Bad Experience buying a cellphone

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LennonNZ

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#77080 10-Feb-2011 19:01

Hi Folks

My Step Daughter needed a cheap cellphone and decided to get an Pink LG KP-501 from a local shop. After a couple of days of use she noticed that no one could really hear her very well. I had a look and yes there was definitely a problem with it.

She took it back and she left it with them and they gave her a loan phone. A week later she rang them up and said it was a firmware issue and they had updated it with the latest firmware and they had been testing it with one of the staff members using it as their phone in store for the last couple of days and they where still testing it.

I talked to her and said its taken them too long to fix it and to ask for her money back. She went in a few days later and they refused and said they had done all they could under the CGA and she could have the phone back. If she wanted to get her money back she would have to go to small claims.

The Phone is working now.

maybe people want to comment

- On the receipt it says all phones have a 12 Month manufacturer warranty but as far as I know the Phone is a Parallel imported phone from the UK and parallel imported phones don't have a Manufacturer's warranty so this is false.

- Should I contact LG regarding them saying the phones have a manufacturer warranty or Commerce Commission?

- On http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/consumer-guarantees-act/putting-it-right it says they should fix it in a reasonable amount of time or you can ask for your money back. 1.5 weeks for a firmware upgrade is not reasonable amount of time.

- Admitting that the staff had been using it in the store for a number days for their personal phone in store for testing.

Thanks
Craig

n4

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#437938 10-Feb-2011 19:16

If its fixed, its fixed. I don't think you can take issue with 1.5 weeks, it sounds like you might have even been able to get it back sooner if you had gone in earlier? Plus they gave you a loan phone, I don't think they had to do that?

Not worth wasting your time on it in my opinion.

Samsung Note20 Ultra, on 2degrees

LennonNZ

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#437944 10-Feb-2011 19:26

Being fixed is not really the point. Fixed as you can hear people now.

Staff using the phone for their personal phone for testing?

Saying that all phones had a manufacturer warranty? What will happen if the company goes under/disappears and we contact LG for being fixed under warranty and they say sorry its not covered under NZ warranty.

It took 1.5 weeks for them to say its been fixed after a firmware update and thats when she went in to pick it up.

CYaBro

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#437957 10-Feb-2011 19:50

The only bad service I can see that you got was that they never called to let you know that they had found the fault and were testing it to make sure it was working properly.
They should have also called again to say that it was ready to be collected.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

alasta

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#437973 10-Feb-2011 20:18

LG is unlikely to sympathise if the device was a parallel import, but if the retailer has misrepresented the warranty then you would definitely have good cause to take it up with the Commerce Commission.

Unfortunately unless the manufacturer offers an international warranty then the lack of local warranty support from the manufacturer is the price that you pay for saving a few dollars on a parallel import, but that doesn't make it okay for the retailer to falsely claim that the manufacturer will indeed cover it.

tonyhughes

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#437980 10-Feb-2011 20:32

You have no claim.

The relevant act states loosely that it is the retailers discretion as to which remedy they will offer, choosing from:

Repair
Replace
Refund

The timeframe to repair whilst not ideal from your point of view, would also likely be classed as 'acceptable' (whereas, say, four weeks would likely not).

The repair is done, unit returned, loan provided, and staff members ensured the phone was in good working order by testing it.

Job done!

:)

b0untypure1

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#438430 11-Feb-2011 20:36

n4: If its fixed, its fixed. I don't think you can take issue with 1.5 weeks, it sounds like you might have even been able to get it back sooner if you had gone in earlier? Plus they gave you a loan phone, I don't think they had to do that?

Not worth wasting your time on it in my opinion.

yea, most services can take 2 weeks or slightly longer. personally i would have told them to "stick it"

Beavis

159 posts

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#438462 11-Feb-2011 22:29

The word moaner comes to mind. I think the store went out of their way to be helpful. Good service, they didn't make the phone, made bug all money out of it, and got all this hassle...

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Linuxluver

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#438463 11-Feb-2011 22:40

They fixed the phone in a week and half.
They gave you a loaner.
They tested it thoroughly.
The phone now works.
The warranty *they* offer appears to be an effective, living one.

That's not bad at all, really.

In the past I've waited for repairs for 6 weeks and more (parts from overseas)......(It wasn't a phone).

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robbyp

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#438483 12-Feb-2011 00:04

LennonNZ: Hi Folks

I think if it failed after just a few days of use, they should have just given you a new one straightaway. I think other stores do this if it is under 7 days old. Certainly they staff testing it is a bit strange, hope it wasn't scratched or anything from that. But at the end of the day you have got a working phone again, and it was resolved in a reasonable period of time.

eXDee

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#438688 12-Feb-2011 21:10

The store isn't obliged to give loan phones. And 1.5 weeks is about average for a whole repair, assuming it gets sent away to a repair agent.