PRS-600 UK Sony Warranty is useless!

[poshm]

Glad you've got yourself another e-reader device OP and that your first experience hasn't totally put you off. Hey you may well love the 505 even more!

I bought my Kindle 2 off eBay - you can get some great bargains if you are careful who you buy from

[Gatecra5her]

Yeah I like the technology and devices, just a bad experience with business I suppose

Hopefully I can move on from complaining on this forum to contributing in other threads now Though I have yet to get a response from my letter to sony I suppose!

[Hogan]

Originally Posted by Gatecra5her

Yeah I like the technology and devices, just a bad experience with business I suppose

Hopefully I can move on from complaining on this forum to contributing in other threads now Though I have yet to get a response from my letter to sony I suppose!

Sorry to chime in late but I think its worth sharing a story from a friend of mine. He bought a 42" plasma TV and it failed after 18 months (the warranty was for 12 months). This was when plasmas were just out so he paid a lot of money for it.

He was pretty annoyed and after getting the old "out of warranty" speil he rang the Cititzens advice. They said that in the UK electronic devices are legally supposed to work for 7 years (outside of damage that is)! He filed a claim with the small claims court and he had a new TV within a couple of weeks. In other words it doesnt matter what the warranty is, electronic devices are guaranteed for 7 years under UK law (at least then that was the case).

These companies hope that most people will just give up so they can ditch their responsibilities under the law. You should probably forget about trying to reason with them and just file a claim with the small claims court. They will have to prove that you broke it, which is practically impossible unless they can prove the outside casing was damaged when they received it (which seems unlikely given what you've said).

[Gatecra5her]

Thanks for the reply Hogan - that may be something I have to look in to!

Well, I finally got a reply from my letter in the form of a quick phone call. A copy of my letter is as follows:

Dear Sir/Madam


Re: Sony PRS -600 Touch Reader repair


I returned the above reader on Friday 12th February 2010 with a faulty screen. After providing proof of purchase I was told by Christine from Sony Central Service that my reader would be repaired under warranty with no cost from myself. However, a day later I received a letter stating the repair cost would be £216.82 as the engineer now deemed the unit to be damaged.

I contacted Sony Central Service immediately and spoke to Christine, who advised me that the warranty does not cover damage, only mechanical failure and yet she was unable to distinguish between the two definitions and eventually implied that I had caused the damage by physical impact. I was given the number to contact to escalate the matter: 08705111999.

I phoned this number and spoke to Michael, who claimed to be a supervisor. Michael contacted the engineer who examined the device and ascertained that there was damage to the sub-screen of the reader. The engineer did not know how this damage came about, so denied the warranty repair. Michael again implied physical impact, despite the unit suffering no scratches or evidence of impact. His final argument was that the unit can be dropped hard enough to shatter the internals of the device, yet not hard enough to cause any blemishes to the externals – I would imagine this feat requires a margin of error with an accuracy far beyond human action.

Michael also advised that unless I could prove beyond a doubt that I never damaged the reader, then the repair would not be under warranty. I suspect that it would be impossible to prove such a thing, and worry about the implications of this approach as this concept could be applied to deny all warranty claims.

On 25th February 2010 I contacted Trading Standards, Liverpool, and explained my situation at length. I was advised by them that under the Sales of Goods Act 1979, any appliance which develops a fault within the first 6 months of purchase can be deemed to be faulty before said purchasing. Furthermore, if Sony cannot prove unconditionally that it was I that caused the damage to the reader (via blemishes, evidence of bad treatment etc) then the reverse Burden of Proof lies with them. This is the polar opposite of what I was advised by Michael.

I therefore ask politely for categorical proof that I caused damage to the unit, and if proof cannot be produced I request that the unit be repaired and sent back to me. I am made aware of the fact that all calls are recorded and invite you to listen to these recordings if any facts in this letter are in dispute by any parties mentioned.

When I was called earlier today by Michael I was simply told that since it was deemed accidental damage then they wouldn't cover it, and I should phone Sony central service again. Seems I'm simply being bounced around different departments - I quoted the letter stating that by law they must prove I caused the damage, but their reply was still that I must prove I never damaged it!

My '505 will be here tomorrow anyway!

[Patricia]

Perhaps the screen got damaged when it was in the post to Sony.
But I would certainly pursue the claim with the help of the trading Standards people.

[omk3]

Was your email too long for them to read it to the end?
I hate it when they reply to show that they care, while it's obvious they haven't even bothered to read your comments first...

If just quoting Trading Standards doesn't work, what should be the next step? I think more advice from Trading Standards might be in order...

Enjoy your prs-505, it's a really good device. But don't let this matter go, I'd hate to see them get away with it...

[Gatecra5her]

I asked for pictures of the damage - this is what I got, the same view as when I shipped it off in the first place! What use is this?

[Hogan]

Originally Posted by Gatecra5her

I asked for pictures of the damage - this is what I got, the same view as when I shipped it off in the first place! What use is this?

Yep, I think you've reached the stage where you should work with Trading Standards or Citizens Advice to go ahead and file a claim in the small claims court, otherwise you'll be beating your head off a wall for months.

There's clearly no external damage going by those pictures. I think its going to be nigh on impossible for them to claim that you damaged it without there being visible signs of abuse on the external casing.

[CarlosMac]

Hi to all
Sorry to here about Sony's Customer service and thought I'd share my experience
After reading this I prepared my self for a verbal battle and headed off to Waterstones following the demise of the Wifes Christmas present at the weekend(PRS 600). Same problem as in the thread where it was working, switched off and then when switched back on the sceen almost seemed to crack with a black mist spreadingacross the screen followed by a complete inability to charge.
I did have the reciept and box and was prepared to quote trading standards and all but got a very pleasent reponse from the Sales assistant of

Oh, thats not good is it. Luckily we've got some in stock. If you can wait for a moment I'll just go and get one for you and we'll exchange it.

So for my experience it was a big thumbs up for Waterstones

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Gatecra5her

I asked for pictures of the damage - this is what I got, the same view as when I shipped it off in the first place! What use is this?

That's a classic picture of a broken substrate - the thin glass layer that's underneath the outer screen has fractured; you can clearly see the line of the break in the pictures.

This is physical damage and will not be covered by warranty. The same would be true for any brand of reader; it's not Sony being "stroppy".

[Gatecra5her]

I understand that it's damaged, my arguement is that this should not have happened given that it's been treated like a newborn baby! Never dropped, never misused, never pressed hard on the touch screen - I just don't see how it's shattered!

Sony have said they'll go as far as to return it without the £27.50 charge - I've got a PRS505 now and I'm happy with that so I might just try and sell it for spares, not sure it'll sell though.

I wasn't accusing Sony of being "stroppy", I'm simply a little angry that £250 has been wasted! Wouldn't you be?

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Gatecra5her

I understand that it's damaged, my arguement is that this should not have happened given that it's been treated like a newborn baby! Never dropped, never misused, never pressed hard on the touch screen - I just don't see how it's shattered!

Do you bring it from one temp to another? Like cold outside to warm inside?

BOb

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Gatecra5her

I wasn't accusing Sony of being "stroppy", I'm simply a little angry that £250 has been wasted! Wouldn't you be?

I completely understand your frustration, but I think the thread title is a little misleading; Sony's warranty certainly isn't "useless"; it simply doesn't cover this type of damage.

[UserSmart]

Hi, I bought a Sony PRS 600 eReader just after Christmas 2009 and had to take it straight back to WaterStones as it did not work at all. The second one lasted a month and when turning a page, part of the previous page stuck on the screen. Whenever you look at a page all you can see at the top of the screen is part of the original page. I returned it to Waterstones who sent it on to Sony after ascertaining that there was no physical damage to the unit in terms of scratches, dents etc. Sony Central Service send me a bill for £200 plus quoting physical damage. I query it, they send me a photograph, showing me a picture of the screen with the artifact showing and tell me it is physically damaged. I argue the case and they send me off to another number, who then send me back to Sony Central Service to take it up with them. Now I usually buy Sony products, good quality etc. but obviously no more. Is there a Consumer Service that I can complain to, or should I just go straight to a solicitor? I bought it using my debit card, but I dont know if you get the same protection as using a credit card. Any advice would be appreciatied. Thanks.

[gwynevans]

IANAL but it seems to me that your (and the OP's) best chance of a resolution is dealing with Waterstones, not Sony, and specifically with regard to the Sale of Goods act - See here for the advice to retailers as to what they /should/ do.