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maxthegold
Mar 11, 2010 11:29 AM
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Yes this has happened to me, I think it is a con and they are just squirming out of their obligations. Mobile phones by definition are mobile and therefore expected to be used outside where they may get rained on. To refuse to cover this seems to be a breach of basic warranty laws.
Comment made about the PC Authority article:
The "water damage" issue affecting mobile phones?
Numerous readers have contacted us about having phone repairs refused because the repairer claims 'water damage'
What do you think? Join the discussion. |
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Kurupt
Mar 11, 2010 12:49 PM
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I've also had the same issue with Nokia Care in Brisbane when I did a firmware update and the power went out and the whole thing got corrupted so i sent it in to be reflashed, I paid the $10 to send it there, I ring them up and the woman said my phone had been fixed and i asked did it cost anything? and she said Nope, i thought this was weird but i said 'wow thats nice of them' She then said to have it posted back by Australian express courier would cost $10, So she took my details to debit my account and posted it. The next day the courier comes and i run to the door and accept it expecting to open it up and my phone would be working, However i was wrong. On the notes it had "Water damage, could not be reliably repaired' And then they had black and white pictures of where they said the 'board' was corrupted. They're full of themselves them Technicians, they'll use any excuse not to fix your phone. they tried to tell me that my phone was broken because the board in it was corroded. and to be lied to by the scum makes it even worse. I contacted 3 Who gave me a number to a phone business called AA Mobile Repairs and they managed to fix my phone after about 3 attempts of reloading the software on it because it had problems the first 2 times, he even got another guy from different business to help fix it.all in all cost me $70 to get it fixed, over $45 in [postage], should of just sent it straight to them. I'll never use Nokia 'Care' Support again. |
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thcispc
Mar 11, 2010 2:25 PM
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We had a similar issue with an Optus sourced Motorola W375. This phone was never wet and that's certain. but when the local Optus shop was contacted to see how the repair / assessment was progressing, they told us that the warranty did not cover "Liquid damage" and invited us to come in and collect the item and view the report from the Sydney repair facility.
So when we said that we needed a copy of the report and any associated images, they agreed and this gave me the opportunity to examine the report in detail.
The little W375 indeed had some evidence of liquid damage which in my opinion was due to etchant process failure in the factory leaving part of the copper circuit board traces in a state of steady corrosion to failure point.
Motorola (Aust.) were not interested in this issue --- not even slightly interested.
The W375 still functions as a phone but without a display since the tracks feeding the display driver were gone.
The result is that a cheap mobile phone made in China has put Motorola off the list of suppiers for us. That won't worry them I guess, and the previous comments in this thread indicate that this is not just one manufacturer, but I would not be surprised if there was a common factor in the purification and process in one or two PCB factories in China.
A very thin conformal coating over the boards of these items would avoid this for casual cases (not for submerging ) --- but that would extend the useful life and reduce both churn and profit ??? |
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oznick
Mar 11, 2010 3:05 PM
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From my experience with repairing mobile electronic devices, there are a couple of things that can cause "water damage":
1) Moisture coming from breath and sweat. Especially affects mobile phones, through keyboard and speaker openings.
2) Moist air. Unfortunately for Australians, air humidity and salts have a huge impact on electronics. I had trouble with my own devices, brought from Europe. I had a VHS camera for about 10 years and didn't have a single problem while living in Europe. It died a year after I got here. Internal inspection exposed huge amounts of rust and oxidation. |
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Fritz
Mar 11, 2010 8:41 PM
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Having worked in Telecommunications for over ten years i can assure you all - 'water damage' is a ruse. It is complete garbage. As a consumer it is your right to demand the handset be tested by an independent lab to verify the 'water damage'. I have dealt with about 200-300 of these cases. In not a single case did the lab verify the manufacturer's description of 'water damage'. In every single case I have ever dealt with (whilst working for Telstra, Optus and Virgin) the manufacturer had to supply a new handset.
Each handset has certain minimum environmental operating standards and all these (frankly stupid!) qualifications abut 'sweat' and 'saliva' and Australia's 'humidy' are total crap! Oznick the answers you give for (1) and (2) would suggest to me that you have worked for a repair centre for one of the big handset manufacturers? The answers you give are the same fibs the manufacturer's tell their customers.
Please fight these dodgey determinations made by manufacturers who, at the end of the day, simply wish to avoid honoring their warranty. |
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oznick
Mar 12, 2010 6:35 PM
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Fritz, I have never said that I disagree that in most cases 'water damage' is indeed a way to save costs by not honoring warranty.
I have worked in manufacturing divisions of a number of companies as an engineer and production supervisor. I can tell you with certainty that in order to minimize costs, manufacturers of mainstream devices tend to *barely* satisfy some standards. In some cases the devices would fail.
Now, about climate: let me give you another example. My 3-year old SonyEricsson handset started to have problems with its keyboard after about 6 months. A number of keys became unresponsive. Joystick would stick constantly. After cleaning the PCB with methanol, all problems went away for some time. Normally I would have to repeat this every 3 months or so. My parents went to Europe recently for 6 months and I lent them the phone since it was unlocked. They didn't have a single problem with it while there. Seriously, climate affects these devices. Why haven't they been designed to withstand that in the first place? Ask the manufacturers. |
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mulder
Mar 12, 2010 9:43 PM
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I have had two mobile phones, both Nokia, that were refused repair because of so called water damage. I picked the first phone up from the shop and I asked was everything ok. The girl said yes and I walked out. I got to the car and had a look at the repair papers and spotted that it was not repaired and it has water damage. I went back into the shop and was told that its bad luck and there was nothing they could or would do about it. I contacted Nokia and I got the reply that the "Water Damage" could have been from the phone sitting in the pocket of a pair of pants (perspiration) or from the persons breath as they were talking on the phone or from the Humidity in the air. I told the guy "Mate we are in a drough and havent had any rain for 2 years! Wheres the Humidity? This to me meant that the phone was "No fit for purpose" as per the consumer guidelines. I hit Nokia with this and was told that was bad luck and they stood by their assessment and the phone would not be fixed.
The second phone, again a Nokia, was sent for repair and again refused repair because of water damage. What a crock. The phone had never been near water or a bathroom, swimming pool etc. The closest it got to water was maybe a photo of water in a book. Again after complaining to Nokia I was dismissed with a snarky email. The funny thing was that the first phone was refused and I know of 7 other phones of the same model number in my own town that were refused due to water damage. Funny how the same model phone had the same problem. I do actually know of one boy who got a phone on a plan and the very next day the phone died (again a Nokia). It was less than 24 hours old. It was sent back to Nokia for replacement only to be returned as water damaged. This phone had left the shop, had a trip in the car home and was put in his bed room and the next morning was dead. Nokia refused to do anything about it. This was not a cheap phone neither. It was one of their top end models. The lad was left with a 2 year plan and no phone.
Water damage is just a bulls*&t way of getting out of fixing the phone and the quicker this wraught is fixed the better.
David |
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mmann42
Mar 14, 2010 11:05 AM
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I have had two Nokia phones refused repair because of "water damage". Nether had ever been splashed or sprayed with with water or been taken into the bathroom. An independant repair guy said there is tag inside that turns pink if moisture has entered the phone. Mine was pink so it must have been humidity. Surely phones should be constructed to withstand was is normal weather and usage in Sydney. |
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eyeballer
Mar 15, 2010 12:04 PM
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Blackberry Bold 9000 - 3 months before warranty expiration. Had told the Telstra rep that it was a software issue and that it needed to be reloaded for the phone to operate.
Receive the phone with a joke of a photograph which was supposedly evidence of water damage, and had returned it with a service fee. They also mentioned that the phone is beyond repair and that a new phone would need to be purchased.
I had then researched alternatives and found a way to reload the operating system, and worked successfully, and is still working perfectly to this day.
I don't understand the lazyness and incompetance of the repair staff. |
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tsq
Apr 5, 2010 10:43 PM
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if a phone has suffered "water damage" under normal use, when it has not actually suffered an immersion, then I suggest it should be replaced under the terms of the Trade Practices act as being "not of merchantable quality" as not "being fit for it's intended purpose". Phones will get used in the rain, they will get perspired on etc. A mobile phone needs to tolerate the normal human environment in order to be a viable product. |
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happyo
May 7, 2010 7:02 PM
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I have a good old nokia n95 still in contract with 3. I challenge investigator to get this repaired. its about 18 months old and unfortunately got perspiration damage, I was a little hot when I answered a call and that was the end of the phone. i am more than happy to send in the phone if you think you can get anywhere with 3 or Nokia but I'm sure you wont. |