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Mobile Phone warranty denied

Sometimes, we face situations when we know we are being treated unfairly, but we're unable to do anything.
This article is intended to bring forth the solutions to one such problem. It is not intended to malign anyone.


My mobile phone died suddenly in sixth month of usage. As per the warranty conditions in India, the company provides warranty for one year on handset and for six months on accessories, and battery.

I took it for repair  under warranty which I expected would be free of cost. The representative at service center took a cursory look at the phone and told me that it would cost me Rs 1800/- and there is physical damage to the charging port (broken).
I suspected foul play (sixth sense or something) as the charging pin could not have been broken by me.
It was observed that the charging port was actually BURNT and not broken. There were visible signs of melted plastic around the charging port when the back cover was opened. On showing this to the representative, I was still told that it must be due to some voltage fluctuation and would not be covered under warranty.

Now, normally we would have following options:
1. Get the phone repaired and pay for it - warranty stays intact. (What is that helpful for anyways?)
2. Get it repaired from unauthorized repair shops for almost half the price and loose further warranty.

The questions which lingered in my mind was - What is the benefit of warranty when I need to pay for the damage which is not due to physical abuse i.e. broken due to mishandling or something similar?

I told the representative that the burning must be due to internal overheating and cannot be simply blamed on me unless proved otherwise. When not being reconsidered, I told them that I would take this matter to the company. Still got no positive response from them as can be expected.

I, then, contacted the company via email with all the details regarding the non-functional phone, how and when I noticed the problem and how it should be covered under warranty. This email included the T&Cs of warranty described in their website. I got response seeking more details & photographs of the damaged phone. I gave them the same. This information sharing continued for about 10 days emails, phone calls from their side. Though I was contemplating taking the matter to consumer forum, I NEVER told them that. I just maintained a record of every conversation with them just in case. Only told them that what is expected on the first visit at service center is taking so much time.

Then, I got a call from the service center to give them the phone and they'll repair it after getting approval from the company.
The repair time is about 10 minutes after approval time of 3 days.

So, after about 15 days, I got it repaired for free.

Reason for denial of service in the first instance may be:
1. They did not want to be bothered to take approval.
2. They really thought that it is not covered under warranty.
3. They wanted to charge me but claim it under warranty from the company.
Guess, we'll not be able to find it out.

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