Hi guys! Mods please move this if it's in the wrong place. I feel like such a downer for always posting bad stuff, but i can't seem to get iPhone problems with globe out of my system. Last Sunday I left my iPhone 3g at Globe Telecoms Podium to have it repaired. I have been asking for a replacement unit since May, but has always been denied because they just give restoring the iPhone to the factory state as a solution. I finally had it and asked Globe to stop asking me reset my phone and replace it. I have the following complains: 1. Approximity Sensor is not working anymore - when i make a call the screen doesn't turn off anymore. 2. Battery drain - this has been going on since April this year and they keep on asking me to reset the phone to factory settings 3. Static / Voice Clarity issue - this has been solved by firmware reset but keeps on coming back after a time. So the girl at Globe helped me and took my phone in, she claimed that I need to go through a routine inspection of the Phone just to make sure i didn't do anything to it that devoids the warranty. So I said ok go ahead, cause i know i didn't do anything. At the end of her inspection she said that she thinks my phone got wet because the earphone jack is greyish. I said it didn't and it would have lighted up red if it did, she kept on insisting it was either light grey or red since their coach card said so. I said, ok just have it checked because as far as I know it NEVER got wet. Also she mentioned that there are hairline cracks near the sync interface, I said that's cosmetic, it shouldn't affect warranty. Next she made me sign this document that said if ever the phone was found to be out of warranty by APPLE, i have to pay for the repair cost of either 12980 if the phone can be repaired or 36980 if it can't be repaired but needs to be replaced, and here comes the tricky part which makes me question the whole Globe - Apple relationship. I said wait, my phone is under warranty. Why are you charging me 12K or 36K . The explanation is that if they send the phone to apple they automatically send one back and charge Globe, now if they find that the unit has been mishandled, the phone is automatically out of warranty(OW) and it's either repairable or not. If it's repairable, or i think they can refurbish it, you only have to pay 12k if not it's 36 for an new unit. Either way you'll get a new unit. I said I don't agree with this because you are cornering me to purchasing a new phone when my phone works but it has problems under warranty. what makes me so sure that you will not just write it off and charge me for repairs even if it's validly under warranty? Their only reply is this is our policy either go with it or we won't even asses your phone. I would like to state that i hesitantly signed the thing, but was confident that they wouldn't find anything because i know that as far as I know I wasn't doing anything wrong to the iPhone which would merit the warranty to be voided. Ok so today i went to Globe podium to check on my status, it's been a week and this is what I got. Sir we have feed back na, yes there is something wrong with your Phone and it can be repaired BUT apple has deemed your phone out of warranty because of the Hairline crack near the charge connector. ME: WHHHAAAATTTTT????? E kasi sir that's their recommendation e, so either you take the phone back and live with the problems or shell out 12K to have it replaced. ME AGAIN: wait, my phone is under warranty, why will it be considered void because of the scratches and cracks that i myself did not even notice. Oh and i do notice cracks on my gadgets because I'm OC with my gadgets. E sir kasi sabi ng apple mishandling daw e, diba nga ako sabi ko nabasa sya, ang nahanap lang ng apple crack e. yun lang daw. ME AGAIN VERY IRRITATED: Um wait, let me get this straight you won't replace or say repair my phone, and you want me to shell out 12k for another unit. I've only had this phone for less than a year, i'm still even paying for the balance of the 12 months - 0% interest promo and you want me to shell out another 12K? are you serious? you can't tell me that the hairline crack would merit my warranty void. IN FACT NO ONE EVER MENTIONED TO ME THAT CRACKS AND SCRATCHES MERIT WARRANTY VOID WHEN I FIRST GOT THE PHONE. TO PUT IT FRANKLY NO ONE EVEN EXPLAINED HOW WARRANTY GETS VOID OR WHAT MERITS WARRANTY TO BE VOID AND NOW YOUR TELLING ME THIS? E sir kasi ganun talaga sa apple e, alam mo nga daming ganyan ang kaso e ME TRYING TO STAY CALM: CAN"T I TALK TO ANYONE FROM APPLE? THIS CAN'T BE JUST THE ANSWER? I MEAN YOU GUYS ARE THE OFFICIAL CARRIER, YOU SHOULD PROTECT YOUR SUBSCRIBERS. Sir try nyo po tumawag ganun sasabihin lang nila sayo kausapin Globe, wala po talaga e. ano po balik na lang phone sa inyo? OK here's the thing, I really don't know what to do. I feel cheated, and I am gonna call Apple singapore to bring this issue to them. I have a feeling that Globe is just doing this to get more from users or so that they won't have to spend for replacements. I'm really dissatisfied with what is happening and I can't for the love of God understand why a hairline crack would merit my warranty void by Apple, The macbook gets hairline cracks and that doesn't void the warranty. I don't know if anyone here has experienced this already. If anyone has a feedback I hope you can help me with this. I am writing a letter to apple asia and (Even if deep down inside i know i shouldn't be even be doing this in the first place cause i have a warranty and i did not do anything wrong with my phone) appealing my case. This just sucks!
I emphatize with you in your situation. It's just right to elevate your issue to higher bodies (Apple Singapore, in this case) if you cannot get satisfaction with the local carrier. Please appraise us of developments as they arise.
Call Apple and demand they sort it out. Sometimes you even have to ask to talk to a supervisor if the first person doesn't help.
oh my goodness this is a horror story. as far as i know, hairline cracks are not covered by the warranty -NOT VOIDING IT altogether. how i wish that the iphone was sold at the apple stores instead of globe biz centers. i empathize with youu!!!!!!!
try to bring it to globe sm centerpoint. they replaced my unit within a week. though they make me sign a waiver, I told them that I won't sign it since its under warranty.
yikes. to be honest, it's hard to trust globe when it comes to these things. it sucks that globe is the carrier of the iPhone. it's good that you're bringing the matter directly to apple sg. hope it works out for you!
Globe is really lame... The only think to do here if I was in your place, is to contact Apple Customer Service and explain what happened. I know Apple would gladly replace any unit under warranty if it has a defect. This is why I don't get iPhones through Globe. Their after market support just sucks..
what I see in the case is that the one who received your unit didn't did anything and not even forward to Apple for check-up. they have refurbished units to replace any units under warranty that has no sign of tampering of seals. that is what they are charging your at 12T, for the outright replacement of unit under warranty, the other price she quote is for the service of replacing out of warranty unit that acquired from official carrier, she is just too lazy to did anything to have your unit check which I think Apple will be more than willing to replace if found its really factory defect, the unit should have been sent to Apple Singapore for evaluation and it should have a recommendation slip or something that Apple officially denies the warranty claim and give you option for replacement. try to ask her to show you proof that they forward it to Apple and the official reply from Apple. tell them so you can show the proof to DTI for complain as a consumer, get her name and elevate it to higher Globe officers. that always work with Globe, THEY ARE JUST TOO LAZY TO DO THEIR JOB to protect their subscribers.
if I were in your situation, I will try and do propaganda (which I am doing right now (will explain later)) until it reaches globe and make them sorry (hopefully) ok my propaganda: Don't Subscribe to Globe DUO, it' can't call PLDT or any other landlines.
Globe really sucks. The Filipino consumer needs more protection from lousy substandard treatment from these so called "service" companies. Once, a Globe CSR had advised my friend to not use the iPhone for Internet, be it 3G or WiFi so as to not get charged since, according to the CSR as long she used the iPhone for internet, she gets charged, even over WiFi. long story short: Globe says iPhones shouldn't be used for Internet unless you're willing to pay, even through WiFi! Another, a Globe CSR had advised my aunt to revert back to 2.x OS since her particular unit didn't work so well with 3.0 which was causing her phone to not be reachable when it clearly has signal. The CSR had said that her 3G unit probably wasn't used to 3.0 yet so she should either downgrade or just wait for it to get used to the 3.0. 3 people in my family plus myself have had problems with our iPhones not receiving calls despite having full signal and receiving SMS hours late after upgrading to 3.0. Globe advised us separately to downgrade to 2.x. When 2 of them who had problems went to HK with their iPhones roaming, their phones suddenly worked perfectly. So logical deduction suggests, it was Globe's problem. In the end, I managed to figure out that turning off PUSH mail (not notifications) if you didn't have the right APN settings fixes it. My theory is that the iPhones with PUSH set to ON periodically tries to connect to Globe's networks but then their networks weren't setup to handle that kind of packet, I am not knowledgeable with GSM, but in common networks, that can be easily handled through firewall rules. Bottom line, HK's carriers knew how to handle that but Globe didn't, to think they would have received the same training Apple most probably gave as they shook on the partnership. Again, a case of information not being passed on to their CSRs and then to the customer. They're charging me for 9 days worth of data charges, which was impossible. Naturally, I disputed the charges but 2 on-time bills from them after, my case is still pending. I refuse to pay my bill until they bill me correctly, and also deliver my iPhone 3GS which was reserved 2 months ago. Otherwise, I am cutting my line, even if it means I have to go through the hassle of changing contact info. I've had my line for at least 8 years already. I WOULD SIGN A PETITION TO HAVE APPLE DROP GLOBE AS THEIR OFFICIAL CARRIER. My email is [email protected] if anyone wants a 2nd motion.
Reading this and how Globe really treats customers makes me wanna puke. To the thread starter, I would've written them a letter AND called them.
And to think I nearly wanted to shift to Globe after my worries with Smart. This is one case when an out of warranty iphone bought from hong kong is better than the warrantied local one. Scratches on the phone voiding the warranty, come on... Local telcos spend too much on advertising. If only they shift to funds to actually improving their service. It is but natural that customers will go to the ones with better service. I did get a Sony phone replaced with smart several years ago. the replacement came after 2 months but at least it got replaced. but an iphone costs a lot more and is an investment for the buyer, which makes your situation all the more irritating. Why did apple have to partner with just a particular provider in the first place. I hope we have laws similar to Hong Kong where all phones need to be openline. We pay for thep phones AND the service anyway. Which brings me to another thing altogether, why does maynilad bother with advertisements (radio), who else would customers turn to for their water needs? but this is very much OT I hope you get to prove your case with apple. Then go back to Globe and show them an apple replacement right in front of their faces.
Replacement lang? Maybe this case would get Apple to void Globe's exclusivity and allow other Apple resellers to sell unlocked phones.
I brought my iPhone to globe shangri-la because it was malfunctioning. they said that this is their procedure: from the business center, it goes to an office where there are apple trained globe technicians to initially check the unit. if they can't replace it, then they send it to apple singapore. after another 2 weeks, globe called me and they said that my new iphone is at the business center already. They said that apple replaced it. Hairline scratches / crack at the bottom do NOT void warranty. Try getting the name of the person who handled your phone and talk to a supervisor. Threaten them of reporting them to DTI/NTC. Sometimes, these people need to be "pushed" a little bit for them to their jobs properly..
@Treb 22 - I am writing a letter to Globe and Apple. Globe actually asked me to address it to Apple since they kept on insisting that it's Apple's decision not their. I am really doubting that this is Apple's decision because my experience with Apple with regards to warranty has been very smooth, they don't make scratches and hairline cracks an excuse to revoke warranty. @ Daney_Waney - Yes that's the same procedure they explained to me, and that is also the reason they are giving on why they have to charge me for the "out of warranty replacement" because Apple is sending them a unit and charging them for it. Globe has a list of warning signs of so called misuse that is not covered by warranty and she is telling me that hairline cracks are one of them. What else are they gonna add to that list next time? I have the name and contact number of the girl who attended to me.
I see your point but just to be fair, hairline cracks are often taken as a sign of misuse. Apple's policy is that physical damage caused by the user isn't covered by the warranty. I've read a few cases where they revoke the warranty until the physical damage has been dealt with. On the upside, more often than not all you have to do is prove that the damage isn't your fault or related to its problems. Just escalate the complaint to someone higher up in Apple and I'm sure you'll get sorted out.
Amidst all these negative vibes, we'd like the readers to view something positive for a change: My happy experience with Globe
Definitely bring it up with Apple. They should/will replace it. I agree with your observations with Apple service. I think this is just poor CS for Globe. I live in Singapore and my friend had his iPhone replace (on site within 10 mins) with no questions asked by Singtel. Simple ocular inspection (ie: looking at the connector ports for any "rust" damage) was all that was done. It was 4-month old iPhone.
