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ireallylovemusic vs nokia x3


dear all,

sorry about this, but i need to rant.

you see, last year during a one of the torrential rainstorms that fell upon me in chicago last year my trusty nokia phone/mp3 player thingy, got drenched through.

wet wet wet.

subsequently the device got a little stroppy, and decided to call it quits.

i can’t deny i cried a little, but i knew who was to blame, me, so, there was little i could do.

while the phone may not have had the kudos of a fruity alternative, the thing played music like no other, and so, when it came to sorting out a replacement, i wandered into carphone warehouse and dropped the cash for an updated take on the dead parrot, the newly releasednokia x3; a sexy little beast that of course plays music, takes pictures, and even makes phone calls from time to time.

i fell hard for the thing. the red and black design, the minimal fuss to get it to do all i wanted, and the quality of music playback made me go weak at the knees.

so over the next few months i would connect it to my laptop via the supplied cable and rejoiced in the freedom of choice i was able to achieve with my 2gb memory (trust me having lived for years with a 500mb sony walkman device, this was true freedom!).

now, a mere 5 months since the purchase, the pc-connector plug that’s embedded within the phone has come out (this is both a connecter to transfer music/photos, but also power charges the phone)

how did this happen i hear you cry ?

well, i basically plugged the cable in, and then took it out, which resulted in the plug falling out.

an outrageous expectation to have i now find out.

a root around at ireallylovemusic hq resulted in the receipt being found and a trek to carphone warehouse was next on the agenda.

and this is where the fun starts.

upon checking my dilemma, a young man with a oh-so-caring smile, told me in no uncertain terms  that this was due to me using the phone, and therefore, my own fault. i was advised that its in the small print as ‘fair wear and tear’.

dumbstruck.

the simple fact of me using something i had the nerve to buy and use results in the warranty being null and void.

i asked to see the manager as i am old, with grey hair, and have troubles with words of more than 2 syllables.

the  manager looked over the phone and confirmed that given there were no scratches, no evidence of rough manhandling, it really could not be attributed to wear and tear, and so would send it on to be examined.

my heart jumped with joy. soon me and my mini boombox would be reunited and the funk would get back on track.

for the next week, i sat at my desk checking the status via carphone warehouses tracking website (a very good idea) watching as my phone was passed from engineer to engineer, and then passed back to the manufacturer.

oh hurray. my groove supplier is back at the mother ship now, they will apply some solder, reattach the connecter (i did basic electrical engineering back in the 80s, i know about these tricks of the trade) and all will be well in the world.

after all, this is not rocket science, it’s only a bloody mobile phone. ha. oh, how we trust in the modern world.

you see, today i check, and lo and behold at the latest advise :

“we’ve tried our very best to fix your device but, unfortunately as it has a serious fault we were unable to repair it and regrettably the fault is not covered by the manufacturers warranty. please check your options if you are covered elsewhere or speak to our instore consultant to see if you are eligible for a subsidised upgrade with us. we could also provide you with up to 10% discount to buy a replacement device.“

tried their best did they ?

hmm.

so a manufacturer of high technology devices can’t repair a simple connector that has become disconnected, but hey, thanks for the 10% subsidy to buy a replacement !

i now await the summons from carphone warehouse to be told once more : ‘sorry mister, but tough’.

i of course twittered only to be told by the official helpline people (@nokiahelps) that i should discuss the matter with the same repair centre who refused to do anything due to the small print.

my hopes are not high.

whatever happened to 12 months guarantees during which time if something breaks its replaced/repaired, even if it is a ‘serious fault which we are unable to repair’ !?

when did  just connecting/disconnecting a device via a cable supplied by the manufactures result in a warranty being invalidated ?

naturally, when it comes to getting a replacement, i wonder, who will i turn to next as both nokia and carphone warehouse, have had quite a bit of business from me and my tribe over the years, and this experience has tainted my feeling towards both well regarded brands.

in the meantime, my trusted old 500mb sony walkman (same type of connector and has experienced many years of connections/disconnections with no sign of anything falling apart) is keeping my ears warm.

hmm, perhaps sony make groove centric phones ?

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