02 Water Warranty Scam, could you be affected

[Anonymous]

Hi all

I wanted to post this as I think its really serious.

Last week my 4 month old Samsung Note 2 died, I'm a computer tech, so I tried everything I could to bring it back alive, after much searching it looked like a pcb fault. 

Not a problem phone is still under manufacture warranty, so  I contact 02 who arranged a repair.

Monday came, I looked at the repair log and it said the tech has dismantled and diagnosed a fault in under 22 min, I assumed then that they had come to the same conclusion as me and put it down to a dead PCB, so I rung 02 to confirm this, I then got a shock as they said there not repairing the phone its had water damage?, thus voiding the warranty

I was shocked its never been near water, I argued and requested evidence, this is what they sent 

no time stamp, no series number. The picture you see is what is under the battery?. The circuit isn't from this phone its a random circuit put there to make it look like its been dismantled (found a pic of a dimantled note 2 on the Internet and it doesn't match. The picture is also blurry, and doesn't show anything.

Now all new phones have a water indicator, this covers the manufacture, it cant be bypassed, any liquid it triggers, that's its design. 

So I requested the phone back, and when I got it, the water indicator (which is there to cover samsung and 02) hasn't tripped, and the warranty sticker is still on there. Yet 02 claim the tech dismantled the phone and water damage. 

I told 02 this and basically there not interested, go to the manufacture, and tell them.

So 02 have lied, and there de frauding me as they wont give me a new handset, yet they still want me to pay for a the contract?

Im still arguing with 02 at the moment, they say that they go on the tech report, yet ive sent them evidence to contradict this water damage claim, and they don't care, not there problem not happy go to the manufacture and pay them to check it. 

So I wanted to let everyone know about this, 02 are refusing to repair my phone even thought ive provided evidence showing another samsung galaxy s3 (mine is a note 2, but there basically the same) showing the water indicator that hasn't tripped, and the technical report from the repair company claiming water damage,

ive goggle this and it looks like a lot of people are getting de frauded. In my case how can a phone have water damage, yet the thing that tells the tech there's water damage, hasn't tripped? Cant be done.

I would like to hear if anyone else has had this issue, I think this is one of the most serious cases of fraud a mobile company has done? And if 02 are reading this post some reasons as to what your doing, (funny enough I did some research into the repair company 02 uses and there being investigated for doing exactly what I put above). 

Let us know, and ill keep you all posted on what 02 are going to do, this could be black day for 02!!!

[MI5]

Anovo are notorious for this - It was a black day when O2 re signed the contract with them. You could approach Samsung directly and you will still be covered by the warranty so won't cost you for an investigation by them, but I agree that you shouldn't have to.....

[Anonymous]

the company they used was regenisise, im just so annoyed that 02 would scam customers like this, i will end up having to send to samsung, i just wanted 02 to acknowlage this issue, but there not interested. Im giving them a chance to sort this amicably, but there quite happy scamming it seems.

Ill keep eveyone posted on the outcome, be interesting to see if anyone else were victims of this

[MI5]

Never heard of them but this is who has the contract with O2 (and others) http://www.anovo.com/en-uk

[jonsie]

Search the forum for Anovo and this has been a problem for years. I would be very dubious of returning a phone to O2 for a warranty repair for this very reason.

http://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly-and-Pay-Go/Anovo-Norwich/m-p/110762/highlight/true#M6858

[Anonymous]

Crickey!If what you say is true this opens a whole can of worms regarding repairs and alleged water damaged phones.I had a similar experience with a mobile phone recycling company who said engineers report valued my phone much less than the original estimate due to a deeply scratched screen.I know for a fact there was nothing wrong with the screen and felt I hadbeen ripped off by themA total sham and scam!!!

[Anonymous]

this is a news story about 3 mobile pulling the contract on the repair company, http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/2011/06/07/regenersis-loses-three-account/

oh wait a sec ha ha Regenersis have taken over Anovo well well could explain a lot really

http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/2012/01/25/regenersis-acquires-anovo-nordic/

[MI5]

Oh great 😞

[perksie]

They do seem to be involved in "Repair avoidance", anyone know what that means?

http://www.regenersis.com/sectors/mobile-communication

How can a phone that's been "examined" have the guarantee seal still in place?

Something very funny going on here.

[Anonymous]

yes is not right, i did read about some issues people are having, this was before i got told "water damage" so i thought wont be mine its to obvious its not guess i was wrong.

Problem is if there going to claim water damage, make it water damage? if the sensors not tripped, it cant be that lol, unless 02 have invented some kind of non wet liquid? 

Ive been told a manager will call tommrow to discuss this, im happy to sort it amicably, i just want a replacment phone, 02 are starting this battle!!

Thing is this has much bigger conciqueces, lets say your new samsung breaks, (like mine) 02 say that samsung wont repair because of liquid (like mine) your gonna be angry at samsung so you decide samsung are rude, ill  change to say apple, but samsung havent said no, its 02, so 02 are not only defrauding customers, but also major companies, as each company looses a customer? thing is 02 are not the only ones, virgin media, vodafone, t-mobile all do it, really shocking