What can you say for this level of Sony service...

[dynamicbio]

I decided to spend 30 minutes and share my experience dealing with Sony Service, which I believe it was of very low standard.

Before getting started, I would like to state that I am happy with the Sony Arc S, after a year of usage. The phone has stunning looks, the screen has awesome colours ( and I keep hearing positive comments from people whenever I show a pic or watch a video), android is great, I everyday talk though viber or skype, then check my emails, maybe read an article on Economist app that I am a member, listen to internet radio, battery life is good... Well, you get the picture, my phone does a lot and it does everything well. 

So, the story: the MH-650 handsfree headset that came together with the phone broke. After 11 months of usage. I knew that accesories have 1 year warranty. Let me say that I bought the phone through Sony online store.

I contacted Sony chat support. They advised that I send the handsfree, together with a cover letter and the order confirmation email (to check te date for the 1 year warranty) via mail to the Sony repair centre in Kent. I found it a bit of a hassle for a cheap handsfree to print pages, get an envelope, go to the Post Office and send it . But I decided to go ahead and do it.

A month passed with no reply. I was wondering if the package got lost by the Post office.

I then contacted Sony chat support. They said that they will contact the service dept. and they gave me a Reference number and I had to wait up to 3 working days.

After 4 days I got a letter from the Sony service which...well, it didn't make any sense and really infuriated me.

The first paragraph said that the handsfree is not accepted  under the Manufacturer's warranty.

Below that, Reason for decision : Warranty end date!

BUT, the 2nd paragraph said that they were requesting a copy of the VAT proof of warranty to be sent my mail ( But WHY, after they had already declined the repair under warranty.

And in the end they gave a quote of 21 pounds for a new MH-650, when  ordering a new one through Sony online store, I would pay 14 pounds..

To sum up: first they declined the free repair, then they asked for another receipt and then they gave me a quote that was much more expensive than ordering through Sony.

I feel puzzled to say the least. I had ordered the most expensive Sony mobile for 2011, and I would surely expect a better service than that..No!?

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An hour after I read the letter , I sent the following email to the repair centre:

Hello,

Job No -----------------

I have sent you my faulty MH-650 headset to check.

You received my package on 6 / 12 / 2012, as it is written on your repair quotation page.

The headset, together with my phone, was ordered on 21 / 12 / 2011, so it is without doubt covered by the 12 month guarantee.

In my package, apart from the cover letter, I sent you the order confirmation. I ordered the items from the Sony online store, and the order confirmation page has the price of the handset and the VAT that was paid.

I am unhappy of your service because:

1. It took SBE 1 month to respond to my request. I had to contact Sony and ask for an update, and they had to chase the issue and provide with a reference number.

2. After a month and you still haven't resolved the issue. Let's not forget that this is a cheap headset that is evidently broken and covered under guarantee. I sent you a copy of the order confirmation from Sony themselves and you are requesting another VAT receipt? All this paperwork is probably more expensive than the headset itself.

This is not the service I would expect, after ordering a top of the line Sony handset of 2011.

As for a replacement headset, if you don't want to send it, then you can keep it for yourselves. SBE probably needs it more than I do. But your response time should be faster than this.

Happy listening!

-----------------

The following day I contacted Sony chat support. I was told that they would ESCALATE the issue and I would be contacted after 3-5 working days.

After 4 days (the day I'm writing this), I got a call from Sony that they would send a replacement handsfree 'pretty soon but don't know when exactly'.

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So my rhetorical ( they don't need to be answered)  questions are these:

1. Why a month and a half has passed and my simple issue has not be resolved yet?

2. Why, for an item that is clearly under warranty, there were so many ifs and buts?

3. Why it took a month for the Sony service to reply to me ( and I had to contact Sony ro chase the issue)?

4.  Why did they send me a letter that made no sense?? Fist decline, then ask for another copy to validate the warranty, then a quote. What did the author of that letter had in mind?

Thank you for reading it..

Dimas

[sushimonster]

Sony in other countries typically make use of contractors for after-sales service. In other words, third-party companies that pretty much handle warranty repairs and what-not on behalf of major brands. This is often the case for all major manufacturers except in their home countries (eg, Samsung has a dedicated service centre in Korea, as does Sony in Japan. But usually never in other countries). I know that Samsung has a dedicated service centre in New Zealand (where I live).

If memory serves correct Sony UK makes use of third-party contractors (I know this as a VAIO VGN-Z owner; having lurked in forums I have read numerous horror stories from Sony UK Support and their repair methodologies; the US is equally dismal).

Unfortunately, being third-party entities, the quality of service is up to them third-party entities themselves. If they, for example, don't record and send Sony service / repair process updates, Sony themselves have absolutely no idea what's going on with said particular incident / warranty repair. Though that's not letting Sony off the hook; as the company hiring said contractors they should be whipping the contractors up-to standard. Which from the sounds of things isn't happening.

Moral of the story? When you buy an electronic gadget today and you don't live in the manufacturer's home country (ie, Samsung in Korea, and Sony in Japan), you're better off praying that your device lasts a long time than hoping a warranty repair ends positively.

PS - After-sale service standards by Sony Japan is acually quite low mind you. Samsung in Korea though is a completely different story; they quite literally go head-over-heels for consumers even if a device is out-of-warranty. I had a SGH-D600 phone (5 years old, not sold in Korea, and bought in New Zealand), repaired free of charge in Korea after it got run over by a car, damaging the upper slider and LCD screen. FREE OF CHARGE. Though it took 2 weeks as they had to source parts (understandable as Samsung never sold said phone in Korea). Never tried Sony devices; the only Sony I own is my VGN-Z, an SACD player, and the Xperia Arc S.

[dynamicbio]

Update:   I actually received the replacement MH-650 handsfree from Sony and...they are not working.

Whenever I plug them to the Arc S, a message pops 'Accessory not supported'.

The small tag on the handsfree says MH-650c.

Oh , I just read on another thread -  http://talk.sonymobile.com/thread/59587 - that

Arc S and all Xperia 2011 phones have OMTP stantard and work with MH-650.

Xperia 2012 have CTIA standard and work with MH-650c.

So, I was sent the wrong replacement.

It's so annoying it's almost funny 😕

[Johan]

I'm sorry to hear. Please send me your details in a PM and I will forward this to responsible person for your market to have someone contact you about this.

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