Nokia UK and Warranty

They didnt ask to be shown anything (bought mine privately, no receipt) they just took my details and the IMEI etc

Same here. No paperwork required.

They can tell from (I suspect) the IMEI where you bought it. Failing that, product code printed under battery is a big clue.

Since the phone is under 4 months old, it can only possibly be in warranty - standard Nokia is 2 years as I recall...

D

davecozens wrote: Since the phone is under 4 months old, it can only possibly be in warranty - standard Nokia is 2 years as I recall...

Provided you have not de-branded then it's outside of warranty conditions...

dez_borders wrote:Provided you have not de-branded then it's outside of warranty conditions...

I've had my de-branded N97 (and N95) fixed under warranty without any problems. Technically it will invalidate your warranty, but in reality most service centres either don't care, or don't notice.

celios wrote:I've had my de-branded N97 (and N95) fixed under warranty without any problems. Technically it will invalidate your warranty, but in reality most service centres either don't care, or don't notice.

Yes, it's a lottery whether or not the engineer checks the producd code.

My own experience is that if you send the handset to Nokia's main UK service centre using the Freepost service, they DO CHECK the code and the handset comes back unrepaired.

dez_borders wrote:Yes, it's a lottery whether or not the engineer checks the producd code.

My own experience is that if you send the handset to Nokia's main UK service centre using the Freepost service, they DO CHECK the code and the handset comes back unrepaired.

You could always change the product code back to the original (the one on the sticker) before you send it back to them 😉

celios wrote:You could always change the product code back to the original (the one on the sticker) before you send it back to them 😉

That doesn't work, as the handset retains a history of changes. The engineer will still see that the code has been changed.

lovesign wrote:That doesn't work, as the handset retains a history of changes. The engineer will still see that the code has been changed.

Really? Are you sure the handset records all the changes, even after reversion the original and a firmware update.

Yup. Even if it doesn't record details of every change, the engineer can still see it's been changed. It's a bit like screws that are covered in a paint or dye. The moment it's tampered with, it's permanently recorded.

Also, if you changed to a code that allowed v12 but then changed back to a code that currently only allows v10 or v11, it's still obvious as you can't downgrade firmware.

lovesign wrote:Yup. Even if it doesn't record details of every change, the engineer can still see it's been changed. It's a bit like screws that are covered in a paint or dye. The moment it's tampered with, it's permanently recorded.

Also, if you changed to a code that allowed v12 but then changed back to a code that currently only allows v10 or v11, it's still obvious as you can't downgrade firmware.

I'm interested, as I think this may be an urban myth. Obviously Nokia know what product code each phone left the factory with (the value on the sticker), but I can't see how (or why) they would store the original code in the phone after a reflash. I remember being nervous when getting warranty work done on my N95 because I had changed the code and loaded non-Vodafone firmware on it, but they happily replaced the speaker that was playing up and seemed unconcerned that the product code and firmware was different.

Perhaps the safe solution is to only go to service points and avoid returning your phone to Nokia directly.

I see the post here where dez_borders experienced a problem with his Orange de-branded N95
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/forum//forum/f/91/

I think the reason they will have spotted the firmware change in this case is as another poster stated - the product code and firmware on the device did not match which resulted in a bricked phone when they tried to update the firmware.

If you are experiencing a hardware problem (like a faulty GPS, or lens cover), I think your consumer rights would mean they need to show that the fault you reported resulted from the product code change/wrong firmware version in order to refuse a repair (which is obviously not possible). This is like taking your car to the garage under warranty for a repair to the air con system and them refusing because you fitted different wheels - they couldn't do it. They can write what they like in their terms & conditions, but they are not enforceable in the country of sale if the terms are illegal under local law.