So Angry About Faulty Phone!

[knowabit]

I have a Nokia Lumia phone on contract with Vodafone. I've had it 11 months. The battery has stopped charging, so I cannot use the phone properly. I took it into vodafone and they said they will send it off for repair. The guy in vodafone then noticed I had a crack on my screen, which has been there for months and is nothing to do with the phone not charging! So he says this voids the warranty and he cannot have the phone sent off to repair the problemof it not charging!
I would understand if i had damaged the phone, but the battery not charging is a fault with the phone, not anything I have done. So I am now paying a monthly contract for a phone that does not work and i will have to buy a new phone... surely a fault with the product is still their responsibilty to repair if still in warranty period? Anyone had a similar issue?
Many thanks.

[friedgreentomato]

The contract is not for the phone though it is for the phone service i.e the ability to use the network to make and recieve calls, this could be done on any phone.

[EcclesCake]

I quite understand where you are coming from knowabit but I'm pretty sure that in the small print there will be a clause requiring you to maintain the phone. By not repairing the screen you are not keeping to your side of the deal.

[knowabit]

I've had another converastion with vodafone and they are going to send the phone off.
FGtomato.... most of the monthly contract fee is actually to pay for the smart phone, not the phone service. They supplied the phone, if faulty, they should repair it.

[sunny-dave]

Not entirely true fgt - it has been proven that (where the cost of the contract exceeds that of a similar service provided on a sim-only basis) the company is required to maintain the handset - since the cost of the handset is (effectively) included in the contract.

Tricky case this one though, where Voda are saying that the accidental damage to the screen precludes them fixing another problem.

I'd go into Voda's complaints procedure and threaten them with escalation to Otelo if they don't back down very quickly.

[mrs_overall]

I have just been reading up on this.
The battery should be trouble free for at least 2 - 3 years. If it is not charging at 11 months then it is not fit for purpose. I would mention the Sale of Goods Act to them.

[MadMen]

I would be fuming!

Glad they are going to send it off for repair. Quite rightly too!

[knowabit]

I klnow where they are coming from, and if i had dropped the phone and caused the damge then i would accept that. The crack in the screen has been there for monthas and is nothing to do with the fault. The phone is faulty and should be repaired. If the crack was not there, they were happy to repair it.

[knowabit]

Well they are going to send it in now, and will let me know if the charging problem is due to any damage i may have done.. which i am 100% sure is not the case... they may charge me for the repair! They most prob will charge me, they'll just say i did the damge won't they... how can i prove otherwise!

[aelmpvw]

when you consider the astronomical profits that phone companies make it's pathetic that they are arguing about repairs to a phone

[mrs_overall]

I just love Vodaphone.
When my mum died I wrote to them to cancel her contract. I still have the letter they sent back.....addressed to my mum. It began:
"Dear Mrs .....
We are sorry to hear of your death."

[bednobs]

what's up with just buying a new battery - under 20 quid.

[knowabit]

Err, cos it's not the battery...

[bednobs]

sorry i must have misread. I thought you said the battery wasn't charging