Cell phone warranty racket
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 4:38 pm
I just can't believe Cincinnati Bell (and I'm sure others) get away with this.
I got a new smart phone in March, and to tell the truth the thing was just about quirky enough to be annoying, but I could call people on the phone most of the time, which is still what I use a phone for, so I just lived with it.
A month ago give or take, it started locking up. The touch screen didn't work, lasted a few hours at a time, so I took it back to the store, and asked them to replace it under warranty. The clerk told me I needed to remove the battery everyday, that it was just a little glitch, live with it, etc...
So this week it finally died. The touch screen didn't work at all and it didn't get better (even when I took out the battery). So I took it back to the store again. Good news, the 1 year warranty covers it when the smart phone is retarded or just doesn't work at all. Bad news, you have to send it back to the manufacturer in China and they'll fix it and send it back! Hopefully before your 2 year service contract expires!
But wait, if you sign up for their insurance ($60) you can call and file an insurance claim and they'll replace the phone in a few days, and you can get a loaner phone until they do (for $50, although that is partially refundable). So I plunk down the money for the insurance and loaner phone, and call the insurance claim line. (Securitel)
Well, when I got the loaner phone, they put my SIM card into it, and when I called the insurance, they can only process a claim on the phone my SIM card is in. They did take the claim, though, and will refer it to their corporate to see if they can take a claim on the phone I actually own. Oh, and there is a "deductible" on the claim ($50).
Not to mention, I'm making a claim with a wink and nod on a problem that happened before I bought the "insurance" which kind of sounds like insurance fraud to me anyhow.
Am I the only one that thinks this is a racket? Or thinks it strange that it costs $160 so far to replace a defective phone under warranty when the phone itself was "free" with a 2 year contract?
I got a new smart phone in March, and to tell the truth the thing was just about quirky enough to be annoying, but I could call people on the phone most of the time, which is still what I use a phone for, so I just lived with it.
A month ago give or take, it started locking up. The touch screen didn't work, lasted a few hours at a time, so I took it back to the store, and asked them to replace it under warranty. The clerk told me I needed to remove the battery everyday, that it was just a little glitch, live with it, etc...
So this week it finally died. The touch screen didn't work at all and it didn't get better (even when I took out the battery). So I took it back to the store again. Good news, the 1 year warranty covers it when the smart phone is retarded or just doesn't work at all. Bad news, you have to send it back to the manufacturer in China and they'll fix it and send it back! Hopefully before your 2 year service contract expires!
But wait, if you sign up for their insurance ($60) you can call and file an insurance claim and they'll replace the phone in a few days, and you can get a loaner phone until they do (for $50, although that is partially refundable). So I plunk down the money for the insurance and loaner phone, and call the insurance claim line. (Securitel)
Well, when I got the loaner phone, they put my SIM card into it, and when I called the insurance, they can only process a claim on the phone my SIM card is in. They did take the claim, though, and will refer it to their corporate to see if they can take a claim on the phone I actually own. Oh, and there is a "deductible" on the claim ($50).
Not to mention, I'm making a claim with a wink and nod on a problem that happened before I bought the "insurance" which kind of sounds like insurance fraud to me anyhow.
Am I the only one that thinks this is a racket? Or thinks it strange that it costs $160 so far to replace a defective phone under warranty when the phone itself was "free" with a 2 year contract?