Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Thursday, September 18, 2014

The HTC One pink/purple camera saga: part 2

Mark Bridge feels marooned by a high-street mobile phone retailer

Mark Bridge writes:

Well, I wasn't expecting that.

Here's what happened. Following my online rant about the customer service I'd received when I suffered a problem with my HTC One, I wrote to Carphone Warehouse.

This was, I felt, pretty straightforward.

I explained the problem, reminded the company of its legal obligation and asked them to fix the phone. Next, I checked on the company website and sent my letter by recorded delivery to the address for "any complaint that's not about insurance": PO Box 375 in Southampton.

And then I sat and waited for an answer. And I waited. And waited.

After a couple of weeks, I'd heard nothing. Very disappointing. I checked the Royal Mail website to see if my letter had been delivered. Yup. Signed for by Ray.

So I prepared my legal case against Carphone Warehouse. I wasn't naive enough to expect a brand new phone after a year... but I did expect the camera to be fixed. I needed to know how much to claim, which meant finding out how much HTC would charge me.

The simplest way, I thought, was to phone HTC's customer service number. The person who answered my call was familiar with the problem - not a common thing, he said, but he'd had a few - and told me it would be covered by the manufacturer's warranty as long as there was no sign of misuse.

I asked how long the warranty lasted, expecting the answer to be 12 months. "Two years", I was told. What? Yes, two years. And a courier could collect my phone tomorrow, if that was okay.

Image

Sure enough, a courier collected my phone as promised. A week later my phone returned. Fixed.

Did I discover what actually caused the HTC One purple camera problem? No, although the 'overheating' theory seems plausible. Did I ever get an answer from Carphone Warehouse. No. Over a month later, I'm still waiting. That's very disappointing. Would I recommend HTC? Based on their product and their customer service, I definitely would.

And yes, I could have contacted HTC first and not had the hassle with Carphone Warehouse. I wouldn't even have minded if the Carphone sales advisor had told me to contact HTC because they'd fix my phone for nothing. Instead, I'm feeling let down by my chosen retailer. I think they've let HTC down, too.

Print
Author: The Fonecast
3 Comments
Rate this article:
3.6

3 comments on article "The HTC One pink/purple camera saga: part 2"

7
0
Avatar image

Marius

10/18/2014 11:34 PM

Hello,

I have a similar problem with my phone. Did they send you a new one or did they just fix the camera?


0
0
Avatar image

Mark

10/20/2014 8:45 PM

They just fixed the camera. The phone was over a year old, so I didn't expect it to be replaced with a new one.


0
0
Avatar image

Fiona

10/28/2014 1:19 PM

Thanks for this useful article. I have the very same problem with my HTC One that I bought in March this year. It is currently with Carphone Warehouse for repair. However, tracking the repair online I've discovered that they can't repair it and I'm just waiting for a phone call from CPW to tell me I can come and collect it. I'm trying to predict what they're going to tell me so that I can prepare my defence. I'm going to stand my ground and bring all my assertiveness skills to the fore but if all else fails it looks like I have a fall-back position with HTC. Watch this space.......

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Opinion Articles

And our survey said...

Mark Bridge writes:

The coolest person in the country admires the French president's wife and lives in East London. Oh, and they use a BlackBerry by day but an iPhone by night. That's what recent surveys say. Nonsense, isn’t it?

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

The mobile phone tries to grow up

Mark Bridge writes:

The end of civilisation. The dawn of the future. Mobile phones are somewhere in the middle. Once seen as novelties for people with too much money, the mobile phone is now ubiquitous. And with that ubiquity comes an acceptance that they’re just tools. Doesn't it?

Which is why I was surprised to see a news article from Voice, a trade union that wants mobile phones banned from nurseries because of concern about inappropriate photographs.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Sounding good to me

Mark Bridge writes:

"Sounding good to me". So sang Charlie Dore, back in the day when radio stations started to realise that quality was as important as quantity. "AM, FM, I feel so ecstatic", opined Cliff Richard, although I’m betting he’d have preferred the lack of hiss and crackle on FM stations.

Yet no-one’s really thought much about the quality of a phone call. Until now.

Author: The Fonecast
1 Comments
Article rating: No rating

The landline phone may be fading... but its number still remains

Mark Bridge writes:

In last weekend’s Sunday Times, Ali Hussain asked "Is this the end for the landline phone?"

He pointed out that the average mobile bill almost halved between 2003 and 2008, while landline bills fell by less than a fifth – which has meant the average mobile bill is now lower than the average landline bill. He went on to list fibre-optic broadband, mobile broadband, mobile calls, VoIP calls and satellite phones as alternatives to using fixed-line phones.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Mixed verdict on mobile phones as cancer cause

Art Chimes of voanews.com writes:

Nearly two-thirds of the people on Earth now use mobile telephones, according to a study by the International Telecommunications Union. But how safe are those phones? Scientists still aren't sure, but some evidence is starting to suggest there may be danger along with the convenience.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First107108109110111113115116

Recent Podcasts

Reviewing our 2015 mobile industry predictions... and looking forward to 2016

Podcast - 15th January 2016

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge return to review their mobile industry predictions from last year. Which mergers, partnerships and developments did they forecast correctly... and which didn’t work out as planned?

Later in the programme, the team anticipates some of the topics that will be hitting the headlines during 2016.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Podcast - 6th March 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Looking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

Podcast - 27th February 2015

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Interview with Chris Millington of Doro about mobile retailing, wearables and technology for older consumers

Podcast - 24th February 2015

In today's programme Mark Bridge talks to Chris Millington, who's Managing Director for Doro UK and Ireland.

They discuss the state of mobile retailing in the UK, the future of wearable devices and - as you might expect - smartphones for seniors.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

A month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

Podcast - 30th January 2015

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
12345678910Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«May 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
293012345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
272829303112
3456789

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement