Broken Phone 17 Days In To An 18 Month Contract

[sphinktar1988]

last night while out with some mates my new 17 day old Samsung f490 stopped working, namely the touch screen totally stopped functioning

so i cant do anything with the phone as it has no buttons that are not touch screen :|

went to the vodafone shop today and explained it and they told me it was tough luck and i will have to complete my 18 month contract! as i have misused the phone :S ?

the male assistant that delt with me was very unhelpful and wouldnt give at all

i cant believe after 6 years of having contract phones with vodafone they would do this

i am out of the 14 day window in which i can leave vodafone by 3 days so i have to continue paying the bill :(

anyone have any ideas of what to do now?

[Yaris SR Kid]

Well if you havent dropped it/damaged it in any way then the phone should be covered for up to a year!

[sphinktar1988]

not what they seem to think :(

[Demonic Angel]

You have a guarantee with the phone which Vodafone have to honour, however that doesn't cover misuse, only a technical problem.

Your first line was "last night while out with some mates my new 17 day old Samsung f490 stopped working", which, if you'd explained it to the assistant that way, does say alcohol may have been involved - this may be the reason they have told you what they have. Drunk lads + alcohol = phone getting dropped, stood on, flushed down the loo etc etc!

What I would do is ring Vodafone customer services, explain that all of a sudden your phone no longer works (omit the night out with your mates, as that just sounds dodgy) and ask for their advice. They should at the very least offer a repair.

[sphinktar1988]

yeah i didnt say that i just said it stopped working. ill get on to the customer services tonight n see what happens but if they do say they wont fix it is there anyway of gettin out of your contract?

[Demonic Angel]

If they wont, contact Samsung directly.

You can't get out of a contract after the cooling off period unless they don't adhere to their terms - I would read the T&C's regarding phone faults as any phone I've had that needs fixing, O2 have happily done it for me without charge and even offered me a temporary replacement phone while mine was being fixed.

If their T&C's state that they must follow the guarantee set out by the manufacturer with regards to fixing the phone or sending it off for repair, you could argue they have broken their own T&C's and try and get out of it that way.

I have a mate who works at Vodafone Head Office, I can ask him for more info if you like?

[cfc1]

Did you take out insurance with your contract.. if so, use it.

If you haven't mistreated the phone causing it to break, go to another vodafone store and talk to them about it, if they help you then report the first store for its poor service.

[sphinktar1988]

if you wouldnt mind mate cause im kinda screwed at the moment i sold my old phone because i have got the new one so now im phoneless and feel like ive lost a limb lol

ive been reading up about it seem o2 are really good for fixing phones and vodafone are a bit :s touch and go with it

[T V O R]

Don’t take this the wrong way, but what has really happened to your phone? Phones nowadays are pretty tough and tested to the limit, has anything happened to it that we (or you) are not aware of?

If it’s all above board then goods have to be fit for the purpose.

SALE OF GOODS ACT 1979

Section 14 – 2b states:

For the purposes of this Act, the quality of goods includes their state and condition and the following (among others) are in appropriate cases aspects of the quality of goods—

a - fitness for all the purposes for which goods of the kind in question are commonly supplied,

b - appearance and finish,

c - freedom from minor defects,

d - safety, and

e - durability.

[Parts-King]

Phone Vodafone and see what they say

I take it the phone was new?

You have the legal right to reject goods less than 6 months old IF it is inherantly faulty without having to prove the goods were faulty It is up to Vodafone to prove they were not. I'm sure when you speak to a real person in customer service it will be sorted

Kingo

[Blue84]

I would stand your ground, in a polite but firm way - yes you are in a contract with them, but they are also in it too - so them doing 'nothing' isn't an option.

[Phoenix999]

Tell Vodaphone that you will speak to the local Trading Standards office and also consider the Small Claims service

[kingdeacon]

I'm with vodafone on a 18 months contract, 3 months into it my N95 stoped working I just walked in the shop and they gave me a free mobile while mine was being fixed free or charge. Then just the other day it broke again, this time they gave me a new mobile for free and its the better N95 8 gig, which they say is better built than the old n95. could not of been better service really as the phone braking is not there fault, its nokia that made them poorly, wonder why my vodafone shop seems so much better than the one you used?

[JappyBeast]

Vodafone suck, ditched them years ago!

Any update on your progress? I would be lost without my phone!

[Boro Sera]

I would be lost without my phone!

Am I the only one who finds this comment a bit of a shame?

[Calisto]

No Rich hun......it's just that you look at things in a different perspective and as you know I to, like Jappy would be lost without my phone....without it I feel vulnerable.

Mebbe you wouldn't be lost without your phone as such, but life maybe a little awkward without it.

[Yaris SR Kid]

I would be lost without my phone aswell, i was at uni and the 3 and 4 button stopped working called up 02 and i didnt even have to go into a shop they just came and replaced it at my uni free of charge!

[Blue84]

Well I say I am not 'surgically attached' to mine, so I could live without it. If I had to be without, I would be a bit wary about driving without one but that would be all.

[Parts-King]

Well I say I am not 'surgically attached' to mine, so I could live without it. If I had to be without, I would be a bit wary about driving without one but that would be all.

Wary about driving? why? What happened before the infernal gadgets were invented? I have a phone but if I forget it or leave it off so be it.......the world wont end without somebody ringing me ;)

Kingo

[Calisto]

Well I say I am not 'surgically attached' to mine, so I could live without it. If I had to be without, I would be a bit wary about driving without one but that would be all.

Wary about driving? why? What happened before the infernal gadgets were invented? I have a phone but if I forget it or leave it off so be it.......the world wont end without somebody ringing me ;)

Kingo

This is view shared by many people, but its not so much I worry about people ringing me, its the fact that if my car breaks down, or I have fallen into a well and need help, then its good to have a moby to get assistance. :P

NB. not fallen into a well lately. (but ya never can tell)

[Parts-King]

If you fall in wells too often you need to call Skippy the bush Kangaroo, he was always helping people out of wells. Personally I havnt fallen in one for a while, or broken down. When I did break down, I rolled up me trouser leg and hitched a lift......I never did get one........wonder why? :D: :D: :D:

Kingo

[T V O R]

or I have fallen into a well and need help, then its good to have a moby to get assistance. :P

You wouldn't get a signal :D

[Calisto]

or I have fallen into a well and need help, then its good to have a moby to get assistance. :P

You wouldn't get a signal :D

In that case I would use my mobile to bang on the well wall in Morse code and hope that a passing submarine could pick up my plea for help via echo location. SORTED!!!!!

[Red Yaris 54]

or I have fallen into a well and need help, then its good to have a moby to get assistance. :P

You wouldn't get a signal :D

In that case I would use my mobile to bang on the well wall in Morse code and hope that a passing submarine could pick up my plea for help via echo location. SORTED!!!!!

Lol at this........................You tell him Ash

[yazburner]

im with vodafone, they do "whatever happens" phone insurance for £7.50 a month.

Ring em up, add it to you contract, then drop your phone against a brick wall, very hard, and get yourself a newun!

then ring em up and take the insurance off your contract