HTC UK Repair centre. Sheer Incompetence

JayCee

Outstanding Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
Messages
31,675
Solutions
2
Reaction score
4,394
Points
5,622
Location
Lanarkshire
Due to a staining issue (caused by carrying in an official HTC leather case) on the front of my 2 week old white Teflon-coated HTC Hero (bought sim-free from Mobile Fun - Mobile Accessories, Bluetooth Headsets, SIM Free Mobiles, Ringtones, Games & more! and who didn't want to know and palmed me off to the phone manufacturer HTC...even though they advertise a "30 day no quibble return guarantee" that's another story worth a thread of it's own) HTC agreed to replace the phone housing...I asked them if they could replace the white phone housing with a brown one and they arranged for it to be collected by UPS to get this done...

They told me they couldn't fit a brown housing as it was an Orange exclusive colour (not true)
Said they'd fit a new "Silver" (Graphite) housing.
Used UPS "Standard" courier service which takes 2/3 days.
Returned my repaired phone after a week with its new housing...White (not Graphite as agreed) :confused: but minus the white rear cover :eek:
When I immediately phoned them to report this (4pm on a Wed) was told that dept was closed for the day but someone from the "Escalations" dept would phone me the following day (Thurs)...no one phoned me that day.
The following day (Fri) I got a call late PM from someone at HTC apologising profusely and telling me a brand-new white rear cover would be sent out to me on the following Monday.

Meanwhile over the weekend since my Hero had been in for a "service" I received an automated "Customer service Excellence Survey" email with around a dozen questions on how I found their service with answers to be ticked on a scale of 1 where I was "very satisfied" and 10 being "very dissatisfied"...needless to say I answered this survey truthfully giving just about all questions a 10 and the reasons why in the user comments section.
This must have rung alarm bells when they received it as the following day (Monday) I received a phone call at work on my mobile from someone of senior authority at HTC who went over the events as described and again apologised and asked me if I wanted to return it (to be arranged by them) to get the housing replaced by the graphite one...or was I happy just to keep it in white and they'd post a new white rear cover...I had now just made up my mind to keep it in white as I didn't want to return it again and be without it over Xmas so I told him someone from HTC had already told me they were posting out the new white cover that day.

He then said if the new white cover hadn't arrived by Monday afternoon :confused: (odd as this was Monday morning) or Tuesday at the latest for me to phone him and gave me his name (at my insistence).
Tuesday no UPS delivery, but considering it took 2 days for UPS to pick it up orginally and deliver to HTC I thought I'd give it one more day.
Wednesday 16th Dec no UPS delivery so far (2:30pm) so I decided to phone HTC and asked to speak to this person of senior authority, needless to say he wasn't in that day and the person on the end of the phone asked if it was something he could help me with so I told him I was disgusted with the service I'd received so far from HTC :( and I related the chain of events.
He was aghast and told me he would now "take charge" of my problem and see it through and would keep me informed of what was happening all the way through, he gave me his name and said he would take it up with the service manager.
I asked him given the chain of events could HTC not just replace my Hero with a brand new one and he said he would run it by the service manager and phone me back.
He phoned me back in 10 mins and said due to no stock (Aye right :rolleyes:) they couldn't send me a new one but they would arrange for it to be picked up the following day and fit a new housing, I asked if they could fit a brown one and he agreed to this and would arrange the UPS pickup for the following day.

5 mins later he phoned me back...no, he says apologising, the brown colour is a Vodaphone exclusive :rolleyes: I told him the Hero is available sim-free in Brown, Pink or White at all online retailers in the UK but he wasn't having it and said the Hero in brown was an East European model (not true) and it would need to be graphite...I agreed to this and asked him if I'd have it back before Xmas (this is Wed 16th Dec), yes he said "I'm pretty sure it will be".
10 mins later UPS arrive at my door with a package, I sign and open it, it's a brand new rear cover...brown :rotfl: I don't bother phoning HTC.

Thurs 17th Dec. UPS collect my Hero which I package with a postit note attached to it's front body stating what's to happen to it and Mr X and Mr Y know what's to be done if in any doubt to check with them and the software has not to be touched as it has the most up-to-date and Mr X has agreed to this.

Mon 21st Dec. Automated email from HTC acknowledging receipt of phone.
I phone Mr X and remind him of what's to be done etc and he reassures me.

Wed 23rd Dec. Mr X phones me in the morning at my work and proudly reminds me of how he promised to take charge of my problem and keep me informed every step of the way, good news, he says "you know how you wanted a brown housing, well, guess what...we've managed to get one and it's getting fitted as we speak", "great" I said and thanked him and asked if he thought I'd get it back before Xmas, "I'm sure you will" he says.

Now, given the time of year and the worst wintry conditions we've had in the last 20 years up here (Lanarkshire, Central Scotland) I wasn't holding my breath and thought. okay, if they courior it today I'll probably get it around Tues 29th/Wed 30th Dec and just resigned myself to that hope.

Wed 30th Dec. Late morning, no UPS delivery so I phoned HTC and asked to speak to Mr X. After being put on hold for a while I was told Mr X wasn't at his extension so I asked to be put through to Mr Y, I can't talk to him either, I'm told he's in at a meeting so I give the call centre operative my job number and ask if it's been posted, no, it hasn't I'm told and there will be no deliveries going out before Monday 4th Jan :mad::mad::mad:
I relate my story to her and ask given the circumstances couldn't they send it that day using the next day delivery service, 'no' I'm told, 'that's not possible, there's no deliveries going out that day at all"... I tell her I want to make an official complaint of extremely poor service and could she put me through to someone senior, "no they're all in at a meeting" she says I can go to their website and use the "contact us" button which will bring up a Tel and Fax number...I do this and phone the number and it goes to voicemail stating they're closed for the Xmas/New Year holidays until Monday 4th Jan :mad:

Later that day I get an email from Mr Y at HTC...

"I am sorry to hear the device has not yet been returned.
The cover swap has already been approved and agreed through the Customer Service manager during a review meeting I had with him last week.

I will endeavour to have the device shipped today, however if the tesing is not completed then it will not be possible to return the device to you until next week as there are no shipments from the repair centre tomorrow.

Please note, C*****N (Mr X) is not in today and I will be in meetings all afternoon and unable to come ot the phone.

I will update you once more when I have further informaiton"


What testing? :eek:, what's the bets they've wiped it.
18 bloody days to remove 4 screws, remove the innards and screw them onto a new housing :mad::mad::mad:

Mon 4th Jan. Got an automated email stating Hero despatched for next working day delivery by UPS...logged on to UPS tracking and phone is scheduled for delivery Wed 6th...The email has the wrong serial and IMEI nos

Today Wed 6th Jan. Logged on to UPS tracking and discovered phone rescheduled for delivery tomorrow...there has been no attempt at delivery today, probably just wintry road conditions to blame.

I'm incensed by this level of service from a major player in the mobile phone world.
They're either very understaffed, inefficient or, more likely just plain disorganised.
I'm pretty sure their main customers (O2, Orange, T-Mob, Vodaphone etc) repairs get precedence, it's just us little minnows who pay a lot of money for their products who get treated abysmally.

I'll update this if/when I receive it back and if it's complete and let you know what colour I get :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
Re my experience above...
Can anyone tell me if there are any negative consequencies of having the wrong Serial or more importantly...the wrong IMEI number compared to the Hero I bought?
If they've sent me a brand new replacement in a sealed box as some sort of compensation, fine, but if they've just plain sent me a different phone due to a mistake they're getting it back.

Just a couple of days before my Hero was returned to them I bought and installed Copilot 8 Sat-Nav software from the market and HTC were told not to touch the software on it, obviously if they have sent the wrong phone (or a brand new replacement) I've lost out.
 
Not good by HTC,I bought a Magic in Singapore and had to fight tooth and nail to get it replaced when it would not hold a wireless signal,finally they sent a BROWN Hero but sorry to say I am not at present impressed by Android maybe I will grow to it.
 
Interesting story :D

What colour was sent out and was it a new phone?

Rizza
 
Interesting story :D

What colour was sent out and was it a new phone?

Hi, Thanks for your comment :D
Brown, not new but mint condition...a mixture of my white one and a brown one would you believe, a different serial and IMEI.
Their excuse is they had to do it that way so my warranty would be correct on their system/database.
I know I said I wouldn't accept it unless it was brand new but to be honest I just wanted it back and since it's working fine I've just accepted it.
 
Hi, Thanks for your comment :D
Brown, not new but mint condition...a mixture of my white one and a brown one would you believe, a different serial and IMEI.
Their excuse is they had to do it that way so my warranty would be correct on their system/database.
I know I said I wouldn't accept it unless it was brand new but to be honest I just wanted it back and since it's working fine I've just accepted it.

I would be going absolutely bonkers tbh, these handsets aren't cheap. Not like your getting a toaster repaired, although i'm sure there would be no hassles with that.

Did they compensate you for the software you paid for and lost or were you able to get it again?

I suspect someone there damaged your own phone, which is what lead to a replacement being sent.
 
Did they compensate you for the software you paid for and lost or were you able to get it again?

Luckily I was able to get it again. That's the great thing about the Android market, it remembers your previous downloads/purchases.
While I was in a telephone discussion re my Hero and the poor service I'd received etc I did casually ask the person who was taking charge of my problem if they could throw in a carrying case as some sort of compensation and he said he'd run it by the service manager. The next time we were speaking I asked him about it and he said no, the service manager couldn't/wouldn't authorise it but my gut feeling is he didn't ask him and I didn't bother pursuing it, I was just wanting my Hero back asap.

I suspect someone there damaged your own phone, which is what lead to a replacement being sent.

Yes, or lost it/sent it out to the wrong customer. I've worked in a service environment all my life and I've witnessed all these scenarios.
If there was any flaw in its appearance or operation my next step was to involve my credit card company, provide them with all the details and ask for a refund, but touch wood, all's well with it and it is easily the best phone I've owned.
 
I got my phone today, it's been sat on charge since half 11.

Says 3 hours for first charge in the manual, and the website advises 8 hours.

Strange, I didn't think you had to do a long charge on modern batteries?

I'll keep an eye open to see if the cover goes strange in anyway. I've got a 2200mAh battery on order with a new bigger back cover so with any luck should be able to keep the original one in good order.
 
Strange, I didn't think you had to do a long charge on modern batteries?

You don't, Li-ion batteries only need charged until they indicate fully charged and they do not require any conditioning of any kind.

I'll keep an eye open to see if the cover goes strange in anyway. I've got a 2200mAh battery on order with a new bigger back cover so with any luck should be able to keep the original one in good order.[/QUOTE]

I have the same battery with a slightly deeper white cover, unfortunately my Hero is now brown so I can't use it unless I paint it brown :D
Enjoy your Hero.
 
wow sorry for your bad luck, i know HTC changed repair centre. I used them 1m ago, they were really good all the way from ups collection to fixing my screen problem, sending it back to me faster than deadline.

I love HTC products and customer service. they do what Nokia cant.


they have game.:thumbsup:
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom