Xperia Warranty Service is a joke - Xperia Z3 Compact General

Ok, my story with Z3 Compact ended not even started.
Yes, I got lucky and my screen cracked on itself without any force.
And it looked well as sony accepted the phone in US service center even though it was bought in UK.
That's where fun part stops.
First joke is a turn around time. 14 business day for a simple repair. that is at least 3 weeks! Who can wait phone that long?
That means I have to buy a new one and send sony to ebay when and if I got it repaired.
My guess is that people would buy anything else than xperia they just got broken.
What a stupid way to loose customers. Apple store would replace phone in store or take little time to resolve issue for example.
So after 16 business days I called just to hear that part is on back-order with NO ETA!
Also I was told that its not US phone so I should not even expect it to be ready soon.
Nice Sony! Good way to treat your loyal customers.
Seems like my first and last xperia phone unfortunately....
So if you still deciding ... Look at the other phones, that are more rigid or at least have a proper warranty service for 2014.
SonyXperia US has much to catch up.

Sucks man. My screen hasn't cracked yet but if it does this will definitely be my last Sony product.

I hope it won't. I am ok with stuff breaking as soon as you have a good service to get out of the situation.
Sony did not make that easy. The worst part is that there are no more good compact phones around except of iphone and galaxy alpha. which are worse than z3c in many ways.

Sucks that you're phone-less for so long, although Sony is fixing it despite being bought in the UK, which is more than they're doing for some people. Maybe the fact that it's a UK model is why they're not treating the repair with more urgency.
Other than Apple, which other phone manufacturer will instantly replace an unlocked phone as part of the warranty? Normally this is handled through carriers or (if you're lucky) the authorized retailer, but even they usually don't offer the same instant service as Apple. It's why Apple stuff costs so much. Well, that and the fact that iSheep will blindly pay for anything Apple :laugh:

pipspeak said:
Sucks that you're phone-less for so long, although Sony is fixing it despite being bought in the UK, which is more than they're doing for some people. Maybe the fact that it's a UK model is why they're not treating the repair with more urgency.
Other than Apple, which other phone manufacturer will instantly replace an unlocked phone as part of the warranty? Normally this is handled through carriers or (if you're lucky) the authorized retailer, but even they usually don't offer the same instant service as Apple. It's why Apple stuff costs so much. Well, that and the fact that iSheep will blindly pay for anything Apple :laugh:
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For samsung, sony and all other manufacturers even if you pay premium price like note 4 for $700 and xperia Z3 $650 you get ****ty service. You wont get instant replacements what so ever.. No proper estimated ship dates, No proper customer support, No Earbuds bundled is what we pay for and seems you enjoy it more

demon_xxi said:
Ok, my story with Z3 Compact ended not even started.
Yes, I got lucky and my screen cracked on itself without any force.
And it looked well as sony accepted the phone in US service center even though it was bought in UK.
That's where fun part stops.
First joke is a turn around time. 14 business day for a simple repair. that is at least 3 weeks! Who can wait phone that long?
That means I have to buy a new one and send sony to ebay when and if I got it repaired.
My guess is that people would buy anything else than xperia they just got broken.
What a stupid way to loose customers. Apple store would replace phone in store or take little time to resolve issue for example.
So after 16 business days I called just to hear that part is on back-order with NO ETA!
Also I was told that its not US phone so I should not even expect it to be ready soon.
Nice Sony! Good way to treat your loyal customers.
Seems like my first and last xperia phone unfortunately....
So if you still deciding ... Look at the other phones, that are more rigid or at least have a proper warranty service for 2014.
SonyXperia US has much to catch up.
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feel your pain, going through the same thing:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/help/handtec-returns-t2919883
was really glad sony USA would do warranty repair for my phone.. although 14 business day turnaround time seemed like a lot (3 full weeks regularly), but ok. they never emailed me to say they received it - no emails for anything in fact. i had to chat with them to confirm they had received it. and then they returned it to me in about a week - shipped it out in under a week, actually. although i wouldn't have known it had i not seen the 2nd delivery attempt notice on my door. had they emailed me, i would've been looking out for it and had it a few days sooner.
all that's fine, it's their stipulated process and timing, i just could have used some communication throughout. but then comes the icing on the cake. they removed the SIM tray from the phone and sent it back to me without it. so my phone is useless as a phone for a week now, and i'm still waiting to get a replacement or hear anything about it. they've stopped responding to my daily follow-up emails.. the latest response i got had an order number of some kind but no idea where i can put it to check status (it's no retail order number or anything). no tracking. just a blurb that it may take 14 business days to send out a SIM tray to me. and here i thought when i called they'd be like "oh sh*t, we'll get one right out to you asap". but i had to go through this RMA process a second time in order for them to send this to me. i've now owned the phone for 6 weeks, and only 3 of those have i been able to use it. first experience with sony not going so well.

mohlsen8 said:
feel your pain, going through the same thing:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/help/handtec-returns-t2919883
was really glad sony USA would do warranty repair for my phone.. although 14 business day turnaround time seemed like a lot (3 full weeks regularly), but ok. they never emailed me to say they received it - no emails for anything in fact. i had to chat with them to confirm they had received it. and then they returned it to me in about a week - shipped it out in under a week, actually. although i wouldn't have known it had i not seen the 2nd delivery attempt notice on my door. had they emailed me, i would've been looking out for it and had it a few days sooner.
all that's fine, it's their stipulated process and timing, i just could have used some communication throughout. but then comes the icing on the cake. they removed the SIM tray from the phone and sent it back to me without it. so my phone is useless as a phone for a week now, and i'm still waiting to get a replacement or hear anything about it. they've stopped responding to my daily follow-up emails.. the latest response i got had an order number of some kind but no idea where i can put it to check status (it's no retail order number or anything). no tracking. just a blurb that it may take 14 business days to send out a SIM tray to me. and here i thought when i called they'd be like "oh sh*t, we'll get one right out to you asap". but i had to go through this RMA process a second time in order for them to send this to me. i've now owned the phone for 6 weeks, and only 3 of those have i been able to use it. first experience with sony not going so well.
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Haha and they wonder why their sales are falling..

i bought their protection plan for $50.. 2 years covered and they will send me a loaner asap when i send my phone in for repair.

radiohead14 said:
i bought their protection plan for $50.. 2 years covered and they will send me a loaner asap when i send my phone in for repair.
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where did you get that for $50? online it says 79?

sravanz said:
where did you get that for $50? online it says 79?
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employee discount :good:

Where can I get the plan for at least 79? Can I get in in USA for phone I got from Clove?
I'm willing to pay for the plan as soon as it has accidental damage coverage. This is better than going with 3rd party warranty coverage.

Fond here http://store.sony.com/gsi/webstore/...le-Phones-Protection-PLUS-Standalone-Warranty
It says $59.99 + tax I assume.
Will check tomorrow if I can get it for the phone that already went to the service.
Really had no idea that sony has these extra plans for phones.
From my previous experience I had AHD warranty for 3yrs for my laptop from Sony Japan and they easily fixed all issues with shipment around the week even when there was a disaster going in Japan few years back. Japan service worked like a clock. They would also fix issues that I did not report. Just to replace components with fresh ones.

U guys are complaining because it took a week to get a phone not warranted in the usa to be fixed for free.... Try samsung or any unlocked, non apple phone and youll beg to go back to sony.
Oh and apple makes you pay for out of warranty repairs anyway. Like cracked screens.

The biggest joke is the screen cracked by itself. What's this Sony?

i had the back glass crack by itself here in the uk, sony repaired the device for free under warranty.1 week turn around time.

Just as a heads up, most decent credit cards give you an additional year of warrenty (on items costing up to $500) on purchases made with the card. This includes SonyRewards, which also provides 90 days accidental damage protection on purchases up to $500.

When I had a Samsung S4 Active I sent it twice for warranty repair. 2 weeks was normal turn around. Quit complaining.

Just to cool down the drama I see a UPS notification today that my phone is coming home.
I still think that 3 weeks is too much for screen repair. It takes less than a hour to replace it.
It would be ok if I have to wait 3 weeks for TV or Vacuum cleaner but its hard to survive without daily driver as a phone.
Good that I have dozens phones at home to use as a replacement, most people don't. I'm just saying that this is the way for Sony to loose customers.
For most it is better to go to Apple Store, PAY and get it fixed asap than look for a replacement phone, PAY for shipment and wait ... IMHO
Where Sony could improve even with current approach is bring more transparency and feedback. They have not notified me about receiving the phone nor about the backorder delays.
The simplest check my RMA status page would help a lot. I guess it is much more expensive to have staff answering phone calls and chat about RMA status. And all they can say - in progress or yes/no received.
The other way to improve is to start using quality glass and make more durable back for the phones
Meanwhile I started considering LG G2 or Nexus5 as a possible alternative. They are pretty old but still excellent phones. Also fragile though but less.

I feel your pain. I dropped my z3 compact here in the uk and cracked my screen. I sent it off to Sony mobile repair company in the uk and they said that it would take 14 days to come back. They quoted me £97.30 for the repair which is ok I guess, I mean i did drop it. After about a week thee website said that they had diagnosed the phone and it needed a new screen (genius) but that part was out of stock. What kind of repair service doesn't have replacement screens in stock, nice one Sony, how is this your official repairer?
I then found out that I had phone insurance through my work and for £50 I could get a new phone. So I decided to contact the repairer to cancel my repair and get my broken phone back. Despite ringing the repairer numerous times they wouldn't send it back even though every time I spoke to them they said it was in the process of being done. After 10 days I decided to contact Sony customer support and to be fair to them they got it sorted and had my phone back 4 days later. So i get a new z3 compact from my insurance company, and guess what the new phone's battery is ****ed. It drains like 25% every three hours and cant make it through a single day. So I'm back onto Sony and they say it needs to go off for repair. Yep, brilliant so i can wait another 10 days for you to tell me you don't have any parts in stock. So frustrating.

Blimey mate that's rough
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app

Related

Were you satisfied with SE's service after replacing/repairing your X1?

So I've been reading the "let us file a complain to SE..." thread lately cuz well...you guess it...my phone developed a crack.
Anyway, I did see that some people have been getting "reconditioned units" that look worse than the ones they already have.
So, how many of you guys have had problems with the service offered by SE/Authorized dealers?
Really interested in this poll, since I just let my X1 to an authorized center...
However, I must admit that I am really unsatisfied with the repai time: they told me that I have to wait 15 working days! Man, what was the premium price for?!
I sent my phone in Tuesday and they still haven't received the phone even though the service center is 35miles away from here...
Add 3-5 working days to get my phone fixed plus another week to get my phone back...so I think I'm there as well
I got back the same phone after I sent it in for a software glitch that I failed repairing myself. It got back in exactly the same condition and earlier than I had thought.
My X1's screen started blacking out when slid open, so I reluctantly sent it in, having heard a lot about cracked plastics and scratched battery covers.
I got it back in just 3 days, which is apparently unusual even for SE service here. No extra scratches or damage.
Oh, and they didn't notice the Hard-SPL...
Well - i got my replacement through vodafone so it doesnt really count
Reading some of the Dutch Forums (e.g. tweakers.net), the average time is 6 weeks for Netherlands. Some poor guy waited 19 weeks.
http://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_messages/1326523/20
That's almost HALF A YEAR.
Mine had stylus crack, battery crack, chipped case in three places.
4 weeks since I sent it in, and counting..
OMFG!
How is that possible???
Jeez man...4 weeks? How is it that you haven't killed them already?
If I don't have it by the end of next week I'm gonna drive there myself and have a talk with them...
wow....this is pathetic.
some of the buttons arent working smoothly these days..which means i am screwed if i send it for repair
seems im d only one wit a good story bout this..i got my phone back like 4 days
I sent my x1 to service because left-right buttons plus all other front buttons and touchpad were getting dead.i have to wait 15 min and reset phone 5 or 10 times to get device normal.f*ck sake!i am on contract with my service provider.they said i must wait minimum 2weeks just for answer REPAIR or Change.afterwards i must wait another 2weeks for repair or get new unit.i am gonna have big fight with SE.i am very disapointed.i am not gonna buy any other sony products even sony movies films
I went to a Vodafone store with repair service. Somehow they are authorized to repair phones for warranty. I only had to show my phone, they ordered the parts and they texted me when they received the parts. Then I could wait for it on location while they repaired my phone. I think that's a great service but it's more thanks to Vodafone. I live in the Netherlands, The Hague.
MAkS1 said:
I went to a Vodafone store with repair service. Somehow they are authorized to repair phones for warranty. I only had to show my phone, they ordered the parts and they texted me when they received the parts. Then I could wait for it on location while they repaired my phone. I think that's a great service but it's more thanks to Vodafone. I live in the Netherlands, The Hague.
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Hmmm, yes, so:
- SE repair service sucks
- Vodafone is great
But I really think that 4weeks is the maxiimum amout of time I would wait for a repair, not just a phone repair but whatever else. Never experienced a repair time longer than 4 weeks, and I would have been really upset hearing about 19 weeks!!!
But what about the repaired phone? Apart from Vodafone people, in ehat condition were your "new" phone? can you be more verbose than the poll?
MAkS1 said:
I went to a Vodafone store with repair service. Somehow they are authorized to repair phones for warranty. I only had to show my phone, they ordered the parts and they texted me when they received the parts. Then I could wait for it on location while they repaired my phone. I think that's a great service but it's more thanks to Vodafone. I live in the Netherlands, The Hague.
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Hmmm, u were lucky. This is what the Netherlands is like most of the time Mine was out of contract, but the problem is not the shop I went through in Rotterdam - been getting my phones from them for a few years now. I suspect it's the guys in NL who bought the service contract from Sony.
[email protected] said:
But what about the repaired phone? Apart from Vodafone people, in ehat condition were your "new" phone? can you be more verbose than the poll?
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Perfectly repaired, but unfortunately now, a month later, I have 3 cracks. The parts are in so I have to go to the store again. I don't want to go to the store twice every month...
Well,
I brought my phone to an SE Service Center around my Corner. The Display shaked a little. I brought it in on the 7.5.09
Those guys sent the phone to the Xperia guys. Seems that only some people can fix it.
Well, I have not got it back yet. :-(
So I called the Xperia line. The told me, that they did not received it yet...
But the guy was friendly. He is now starting to find my phone. We will see what happens.
Cheers
Jens
SONYERICSSON or a Network Provider???
Come on, in order for this poll to have any impact or make any sense, it should include at least WHICH Country and if SE direct or through a Service/Network Provider! Otherwise its just hot air!
I waited 5/6 weeks for my replacement to arrive aftre the sound went completely.
After SE took delivery initially I received an email to let me know it had arrived. Then nothing for a week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks and so on and so on.
The tracking website was never updated and I never received emails updating me on the progress. I phoned them all the time.
After 5/6 weeks I received a refurbished phone which [TBH] is in better condition than the phone I sent for repair, no consolation really.
Yea...WHAT tracking site? They never even acknowledged the fact that they received it. I had to phone today, to find out they got it on Friday. Even though I ASKED to be informed when they would actually get it...nada.
Anyway, when I talked to the representative and told him I want my phone repaired not replaced (because mine is scratch free and in perfect condition otherwise) he was like..."OH...we'll see what we can do"
People, how hard is to replace a back cover???
But I suppose it's good business taking good scratch free phones and replacing them with "functionally equivalent" but with cosmetic damaged ones...
@michaelthemage
The poll specifies SE Service.
And how many countried would you have included in the poll?
In my opinion, in makes no relevance what country you are in (even though I KNOW there are big differences between SE service centers). SE Service is a global thing, having an international warranty (at least European for me) so in my opinion the quality of their services should be viewed as a whole.
I for one bought my phone in France but since I'm doing an internship in the UK I sent it to Banbury.
So I do think the poll does make sense and I give thanks to all who have voted/will vote and who told me their SE related stories.
I got a global warranty card with my phone but it wasn't much help when my screen died. It is supposed to be a vip service for X1 owners where you can get a replacement phone the same day at any SE service center. Not quite. If you're in a place where they don't sell it, don't expect SE in your home country to send one to the service center you're visiting, they will not, period. And if you look close at the support site there's a somewhat hidden page that shows country by country what is (not-) available.
I shipped it off with fedex to the dealer, who said they will send one in return asap if I paid the courier. It cost me about 100 usd. When they received it, they changed their mind and said they needed the original box and booklets... and they couldn't just replace the phone (ten days since I bought it) and let me send the stuff when I returned home. Cheers...
That said, when I could deliver the box I got a new phone right away from the dealer. SE had no desire to help at all.
I don't like buying phones from operators, rather be free to choose who bills me for the calls, but if the operators service team are better at customer care, I may just do that next time.

VERY Impressed with HTC USA!

2 weeks ago to the day, I accidentally dropped my HD2. Nothing major.. I was actually sitting down when it happened, and the phone bumped my ankle then gently bumped the floor.. no big deal right? (It has a hard shell protector). Well, then as the phone flipped over, it bumped the edge of a table leg and damn! Four hairline cracks on the digitizer. And no more functionality though the LCD was fine and the phone was working but locked with no way to unlock it.
So, I weigh out the cost of repair vs. replacing it all together. Ultimately, it was cheaper to repair the screen.
Here is what blew my mind! Keep in mind that I am in Canada, I purchased the phone (T-Mobile Branded) on the 'net, it's unlocked, tweaked, and therefore there is no warranty.
So, on 04/01/2011, I contact HTC USA. To my surprise I actually get an American on the phone not some call center in a third world country. Wow! The person totally has their act together and in less than 10 minutes, I have a quote for the repair. Wow again! The rep explained everything in detail along with the mandatory disclaimers and while they were finishing up that, I'm receiving an email with all the necessary details and an RMA and Case number and shipping instructions. Wow yet again!
04/02/2011, I send the phone to the repair center in Texas. By 04/05/2011 at 10:50pm the phone has arrived at the repair center. The next morning, I get a call from HTC confirming the damage (which I knew), and they simply want a yes or no to go ahead with the repairs or not. By the afternoon, I have a FedEx tracking number, the phone is fixed and it's on its way back to me in Canada. Wow one more time!
04/11/2011 FedEx is at my door with my phone and HTC picked up the return shipping. Well.. you guessed it! Wow!
I am reconfiguring the phone back to the way I had it prior to sending it as I write this. It had been hard reset to factory spec which if fine and to be expected since they likely run various diag after repair.
So, for $120.00 + $25.00 Shipping, my phone is working again!
There's a case study for keeping our companies and their support centers on North American soil. There are dozens of companies I could list that should be taking notes. 8)
Nice to see a positive post like this. glad you got you HD2 repaired and are now back to modding it.
The whole repair process was nine days including weekends which I think is darn good!
That said, I was without the phone/device for 2 weeks. Talk about withdrawals! LOL!
Amazing how reliant we become on these devices. I use it to manage my daily activities for 3 businesses, 1 job, and my personal life/activities. I was on the verge of anxiety at times! Hehehehe!
At least I had my trusty HTC 8125 as backup and while it cannot connect to my cellular provider's network for phone/text/data, at least I had my calendars, tasks, notes, and contacts but I'll tell ya, talk about feeling tethered to a land line and out of the loop.
Yep, it just got HardSPL 4, my preferred radio flash, BsB, Total Commander, and a few other goodies back on and is now syncing with my Desktop and Exchange. d'-'
T-Macgnolia said:
Nice to see a positive post like this. glad you got you HD2 repaired and are now back to modding it.
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It was not a bad price if it was a year ago, but I just picked up another near mint condition one for $150 with everything included off criaglist.
Sent from HTC HD2 with Android
Yeah, fair enough however, in Canada, the phone is not even available therefore my options were a bit more limited to purchase a new phone through a system where there is a little more security in knowing that if it turns out to be a bad deal, the purchase it covered. i.e. Buyer Protection from eBay or anything like that.
It's not like you can hop on a local Craigslist up here and find them readily.
So, the replacement cost for a whole phone was much higher, and the repair was the way to go.
coldest~~~ said:
It was not a bad price if it was a year ago, but I just picked up another near mint condition one for $150 with everything included off criaglist.
Sent from HTC HD2 with Android
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You're a lucky guy.
I've had less good experiences in the Benelux here.
I called in mine for a screen and gps issue that is warranty issue since I run the official image on this HD2.
They didn't pickup the device twice as promised which drove me up the wall since I had my colleague involved and had to change several appointments with my clients for.
After I complained I got called by a customer care guy and was promised my device would be fixed one week after the pickup.
Called them this afternoon since we are one week further and my device was waiting for 2 parts but they didn't know which.
I wonder how many parts can break in the HD2 that direct to the fault. Guessing the main board and an LCD screen?
Well according to the customer service I will have to wait for the parts to come in.
I am so disappointed in the service and hole customer care after having a touch, touch pro, touch hd etc.
The touch pro which costed me over 500 Euro ended up in the trash after 3 failed repairs and numerous errors which where caused by the repair center. Sending it back to another address and name was only the tip of the iceberg.
Looking around for a dedicated Android device the LG optimus 2x looks good since it has a 24hour swap warranty.
Sorry to hear bro!
Heck, they even confirmed parts availability while on the initial call just prior to setting up the RMA. Maybe I just lucked out.
I work in the IT field and deal with all kinds of this stuff all the time and it has been years since I encountered this type of competence and efficiency. Don't know what else to say.
Have you checked out the Motorola Atrix?
http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/U...d-Services/Mobile-Phones/Motorola-ATRIX-US-EN
This thing looks cool! Watched several segments on it during the CES show back in February. My only question or disappointment was in all the promo vids from the CES they were touting Android 3 Honeycomb however at the Motorola site its tech specs list Android 2.2.
Good luck in your search!
lukesan said:
You're a lucky guy.
I've had less good experiences in the Benelux here.
I called in mine for a screen and gps issue that is warranty issue since I run the official image on this HD2.
They didn't pickup the device twice as promised which drove me up the wall since I had my colleague involved and had to change several appointments with my clients for.
After I complained I got called by a customer care guy and was promised my device would be fixed one week after the pickup.
Called them this afternoon since we are one week further and my device was waiting for 2 parts but they didn't know which.
I wonder how many parts can break in the HD2 that direct to the fault. Guessing the main board and an LCD screen?
Well according to the customer service I will have to wait for the parts to come in.
I am so disappointed in the service and hole customer care after having a touch, touch pro, touch hd etc.
The touch pro which costed me over 500 Euro ended up in the trash after 3 failed repairs and numerous errors which where caused by the repair center. Sending it back to another address and name was only the tip of the iceberg.
Looking around for a dedicated Android device the LG optimus 2x looks good since it has a 24hour swap warranty.
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thx for the headsup JayG!
Well lets say that I do the same work as you and do escallations and process realignments. If I could have a go in this whole thing .....
The Motorola looks interesting but try to find one in Europe.
I very agree with your assessment of HTC. My story is one better. I had bought my phone (HTC ELFIN P3452 TOUCH) in India. It had some battery charging issues and when on a whim I finally contacted HTC US, the lady told me that the warranty on the phone had expired 5 days back. I politely requested her if there is something she could do. She came back a few minutes later and told me she will take the phone as under warranty, but she will have to get back to me after figuring out where I should be sending the phone for repair as they figured HTC touch is not serviced anymore. I did not get a call back for 10 days and then I called back and explained my situation again and the previous call to a totally different lady. She gave me an RMA and asked me to ship to their TX facility. I got the phone back with brand new board in a week. But then I noticed a crack in the body. Since now the phone was under a 90 day warranty, I called back and explained the situation. They gave another RMA and so I sent it back. another week later, I get the phone back and it was brand new everything including the LCD and the phone. New IMEI.
HTC is top notch. So my current phone is HD2 and backup phone is Touch.

My experience with HTC tech service

So as you can guess from my sig. I have been using HTC's before smartphones were a thing (I swear I'm not that old!)
So when my HTC one got the purple camera issue I became upset, maybe their quality had dropped? I called the customer support 15 months after purchase to get it replaced, the CS lady was nice (and Canadian ) she emailed a prepaid label and I sent it out to Texas for a device swap. Granted my screen had a crack in it but I still sent it in for repair since the camera would not be affected by it. Anyways, since I was out of warranty I did get an email about having to pay $90 to get it repaired, I was assured by the tech before that I would not be paying for the issue but the repair center clearly did not communicate with the tech guys. After calling and having them prove that I actually bought the phone I was told that the swap would not done since there weren't any M7 phones left in inventory
Now this is about day 20 without a phone, I was using my flip phone from 2005 :silly: and clearly had it with HTC, I complained on their twitter about being a loyal customer and would not buy their future products then 2 days later I get an email with a shipping label that my phone was being shipped. Finally, 25 days later ( I was told its a 7 days thing) I get a new phone with a new ESN, screen was not cracked with perfect working camera!:good:
If someone from HTC is reading this, you have be back as a customer but please communicate better next time about the status of my phone, thanks
ninten5 said:
So as you can guess from my sig. I have been using HTC's before smartphones were a thing (I swear I'm not that old!)
Now this is about day 20 without a phone, I was using my flip phone from 2005 :silly: and clearly had it with HTC,
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Only 20 days and you were stuck with a flip phone from 2005? I can beat that record
My first smartphone was a HTC Qtek S200 released late in 2005 that I paid $695.00 (CA) for and was so rare people would stop to ask me about it if I was in a restaurant and had it on the table.. It had a three year warranty back then. The speaker died and they fixed it no problem
About three months before the warranty ran out the speaker again broke so I sent it in to get fixed but it wasn't 20 days it was almost two full months before I got it back. The worst part was when I got it back it was DOA :crying: Wouldn't even start.
I complained of course (in a very nice way as I am Canadian LOL) but as the phone was so old they couldn't replace it as they didn't even have any. To the credit of HTC a very nice lady emailed me to try and work something out. I actually still have her skype contact as we chatted over skype a few times.
Before the phone had even been released they offered me a free unopened brand new gold box (gold box versions are pre-retail and are used as full working demos before a phone is released) of the HTC Touch Cruise. The gold box versions were going for around $725 on ebay at that time as the phone hadn't even been released yet.
They screwed up taking two months to fix my phone and then sending it out DOA but I was blown away by their offer to give me a free pre-release phone not even on the market yet.
It was a good investment on their part. I have never bought a smartphone unless it is made by HTC since then.

Problems with phone AND Sony

So I have had my Z3 for about 9 days. I bought it as my work phone and it is used as my primary work line as I travel a lot. I bought the phone directly from Sony.
I have experienced major volume fluctuations where people cannot hear me, static, and garbled voice on both ends.
The phone also runs hot, the camera is not real great and the screen is sometimes completely unresponsive, and the radio is not very good at holding signal. They are adamant that if I return it they will charge a 15% restocking fee even if the phone is defective. So almost $100 to send you back YOUR defective product? Basically, they told me that they are not interested in taking it back on a return. My impression is they they want to do whatever they can to get me beyond the 14 day return window so I cannot return it. Sad. What is your return policy for again? Or I can send it to them and they can return it in 20 days. This is not acceptable for a work line.
So they also had me run the PC companion. No help on phone voice calls or quality. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with Sony for not standing behind the phone when I have problems with it.
It makes me wonder how they would be for warranty issues down the road.
I had high hopes for the phone and for Sony and their mobile division, but no more..........
I need a dependable quality phone that I can count on to be used as a PHONE.............
Will be back on the phone with them tomorrow to see if I can get them to take it back. And no, given the issues I have had with this phone, and their attitude about it, I would be very concerned about them exchanging it.
I'm sorry for your problems. My questions are where did you get it? I mean the country. What is your carrier? And what is your Z3 model?
Sent from my SGP561 using Tapatalk
Bought it directly from the Sony store. I am in the U.S. And using it on AT&T.
It is the z3 unlocked model.
habu968 said:
Bought it directly from the Sony store. I am in the U.S. And using it on AT&T.
It is the z3 unlocked model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try doing a firmware repair through PC companion to see if it fixes those software problems.
habu968 said:
Bought it directly from the Sony store. I am in the U.S. And using it on AT&T.
It is the z3 unlocked model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using tmo version and have no problem.
Sent from my SGP561 using Tapatalk
That's weird which Sony store if you don't mind me asking I returned my z3c no problems full refund no question asked in Orlando millennia mall Sony...
Think that's more bad manager in the store than Sony policy he probably would not meet some kind of sales quota if he does your return so he is being difficult...
I was thinking about trying z3 but now I won't since all these bad stories about Sony taking 3 weeks for warranty replacement without a loaner or worst if they charge me to return it just changed my mind
I'd say take it back to the Sony Store you bought it from, inform them that it's malfunctioning and still under warranty and keep pushing until they agree to fix it. If they still give you a hard time try to find a customer service number for Sony and see if they can help.
If neither can help then return the phone, eat the restocking fee and NEVER EVER buy another Sony product of any kind again.
I'm loving my Z3 but if I had a problem and Sony didn't stand behind their product, ALL their products would be gone from my household.
Most manufactures take that long for a replacement, thats why HTC does cross shipping for $29, giving you a brand new device as you send yours in. Maybe Sony has a similar option, avoiding the wait.
I bought it online directly from Sony. I did the PC Companion update on it Saturday and used it today for quite a while. Still seeing garbled voice and volume issues.
To their credit, called Sony customer support back and got a very helpful person. She pulled the history on the update and offered to either exchange it or let me return it without a restocking fee due to my concerns. She was VERY helpful versus the attitude I got the first time I called.
But they did again confirm a 20 day repair turnaround I'd you have it send it in for repairs.
Needless to say I think it is good business not to charge a restocking fee on a tech issue. Samsung does not nor does Mototorla or Apple.
But in the end they came through. But I will tell you they are very specific on their 14 day return policy. And the days start the day they ship it not when you receive it. Just fyi if that helps anyone.
They don't have cross shipping?
i don't think so as they never offered it to me.
Had a random Crack, sent it to Sony 2 days later they replaced it and sent it back
ya sounds like the phone has issues for sure . However try turning off VoLTE , its under the call settings. Made a world of a difference when i tried my Z3 on att for 2 days. Also there are tons of options under sound/audio. Play with those and see what comes of that as well. I will say though soon as i put my Tmobile sim back in everything went back to normal.

How long it took Sony USA to repair my SGP 621, Z3TC LTE. A case study

Hello all,
Just wanted to share my experience with you all on how long it will take to get a Xperia Z3 TC model SGP 621 fixed/repaired.
When I purchased my tablet, since it is an international model, I had to buy it from the only shop in the NYC area that offered it. Which in itself is hard to believe since you can pretty much find anything in NYC, but in this case, only one shop had it (which shows how hard it is to obtain the Z3 with LTE capability).
So I purchased it and all was well. Was loving it, and using it, till one day, it just stopped working. I was using it fine, checking email, and reading news online, put it down, and when I came back about 30 mins later, it wouldn't turn on. I tried everything. Holding the power button for like 10 seconds. Power + Volume up button for 10 seconds. Connected the power cord. Everything. No response. Heck, even the charging light wouldn't come on, but the Z3TC would get warm to hot when plugged in.
I called Sony care from the number on their website, and explained to the tech what was going on. He emailed me a link to recovery software, and installed it on my Mac, and still, no response. Eventually, he determined I had to send it in to be evaluated/repaired. (Use this day of reference as day zero)
Here's were things go really bad. They told me they would send me a FedEx email label to have it shipped. After almost a week, still no email. I called, they said I cancelled my repair request (which I hadn’t), and then after complaining, he said he was going to get my label expedited. I actually got it the next day, and shipped the tablet out to them the next day. (Day 7)
I used the tracking number, and confirmed that they received it on day 11. I waited an extra week to hear back from them if they started working on it. Nothing. Waited another 5 days, nothing. I finally call them, and they inform me that they haven’t received nothing, but since their repair services has been closed for almost 2 weeks due to the holidays, they have a huge backlog and it’s probably in there. So now I wait again. Finally on around day 30 (after calling, because they don’t contact you), I am told that it has been received, and they are going to work on it. After about another week, I call back. They say there is a problem, and waiting for the parts, but to be patient. I wait another week.
I call again, they say they repaired it and are awaiting final paperwork. I am really happy. I ask what the problem was, they say they have no information, but that it was fixed, and that they are going to ship it back to me as soon as the paperwork is ready. I say ok, and wait another 4-5 days. Finally I call back, and the guy says that they haven’t done any work to my tablet, and were waiting for me to call them back and let them know what I wanted to be done.
*PAUSE*
By now, it’s been like day 49 since my tablet stopped working. It’s going on a month and a half. Note: this is my phone. It’s now been in repair more than twice as long as I’ve had it. I am beyond livid at this point, and believe I have been MORE than patient and understanding in being given the run around.
At this point, and having a verbal back and forth with the 6 or 7th tech I’ve talked to in the past 6 weeks, he suggests I speak to his supervisor.
I start speaking to his supervisor Jerry in customer relations, and we started going at it too. The long and short of it was this. He said they couldn’t give me the same tablet I own, (the SGP 621) because it is an LTE/international model. So what they could do is offer me the U.S. variant (the SGP 612) that was only WIFI capable. I told him this is unacceptable It would be like me buying a premium version of a car, it stops working, I go to the dealer, and they offer me an inferior model, even though I paid heavily for the premium one. After more going back and forth, he told me in order to get it serviced, I would need to contact United Arab Emirates, because that’s apparently where my phone was imported from.
After going back and forth, I asked him why I wasn’t told that in the first place, instead of wasting almost 7 weeks on back and forth with Sony North America? He informed me that, “As a starting point and courtesy, Sony North America has to try to fix and it first.
I was flabbergasted. I was shocked on why they would even need to attempt to fix something, they knew they could never fix. He again repeated it was a courtesy. After this circular argument, I told him FedEx me my phone back. I want it on my desk by tomorrow. Now that I have wasted all this time. At this point I was very angry. And he said he would try to get it back to me by the next day, and he had to call the repair center and bla bla bla. I told him to call them, and we hung up.
The next day, expecting to see my tablet, there was nothing. I was going to call back by the end of the day, but instead Jerry called me back. He informed me that there was good news. That Sony had found the parts, and were going to fix my tablet for me and ship it back to me.
Finally! Good news! I was very happy and pleased by this point. And he told me I should get it soon. I waited about 4 days, and finally a package from FedEx arrived. When I opened it, to my amazement, it was a brand new Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact SGP 621. Shockingly, it was a demo U.S. variant!
First off, I didn’t even know Sony made U.S. Variants of international devices, but this one was totally legit. I was sooooo happy. I tried to write him a letter to give to his boss and team, but unfortunately, I never heard back from him. I told him to send me his email address, and I would have gladly sent a letter for him and his staff to be recognized for their efforts.
After almost 2 months (8 weeks) since this whole debacle started, I finally had my phone/tablet back.
I left out a lot of parts to this story, but this is the jist of it. The long and short of it is this. If you buy an international model of their products, and it breaks or something goes wrong, be ready to wait for it to be serviced (if it can even be serviced). It’s very possible, and likely, that Jerry went above and beyond the call of duty by contacting people high up in the food chain, to get me a rare demo unit that is not available (if ever). In general, if you buy a phone/tablet/whatever from another country, be ready. It is going to be EXTREMELY difficult, if even possible.
In the end, I am very grateful to Jerry, and his efforts. But I think that Sony should have a better system in place for getting you to the right people you need soon, in order to get you back up and running. If it wasn’t for Jerry, I’d still be in limbo trying to find a way to call UAE, and most of all, overcoming the language barrier and even trying to set up a method or way for them to service my broken phone.
Wow, almost 2 months. I would have thought US had better customer support for such things. In my country if they can't get it fixed in 1 month you can ask your money back or a new product.
You were very patient with them, I probably would have called every 2 days.
I had a similar experience in getting my xperia z2 repaired last year for a broken magnetic charging port. It was 2 months of me calling them every week. At first it was waiting for parts, then it was repaired and awaiting paperwork, then it was they cant fix it because its a model intended for taiwan. Finally after a lot of escalation they sent me a an international model replacement. Whole process took 2.5 months when they quoted 8 business days originally. And Yes I gave them my IMEI on the inital phone call and verified with the person that sony USA could service it. Sort of a bitter sweet exp overall, mostly bitter
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
tonysunshine said:
I had a similar experience in getting my xperia z2 repaired last year for a broken magnetic charging port. It was 2 months of me calling them every week. At first it was waiting for parts, then it was repaired and awaiting paperwork, then it was they cant fix it because its a model intended for taiwan. Finally after a lot of escalation they sent me a an international model replacement. Whole process took 2.5 months when they quoted 8 business days originally. And Yes I gave them my IMEI on the inital phone call and verified with the person that sony USA could service it. Sort of a bitter sweet exp overall, mostly bitter
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was it fixed under warranty? Was your product an import?
Sent from my SGP621 using XDA Free mobile app
Yes it was an import. Bought off ebay. And eventually they agreed to replace it under warranty. Took quite a few angry phone calls though
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
AirBruce said:
Hello all,
Just wanted to share my experience with you all on how long it will take to get a Xperia Z3 TC model SGP 621 fixed/repaired.
When I purchased my tablet, since it is an international model, I had to buy it from the only shop in the NYC area that offered it. Which in itself is hard to believe since you can pretty much find anything in NYC, but in this case, only one shop had it (which shows how hard it is to obtain the Z3 with LTE capability).
So I purchased it and all was well. Was loving it, and using it, till one day, it just stopped working. I was using it fine, checking email, and reading news online, put it down, and when I came back about 30 mins later, it wouldn't turn on. I tried everything. Holding the power button for like 10 seconds. Power + Volume up button for 10 seconds. Connected the power cord. Everything. No response. Heck, even the charging light wouldn't come on, but the Z3TC would get warm to hot when plugged in.
I called Sony care from the number on their website, and explained to the tech what was going on. He emailed me a link to recovery software, and installed it on my Mac, and still, no response. Eventually, he determined I had to send it in to be evaluated/repaired. (Use this day of reference as day zero)
Here's were things go really bad. They told me they would send me a FedEx email label to have it shipped. After almost a week, still no email. I called, they said I cancelled my repair request (which I hadn’t), and then after complaining, he said he was going to get my label expedited. I actually got it the next day, and shipped the tablet out to them the next day. (Day 7)
I used the tracking number, and confirmed that they received it on day 11. I waited an extra week to hear back from them if they started working on it. Nothing. Waited another 5 days, nothing. I finally call them, and they inform me that they haven’t received nothing, but since their repair services has been closed for almost 2 weeks due to the holidays, they have a huge backlog and it’s probably in there. So now I wait again. Finally on around day 30 (after calling, because they don’t contact you), I am told that it has been received, and they are going to work on it. After about another week, I call back. They say there is a problem, and waiting for the parts, but to be patient. I wait another week.
I call again, they say they repaired it and are awaiting final paperwork. I am really happy. I ask what the problem was, they say they have no information, but that it was fixed, and that they are going to ship it back to me as soon as the paperwork is ready. I say ok, and wait another 4-5 days. Finally I call back, and the guy says that they haven’t done any work to my tablet, and were waiting for me to call them back and let them know what I wanted to be done.
*PAUSE*
By now, it’s been like day 49 since my tablet stopped working. It’s going on a month and a half. Note: this is my phone. It’s now been in repair more than twice as long as I’ve had it. I am beyond livid at this point, and believe I have been MORE than patient and understanding in being given the run around.
At this point, and having a verbal back and forth with the 6 or 7th tech I’ve talked to in the past 6 weeks, he suggests I speak to his supervisor.
I start speaking to his supervisor Jerry in customer relations, and we started going at it too. The long and short of it was this. He said they couldn’t give me the same tablet I own, (the SGP 621) because it is an LTE/international model. So what they could do is offer me the U.S. variant (the SGP 612) that was only WIFI capable. I told him this is unacceptable It would be like me buying a premium version of a car, it stops working, I go to the dealer, and they offer me an inferior model, even though I paid heavily for the premium one. After more going back and forth, he told me in order to get it serviced, I would need to contact United Arab Emirates, because that’s apparently where my phone was imported from.
After going back and forth, I asked him why I wasn’t told that in the first place, instead of wasting almost 7 weeks on back and forth with Sony North America? He informed me that, “As a starting point and courtesy, Sony North America has to try to fix and it first.
I was flabbergasted. I was shocked on why they would even need to attempt to fix something, they knew they could never fix. He again repeated it was a courtesy. After this circular argument, I told him FedEx me my phone back. I want it on my desk by tomorrow. Now that I have wasted all this time. At this point I was very angry. And he said he would try to get it back to me by the next day, and he had to call the repair center and bla bla bla. I told him to call them, and we hung up.
The next day, expecting to see my tablet, there was nothing. I was going to call back by the end of the day, but instead Jerry called me back. He informed me that there was good news. That Sony had found the parts, and were going to fix my tablet for me and ship it back to me.
Finally! Good news! I was very happy and pleased by this point. And he told me I should get it soon. I waited about 4 days, and finally a package from FedEx arrived. When I opened it, to my amazement, it was a brand new Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact SGP 621. Shockingly, it was a demo U.S. variant!
First off, I didn’t even know Sony made U.S. Variants of international devices, but this one was totally legit. I was sooooo happy. I tried to write him a letter to give to his boss and team, but unfortunately, I never heard back from him. I told him to send me his email address, and I would have gladly sent a letter for him and his staff to be recognized for their efforts.
After almost 2 months (8 weeks) since this whole debacle started, I finally had my phone/tablet back.
I left out a lot of parts to this story, but this is the jist of it. The long and short of it is this. If you buy an international model of their products, and it breaks or something goes wrong, be ready to wait for it to be serviced (if it can even be serviced). It’s very possible, and likely, that Jerry went above and beyond the call of duty by contacting people high up in the food chain, to get me a rare demo unit that is not available (if ever). In general, if you buy a phone/tablet/whatever from another country, be ready. It is going to be EXTREMELY difficult, if even possible.
In the end, I am very grateful to Jerry, and his efforts. But I think that Sony should have a better system in place for getting you to the right people you need soon, in order to get you back up and running. If it wasn’t for Jerry, I’d still be in limbo trying to find a way to call UAE, and most of all, overcoming the language barrier and even trying to set up a method or way for them to service my broken phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, had something like this with the z ultra. It wouldnt charge at different angles but they said since it was imported, they arent responsible for it (think i had something like this with a samsung device too). This is why I have insurance with worth ave grou o(google them, legit, i've legit used the warranty for some very expensive repairs and they've always come through just read the fine print carefully) they wont fix mechanical breakdown but they do cover accidental damage so...
Motherf... well, as well as Sony has learned from Apple's pricing, they could certainly learn a little fruity customer service too.
What does surprise me is that they actually try and repair those gadgets. I think it'd just be cheaper for any manufacturer to simply ship a new/refurb one to you after confirming a shopstopper defect and be done with it.

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