Hello TCAG forums, I currently have an ongoing dispute with VM over a Galaxy S6 home button manufacturing issue that has been denied exchange/repair over evidence the phone has been rooted. Most of my case has been documented here - hxxp://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Mobile/Repair-refused-on-days-old-handset-due-to-root-Galaxy-S6/td-p/2918695 To summarize for everyone on these forums, the home button was loose on delivery of the phone, but operating okay for the first few days. It then began to stop registering some pushes when the button was pressed on the right hand side. After contacting VM a few days in (within 14 days) I was offered a doorstop exchange. This was cancelled a day later and I was told I had to send for repair. Repair was refused under warranty for evidence of the phone being rooted and I was quoted £200. I refused. I contacted Citizens Advice who advised me to write to them and state the sale of good act and burden of proof. I also enclosed a copy of this article - hxxp://fsfe.org/freesoftware/legal/flashingdevices.en.html I stated it was a physical fault, and not anything caused by software. Today I was contacted and told VM are sticking to their guns and the reason for the exchange being cancelled was they wanted to inspect the phone first to make sure I hadn't misused it, dropping for example. I tried to argue that I shouldn't be held guilty to misuse until proven innocent and that other companies all exchange within 14 days and inspect the handset after exchange. I have now contacted CA again, and know the next step they will advise is raising with the small claims court. I contacted FSFE via email to seek more advice on their article and law as well. Has anyone else experienced issues over flashing an android device with other software? I've had a Nexus phone in the past sent back to Google with no issues, and even read many examples of people sending phones to Samsung under warranty with no issues. Thanks a lot.

Hi would appreciate any advice if possible. Purchased new mobile with o2 in April 2015. Providers warranty 12 months Manufacturers warranty 24 months Noticed cracked appearing on LCD screen on phone. Spoke to o2 customer services explaining in detail problem and was I covered under my warranty. Told unless there was any physical signs of damage including water damage or tampering then yes it would be. Arranged for item (at my own expense as wanted it tracked) to be sent to o2 repair centre. Well today I received the following replies. Hello, Your handset has successfully reached our repair centre. Before any fault diagnosis and warranty repair is conducted, our Repair Centre must ensure the device is within warranty condition as specified by your manufacturer, Samsung. Unfortunately your handset has been deemed out of warranty due to: CRACKED LCD With the warranty now void, the cost of a full repair or reconditioned replacement is £85.99 incl. VAT which can be added to your next month?s bill. Alternatively if you have O2 insurance on your account you may be able to make an insurance claim. Please request the return of your device un-repaired then contact O2 Customer Services if you wish to make a claim. If you choose to decline the quotation we will be able to return the handset back to you without repair. Please reply to this email confirming your choice. We aim to reply to you within 48hrs, though this will usually be on the same day. If you prefer to call customer services, please dial 202 free from an O2 Pay Monthly handset or 03448090202 from a landline (Standard UK Rates apply). Kind regards, O2 Returns & Repairs http://www.o2.co.uk/o2repairs hank you for your reply. We are sorry you are disappointed by this outcome. When handsets are sent for repair, all manufacturers request accredited repair centres to conduct an inspection of the device to ensure it is within warranty condition. This is part of the manufacturers warranty terms and conditions and must be done prior to any fault diagnosis being carried out. Due to this all certified engineers must look for any of the following signs before conducting any repair: • A non-approved repair centre has opened the phone. • The mobile phone has been damaged. • The mobile phone has been used incorrectly. • Liquid contamination is diagnosed on the device. • The IMEI sticker is damaged, removed or torn. • Warranty period has expired. Please note the above list is not exhaustive. In the case of your handset, the OCTA LCD Panel has been cracked. This component is internal to the device and is usually the result of excessive pressure, twisting or bending being applied to the handset, which to the naked eye can look fine, however on the inside it has caused the failure of the aforementioned component. As Samsung consider that damage has been diagnosed to the device, the warranty they offer is now void. In order for any faults to be inspected, the damage would require to be repaired first of all, this action would in turn restore the warranty allowing for all reported faults to be investigated and resolved. Unfortunately O2 has no jurisdiction over these terms of warranty, if damage is diagnosed on any of our customers devices, they will all each be contacted with similar quotations for repair or replacement. Please reply if you would like to proceed or request return of the device un-repaired. Kind regards, O2 Return & Repairs Good Afternoon, Thank you for your email. Our repair centre is fully accredited by Samsung to carry out their repairs. In order to remain fully compliant, they must follow Samsung Warranty Terms and Conditions. For full details on their warranty, please contact Samsung, however brief information on their terms can be found here: http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/warranty/ Also in our last email we advised that LCD damage is usually the result of bending etc. We did not state that was what happened with your handset. Our repair is unable to specify the exact cause of the damage found as they were ultimately not in possession of the device when the crack occurred. Finally it is not necessary to advise of all of your options regarding getting your handset repaired. As our repair centre acts in full accordance with Samsung, their diagnosis and outcome would be the same. If however you are wishing for a second opinion on the diagnosis done or to raise a dispute with your warranty rights / product quality, we can arrange for the handset to be returned un-repaired which will allow you to arrange a repair with Samsung direct. Please reply if you wish for the handset to be returned or if you wish to proceed with repair. Kind regards, O2 Return & Repairs Now I am somewhat concerned with their diagnosis as I have in no way dropped or tampered with the item. If this had been the case I would not have bothered sending it back to o2 as I have no insurance and would have been a complete waste of time. Is it worth complaining under the sales of goods act if covered or do I just accept their findings and pay for the repairs ? Has anyone encountered a similar situation and what was the outcome. Thanks

Hi This is my first time post here so please bare with me. My handset as above (15 mths old on contract) got hot whilst charging on 7 April so I took it off charge. When i went to try it again later that evening it would not charge and would not switch on. Took it to a local store the next day who said it would have to go for repair. It went for repair and was returned to store on 14 April with 'a new LCD screen', along with a check list saying everything had 'passed' and that the unit had also had a software upgrade and was now working and ready to go. When the assistant in store tried it it would still not charge or switch on. When he looked the battery said 'faulty' across it. So he called the repair centre only to be told that the batteries had been 'switched' at the repair centre. Of course I was not happy that the unit was still not working and the store do not hold spare batteries so called Vodafone only to be asked to go and find a phone shop and buy a battery. I refused and asked for a replacement unit as clearly there was still an issue with the handset. They refused to replace and said that they would send out a battery by courier. Said battery arrived on Wednesday 16 April, but upon insertion phone would still not charge or switch on. I called VF who said all they could do was put me through to the repairs department. I explained that it had been repaired and under the Sale of Goods Act was not fit for purpose ie making mobile phone calls. They said it would have to go back for repair again !!!! I called Samsung direct who said that they would send a further battery and a jiffy bag (in case that battery didn't work). 2nd replacement battery arrived on 19 April with only about half hour of batter life, so I reset all my applications and proceeded to put the unit onto charge. Guess what it wouldn't charge, powered off and now wont switch on again. I called VF again and was told it has to go back for repair. I explained that it has been repaired and had 2 new batteries so clearly is not fit for purpose ie making mobile calls. Vodafone are having non of it !! As you can imagine, I am running out of patience, yes I have been lent a basic phone to use from the store (who incidentally do not know of the further goings on since I collected the phone on 14 April). I have been onto live chat and am still told I have to resend for repair 3 times before it can be replaced and then only at the manufacturers discretion. I have been pointed to the Contract Terms & Conditions (which incidentally even though they were updated on January 2014 do not say anything about a unit having to be sent for repair 3 times before it can be replaced) ! I am a Business Contract user with 2 lines with VF and feel that the service is appalling. How can a unit come back with everything ticked as 'pass' still not be working, then I am asked to send it back for repair again. Usually, when something electrical goes wrong under warranty you take it back for repair, if it goes wrong again you are normally offered a replacement. I was also told on several occasions that 'the Samsung SII is an old phone - the new Samsung S5 comes out on Friday' - why was I not told that the SII was an 'old phone' when I took out the 24 mth contract 15 mths ago and that my unit would not be supported by replacement - only repair. I have all my original paperwork and nowhere does it state this ? Thank you for reading this epistle but I am really at the end of my tether:mad2:

My son has the above phone from EE on PAYG. It is less than 12 months old and has developed a problem. It freezes on the Samsung screen. It has been seen by a Samsung repair centre who replaced the software and checked it thoroughly before returning it to us. He downloaded Facebook and Twitter and put his photo's back on. The same problem has happened again. This time I took it back to the EE shop we bought it from, explained what was wrong with it, showed them the card Samsung gave us and asked for a replacement phone. The person I spoke to said they will not replace it as we've had it longer than 14 days, without the manufacturer checking it first. She said it is Samsung's decision as whether or not it is replaced. When I asked about the 14 days policy she replied, that's EE's policy and pretty much everyone else's policy. I asked how can that over ride the sales of goods act all she did was repeat what she had already said. Is this right? Does a stores 14 day return policy over ride the sales of goods act?

Hi everyone, I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 on contract with orange, still under manufacturer warranty. The problem that i have is a very common one when searching google called the Sudden Death Syndrome, one day the phone was working fine and then go to use it again....ITS DEAD. I get in contact with Orange and they organised for me to send the phone to the Samsung Repair centre (SBE Ltd), i waited circa 2 weeks and received the phone back with the report of the problem being "Water Ingress", they blamed this on numerous reasons such as: 1. Dropping the phone into water or a puddle 2. Spilling liquid on the phone 3. Rain, fog or mist!! 4. Steam (e.g. Leaving the phone on the kitchen counter whilst cooking) 5. Condensation (e.g. Leaving the phone in a vehicle overnight) 6. Body perspiration (e.g. keeping your phone on you when exercising) Now, from my point of view points 4 to 6 are what people do with their phones in every day use! An example, what if i were cooking and using the recipe application - does this mean i can't do that? or perhaps wanting to go down the gym? I know i have never spilt any water in the phone directly, their are plently of stories gonig round about Samsung putting the blame on the customers to cover their faults. I'll really appreciate you guys help on this because i need this phone for business. Many thanks, Layla

11 months ago I took out a contract via Phones4U with Orange for a Galaxy Note. Shortly afterwards I closed the cover on a bunch of keys in my pocket, causing a crack on the edge. OK my fault, my problem. A month ago, the phone "thought" it was charging when it wasn't even plugged in, causing it to light up in the middle of the night and drain the battery. Also the charging started getting worse and worse, eventually it was so bad that just surfing with it plugged in would drain the charge in 2 hours. I tried different chargers. In the end switching it off and leaving it to charge overnight gave it only 24% charge. I returned the phone to the Phones4U shop to be repaired under the 24 month warranty. I then received an extimate for £120. I telephoned the Repair Centre who aid that was for repairing the screen. They tried to explain that the cracked screen voided the warranty but paying the £120 would put it back in warranty. I read the Terms & Conditions and fair enough, the warranty does not cover repairs to damage or defects caused by physical damage. Fair enough, I don't want the physical damage repaired. Many many phone calls and visits to to the shop ensued, The phone has now been returned "as the repair centre was unable to contact me". I am peeved off on 2 counts:- 1) I resent them trying to force me to pay for a service I don't want. 2) They are trying to get out of honouring the warranty. It is over 6 months but I believe the phone is not fit for purpose; it doesn't make calls, receive calls, surf the internet or play music etc reliably now for more than a few minutes. All I am getting is that the warranty is void. I must say that the charging problem is not caused by any physical damage. Any suggestions where to take it now?

Hi I'm in need of some helpful advice on how to proceed with this please. 3rd July 2012 I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S III Marble White 16GB online from Tmobile for £200 (capital one credit card) + 18mth contract (£26 ish). January 2013 it became faulty and Samsung sent a courier to collect it and Regenersis in Glasgow repaired a faulty usb connector on 21st Jan. Unfortunately I have no proof of this, but Samsung are not denying that this took place (so far). 11th June 2013 I awoke to a completely dead phone and took it to an authorised repair shop who deemed it Beyond Economical Repair due to an unauthorised repair on the usb connector Basically he explained that he didn't believe that the repair was carried out by Samsung (flux residue around charging point) and the warranty was void. You can imagine my surprise and anger at being accused of such a thing. I rang Samsung and explained and they said send it in for inspection. To cut a long story short today I have received the decision from Head Office that they will not repair my phone free of charge as they believe it has had an unauthorised repair on the usb charger and is subsequently out of warranty. Basically Samsung believe that I got the usb repaired via themselves in January under warranty, then paid somebody else to repair it again in the meantime. And the actual customer care woman (Laura) said that they "Believe their technicians more than they do their customers" and that " You can't prove otherwise"........... Tmobile are not interested and I now realise that not going through them for the repairs was probably a mistake. Consumer Direct have advised me to check my contract with Tmobile and formalise my complaint with my credit card (consumer act 1974 sec 75), samsung & tmobile (sale of goods act). I'm prepared to see this all the way through as I think it's an absolute outrage. I'm just feeling a little wobbly as how to go about it and how I can prove I'm telling the truth and would appreciate some guidance. I am not prepared to have my phone repaired at a cost of £120 (even under protest) as Samsung have deemed the 2yr warranty now void, which means I will lose the remaining 13mths left of the guarantee and have to pay for any further repairs required. Can I only claim the £200 from my credit card company? Or as it came as part of an 18mth contract can I also claim/cancel the remainder of the term? I've attached the the image that Samsung have sent me of the "proof" that they based their decision on.

Hope some tech savvy person can help with this. I've had my Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 for about 3 months and until 2 weeks ago the battery was lasting quite well - up to a week sometimes. I don't remember changing anything or downloading anything but in the last two weeks the battery has lasted about a day and a half. Wifi, bluetooth and GPS are all turned off, screen brightness and time out are at their minimum and I've stopped all apps that were running and it's made no difference. I can't find any other suggestions online. I'm trying to avoid taking it back as my old phone died the day before I bought this one and I can't be without a phone, but I will as a last resort if no one has any other ideas.

Hey all, I found this forum when trying to find a solution for a couple of issue I have had over the past week. I originally signed up for an 18month contract with Vodafone in October 2011 and got an iPhone 4S. When the Samsung Galaxy S3 was announced in early 2012, I contacted the Vodafone deals team who said that I could indeed switch over to a Samsung Galaxy S3. I asked the procedure for sending back in my iPhone 4S and they said that while that was not necessary, if I did, I would receive a credit but there was no penalty for keeping my phone. I opted to keep the phone in addition to receiving the Galaxy S3. At no point did they mention that I would be renewing or extending my contract, nor did I sign or receive anything formally with information regarding my contract I have two issues: Issue 1 My Galaxy S3 started to randomly freeze a couple of weeks ago where it gets no response and require a hard reset. I took the phone into a Vodafone store on 11 May 2013 and explained the problem. The representative said that a software update would most likely alleviate the issue. I told them that I had installed the most recent update from Vodafone and that it does not appear to be a software issue. I asked for the phone to be sent for repair, specifically stating that it is a hardware issue and to change the mainboard of the phone. They were insistent that it was a software issue and recommended I leave the phone in store for a few hours for them to update it and test. I did that and returned to the store a few hours later. I received the phone and started on my way home. Half way on my journey home, the phone froze. I immediately returned to the store and said that it had froze and showed the same representative the issue. I asked them if the phone did actually need a software update or if I had previously had the most recent version. They laughed and said that they did not do the repair so they don't know. I asked for the phone to be sent for repair with a specific note that the phone had been updated and that I wished the mainboard replaced. The phone was sent for repair noting that a software update was done in store and to replace the mainboard. I logged on the Vodafone repair which noted that the phone was repaired and dispatched back the store, with a resolution code of "01 Software Update". I immediately called Vodafone to ascertain if only simple software update was done, which they confirmed. I refuse to pick up the phone, unless it gets sent out for a repair as agreed, as I am unwilling to risk investing the time to get my phone into the previous state (contacts, apps, etc.) for it to freeze again. Having said that, if Vodafone agrees to resend the phone to repair for a mainboard replacement, I will be out a phone for 2 weeks which is highly inconvenient. This brings me to issue 2. What are my options for accepting the phone as is, cancelling my contract, given the fact that under the original contract my term should have already expired, and going with another provider?

So this is my first post (Had I know this place existed before, I would have had way less headaches during the years dealing with cheating companies, less than helpful customer services and being fooled by basically every singer company I have ever signed a contract with, at least when thinking on technology and telecoms) Nevertheless, better late than ever, and in this case I seek advice of a different kind. So I bought a second hand handset from gumtree, a Galaxy S 3 with a crack in the screen and locked to O2, but otherwise in good condition and fully working. Complete with charger, but out of the box. So I thought I would get t unlocked today (on Sundays my local shop is usually closed). My friend was unable to have the phone unlocked and said it could be blocked or blacklisted. Tried to contact the guy who sold it to me without luck, the person refuses to take any responsibility for it. So suspecting that he might have just found the phone in the streets (or worse) I did a bit of research and found out a few things. First, the phone seems not to be locked to O2, but originally a Vodafone handset (which was convenient since we are Vodafone clients) The IMEIDETECTIVE.com test resulted negative, but then I run the paid CHECKMEND test which came out as "your phone has been BLOCKED by a gsm, but HAS NOT BEEN REPORTED LOST OR STOLEN . So I thought that maybe this guy did not pay his bills and got his handset blocked, although somewhere else I read that Vodafone does not blacklist your phone unless it has been reported lost of stolen (which according to CHECKMEND, this isn't the case) I have tried several times to contact Vodafone but so far and after talking to a few people, nobody seem to agree to which department should I be transferred to deal with this situation. Thanks for taking the time to read this. If anyone has any information or can help, I can provide the phone's IMEI as well as the CHECKMEND report. Kind Regards

Has anyone got one of these and is using a 64gb micro SD card? If so how did you format it? Thanks

I purchased a Samsung Galaxy Ace on 14/04/2012 on PAYG from a Vodafone store in Norwich. On the 19/10/2012 my phone, for the first time since i've owned it, started to play up. I will now try to explain the events which unfolded. On the morning of 19/10/2012 i tried to charge my phone but there was no response to the phone being plugged into external power trying to charge it up,after numerous attempts taking charger out and putting it back in phone, the phone still wouldn't charge. I then switched the phone off, then when trying to turn it back on it wouldn't. I then took battery out for a while then put it back and finally after doing this on numerous occassion's over a 2 hour period it did finally switch on. When the phone turned on it displayed the word 'charging' and kept displaying 100% battery life. Obviously there was a fault with the phone so on the same day i took phone into Vodafone, 47 Castle Mall, Norwich store and explained the above faults to a member of the stores technical support team. I explained to him that i wanted it repaired under the manufacturers one year warranty and i was advised that it would be covered. When I described the fault to him he immediately stated that it was a common fault with these phones to display these symptoms and it would more than likely need a software update. I was advised this would take 30mins to complete. When this failed to rectify the fault, he said it was probably a faulty battery. So he changed the battery to a new one, which didn’t make any difference whatsoever. I was then advised the phone would need to be sent to a repair centre to be fixed, which i was happy with. At approx 9.15am on Friday 26/10/2012 the repair centre called me and stated that they had found water/moisture damage inside the phone which must have been caused by moisture or rain water getting inside the phone. When i clearly stated that the phone had been nowhere near any type of water i was told i would need to pay £100 to get the phone repaired. After hearing this I was not prepared to pay this sum as I was advised by the store that whatever the fault was it would be covered under warranty. I then called the Castle Mall store and spoke to the manager Jay, and he stated that a fault with my mobile phone would not be covered under the one years warranty, i then went onto say there must have been something wrong with the phone as there is no way i caused this water damage as i keep it in a leather case and it has never been anywhere near water. I then went on to advise Jay to contact the repair centre to get the phone returned to the store with no work being carried out on the phone. On 31/10/2012 i received a call from Jay at the Castle Mall store saying my phone had been returned from the repair centre and that he had also received my formal letter of complaint against Vodafone and he then explained that he had escalated my complaint to higher departments of Vodafone and i agreed to leave my phone in store and await a call back from him either that day or the next day when he had hoped to have got a response from the complaints depatment, which actually i am still waiting for this call. This weekend i have been searching on the internet it seems there are quite a few suspect water damage claims made by Vodafone. From purchase i have had my phone in a leather case and it has never been subject to water or being used outside in the rain. On researching i have found out a phone can become 'water damaged' from being kept in a pocket or a handbag. It can also become damaged from speaking into it with hot breath on a cold morning. If this phone does have moisture damage, then these are the only ways i can think it could have attracted this moisture, which to me makes me question why these warnings are not on the box or instructions or it is my opinion, the phones are not fit for purpose. I want to make myself clear now, the reason i am going to continue with this complaint is i know 100% that i have not neglected this phone in any way whatsoever. Under the Sale Of Goods Act 1979 this mobile phone is not of a satisfactory quality, therefore I am seeking a repair or replacement at no cost to myself. If that is unsuccessful, i will be seeking a full or partial refund of the amount i paid on 14/04/2012 when I purchased the phone. I am really disappointed with Vodafone that i have had to write this as i have been a customer of Vodafone for a vast amount of years and never had any problem whatsoever in the past. Is there a Vodafone rep on this site?? Any help with this post would be much appreciated.

Hello I had a small crack on my galaxy note, i took it to the official samsung repair shop (not a samsung shop but a shop with authorized samsung technicians) and they said that it needed a new screen £150 please. so i agreed and they said it will be done within the hour. They made me sign a piece of paper saying that the only fault was a cracked screen, my imei number name address ect. when i collected the phone the man tried to turn it on and it wouldnt, tried to charge it and it wouldnt. he took it back upstairs and the technician came down with my phone in one hand and some bits in the other saying it was bits of my aerial, he said he would have to order parts and it would take a couple of days. a week later its still not working and they want to send it away to samsung. They have replaced the charging system and the aerial. If samsung say the phone isnt worth repairing where do i stand with compensation from the company? if samsung say the suchandsuch need repairing that will be £?? please would i have to pay it or should the shop cover the cost? If it is sent to samsung will they do a factory reset? the phone isnt insured and is less than 6 months old. i dont mind paying for the screen i broke but am very reluctant to pay for an official technicians mistakes. many thanks all.

My Galaxy S2 is currently with T-mobile for assessment as a result of a broken screen (under the glass) and the view of the shop was that as it was a broken screen it was automatically my fault. I am at a loss as to how they can know this without even seeing the phone. Hence why I was unprepared to pre-authorise a repair without knowing the cost first. I have no issue with paying if it is my fault (like I did when I put a phone through the washing machine or when I dropped one on a sharp stone and shattered the screen or when I left one on the car roof and drove off only to see it bounce in the rear view mirror!) but this time it was very different as the screen went black as if power had gone and it needed to be switched back on - i initially thought it was a power fault. The next day I discovered a crack in the screen. Following research I have found that there are issues with some Samsung phones overheating and this cracking the screen and, as my phone has gone very hot on a few occasions recently, think this was the problem. Any advice on how to respone if, as I expect they will, they say its down to me. For reference this is the first problem I have ever had with a Samsung Phone (apart from the self inflicted problems above) and up to now have been very impressed with T-mobile's customer service. Thanks in advance. A n d r e w

My wifes phone bill was £20 more than usual. She has a certain amount of monthly free minutes, and also free data allowance. She is very careful not to go over these allowances, and she has been getting free music from a free app called Music Paradise. On her phone she had a message saying 'Streaming Null', but she doesn't understand it. When she clicked on it, it took her to the Music Paradise app. Could it be that after downloading a track, she is then automatically seeding it which could could use up all her data allowance?