. I am supposed to be grateful that this won't cost me anything. For my inconvenience they are offering me nothing in return. I would have thought at least they would have offered some sort of token to apologise, even if they won't replace the tablet.
What do you guys think? If they repair it and it looks as good as it did previously, I wouldn't have a problem. I'm just worried that it will come back looking as bad/worse. My real concern is that if the outside is a mess, is the inside put together properly? Is the tablet going to fail in another few months because a connector hasn't been put on properly inside, or a wire has been part way cut through/trapped, etc, etc...
I've emailed them to have one more try at getting a replacement, which I really think is the honorable thing to do. At least I know what kind of company Asus aspire to be. Currently I don't think I'll be going anywhere near anything Asus ever again.
Imho they should replace it, they made a mess with the repair so it's their fault. You sent the device in perfect condition so their duty is to send it back after repair in the same condition. I wonder what they mean with repair now, replacing the body and keep the internal parts or what.
Whatever, if you accept this repair offer make it clear that you expect a perfect repair and also the device must return in perfect condition, wtf, you paid for the damn thing. Good luck!
Thanks for the reply and support.
I'm rightly playing hardball so avoided asking details of the proposed repair. Don't worry though, I would need to understand exactly what their proposed repair solution is before I would agree or send away my tablet to them again. Unlucky for them that I'm a professional mechanical design engineer used to dealing with quality engineering.
Gudders said:
Thanks for the reply and support.
I'm rightly playing hardball so avoided asking details of the proposed repair. Don't worry though, I would need to understand exactly what their proposed repair solution is before I would agree or send away my tablet to them again. Unlucky for them that I'm a professional mechanical design engineer used to dealing with quality engineering.
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I RMA'd my Asus TF300T around 3 months ago due to LCD banding and light bleed (Asus UK service center in the Czech Republic). There were numerous problems with the repair. Firstly, the charger was badly scuffed, the plastic casing was popping out (exposing the headphone jack and other ports) , the screen was on an angle, the glass wasn't glued down securely (movement/creaking) and they managed to chip part of the plastic surrounding the screen. I showed the problem to the store's manager (Argos, as I let them deal with it) and she agreed that she would let me have an exchange or pick a different tablet without argument. I exchanged for a Note 10.1.
Hope your issue gets resolved.
I would INSIST on the tablet being replaced and not repaired. It's pretty obvious that they can't make proper repairs already.
BTW: I got mine back with no cosmetic damage at all. So a proper repair is possible they just need some new employees at that repair facility.
Mine was in for the touch screen. I have no idea what was done. Right after I restored all my apps, about 4 hours, it started acting badly again. I called Asus on the phone. I was given another RMA and emailed a return shipping label. During my phone call I turned off the tablet. It was powered down for about 15 minutes. I powered it back up and have not had one incident with the touch screen since! Its been a week without trouble from the screen. I called to inform them at Asus and was told the RMA is good for 30 days. If problems develop just use it to send it back.
So far, so good.. .. .
It seems that Asus are are refusing to budge on the issue. My concern now is that due to the bend and stress on the screen at some point in the future it may crack and I'll be left without a tablet forever, so it seems I may have to relent and send it in for repair anyway :crying:
I have still had no answer from Asus on the following;
The screen was replaced, including the LED backlight. I have no idea why they were. A problem has been listed of "Abnormal lines on display". I never reported such a fault. My suggestion is that the screen was damaged on removal at the same time as the case was damaged through carelessness.
The motherboard was replaced. Again I have no idea why. I don't know if the charging issues related to the motherbaord or not. I don't believe so as everything else functioned correctly. Was the motherboard also damaged on removal?
"Mechanical Error" was listed as a problem. I have no idea at all what this refers to. The keyboard has not been touched, thankfully, and except for the power/vol buttons (which are terrible to begin with, and worse now) what else mechanical is there?
Asus have offered me nothing as a token of apology. I would have expected at the least to send me an accessory, or money off asus products in the store, something along those lines. Nothing, zip.
My folks were looking into buying a tablet and I was recommending them a Nexus 7. However that will definitely not be happening now. If anyone else is having second thoughts, or actually cancelled/changed their mind on buying Asus after reading this please PM me. I'll be happy to forward the statistics to Asus themselves.
Gudders said:
It seems that Asus are are refusing to budge on the issue. My concern now is that due to the bend and stress on the screen at some point in the future it may crack and I'll be left without a tablet forever, so it seems I may have to relent and send it in for repair anyway :crying:
I have still had no answer from Asus on the following;
The screen was replaced, including the LED backlight. I have no idea why they were. A problem has been listed of "Abnormal lines on display". I never reported such a fault. My suggestion is that the screen was damaged on removal at the same time as the case was damaged through carelessness.
The motherboard was replaced. Again I have no idea why. I don't know if the charging issues related to the motherbaord or not. I don't believe so as everything else functioned correctly. Was the motherboard also damaged on removal?
"Mechanical Error" was listed as a problem. I have no idea at all what this refers to. The keyboard has not been touched, thankfully, and except for the power/vol buttons (which are terrible to begin with, and worse now) what else mechanical is there?
Asus have offered me nothing as a token of apology. I would have expected at the least to send me an accessory, or money off asus products in the store, something along those lines. Nothing, zip.
My folks were looking into buying a tablet and I was recommending them a Nexus 7. However that will definitely not be happening now. If anyone else is having second thoughts, or actually cancelled/changed their mind on buying Asus after reading this please PM me. I'll be happy to forward the statistics to Asus themselves.
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Any update?
mr.fast said:
Any update?
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Not as such. I have been given an address that I can write to to lodge a formal complaint;
FAO Service manager
AsusTek U.K. LTD.
1st floor Hemel One
Boundary way
Hemel Hempstead
HP2 7YU
I am waiting for an RMA number so I can send my tablet back for a second repair. I have been assured that the service centre will be prepared and will make ammends for the poor repair that was done last time. I have no other choice but to go with this option for the time being. I have no idea what response I will get from the above address
Gudders said:
Not as such. I have been given an address that I can write to to lodge a formal complaint;
FAO Service manager
AsusTek U.K. LTD.
1st floor Hemel One
Boundary way
Hemel Hempstead
HP2 7YU
I am waiting for an RMA number so I can send my tablet back for a second repair. I have been assured that the service centre will be prepared and will make ammends for the poor repair that was done last time. I have no other choice but to go with this option for the time being. I have no idea what response I will get from the above address
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Any chance of an update ?
boakesm said:
Any chance of an update ?
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Tablet has been with Asus since 24th September back at Brno, CZ. Anticipated completion date of next Monday 7th October. It only took a week to "repair" last time but they may be having a closer look at what has gone on and take a little longer. I'm happy for them to do that and get it right. Just a shame that I am away in Italy at the back end of this week on business and it would have been great to have my tablet to watch a film, keep up to date, etc.
Once I receive it back I shall be writing my complaint letter.

Broken screen - what to do?

Hi there, my Nexus 5 fell down on the screen yesterday and it broke throughout the entire screen. It fell from less than 1ft of height which is ridiculous as I had previous Samsung phones fall down from a higher distance and came out with bare scratches. What is my best repair solution? I hear taking it to LG is the best bet and that it costs about $150, does anybody have the accurate price for the screen repair and the shipping they charge for me to send it? I hear I send them the phone and then they run a diagnostic then reply back to me with a repair fee and ask me if they should go through with it, how is the payment made? Hope you guys can help out, thanks.
daLareid said:
Hi there, my Nexus 5 fell down on the screen yesterday and it broke throughout the entire screen. It fell from less than 1ft of height which is ridiculous as I had previous Samsung phones fall down from a higher distance and came out with bare scratches. What is my best repair solution? I hear taking it to LG is the best bet and that it costs about $150, does anybody have the accurate price for the screen repair and the shipping they charge for me to send it? I hear I send them the phone and then they run a diagnostic then reply back to me with a repair fee and ask me if they should go through with it, how is the payment made? Hope you guys can help out, thanks.
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I think you got it about right... That's pretty much how it works. Payment would be made with a credit card.
I'm sure someone who has more knowledge on dealing with LG or has had a screen replacement done already will chime in.
Personally I would just do it myself. The N5 is setup to be easily taken apart and have parts easily replaced.
Not to mention that you can get the parts cheaper than what the repair would cost you and the time involved in replacing it yourself will be much faster than the whole sending it in for a repair process.
Then again... You do whatever is more comfortable for you.
Take a look here for some reference - http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/general/how-to-fix-google-nexus-5-screen-t2542873
Nexus 5 Screen Replacement - Frame Exchange + Dis…: http://youtu.be/jQS618ayL5w
xdrc45 said:
I think you got it about right... That's pretty much how it works. Payment would be made with a credit card.
I'm sure someone who has more knowledge on dealing with LG or has had a screen replacement done already will chime in.
Personally I would just do it myself. The N5 is setup to be easily taken apart and have parts easily replaced.
Not to mention that you can get the parts cheaper than what the repair would cost you and the time involved in replacing it yourself will be much faster than the whole sending it in for a repair process.
Then again... You do whatever is more comfortable for you.
Take a look here for some reference - http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/general/how-to-fix-google-nexus-5-screen-t2542873
Nexus 5 Screen Replacement - Frame Exchange + Dis…: http://youtu.be/jQS618ayL5w
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Appreciate your reply, I did some digging around about a DIY repair and apparently the screens are going from 150 to over 200 usd, and from what I hear the repair from LG costs about 150 and you should get the original screen, I read that the ebay screens could be chinese fake and not good. Thanks for the tip though, I will wait for some more replies then decide which is my best course of action.
daLareid said:
Appreciate your reply, I did some digging around about a DIY repair and apparently the screens are going from 150 to over 200 usd, and from what I hear the repair from LG costs about 150 and you should get the original screen, I read that the ebay screens could be chinese fake and not good. Thanks for the tip though, I will wait for some more replies then decide which is my best course of action.
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i'm using ebay screen and it's still good quality. no dead pixel or defects. and it cost about 70$. if you want it with the whole frame, then it's 100$. plus it's not hard to open up the Nexus 5. everything is fit in there like legos. though you would be out of a warranty if you replace yourself.
Khant said:
i'm using ebay screen and it's still good quality. no dead pixel or defects. and it cost about 70$. if you want it with the whole frame, then it's 100$. plus it's not hard to open up the Nexus 5. everything is fit in there like legos. though you would be out of a warranty if you replace yourself.
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Mind linking me to the the $100 one please?

My eBay experience (techno.trading.house)

Hi everyone,
I want to share my journey with the Z3, and the experience with buying from eBay, specifically from a seller, techno.trading.house (Steph, Ed). I bought two brand new Z3 (D6603)--a black one for myself, and a white one for my girlfriend. The order was smooth, and the phones came in pretty much brand new (open box though) with their plastic peel-screens on the glass, untouched. After using the two for a few hours, I noticed that my black one had a defective sensor (photo). The seller advertised "hassle-free" exchanges/refunds, so I reported the defect and had the black one exchanged right away.
After a week, the new one came, the same brand new (open box) condition as the previous phones. However, there was a slight manufacturing defect with the USB flap--it closes completely at a slant (photo). I spelled out the issue with the seller, and here was how it went:
SELLER: I'm sorry to hear that! We will certainly replace it for you, I believe that your phone would be damaged underwater if that or any other flap was not closed properly. (I also do strongly suggest to avoid wetting the phone just in case). Please return the phone to...
ME (after 2 days delivered to them): Hi, have you receive the package yet, and have you ship out the new phone?
SELLER: Your return has been received. If you had chosen to receive a replacement, it will be sent within 2 days. If you have opted for a refund, it will be issued within 24 hours minus applicable restocking fee.
ME: Do you have tracking info? Thanks!
SELLER: Our records indicate that we have already sent a replacement. You have reached out to us to let us know that the replacement has the same issue. In order to avoid another occurrence, we recommend that we proceed with a refund for this item. Please let us know if this is okay.
ME: Sorry, I am not sure what you are saying. Are you talking about the previous replacement or the 2nd replacement being shipped out? I am currently waiting for the 2nd replacement. You said "sure" on the second replacement last week.
SELLER: We are talking about the previous replacement. We believe since both- the original phone and the replacement phone- has had the same issue, that a refund might be best. Let us know if this is ok.
ME: That is not correct. First phone had a defective camera. Second one had a manufacturer defect on the flap. You agreed for the second exchange, so I am not sure why you are backing out now? I need the phone as I have been using an old dumb phone for work for a week already.
SELLER: I'm very sorry for the confusion. I just read back through the emails and you are indeed correct. We will have your replacement unit shipped today. Here is your tracking number. Again, I am sorry for the confusion. Have a great day!
ME: Thanks. I just hope the new one does not have any defect--I will be checking it. If it's not shipped out yet, anyway you can inspect these? Thank you.
SELLER: Hello, Not a problem.
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So the 2nd replacement came (third phone), and the phone came in a used/open condition. There were no plastic peel-screens on either side of the glass and the USB wire was laying in there without its plastic wrappers. I knew immediately this was used, so I began close inspection of the phone. I found that the power button had a noticeable dent on one side, as if it was dropped on a table before. At this point, I don't know what to do with the phone. I have summoned the seller to see what they plan to do with this situation.
It appears that the seller recycles their returned phones and try to sell them as new, or whatever it is. I am extremely disappointed with this seller, and I want others to know so they may not fall into the same trap.
I checked the current feedback, and it appears someone had the same situation (photo). Go figure!
To me this sounds like a fair seller and a picky buyer. 832 positive reviews and 6 negative ones in a month is a ratio I would buy at if I wanted to save a hundred bucks by buying without factory warranty.
It could have been an honest mistake. I doubt he purposely gave you an opened one, just work with him to solve the problem. eBay is much harder on sellers than buyers and he would ruin his reputation if he did it on purpose. Looking at his rating I would say it was an honest mistake.
I understand if he wants to refund you, he is just trying to cut his losses. At the same time it was your misfortune to get a bad device/s. Since this phone is known for cosmetic/other issues as its in early production you are better of buying from Sony/carrier making replacement easier.
abhinav.tella said:
It could have been an honest mistake. I doubt he purposely gave you an opened one, just work with him to solve the problem. eBay is much harder on sellers than buyers and he would ruin his reputation if he did it on purpose. Looking at his rating I would say it was an honest mistake.
I understand if he wants to refund you, he is just trying to cut his losses. At the same time it was your misfortune to get a bad device/s. Since this phone is known for cosmetic/other issues as its in early production you are better of buying from Sony/carrier making replacement easier.
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remember me?
I'm sorry to hear that. It was really a frustrating moment you went through. If I were you I would probably be really angry.
If you want, just buy it from Sony store. I got mine and it's perfect so far (except some cosmetic minor faults).
I bought two phones directly from the same seller. The price was cheaper on their own site vs eBay or Amazon. Both phones are perfect. They came in non sealed boxes. I've got no complaints.
android404 said:
To me this sounds like a fair seller and a picky buyer. 832 positive reviews and 6 negative ones in a month is a ratio I would buy at if I wanted to save a hundred bucks by buying without factory warranty.
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I may be a picky buyer, but who wouldn't be when you receive a defective product, and even worse when you get a used one on your third one. Feedbacks mean jack when you are on the short end. They are only good for initial decision about the seller, hence I trust them like you would too.
abhinav.tella said:
It could have been an honest mistake. I doubt he purposely gave you an opened one, just work with him to solve the problem. eBay is much harder on sellers than buyers and he would ruin his reputation if he did it on purpose. Looking at his rating I would say it was an honest mistake.
I understand if he wants to refund you, he is just trying to cut his losses. At the same time it was your misfortune to get a bad device/s. Since this phone is known for cosmetic/other issues as its in early production you are better of buying from Sony/carrier making replacement easier.
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I hope you are right on the honest mistake.
bluesky2111 said:
remember me?
I'm sorry to hear that. It was really a frustrating moment you went through. If I were you I would probably be really angry.
If you want, just buy it from Sony store. I got mine and it's perfect so far (except some cosmetic minor faults).
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Yeah, I really regret not buying from Sony store, or even T-Mobile here. At this point, I might just say screw it, keep the phone, and move on with my life. Maybe the Z4 will entice me in few months. :good:
I purchased 3 different Z3 D6603 from Techno Trading, Never-MSRP, and Sony Direct all off ebay.
Techno Trading shipping a Central America version of the D6603 (White) to me and it had no seals whatsoever on the box (US Charger). This model would not show LTE indicator until I flashed a generic TFT. Booting with Encryption shows the Pin Entry text in Spanish but quickly changes to English. Seller Feedack: Shipped very quickly but using subpar shipping materials. Shipped from Miami.
Never-MSRP shipped a Central Europe version of the D6603 (Copper) to me and it HAD seals on the box but also included a Sony Screen Protector (Non-US Charger). This model had the LTE indicator from start. Booting with Encryption shows the Pin Entry text in English. Seller Feedback: Shipped same day and was packaged very well. Unfortunately, they are located in Houston so I had to pay tax.
Sony Direct shipped a Generic North American model of the D6603 (Green) to me. This one had seals on the box but didn't include the Screen Protector. LTE shows from start and includes a US Charger. Plastic on the front and back of phone is totally different than the other two. Its hard to describe but the other phones came with a very very thin plastic protector. This model shipped with much thicker protectors on front and back (still meant to be removed because they have tabs on the side). Additionally, the other two phones were inside a cellophane bag but the this model was not in cellophane. Shipped from Sony in Romeoville IL. Shipped within two hours of purchase using FedEx for free. Unfortunately, Sony charges tax everywhere. Packaged well but not great.
My point...
Sony packages models different based on their intended destination. It might not be that you ever got "open box" devices but rather they were intended for an area which Sony (for whatever reason) chose not to use seals.
mwep said:
My point...
Sony packages models different based on their intended destination. It might not be that you ever got "open box" devices but rather they were intended for an area which Sony (for whatever reason) chose not to use seals.
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Click to collapse
That is interesting. Before buying from techno, I bought a white one from tropical_mobile (in which I sold quickly due to being D6653), who stated they were located in Tennessee, but shipped from Singapore. However, the phone was sealed with two white rounded "sealed" stickers on the box. The phone also was sealed in a clear plastic slip and had protective screens on both sides.
This whole Z3 deal has been pretty bad luck for me. Maybe it is not meant to be. But good news--the seller techno.trading.house got back to me, and is willing to refund me $20 for the dented power button, or do another replacement. I'm planning to take the refund, and live with it as I am sick of all the exchanges. Who knows, the replacement might have even weirder issues.
If you spend $500 plus on an item, you the buyer, have every right on this planet to be as picky as you like.
Nobody has to settle for anything less than perfection.
So no, you don't have to accept a defective camera, or flap or indeed a previously returned phone.
As I mentioned before but was lambasted in another thread, Sony may be using premium materials, but they are certainly not using premium construction. Not when some people have to go through six boxes in store to find a unit without light bleed and gaps.
I myself had two exchanges within the first two weeks. My first unit was simply not waterproof and had a leaky flap and my second one didn't charge on the magnetic dock and now I have light bleed but no energy to fight it anymore.
It's almost as bad as an iPhone. All my iPhone friends have had multiple exchanges... Some as many as 5 in a year.
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app
More recent feedbacks to prove my point.
stop accepting being called a picky buyer.... ur paying top dollar for the phone, that said u should receive a product good for the purpose, if the camera doesn't work its not good
if the phone isnt water proof it isnt good
if there is a dent in the design it should state it before being bought. so it's not the buyer nor seller (purposely) its a unlucky sale.
I purchased mine at t-mobile. I paid 100% upfront despite being with t-mobile and they unlock it on the spot. When I registered with Xperia Care (sonymobiles product registration) I entered my IMEI and it has till Oct 2016 on warranty.
However on the 2nd day of owning the device The bottom speaker stopped working and was making a static noise. I went to my t-mo store I purchased it and they swapped it out. I didn't even pay a restocking fee. The manager said as long as I get the same phone and since I bought it back so promptly that he would just swap a new one. This one has been perfect since. Sometimes the convenience of having a store near by is better than having to deal with shipping my phone back and forth!
Alot of people dont want the tmobile Bloatwear but like I said, 32 GB + Local customer support outweight > No bloatwear & 16 Gig with mail in issues. (since i have no sony store near by, id still have to mail in for repairs and exchanges)
Me too, I'm glad I bought it from TMO with an EIP, exchanged mine 3 times on my 4th now, no hassles or fees.

OnePlus Repair Center Nightmare!

So.. a couple of weeks ago, I dropped my phone and it stopped working completely. The back glass is cracked and at first it was completely dead, I wasn't able to turn it on or anything. Later it eventually booted and it's currently working fine (all hardware things are working fine). I decided to get a back glass replacement anyway just because it will cut my fingers when used without a case.
So, I requested a repair, and today OnePlus "approved it", they sent me an email message from UPS and here the nightmare begins.. I also got an email from the repair center that will be replacing my back glass, the only problem is... that this repair center is possibly the biggest scamming repair center in my country. When You Google their company name, You can find hundreds of bad reviews and threads on various forums where people talk about it how they got scammed or how they send their phones to that repair center with for example battery that was draining very quickly (phone still on warranty) and they got an email from the repair center that the phone suffered water damage and motherboard has to be replaced (even though the owner said that his phone never even got close to any liquid or water), and the cost of repair is literally 2x the price of a new phone. (Later the guy replaced the battery by himself and phone was working fine, so as You can see liquid damaged motherboard was BS)
I do understand that bad reviews are normal and most repair centers have at least one or two of those, but.. like 2-3 years ago I bought a tablet (it cost around $75). I just needed some cheap tablet to watch YT videos etc. After some time the tablet randomly died and I sent it to the SAME repair center that OP uses. After 3-4 weeks I got an email saying that tablet repair will cost around $100 (30 USD more than price of a new tablet) and guess what they said when I asked them what's wrong with it. They said that sim card pins are shorted and it killed the motherboard. Well. I'm not a phone/tablet repair expert so I can't tell if shorted sim card pins can break Your motherboard. (Later I tried shorting sim card pins on some old flip phone and nothing happened, but then again, newer technology might be more sensitive IDK) But! The problem is.. that tablet didn't have a sim card slot! . Eventually after 2 months of fighting with the store and the repair center, store agreed to give me my money back and I just saved it and bought Mi Pad 2 later from China (it still works perfectly!).
So as You can see, even I already had terrible experience with this repair center. Now, my question is. What am I supposed to do now? I don't really care about warranty as local repair services charge 1/3rd of the price for repair. So I can just give my phone to them and lose the warranty. Or I can order replacement back and replace it by myself. Or I can send my phone to that repair center that OP uses and most likely never see my phone again or get a 500 USD bill.
What should I do guys? Right now I'm thinking about replacing the back glass by myself. I've done it before like 3 times (on my family's phones) and everything went pretty smoothly. Or I could just give it to local repair service and they will fix it in 1 hour if I'll give them my phone and new back glass.
(Remember that this repair center isn't OP's official repair center, they repair a lot of no brand/generic smartphones and tablets, sadly including OP's phones.)
There are no easy answers. You can purchase the back housing directly from OP or from the following link for under $20
https://www.witrigs.com/oem-battery-cover-camera-lens-ring-replacement-for-oneplus-6-midnight-black
or you can look at iFixit website for the back panel
I would suggest taking it to the place like: https://www.ubreakifix.com/locations (Samsung uses their services). If they ask for around $50-$75 for the labor cost, you will get the back glass replaced for under $100 which (at least to me) seems reasonable cost. Good luck. Keep us posted which route did you end up taking?
Gr8man001 said:
There are no easy answers. You can purchase the back housing directly from OP or from the following link for under $20
https://www.witrigs.com/oem-battery-cover-camera-lens-ring-replacement-for-oneplus-6-midnight-black
or you can look at iFixit website for the back panel
I would suggest taking it to the place like: https://www.ubreakifix.com/locations (Samsung uses their services). If they ask for around $50-$75 for the labor cost, you will get the back glass replaced for under $100 which (at least to me) seems reasonable cost. Good luck. Keep us posted which route did you end up taking?
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Huge Thanks for telling me about Witrigs website! They even sell all tools needed for the repair.
I decided that I won't send it to that repair center. Even reviews posted this month are negative. So they haven't changed for sure. I don't care about warranty so I'm just going to fix it by myself most likely. Tomorrow I'll go to my local repair service and I'm going to ask them how much they want for back replacement if I'll give them new back glass + phone. If it won't be too expensive then I'll order new back from Witrigs or AliExpress and then I'll give them everything and they will fix it. And if they are going to ask for too much then I'm just going to fix it by myself.
Last time I asked them for display replacement cost (Galaxy S6) they said that they will charge me $30 + new display price. It was some time ago though.
We will see. Thanks for the links!
Good luck!! I think other users will benefit if you loop back and let us know the total cost and difficulty in getting the parts, etc. Take care.
Do it yourself. Slow and carefully. Watch some youtube video how to do it. Good luck!
Another vote on doing it yourself, especially since you've done this type thing before. Just be mindful of trying to do this in a somewhat dust free environment since you are removing the camera cover... don't want to get dust or fingerprints on inside of that cover or the lens that will stay forever. And make sure to seal that camera good.
Good luck :good:

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