[Resolved] Plastic cracked ALREADY?! I've only had it three days!!

[Guest glossywhite]

I've just noticed a tiny crack under the volume down ( - ) button - I've had this phone THREE DAYS, and it's only been in my hand, literally, and not dropped or put down hard.

This is appallingly poor plastic!

"Dear Gigabyte, spraying plastic SILVER doesn't turn it into metal"

What action does one take? Astounded!

PS: The back has not been off, and never will be off. Gorilla glass... monkey plastic!

Orange will be having this back, and they will keep sending me replacements until such time as I have one that still has NO cracks after two months. I'll have it replaced as many times as is necessary, I am not fussed - if you sell inferior junk, expect returns!

Edited April 3, 2013 by glossywhite

[Guest markhuges]

Same thing happened to me I have 3 Cracks all on one side, kept in good condition, and only dropped it once from 30-40 cm on a rug on top of Carpet. Suppose you get what you paid for at £99, compromise on quality for hardware. Goodluck calling Orange, from my experience there not the best at Customer Service. Best of Luck

[Guest i am not a hacker]

Who cares about a tiny hairline crack? You even looked took the picture with a magnifying glass - that's how small it is.

[Guest Andymac1969]

Just been over mine with a fine tooth comb, and not so much as a scratch or spec of dust on it, but then I treat it better than my kids :P It has a soft silicone case on, and is handled very gently, just like my G300 which is 18 months old but looks like it just came out the box

[Guest glossywhite]

@iamnotahacker

Yes, you're right; I mean it only cost me £100, and for those who bought it last year, it was only £200, and I suppose that complaining wouldn't be very British of me. Let's face it, it's only a sub-par finish on an expensive product - don't want people thinking that high standards matter, do I?

Yeah? No, not at all - this is ridiculous and it IS going to be swapped out. If this were an iPod, you'd soon be making a fuss - £100 is £100, and I'm reasonable in expecting a 4 DAY old phone not to crack whilst being used gently. It doesn't make a bit of difference whether it was £10 or £100 - "not fit for purpose" describes it well.

Edited April 3, 2013 by glossywhite

[Guest glossywhite]

It seems "customer service" (I use that term loosely), are only too willing to accuse me of having abused the phone, even when I mentioned that many people here have had the same issue. The local Orange store manager informed me (incorrectly, according to their executive office) that the handset, even though being only 4 *days* old, would be "sent away for investigation and repair", and, bizarrely, the "Android team" in Plymouth, seemed to correlate my not so wonderful battery life with the crack in the silver trim, using that as an excuse why they could not replace the handset either (customer services seem to only be willing to transfer you to them, and the guy seemed totally disinterested, possibly accusational towards me :blink: )

I got the low down from the kind woman who replaced my 'phone - she said that their insurers no longer do couriered replacements as a matter of course, but the precise reason as to why? I didn't think to ask. I was told by another local store manager, that this new policy (which makes things harder for customers) not to do immediate swap outs, "puts US in awkward position with customers" - I can see what she means, yes. The EE takeover seems to have made "customer service" ( :D) worse, not better - why would you want to do that? o_O

A quick Google of "Orange Customer Relations" found me the right number for the executive office, where I was greeted by an extremely charismatic and VERY helpful lady, who changed the previous CS advisor's:

"Sorry, there's nothing else we can do"

into:

"that is totally unacceptable, I apologise, and it is obvious you are at the end of your tether by the fact you've had to call us, so I shall order the replacement now... would you like 9am-1pm, 1pm-5pm or 6pm-10pm?"

I wasn't too impressed that it had been implied that I had forcefully caused the crack to appear, even when I clearly stated that I hadn't, and asked him to consider that maybe the *design* was the aspect at fault, not the user.

Anyhoo, if anyone would like the number, I would suggest Googling "Orange Executive Office" - it's 0800 079 ****, but since they were so kind to me, I am reluctant to hand it out personally, since I was told it should not be online for the public, and it would be wrong to do so when she explicitly told me it is not public facing... but a little searching will find you it!

I have to thank the kind woman for putting her foot down and not being officious (which I did, genuinely and happily), which she so easily could have been, and resolving my frustrating issue. :)

Proof of replacement:

Edited April 3, 2013 by glossywhite

[Guest shootomanUK]

mine has a tiny crack in more or less the same place, tbh i only noticed it a few week ago, but ah well im not bothered really.

if you get a replacement open it up in-store and check the phone out so as you can get a direct replacement on the spot, i think them cracks could very well be on it before we even opened the box, they are that small and hardly noticeable :-/

[Guest glossywhite]

mine has a tiny crack in more or less the same place, tbh i only noticed it a few week ago, but ah well im not bothered really.

if you get a replacement open it up in-store and check the phone out so as you can get a direct replacement on the spot, i think them cracks could very well be on it before we even opened the box, they are that small and hardly noticeable :-/

Mr courier man is delivering it, so I'll ensure a thorough inspection is carried out!

I was told off by someone about ten years my junior, over the phone, implying I had "abused" it, LOL.

"Dear CS advisor, please override computer dictated 'policy' and engage common sense and courtesy before accusing customer of abusing their phone"

Edited April 3, 2013 by glossywhite

[Guest Andymac1969]

Deleted a needless and pointless post :blush:

Edited April 4, 2013 by Andymac1969

[Guest glossywhite]

Okay. My replacement came tonight, at 6pm. It came on 2.3.7 - is there anything anyone would like off this, since a GB OSD is quite rare now...

Thanks :)

[Guest Andymac1969]

Okay. My replacement came tonight, at 6pm. It came on 2.3.7 - is there anything anyone would like off this, since a GB OSD is quite rare now...

Thanks :)

I'll have the battery and the screen :P

[Guest glossywhite]

I'll have the battery and the screen :P

I'll wait for the predictable jokes to blow over :P

[Guest Ribs85]

To give some perspective here (and for the record, I am FULLY in sympathy for you here, you've clearly not done anything wrong), but for some reason I feel like playing devils advocate:

I work in retail (not for Orange/EE), and we sell mobile phones, amongst other things.

About 90% of the returns we get are due to idiots dropping or otherwise abusing devices. If we take these back and swap them, when we go back to the manufacturer to get credit, they (rightly so), tell us to get stuffed. So we loose money buying the original phone, then again on the replacement, and have actually made a loss due to the customer being dishonest and breaking their own phone. So now we repair before we replace. And yeah, about 90% of those phones don't get repaired due to the customer abusing the item.

Things we've had:

Phones dropped in water - "It just didn't turn on!" I could still see water under the screen. Repair agent agreed with me.

We once had a camera who's lens was stick... Customer actually got sand in the lens, told me at the time that it had been in a drawer for the past six months and "only been used at home for baby pictures". Customer then argued that a DSLR "should withstand a bit of sand on a beach", "that's funny sir, I thought you said you only used it at home?"

Once watched a customer plug the micro-USB charger in the WRONG WAY, no idea how she did it. She insisted she did nothing wrong and demanded I replace the phone there and then. Common sense about looking at the shape of what you plug in obviously didn't work for her.

My favourite: "It won't get past the Android logo!"... Press and hold volume-down when starting... I see ClockworkMod recovery. Well I guess someone screwed up a custom ROM flash and decided that we were liable. I did educate on that one, saying that if the customer got to recovery, they will be able to save the phone. Warranty was void tho, even for hardware problems.

This is a tiny amount of the crap we have to deal with on a daily basis. If we still replaced every device we had back, we'd be out of business by now. We do 'replace on the spot' some items which we can clearly tell are duds.

So yeah, I'm fully sympathetic, I really am, you're clearly one of the 10% that got a dud, and the experience for you had been ruiend by the other 90% of dishonest idiots that are out there, because I'm sure those Orange staff have had similar experiences, and they don't like giving away the company's money for no reason. I can't say I blame Orange/EE for changing the policy, was probably costing them a fortune.

I also can't say I agree with the poor service you got, either.

[Guest Konstipated Kiwi]

Chuckle. To an extent I am sympathetic. It's not a nice feeling when the precious device you have parted with a lot of money for is marked within a few days of purchase even though you have handled with care. I, too, have a similar crack just below the micro HDMI socket despite being extremely careful with my phone.

However, to describe the device as "not fit for purpose" actually did make me laugh out loud. What, exactly, is the intended purpose that no no longer be achieved due to the presence of a hairline crack in the [whatever that part of the phone is called]? Does it no longer take pictures? Can you no longer read the screen? Perhaps the crack prevents access to the Internet? Oh gawd, of course...you can't make or receive calls when a hairline crack is present(!)

[Guest glossywhite]

...

However, to describe the device as "not fit for purpose" actually did make me laugh out loud. What, exactly, is the intended purpose that no no longer be achieved due to the presence of a hairline crack in the [whatever that part of the phone is called]? Does it no longer take pictures? Can you no longer read the screen? Perhaps the crack prevents access to the Internet? Oh gawd, of course...you can't make or receive calls when a hairline crack is present(!)

Here's a challenge:

Go and buy an iPhone 5, and after four days, the metal band around the side develops a visible crack. You're an honest person and you don't want to waste anyone's time, but you know full well you've treated it with kid gloves and yet this fracture appeared out of nowhere.

Now, tell me you wouldn't feel downhearted, which then turns to annoyance and frustration because of the flippant, dismissive and passive-aggressive accusational attitude of agents who you complain to about it?

You're probably going to tell me they're incomparable, or ask me what I can expect from a "budget" phone? This phone was £200 until recently, so that's not a card you can play.

"The bottom line is their bottom line", and that's the point most people use as the final word in why they should be less understanding... so a company's profit margin and annual reports takes precidence over doing the right thing to your customers who have chosen you over your competitors, who trust their money will buy them a reliable and satisfactory product that can withstand being used as intended?

Were you in ownership of a brand new iPhone, it would all be a different story suddenly, as Apple treat customers on a case by case basis, and tend to hire staff intelligent enough and positively enthused and passionate enough about what they represent, to not brush them off indifferently, citing "policy" in the first sentence they utter, and whom WANT to feel the satisfaction of having put your issue successfully to bed as they enjoy making the customers of the brand THEY WILLINGLY CHOSE to represent, feel valued and as if they want to keep buying from you.

To coin a tired cliche, this is literally apples and oranges.

Edited April 5, 2013 by glossywhite

[Guest glossywhite]

oops dupe, please remove

Edited April 5, 2013 by glossywhite

[Guest glossywhite]

Incredible, unexpected resolution to the stress I had last week, trying to get my replacement:

~~ [uPDATE] ~~

Unbelievably good news! :D

I just called my contact @ Orange executive office, and explained that I was not moaning or wanting to cause a fuss, but my *replacement* has also got a tiny crack (and I explained in detail where it was, and that it IS tiny and doesn't affect operation at all), and they said to me: "the best thing we can do for you is to offer you a full refund via cheque, since we don't want to keep sending you phones if they are going to have defects in them".

I asked what I would do to get the 'phone back to them for the refund, and they said: "Oh no, you keep the 'phone, it is the very least we can do for all the trouble you've had"

Oh my! What amazing service, and what a kind person! They also mentioned that my complaints about the fractures are taken very seriously, and have been fed back to the relevant people.

A FREE SAN DIEGO!

Mega impressed with that person / dept at Orange! Thank you!

[Guest Konstipated Kiwi]

Good to hear about the positive (and totally unexpected) bonus outcome. My point was not relevant in any way to the cost or value of the device in question. I acknowledged that it is not a nice feeling when you discover a blemish on a product you have only owned a handful of days. To me the brand and overall cost of the device matters not a jot (£100 is an awful lot of money to me and I was disappointed to see the crack in the body of my SD despite my handling it with kid gloves). My challenge was against your exaggerated use of the phrase "not fit for purpose". I think there is a slight difference between a a device not looking brand new and it not being capable of fulfilling its intended purpose. A hairline fracture in the side of casing does not diminish the functionality (i.e. 'purpose') of the device; it just compromises the 'appearance' (i.e. your vanity). It just made me lol, that's all.

You are, of course, entitled to ask for a replacement and I am genuinely pleased that it has worked out well for you. You don't get if you don't ask in this life. I do, though, have a little sympathy with the poster above who has/had to attempt to discern between the genuine customers and those who attempt to defraud.

[Guest glossywhite]

Thank you SO much for all your kindness and *excellent* service, Orange Executive Office!

Edited April 17, 2013 by glossywhite

[Guest Donkey Oaty]

Had mine three weeks and it now has the same tiny crack around the volume button. Is the crack likely to grow and cause big issues?

[Guest glossywhite]

Had mine three weeks and it now has the same tiny crack around the volume button. Is the crack likely to grow and cause big issues?

Why risk it? 0800 079 1034

The more complaints they get, the more likely they are to recognise this is not just a one off.

[Guest glossywhite]

Have pm'd you :-)

[Guest BlueMoonRising]

Had mine three weeks and it now has the same tiny crack around the volume button. Is the crack likely to grow and cause big issues?

If it's fully cracked across the plastic it obviously can't grow anymore. It shouldn't cause any issues either excepting of course if it bothers you. Only you can determine that and whether you want to take it any further.

[Guest Donkey Oaty]

It is fully cracked across the plastic in exactly the same point as highlighted in the original post by glossywhite. The plastic now flexes when i press the volume button and im concerned that it will weaken due to fatigue at the opposite end and i will lose the whole piece of plastic beside the switch.

I just returned from a store where they admitted they could see the problem but stated thatbit would likely be returned from repair claiming i had broken it.

I mentioned this thread and glossywhites's advice to call the executive office and they suggested this to be the best way forward.

I'll call Monday and hope the contact is available

Edited April 27, 2013 by Donkey Oaty

[Guest glossywhite]

Calling exec office got me a replacement shipped out overnight, and when that also had a tiny crack, exec office, off their own back, gave me:

* £110 cheque refund

* Told me to keep the phone for the trouble

* £30 airtime

* My unlock code within 2 weeks

So regardless of speculation by others, take it from one who has dealt with them personally, and be reassured that they **will** get you utmost satisfaction.