Nokia Care Bangalore – Rip Offs?

Slightly unconventional for me write on such an issue with such a title but alas, I think I should get others opinion on this matter and that’s the reason I am posting it here on my blog.

After all, some knowledgeable souls out there could advise on this situation!

So following KISS [ Keeping it Short & Simple] principle: Ok I realised, that by no means I follow that as its a big post

• Phone Model : Nokia N95 8 Gb Edition.
• Cost: Rs.  30940 [ $728, @ 1 USD == 42.5 INR]
• Date of Purchase: 14 November 2007. Warranty – 1 Year!!
• Gave it to local Nokia Care with they said they returned it saying that they don’t have the resources to repair it.
• Took it to Nokia Care in Bangalore. They gave me a dead set back!!
• Now the set is with the dealer the phone was bought from, he gave it again to local Nokia care, and its there for over 2 months now!
• Read along for more details!

What happened:

• Updated the phone’s firmware with the latest software available from the **Official** Nokia Site using its **OWN** Nokia supplied software called Nokia Software Updater using the data cable over my broadband internet connection.
• Phone restarts after update, and I only see a White screen since then. AKA WSOD == White Screen of Death.
• Now since, I used a software and firmware supplied by Nokia via its official site, its still covered under warranty.
• I take it to the local i.e. Bokaro Steel City “Nokia Care” on 23rd June 2008 and they keep it till 26th June 2008, when I push them to return my set as they had promised the delivery on 25th.
  The answer I got from here was “Sorry sir, we checked the set, opened it and tried everything, we do not have the resources to fix it at our center. We will need to send it to Kolkata.”
• I said, “I am going to Bangalore next week, can it be done there?” Yes was the reply so I took it back.
• To be noted, I got the phone back as I gave it. White Screen even after they diagnosed it completely!
• on 1st July 2008, I take it to the Koramangala Nokia Care, where they have a separate counter for all Nokia E/N Series customers. So they promised me that it will be done in 1 hour. So, I went off to check some mails etc.
• I come back a little later than 1 hour, they show me an OPEN Handset, just the board with the screen, showing some marks there. It seemed an OLD phone though. They said, its water logged.
• That means, no warranty etc. But I said, this isn’t my phone. They insisted its mine.
• They did give me an evaluation amount of Rs. 4800 which I needed to pay, if I wanted to get this fixed. But they do not guarantee anything. That means, if the phone goes dead while repairing, they are not accountable for it.
• They wanted me to sign on that sorta death note!
• After arguments and me telling them, “What IF you guys changed something in your room?”. They take it to a seperate closed room, where the technicians service the phones.
• And the look on the lady’s face was trembling. She immediately defended herself by saying, “Sir if you want we can give it to you in writing?” She meant to give me in writing that, the phone was water logged and the warranty is void. She also told me, in a warning tone, that we will send it to the central Nokia system, and you wont get warranty anywhere!!
• I was like w00t? Threatening? I said, kindly return me the set in the condition I gave it to you. I would be highly thankful.
• They return me a dead set. I really went mad!!
• The lady went off attending others and I was sitting with some other guy who was supposed to deliver handsets to customers. And I kept insisting give me the phone with the White Screen.
• The phone didn’t even turn ON!! After they did whatever!!
• The lady gave me a flat answer, and said, we cant do anything. Here is your letter which was the evaluation amount. Stating nothing.

Totally pissed off in a new city, I didn’t know what to do. I took the set with me, and decided to email Nokia Care explaining the situation that, the “first” Nokia Care analyzed and diagnosed the phone and found no such defect called “water logging” that your Bangalore Nokia Care people did. Moreover I feel they changed the device in my absence.

The email response with my analysis/arguments, I don’t think so I can copy paste the email because they have got a legal disclaimer in the end. So to be safe I will write it in my own words without changing any meaning.

• “Such damages cannot be determined by initial inspection of the phone. It requires a comprehensive assessment of the phone” Agreed! It was done by your Bokaro Nokia Care. They didn’t find anything! And returned me the set in the condition I gave them. Not in a DEAD Condition!
• “Warranty is void, in case of water logging as per our such and such clause mentioned in the User manual” Been a Nokia Customer since 6 years now. I know that!
• “We stand by the assessment made by our technicians and regret any unintended inconvenience caused as a result of this.” Which technicians ? Why Bangalore? Why not Bokaro Nokia Care? And the inconvenience caused is a Loss of a costly phone!!

What have I done now?:

• Since its my dads phone, he gave it to the dealer he brought from, who probably handed it over to the Bokaro Nokia Care again, and now its more than 1.5 months the phone is somewhere!
• Neither the Nokia Priority Dealer of the Nokia Care @ Bokaro are keen on getting this resolved. I think they lost my handset ? Or maybe sold it already ??
• And the only response we get is, “It will be done!”
• The question: When? After the warranty expires? And you get another excuse!!!!!!

I was told by a local Nokia Dealer, that for N/E Series they have priority support mechanism at least in the urban/metro cities, so they service it quickly and on priority basis. I was also told, that in case it is not done in 1 hour, they give you a replacement set. No idea how true this is, as it was told by a Nokia Dealer, not the Nokia Care people. But whatever, this is what you get!! They did have separate counters for Nokia E/N Series customers so I felt, oh I will get that attention and get it done quickly!!!

08-Sep-08 Update: Nokia Care requested the details of the dealer and Nokia care the phone is with, along with the phones IMEI number. When I sent everything in the first mail. Well I will just post it here again:

• Purchased From: Invoice No: 1155, Book No. 24.
  Sharda Communications,
  Plot No. HA-1, Sector-4,
  B.S.City. Phone: 99310 87981.
  Date of Purchase: 14-11-07
  Currently the phone is with them, since the Nokia Care mishandled the phone and rendered it dead. I gave it to dad. What he did was, gave it back to this dealer and asked him to get it done. Now what do you do when you already took it to local Nokia care and the Bangalore guys rendered the phone completely dead!
• Bokaro Nokia Care: Job Sheet No:: 1422, Date: 23-06-08
  Ginia Telecom,
  C-13, City Centre, Sec-4,
  B.S. City.
  
  
• Bangalore Nokia Care: Job Sheet: 6513, Date: 01/07/08
  Samuradhi Technologies,
  A/4, KHB Colony, Near Airtel Office, 5th Block, Koramangala,
  Bangalore – 95.
  Probably you need to be careful when you hand them your phones!

Well to be honest, I have had Nokia Care experiences, and none SO bad SO far! In fact, no BAD experiences. Delhi Nokia Care people took care of my phones awesomely! But I really hate what happened to my Nokia N95 8Gb.

So that kinda changes my opinion! And imagine what? I bought a Nokia E51 while I was in Bangalore, now did I make a mistake? I should have bought a Sony Ericsson instead!!

My very first phone was Sony Ericsson T68i And it was rOcking and cute little handy phone with power packed features back then in 2001!

Then I stuck with Nokia phones only, Nokia 3315, 3230, N73 Music Edition, E51!

Well, my dad keeps telling me to get this matter into the Consumer Court, and I am either lazy or too tied with work to get on to that!! The question is, in which jurisdiction shall I go ahead with this? Bangalore or Bokaro!!

Any suggestions on that???

Tip: Ask the Nokia Care people to do whatever they want with the phone in YOUR Presence and probably video tape it so that you can have some evidence!!!

And I wish, I at least get the bricked phone back!! Blah! Anyone wants to buy a bricked Nokia N95 8 Gb phone? At least we can use the inbuilt 8Gb HDD

“Saarji, bHaaat an iDea Saarji!!”