Would you return this mobile? How is DSE at refunds/credit?

Geekomatic on 26/08/2014 - 00:21

Hi all,

I bought the Huawei G526 last Nov. when they had that one-day $99 deal.

It worked fairly speedily (still does) but it has glitches that I've put up with that I just cannot stand any longer.

I've done factory resets to no avail.

1) it constantly turns down the ringer volume on it's own. I am continuously missing calls- & this is my work phone.

2) it seems to hibernate on it's own. If I leave it sitting, it stops receiving messages, alerts (such as Skype or other things like emails coming in, etc). Then when I pick it up to check it (usually to see if my ringer is off again!), I suddenly get all of the messages/emails/alerts at once.

I've tried all sorts of stuff found on the net & nothing helps. I know it's not right because I bought the same phone for my daughter from Kmart last sale they had & hers is fine.

How are DSE about returning something like this? I know I won't be able to sit there & actually show them this because sometimes it can take longer for the volume to turn itself down or for the message thing to occur…

Looking for guidance & opinions,

Ta!

Mobile Huawei Mobile Phone Android

Related Stores

Dick Smith / Kogan
Dick Smith / Kogan
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Comments

  • rewstar on 26/08/2014 - 00:32

    DSE would just tell you its a warranty issue (nearly a year old phone) and for you to follow it up with Huawei.

    • eatwell365 on 26/08/2014 - 01:06

      DIck is a hole re warranty - as soon as money paid, it suddenly becomes a warranty issue. Dick now stuck a piece of paper saying it's under their discretion to give customers a repair, credit or refund. I would avoid shop with DIck unless it's super special. Very often I walked into a Dick store, staff is trying sell to the seniors (who may not know too much) retiring technology on inflated price. Sad!

      • [Deactivated] on 26/08/2014 - 10:12

        Strange…. Dick Smith handled my Galaxy S3 warranty perfectly and with good turn around time.

        And this was about 20 months after purchase.

  • Geekomatic on 26/08/2014 - 01:03
    +1

    I've actually sent an email to Huawei today.

    I just know that places like Officeworks (at least the one here) will actually handle the return for you if it's within 12 months.

    Ta

    • Cheeper on 26/08/2014 - 02:10
      +1

      I have found OW to be good with problem products around here also. DSE not so helpful :-(

      • [Deactivated] on 29/08/2014 - 12:56

        Yeah Officeworks is great for warranties.

  • Belistic on 26/08/2014 - 01:07
    +3

    Under consumer law, isn't the store you purchased the item from, the one who deals with your warranty ? You shouldn't have to deal with the manufacture directly…
    I thought it was, I may be wrong…

    • Cheeper on 26/08/2014 - 02:17
      +1

      100% correct Belistic.
      The retailer you purchased the item from is the prime source under aust consumer law for handling warranty returns.
      Unfortunately, whilst the ACL does exist, most retailers know that it is a toothless tiger and not directly enforceable.
      You will find the manufacturer will be more helpful than some retailers.
      To obtain any rights under ACL you have to take the retailer to a tribunal where you will have to pay a fee. The outcome at a tribunal is not guaranteed.
      In short… we do have a retailer & consumer guide in the ACL but we have no enforcement.

      In a recent incident I had with a major retailer they totally ignored my enquiries and also the DOFT.
      I could only get assistance from the manufacturer and even that was a obstructive and difficult.
      The retailer had been fined more than once before but still maintained their attitude.

      • lakers1222 on 26/08/2014 - 04:41

        Under consumer law, isn't the store you purchased the item from, the one who deals with your warranty ? You shouldn't have to deal with the manufacture directly

        exactly right. It's illegal for dick smith to force you into dealing with the manufacturer yourself. Dick Smith must fix it for you.

        Don’t mislead consumers about their rights
        -You must not tell customers they should approach the manufacturer or importer of the good for assistance – the seller must deal with the problem when approached.
        -You must not suggest that their consumer guarantees are limited to any warranty period – the consumer guarantees apply regardless of any warranties in place.

        http://www.accc.gov.au/business/treating-customers-fairly/co…

        • Cheeper on 26/08/2014 - 13:54

          @ Lakers … and what do you do when they ignore you? Who forces them to process your claim or follow ACL? That part is missing from ACL… the page is blank :-(

      • Davo1111 on 26/08/2014 - 08:51
        +2

        This guy speaks the truth

        To obtain any rights under ACL you have to take the retailer to a tribunal where you will have to pay a fee. The outcome at a tribunal is not guaranteed.

        Not only do you have to pay the fee (35 for students, double that for adults). You need to get evidence from an expert that the product is faulty. So once you factor in that + tribunal fees + day out of work, you're well in excess of the replacement price of the phone

        • Cheeper on 26/08/2014 - 14:04

          I learnt the hard way Davo. Had a faulty tv and the retailer just ignored me (hn). Had to deal direct with the maker (pana) who were also less than accommodating in getting the matter sorted. :-( ACL is laughed at.

    • endotherm on 26/08/2014 - 13:20

      There is a lot of poorly worded advice in a lot of these comments. Under the ACL, it isn't necessarily the store but the retailer (could be any store if not a franchise) who deals with the warranty. The retailer is not necessarily the prime source for handling the return, it is your choice who you deal with. Also you don't have to deal with the manufacturer directly, but you can if you want to, it is your choice who you deal with. Sometimes I'd prefer to deal with the manufacturer as the turnaround would be faster and the complaint is not double-handled. The ACL is NOT a toothless tiger, and proper complaints will be investigated and pursued on your behalf by the ACCC or Consumer Affairs. It would be a foolish retailer that chooses to deliberately ignore the law and your rights. Refer to the MSY case for example. You do NOT have to personally prosecute the matter yourself (or pay to have a tribunal hear a case) if the matter is a breach of the ACL, that is the role of the ACCC or Consumer Affairs. Don't confuse this with bringing a complaint about a matter not related to the ACL, for that you will probably need to bring the action yourself.

      • Davo1111 on 26/08/2014 - 16:43

        I completely disagree.

        ACCC is a statistics gatherer, they look at the number of complaints, then investigate if it's more than normal. Call them up next time, and they'll want the business name and that's it. Once you get through to an operator, if you're on there for more than 2 minutes, i'll be surprised.

        Office of fair trading will contact on your behalf, but they won't enforce anything. I took a large computer manufacturer to the CTTT. OFT tried to negotiate, said the manufacturer said no, and then said you'll need to fight it yourself.

        This is all from experience.

  • rambao9 on 26/08/2014 - 03:30
    +1

    2) it seems to hibernate on it's own. If I leave it sitting, it stops receiving messages, alerts (such as Skype or other things like emails coming in, etc). Then when I pick it up to check it (usually to see if my ringer is off again!), I suddenly get all of the messages/emails/alerts at once.

    Is this a power saving feature where it turns off network when it locks? o_O

    • Unorthodox on 26/08/2014 - 06:50

      I agree with this, check your settings OP, might be turned on to save battery.

      Also disconnects WiFi when the screen is off

      • Geekomatic on 26/08/2014 - 16:52

        I have…it's set to "always on"…I tell you, I've dug around the thing & nothing seems to work.

        I tried an app to lock the volume— but it ended up freezing the phone. I also have tried apps to keep wifi on…they just don't work.

        And really, that's all beside the point, isn't it? If my daughter has the identical phone & it doesn't do this, and if factory resets don't fix it, then the only answer is a faulty phone. It's ridiculous that the consumers are sent out to try, try, try some 3rd party software to rectify what is clearly poor hardware or software from the maker. Literally, this happened again before I put anything on it— straight after a reset.

        No reply from Huawei yet. I'll let you know.

  • godofpizza on 26/08/2014 - 12:18

    sorry to hijack this thread.i have a huawei y201 which is dead after 6months of use. I tried to return it to coles but they asked me to deal with huawei.after calling huawei, they told me i have to find a telstra dealer to get it repaired. is this right?

    • Cheeper on 26/08/2014 - 14:02

      Under the "toothless" Australian Consumer Law, Coles (the retailer in your case) is responsible to process your faulty item claim.

      Now… :-) It is standard practice for supermarket sold "pre paid" phone customers to be instructed to take it to the telco to have it assessed as the supermarket cannot assess such items.

      You may find that when you go to a Telco shop to get assistance your enquiry may be met with less than friendly interest as most telco shops are franchises and only want to service their own customers. That is fair enough.

      In short, yes, take it to a Telstra shop and try your luck. You may have to contact Huawei if they don't offer much assistance.

  • wbeer on 26/08/2014 - 14:14

    Dick Smith will send it away if you ask them - for warranty/repair. Unlikely to get a refund or a store credit.

    They will do this with certain brands (DickSmith home brands are replacement/refund for example)

  • tebbybabes on 26/08/2014 - 14:44
    +2

    Just wanted to chime in, that my experience with DS hasn't been bad at all. I Once had to return a Nexus 7 device to them and they had no problem with taking the device and just giving me a new one. It just wasn't almost a year old though. But it wasn't brand new, it would have been a month or two already. I guess it just depends on the store manager and how he's feeling that day whether there would be any dramas with a warranty concern.

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