Help, I broke my phone!

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hamo

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Topic # 23621 4-Jul-2008 11:25

Hi all,

Like a dumbass I dropped my week-old Nokia 6121 this morning. It still works fine, but the screen has a massive crack and scratches. Due to the relative newness of the phone, do I have any options for repair or replacement from the retailer, or am I stuck with it? (I'm expecting the answer to be "tough luck buddy!"

Does anyone know how much a replacement screen will cost me if I do indeed have to shell out for one (as I'm expecting to)?

I am so damn annoyed with myself!

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Reply # 142905 4-Jul-2008 11:30

Sorry, but retailers are not responsible for you damaging your own mobile.

I would call Mobilefonerepair, and ask them what the approx cost of a replacement screen is.

johnr

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Reply # 142906 4-Jul-2008 11:31

hamo: Hi all,

Like a dumbass I dropped my week-old Nokia 6121 this morning. It still works fine, but the screen has a massive crack and scratches. Due to the relative newness of the phone, do I have any options for repair or replacement from the retailer, or am I stuck with it? (I'm expecting the answer to be "tough luck buddy!"

Does anyone know how much a replacement screen will cost me if I do indeed have to shell out for one (as I'm expecting to)?

I am so damn annoyed with myself!

As you damaged the handset the ball is in your court unless you have insurance that may cover it

grant_k

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Reply # 142907 4-Jul-2008 11:33

A new LCD will be pretty expensive, probably at least 30 to 50% of the purchase price of the phone I would say.

However, it would be worth checking with your Household Contents Insurers as they may cover it. Don't quote me on it, but some insurers provide cover for things like broken handbasins, mirrors etc, so it would be worth a try.

hamo

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Reply # 142912 4-Jul-2008 11:55

Thanks team, that's the answer I was expecting, but it was worth a cheeky ask...

sleemanj

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Reply # 142939 4-Jul-2008 13:03

How far did it drop from?

The reason I ask is that the CGA mandates that items sold must be fit for the purpose... a mobile phone will by definition be prone to being dropped and I would expect any phone to be able to withstand occasional fumbles from pocket height, any that were not I would argue are not fit for the purpose of being mobile.

Worth a shot anyway.

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nairda

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Reply # 142945 4-Jul-2008 13:28

sleemanj:
How far did it drop from?

The reason I ask is that the CGA mandates that items sold must be fit for the purpose... a mobile phone will by definition be prone to being dropped and I would expect any phone to be able to withstand occasional fumbles from pocket height, any that were not I would argue are not fit for the purpose of being mobile.

Worth a shot anyway.

That sounds like a very long shot. Unless the manufacturer of the phone claims it to be shock-proof it would be unlikely that you can claim shock-resistance is a part of its intended purpose. Besides, dropping the phone should be classified as clumsiness - not a part of a phone's function.

sleemanj

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Reply # 142957 4-Jul-2008 13:54

Unless the manufacturer of the phone claims it to be shock-proof it would be unlikely that you can claim shock-resistance is a part of its intended purpose.

Mmm, not sure I can agree there. Being devil's advocate, let's take it to an extreme, say the phone was "dropped" a height of 5 cm onto a desk and the screen cracked, would you be surprised? I would be.

What about 10cm, 20, ... at what point does it become a non-surprising outcome?

Certainly if I dropped it off the roof of my house I wouldn't be surprised to see it end up in multiple pieces, but dropping out of my pocket, I would personally be pretty surprised if it didn't survive that without problems a few times, certainly my experience of phones is that they easily withstand that sort of fumble. Perhaps I'm alone on that one?

If the outcome of it being broken is surprising, that would suggest to me that the item had a manufacturing weakness or was not designed sufficiently well such that it failed in an unexpected manner during an expected mode of operation (at least in my opinion, one must expect that a mobile device would be dropped once in a whiile).

Just my 2c.

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James Sleeman
I sell lots of stuff for electronic enthusiasts...

BrentR

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Reply # 142985 4-Jul-2008 15:59

Oh dear.....

hamo

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Reply # 143012 4-Jul-2008 18:05

rscole86: Sorry, but retailers are not responsible for you damaging your own mobile.

I would call Mobilefonerepair, and ask them what the approx cost of a replacement screen is.

I'm in Wellington - are they a national chan or an online shop? Can I use them if I'm in Welly, or can someone recommend a Wellington repairer? The Vodafone shop told me $73 just to look at it, plus the cost of any repair.

nairda

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Reply # 143023 4-Jul-2008 18:36

hamo: I'm in Wellington - are they a national chan or an online shop?

You can contact them here.

alasta

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Reply # 143032 4-Jul-2008 19:25

sleemanj: Certainly if I dropped it off the roof of my house I wouldn't be surprised to see it end up in multiple pieces, but dropping out of my pocket, I would personally be pretty surprised if it didn't survive that without problems a few times, certainly my experience of phones is that they easily withstand that sort of fumble. Perhaps I'm alone on that one?

The OP does not seem at all surprised at the outcome so it would be a reasonable assumption that it was subjected to force beyond what it could be reasonably expected to withstand.

I have owned several Nokia devices and they have all worked fine after being subjected to minor accidents, so I'm sure that their products are designed to withstand normal wear and tear as they should be.

BrentR

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Reply # 143034 4-Jul-2008 19:30

"Hola Senor Ford, I've had a crash in my car which has resulted in the front bumper becoming null and void... in fact its just ripped plain off, since you make your cars to withstand crashes I'd like you to please be replacing it under warranty......"

sleemanj

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Reply # 143036 4-Jul-2008 19:33

I have owned several Nokia devices and they have all worked fine after being subjected to minor accidents

As have mine. I was just sayin, sometimes devices have manufacturing defects slip past QA that might contribute to less than expected durability, and that in such a case it would be a bit naff to expect the customer to wear the responsibility. Not that it was the case here especially, but that if it was then it might be reasonable to approach from the CGA standpoint.

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johnr

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Reply # 143040 4-Jul-2008 19:43

I drove off with my Nokia 6121 on the roof of the car and it did not break the screen

ninjabear

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Reply # 143134 5-Jul-2008 01:49

sleemanj:
Unless the manufacturer of the phone claims it to be shock-proof it would be unlikely that you can claim shock-resistance is a part of its intended purpose.

Mmm, not sure I can agree there. Being devil's advocate, let's take it to an extreme, say the phone was "dropped" a height of 5 cm onto a desk and the screen cracked, would you be surprised? I would be.

What about 10cm, 20, ... at what point does it become a non-surprising outcome?

Certainly if I dropped it off the roof of my house I wouldn't be surprised to see it end up in multiple pieces, but dropping out of my pocket, I would personally be pretty surprised if it didn't survive that without problems a few times, certainly my experience of phones is that they easily withstand that sort of fumble. Perhaps I'm alone on that one?

If the outcome of it being broken is surprising, that would suggest to me that the item had a manufacturing weakness or was not designed sufficiently well such that it failed in an unexpected manner during an expected mode of operation (at least in my opinion, one must expect that a mobile device would be dropped once in a whiile).

Just my 2c.

Mobiles are not made to be dropped .They sold you a mobile that is working so logically saying it is not a weakness .Noone said that the mobile is intended for dropping .

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