BEYOND ECONOMIC REPAIR - Unbelievable and poor customer service in UK

[macka_moose]

I have a Xperia Z3 compact. 1 year old and the back is cracked - my fault, I dropped it, otherwise it works perfectly.

Becauser it's waterproof I thought that I'd return it to Sony for repair - I expected a bigger estimate than a non Sony repair  but it was only cosmetic after all so the bill wouldn't be that big would it?

I was shocked to get an email saying it was 'beyond economic repair' and that Sony would supply a replacement for £280... I then had to pay £20:54 to get my phone back and get it repaired locally (for £20), its sometimes called sharp practice. and its just as well that Sony dont repair cars isn't it.

Sony Ts and Cs state that a charge is payable if I decline the repair quote

I wrote to Sony and asked for a refund of my £20:54 as I had not declined the repair, they had refused to repair it.

Sony have so far refused to make a refund - Ive spoken to Citizens Advice and they advice me to go to the small claims court - but £20 ? Is it worth the effort? I've offered to abide by any decision made by a independent arbitrator - I've had no answer.

SO - Obviously I wont be using their service ever again but why have I posted this on here ?

Well I think that other potential users of the Sony repair service should be aware and pre warned!

If Sony write my phone off for £20 cosmetic damage - then presumably there are not many faults that they would fix, any phone that is out of warranty is potentially scrap, and it'll cost you over £20 to find out. 

[macka_moose]

Thanks for the many replies.
The reason I sent it to Sony and was prepared to pay a higher price was to ensure it was waterproof and remained genuine, once Sony refused to repair it I was left with no alternative, I had to gey a local repair.
One reply said that Sony should have quoted £600 - I assume that was sarcastic - but thats exactly what I think they should have done as the manufacturer, I might not like the price in which case it was my choice whether to pay to get it returned, no argument.
Someone on here (uliwooly) who may well be Sony employee, writes that I shouldn't generalise and stay in contact with local support, well, local support were the ones that ripped me off for £20 and wont refund so not a good solution! and secindly I didnt generalise, I pointed out what happened to me, if others have the same issue then I think its worth sharing the poor experience, thats the beauty of sites like Trip Advisor. I think poor customer service should always be publicised, power to the people.

[macka_moose]

Update - For Info.

I offered to go to arbitration with Sony, however they inform me they are not members of any trade body.

So I took it to the Advertising STandards Authority - the website is misleading and does not make clear that SOny will still levy a charge even if THEY decide not to repair.

ASA upheld my complaint and SOny has agree to change the webpages.

Your complaint – Sony Mobile Communications

Thank you for contacting the ASA and for your patience whilst I assessed your concerns.

Once we reviewed the ad in light of your complaint, we thought you had a valid point and instructed the advertiser to amend the ad - they have now agreed to do this.

Now we’ve resolved your complaint, basic information including the advertisers’ name and where the ad appeared will be published on our website, www.asa.org.uk. 

[crashuk1]

Just don't buy their products they did the same to me.

This is one of the reasons why Sony Mobile sales are dropping of the cliff.

I have spoken to a lot of people that had similar issues they no longer buy Sony.