How Do You Protect Yourself When Sending Back a Problem Phone

[Wilson T]

I've been with Tmobile for 6 years now and have had to send a phone back once due to battery issues. Of course I did that when they sent me a new phone and I mailed the old one back. Recently my friend has had many problems with her Pearl, especially with a silent issue that she kept running into when answering phones. She would pick up the phone, the phone would just go dead and she'd need to restart the phone. So she calls Tmobile and asked them to send her a new one. After a LONG conversation with them and tmobile giving her not very smart suggestions such as trying her sim card in a different phone (she's had the sim card for as long as I have and has never had a problem), Tmobile finally agreed to send her a new phone.

While she was doing this, I was also just doing some Tmobile research on forums and saw that Tmobile has charged many of its customers water damage when they send their phones back although they claimed that there was never water damage. Now, I don't know who's lying and I don't care, but after reading this, I felt that it was necessary for my friend to protect herself, just in case something like this happens. So I told her to go into the store before sending the problematic phone back, have a rep or manager look at the phone and sign something that states the phone has no physical or water damage (and to wrap the phone up in front of them in a ziplock and seal the box).

She listened, went to the store yesterday and was refused by two sales rep (which I do understand that they don't want to be liable) and had to ask the manager to come out and check the phone. The manager also refused to sign anything but said that he'd put a note in her account in the system. She asked to see what he's written but he said no. He said she can call customer service to see what he's written.

Now, I've had problems with customer service before writing down the wrong stuff in the computer system, and as far as i know, it happens quite often. Us being customers have no way of protecting ourselves in that regard. For all I know, the manager thought she was annoying as hell and put a note in there saying, unreasonable customer, phone with damage but try to force me to say there isn't, etc. things of that sort. Of course I hope not but how would I or she know. By the time she calls Customer Service it'd be too late.

So I want to ask Tmobile Reps out there, in cases like this, how do we protect ourselves? I think she's done more than she's had to as a customer to protect herself as well as Tmobile in terms of this phone but I don't feel that Tmobile was willing to put in the same amount of effort to make things easy for us. I don't want her to have to fight for charges that she's not responsible for, IF she gets charged that. I've been with Tmobile for so long and I don't plan to switch but I certainly wouldn't want to be in a situation like this. Thanks

[heyhey15]

it's common practice (and you agree to in the ToS) that if the phone is found to have suffered from one of quite a few things (water damage, radiation exposure, etc.), that you will have to pay a charge for a new handset. I, along with many site members, here and on the other popular bb forums, have sent back quite a few handsets and have yet to pay any charge for it.

if they send you a notice listing _________ as the cause and it not being defect, 99% is that is what really caused the problem. there's only a limited amount of hardware at a store and that does not include anything to properly diagnose if the phone has internal damage from user neglect. you can't see if the shielding has been damaged by 'looking it over' (what keeps your speaker from doing the buzz from its own rf like when you hold a bb close to a tv, radio, etc.) the sales reps and manager were right not to sign anything. they are not qualified to make that call as they are sales representives not qualified technicans. would you bring your car to the sales dealer and make him sign a note saying "everything is ok with this car" because you are worried your limited warranty may not cover you? it just doesn't work that way.

Certain companies do play games as to cause of product issues (i.e. Apple), but in terms of T-mobile, you'd be fighting the good guy. they help customers out more than any provider. honestly, you sound like the difficult one and if I was that manager I would've put a note in saying 'potential fraud' and had the account flagged for review if/when the handset was returned.

[Helen Keller]

Nope. I did not mean that they should sign anything saying, this phone is in perfect condition. Even I wouldn't do that for my friend as that phone was not in my posession 24/7 so i wouldn't know that. I was asking her to take it to the store so the manager/rep can take a look and say we definitely see no obvious physical damage and the water damage indication by the battery also indicates that it has had no water damage. that's it. i'm not asking them to do any guessing games.

Now, say the phone goes back and somehow the water damage indicator on the inside of the phone has 'gone off' and said that this phone has had water damage (i'm using this as an example cuz that's a problem i saw the most)...now, just exactly what can set that off, knowing that the phone has never touched water or vice versa. humidity? i think i also read somewhere that tmobile has claimed that a phone possible was damaged during shipment back to tmobile, perhaps with rain. A customer's also liable for that?

I wasn't trying to be rude or difficult at all. I was merely asking. If I had been a rude customer, i would have threatened tmobile MANY TIMES like many people have done with their retention center. I've never done it. I'm just simply asking a question. I dont' understand why you have to talk to me that way.

[lyfisatest]

"that's it"? they do not have to sign anything, period. you are taking a signed agreement very lightly when it is anything but that. again, that'd be like asking a car dealer to sign a note for you dealing with an issue that only a mechanic is qualified to judge. there are proper channels and not proper ones and that suggestion falls into the second. I have explained to you why it is not their job to make such a call and what I would've done as the manager.

the first line: BY USING/ACTIVATING THE SERVICE YOU REPRESENT YOU ARE OF LEGAL AGE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE AGREEMENT. If you do not agree to the terms of the Agreement, do not use the Service.

best advice I can give you is if you/she aren't pleased with having to potentially pay $100, then do not agree in the first place or weigh the option of breaking your contract.

[Chuyqwerty]

ah forget it. i just wanted to give some senarios and get some opinions. didn't want arguments. i'm in no way bashing tmobile. thanks for your responses but no thanks for the hostility

[Barbie]

whew.... anyway can i suggest taking pictures of the phone... maybe video the person taking the pictures and sealing the phone... other than that i don't know what to tell you jtesnani

good luck!

[Liza F]

Yes. It happened to me. I sent a 7105t back that was, except for the USB charging port being loose and not holding a charge, in MINT condition. I got my December bill and had to pay ~$200 (my BIS Voice Barred plan, unlimited text messaging bundle, $15 equipment protection coverage, taxes, fees, service charge, monthly access, PLUS the $100 SUPPOSED water damage claim they made) because they said the water damage indicator had turned red (I raised a huge fuss about it at my local T-Mo store and on the phone to CS from that store to no avail...they didn't drop the charge). It must have happened during shipping because I MADE SURE the phone never got wet in the 8 months I had it. I've since sent a 2nd 7105t and a Pearl back and have never seen that charge again.

[life on stage 89]

Also be careful when reading your bill if this happens to you because it won't say Water Damage. It will say Out of Warranty Charge (or something to that effect).

It was also suggested that you remove the battery and take a picture of the sticker while it's still white so if they slap you with that, you can at least have some proof of the color of the sticker before the phone has to go back.

[empouse]

First of all, just because the sticker is 'white' does not mean there is no LIQUID damage. There are internal liquid damage indicators on most devices that you can't see until the device is cracked open. Where would this be useful? When you spill your drink on the FRONT of the phone and it leaks in. That is water damage and is not covered under the warranty. Now if you are talking about a BB then NOONE has any room to question these charges. The reason I say this is because BB's are the ONLY device that our 'techs' don't trouble shoot or fix at the National Returns Center. ALL BB's go directly to RIM for diagnosis and repair. So if they say it was liquid damage then it MUST have been so. They make no profit off of it and it doesn't benefit them in any way. But to respond to requesting a signature from a rep or manager it is against company policy. The word there is liability. What if the techs did find internal liquid damage and there's a signature. The person is due to pay that fee but a rep of T-Mobile 'signed' something and BAM get out of jail free card. I'm also sure your friend 'over stated' the situation. Making it sound like the reps were rude and 'refused' to sign anything. They aren't allowed to sign anything and I'm sure your friend made a big stink over something that is beyond our control.

[totting fox]

I just sent back my 7105t because it was acting wonky and the BB specialist had me send it back to them and I got a pearl in trade. Now I took the phone to 2 different T-Mobile stores to get there was no outside damage to the phone and the phone was dripping with liquid {heh}. It was never dropped or gotten wet. They ALL refused to even make notes about it....most were to busy picking their a$ses to help. {eyes glazed over as you walk in...I F'ing hate that}.


I have called a couple times for one to make sure they got the BB and to see what their notes on it was. Well they got the BB but after 3 weeks they dont have any notes. So I guess its a sit and wait thing. {sighs}. Funny how they want their crap in 7 days from their shipment time, but takes weeks to know if you have to pay for a phone, because of so called water damage.


Ok...off my box {giggles}