I bought an expensive mobile phone from the Link on fargate, 3months ago, now for no apparent reason it as died on me, so still under guarantee I took it back, they sent it off to be repaired at their own repairers I thought that they would have sent it off to nokia.

Anyway went back a week later hoping for my phone to have been repaired only to be told that the mechanics of the phone had been water damaged and its gurantee was therefore invalid. "No way" I said it had not been in water.

Can anyone give me any advice on what to do next?

Trading standards - you are sure that its not been in water of course!

What warranty details have you got with the phone there should be something with Nokia, with some contact details, give that a try.

Good luck!

Originally posted by Tony
Trading standards - you are sure that its not been in water of course!

Yes, saying that they say that only a small amount can damage a phone. I've had over half a dozen phones and never had any problems this includes dropping them on the floor.

Originally posted by zxczxc
What warranty details have you got with the phone there should be something with Nokia, with some contact details, give that a try.

Good luck!

Actually I thought that they would have sent it to nokia who are the manufacturers. I think I'll give them a go.

Assuming you havent dropped it in any puddles or been swimming with it (i.e. general use only) then the phone isn't fit for the purpose for which it has been sold and you are entitled to a full refund or a replacement. See Trading Standards ASAP! Oh and be prepared to fight your corner - it may well take a fair amount of time and effort - big chains like this assume you won't complain too much and they will get away with screwing you...

It might also be worth contacting the press as sometimes the threat of bad publicity can help them see the error of their ways.

And of course the company will have to prove that the water-damage didn't occur whilst in their hands!! I mean, how many people have handled it since you handed it over?

Originally posted by evildrneil
Assuming you havent dropped it in any puddles or been swimming with it (i.e. general use only) then the phone isn't fit for the purpose for which it has been sold and you are entitled to a full refund or a replacement. See Trading Standards ASAP! Oh and be prepared to fight your corner - it may well take a fair amount of time and effort - big chains like this assume you won't complain too much and they will get away with screwing you...

Well I've taken the sim card out of my faulty phone and it works fine in my other, surely the sim card would be damaged too if that was the case.

I do feel somewhat fobbed off.

Personally I think the shop isn't standing up for you...they don't sound like a place I would be returning to for service. I had an Ericsson phone that was in my bag along with a thermos of iced tea with a cap not screwed on properly...you can figure out the rest. I took it right back to the store told them what happened and they gave me a brand new phone 2 days later.

So the moral of the story is...I don't know that they are obligated to help you out but hey a good store would go to bat for you.

So let's remind ourselves that the store is LINK on Fargate :mad:

I use the one in Meadowhall quite a bit, never had any problems with them, the staff even know what they're on about which is unusual for customer service staff in ANY kind of shop :D

Originally posted by genesiscouch
Personally I think the shop isn't standing up for you...they don't sound like a place I would be returning to for service. I had an Ericsson phone that was in my bag along with a thermos of iced tea with a cap not screwed on properly...you can figure out the rest. I took it right back to the store told them what happened and they gave me a brand new phone 2 days later.

So the moral of the story is...I don't know that they are obligated to help you out but hey a good store would go to bat for you.

You know what bugs me, is that they ain't given me a quote to have it fixed, or offered me some kind of reduced deal for another phone.

They could have quite easily have said " Sorry Mr Hope but your phones knackered due to moisture, but we can fix it for a tenner" or "Its knackered but we can offer you an identical phone for 10% off"

It just stinks a little

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANSES go to Phones4u - their customer service is absolutley dreadful, I won't start for fear of going on a huge rant, this is the FARGATE branch as well.

Orange (Fargate) on the other hand, were VERY helpful, couldn't hope for better service anywhere.

If you feel the need to complain about ANYTHING...go straight to the top bod. ie the top guy/gal of Nokia and not only explain your dismay at the state of your phone but your dissatisfaction with the customer relations etc etc at The Link. You will usually get something extra if you know what I mean.

I dropped my Nokia in the bog once :blush: Slipped out of my back pocket as I was pulling me trousers down.


I picked it out immediately but it still shorted out. But an evening on the dehumidifier saw it fine. Switched it on the next morning and all was well.


I would ask to speak to the manager of the shop and inform him that your not happy LOUDLY infront of all the other customers. If he still refuses tell him you won't leave the shop until he sorts it out, and will be contacting HEAD OFFICE about his attitude towards customers.

Originally posted by Babooshka
If you feel the need to complain about ANYTHING...go straight to the top bod. ie the top guy/gal of Nokia and not only explain your dismay at the state of your phone but you dissatisfaction with the customer relations etc etc at The Link. You will usually get something extra if you know what I mean.

Yup exactly. This is exactly what you want to say: explain your dismay at the state of your phone but you dissatisfaction with the customer relations etc etc at The Link

Don't harp on the fact that the phone is busted an they deserve to fix it...b/c they may not "have" to. Instead tell them you are a loyal Nokia customer, have been using Nokia for x years (I'm just presuming here) have always been so happy with them and are severely disappointed as this one has died etc. blah blah. Be nice, be civil, be sad, disappointed, let down. Tell them The Link has not been taking care of you but you were hoping Nokia themselves would be willing to help you out or give you an alternative. And last of all be persistant! Don't get off the phone until you get what you want. Record everything on a notepad (who you talked, to when you talked to them). If you are civil, persistant, and offer a solution to your problem you will get it.

Yes. Always be pleasant but firm. State what you want and expect and that means they don't have to think about a solution coz you have done it for them. If you are persistant then they are just happy to give you something to go away ! Everyone's a winner!

1- ring the customer service telephone number, noting who you spoke to
2- write and keep a copy of your first, POLITE, letter to the customer service address or to the store manager
3- if still no joy, write a stronger letter to the same place, remembering to keep it polite but firm. This is the time to start mentioning contacting the press (National press also, not just Sheffield Star)
4- if they still refuse to at least examine your phone again with a view to the possibility that the first inspection was erroneous, then contact the press.

Keep contacts of all letters, and if you do contact the press, make sure to forward a copy to the person you wrote to previously.

Good luck! :)

Chris bought a phone from the meadowhall store and it was about as good as. The buttons didn't work unless you pressed them really hard and GPRS didn't work either... It was a T-Mobile phone...

So we took it to the store on fargate and the man behind the counter said we couldn't return it because there is no returns policy with T-mobile...

So out came the phone and we told him to make it work.... It didn't and we reminded him of it being bought just days ago and soon enough he refunded the money... No returns policy my eye... :loopy:

Originally posted by caprice
Chris bought a phone from the meadowhall store and it was about as good as. The buttons didn't work unless you pressed them really hard and GPRS didn't work either... It was a T-Mobile phone...

So we took it to the store on fargate and the man behind the counter said we couldn't return it because there is no returns policy with T-mobile...

So out came the phone and we told him to make it work.... It didn't and we reminded him of it being bought just days ago and soon enough he refunded the money... No returns policy my eye... :loopy:

This is slightly different though Caprice as under the Sale of Goods Act this phone wasn't fit for it's purpose if they do not replace it they are breaking the law and can be prosecuted by Trading Standards - the rules change after 30 days.

Keep pleading your case and show them your not going to leave it at that...They'll probaly give in and sort something out with you.

They certainly arent getting a good recommendation here on SF - which is chock full of their customers, past present and possibly future - as long as they sort it out ;) Ahhh... the power of the interwebby.