Global Shortage of Replacement GPS!!!

bobthebuilder wrote:Took my N97 into the Nottingham UK branch of carphone warehouse who are my local service centre yesterday.
Explained that I had the problem with the GPS dropping its signal and that Nokia had released a new back plate with extra shielding to sort the problem.
" thats a new one on me " he says " I'll check with our sevice technician " 5 mins later " Our service technician hasn't heard of any problems with the GPS or of any replacement parts " " leave it with us and we'll see what we can do " " I'll log it in as a software fault ".
Have I any faith in getting it sorted - no not really.

They know about the problems and have said they'll be able to fix lens and gps same day, just waiting on parts last time I spoke to them.

Idle Mind wrote:I'm from Nottingham too :hello:
Tried Carphone Warehouse (one up from Broadmarsh) and like you said they have no idea of the problems and told me I was best dealing with Nokia direct. I'd already given up on that approach, but found there was a proper independant phone shop in Newark which is a genuine Nokia service point.
Phil Taylor Electronics
19 Middle Gate
Newark
NG24 1AG
01636 700000

They know about the problems and have said they'll be able to fix lens and gps same day, just waiting on parts last time I spoke to them.

Thats good info Idle Mind, thats the same carphone warehouse branch that have now had my N97 for three weeks without any contact. At least I now know that when I get it back if it isn't sorted I can take it to Newark to someone who sounds as if they know what they are talking about. Thanks again for the info.

I'd be tempted to just go and ask for it back...they said it would be 3 weeks if I left it with them so they could send it to Nokia, and that they weren't sure it was covered under warranty so I just walked away. I really think independant shops are the way to go, they actually care about their store and their customers so will take a lot more pride in their work and making sure you are happy with the repairs.
For what it's worth, when I originally checked the ever unreliable Nokia Store Locator it did show the Carphone Warehouse as a care point, the next time I checked it no longer did, but showed that shop in Newark, now it just shows nothing which probably means it's broken. But it makes me wonder if the Carphone Warehouse branches are actually proper care points, or if Nokia have ditched them in favour of small independant shops.

zxon wrote:Another quick update, people!

I got a call from my local Nokia Care Point, about half an hour ago, confirming that the parts have now arrived! :call: :biggrin:

I'm heading down on Saturday to get them fitted. They said it should only take a couple of hours as well, but advised that I back up my phone in case they need to wipe it (not sure why they'd need to do that, but very well).

Tonight, for those who want to see the improvements (if any), I'll take a screenshot of my GPS accuracy in the Location app, and then I'll do the same on Saturday when I've got the GPS shielding installed. :icon14:

If you have GarminXT installed, you can get the GPS Signal info with bars showing how many satellites have locked on and how strong the signal is.
That's what I used for my screen-grabs posted a few weeks back. 😉

P.S. Oficial Nokia engineers are tranined to re-flash the handset with the latest firmware regardless of what type of repair you ask for. They did that at my GPS repair.

Just been phoned and told my local Nokia Care Point in Bristol now has the parts in, so I shall be hot-foot off down there tomorrow. When I registered for parts they told me one hour, just now they told me it would take 30 mins. So hopefully I won't have to suffer withdrawal symptoms for too long.

Regards
Neil

Just dropped in to the Carphone Warehouse in Las Palmas and had the new back plate/antena/camera cover replaced with the new part. Took the guy 15 minutes to do it (did it in front of me) and I am pleased to announce that the gps is now working perfectly. Accuracy between 10 and 30 meters depending on where I am and does not drop the signal at all.

So I am now extremely happy with my N97.

Cheers,

Barrie

Yes, with V20 on board and the hardware issues fixed it really is like a brand new phone - much more like it should have been when we first got it.

Regards
Neil

Righty! I'm back home and I have my repaired N97. I'm just restoring my data to it before I try out the GPS again. I'll post before and after screenshots on here when its done. What I found useful was the text message I got from Nokia Care saying that my phone was ready to pick up. Took only about an hour or so!

Initial thoughts: the lens is brand new, not a scratch. I tried opening and closing it a few times and it seems to move easier. Also, there's a noticable gap between the lens cover and lens itself. I can see the edge of the camera aperture if I tilt the phone at an angle. I'd have to get actual pebbles stuck in there to scratch the lens now!

The fellah at the shop also gave me a new back for my phone. It used to creak a tiny bit before but now it's like when I first got it. No doubt though, after a while, it'll begin to creak again.

As I said, I can't comment on the GPS yet cos I've only just got back home and started restoring it. I'll post here in a bit once I have.

[UPDATE] I still haven't had a chance to get to an open space to try out the GPS but I've just tried it in my flat. The accuracy in an open area, without the GPS shielding, is the same as the accuracy indoors WITH the shielding. That's mighty impressive!

Righty, finally tested it properly in the car park at work. Below are screenshots taken before and after the GPS shielding was installed. To be honest they dont show more than an improvement of the GPS accuracy. To really notice the difference, that it works better and doesn't drop out, you have to use it. On the first screen shot this was the best it could muster. Most of the time it was accurate between 200-300 metres. In the second screen shot, this was roughly the average accuracy I was getting. A couple of times it flicked to 30-40 metres but it was mostly in the lower 20s, a few times even below 20 metres.

zxon wrote:Righty, finally tested it properly in the car park at work. Below are screenshots taken before and after the GPS shielding was installed. To be honest they dont show more than an improvement of the GPS accuracy. To really notice the difference, that it works better and doesn't drop out, you have to use it. On the first screen shot this was the best it could muster. Most of the time it was accurate between 200-300 metres. In the second screen shot, this was roughly the average accuracy I was getting. A couple of times it flicked to 30-40 metres but it was mostly in the lower 20s, a few times even below 20 metres.

As you said, the improved reliability of the GPS signal after the repair is the main benefit.

The Nokia app you used has only basic information available, but thanks anyway for the screen-shots which confirm my findings of sub 50m accuracy most if not all of the time after the GPS repair.

I posted some screen-shots from GarminXT's GPS Status page a few weeks ago, which show how many satellites are in range, and how strong the signal is from each. The before and after shots show a major improvement - twice as many satellites resolved at once and 50% higher signals from most - occasionally with one or 2 off the scale on signal strength.

Enjoy your new improved N97! 😉

dez_borders wrote:Enjoy your new improved N97! 😉

zxon wrote:Thanks. I need the improved GPS so I can find a client in Birmingham today 😃

Let us know how you get on. I have not had any issues at all since the repair 3 weeks ago.

dez_borders wrote:Let us know how you get on. I have not had any issues at all since the repair 3 weeks ago.

This was when I noticed something bizarre. I was stood there, looking at the screen, seeing the message reading something like "Travelling too fast for walk mode". I looked at my speed, which should be zero, and it read over 4,000 MPH!!! No word of a lie! That's 4x more than the speed at which the Earth rotates on its axis!

It was slowly coming down in speed but I didn't have time to stand around waiting for it. I closed Ovi Maps and fired it up again. No problems since then.

Has anyone else experienced that before? :con?

I get it a lot while I'm driving although never quite that speed I've had a few hundred MPH. I think it's just when the GPS lags behind a bit then catches on to your new location it thinks you've travelled there instantly. I'm guessing yours was just thinking you'd moved from the last location it had locked you at to where you were at the time in an instant.

Mine's without GPS fix right now though so hopefully the erratic speeds will improve when I get that done next week.

Idle Mind wrote:I get it a lot while I'm driving although never quite that speed I've had a few hundred MPH. I think it's just when the GPS lags behind a bit then catches on to your new location it thinks you've travelled there instantly. I'm guessing yours was just thinking you'd moved from the last location it had locked you at to where you were at the time in an instant.

Mine's without GPS fix right now though so hopefully the erratic speeds will improve when I get that done next week.

I suppose I am using Ovi Maps Beta...

bobthebuilder wrote:Took my N97 into the Nottingham UK branch of carphone warehouse who are my local service centre yesterday.
Explained that I had the problem with the GPS dropping its signal and that Nokia had released a new back plate with extra shielding to sort the problem.
" thats a new one on me " he says " I'll check with our sevice technician " 5 mins later " Our service technician hasn't heard of any problems with the GPS or of any replacement parts " " leave it with us and we'll see what we can do " " I'll log it in as a software fault ".
Have I any faith in getting it sorted - no not really.

After leaving the phone with carphone warehouse for 4 weeks and hearing nothing I phoned them yesterday to check on the progress to be told that it was all sorted and ready for collection. So in I go to pick it up, guy on reception goes to get the phone and is away a good 5 mins, comes back and tells me that they have done a tempory repair but that it needs a new back plate that they havn't got in stock. Annoyed I tell them that I new it needed a new back plate and told them that when I took it in, at this point I'm told no its okay we have fitted a new back part to fix the GPS problem but there is a Mk2 new back plate that they want to fit for me but haven't got in stock, but the GPS is now fine. Tried it on my way to work this morning and what a surprise it's dropping the signal lock all the time. Carphone Warehouse suck I'll try the guy out at Newark now.

bobthebuilder wrote:After leaving the phone with carphone warehouse for 4 weeks and hearing nothing I phoned them yesterday to check on the progress to be told that it was all sorted and ready for collection. So in I go to pick it up, guy on reception goes to get the phone and is away a good 5 mins, comes back and tells me that they have done a tempory repair but that it needs a new back plate that they havn't got in stock. Annoyed I tell them that I new it needed a new back plate and told them that when I took it in, at this point I'm told no its okay we have fitted a new back part to fix the GPS problem but there is a Mk2 new back plate that they want to fit for me but haven't got in stock, but the GPS is now fine. Tried it on my way to work this morning and what a surprise it's dropping the signal lock all the time. Carphone Warehouse suck I'll try the guy out at Newark now.

bobthebuilder wrote:After leaving the phone with carphone warehouse for 4 weeks and hearing nothing I phoned them yesterday to check on the progress to be told that it was all sorted and ready for collection. So in I go to pick it up, guy on reception goes to get the phone and is away a good 5 mins, comes back and tells me that they have done a tempory repair but that it needs a new back plate that they havn't got in stock. Annoyed I tell them that I new it needed a new back plate and told them that when I took it in, at this point I'm told no its okay we have fitted a new back part to fix the GPS problem but there is a Mk2 new back plate that they want to fit for me but haven't got in stock, but the GPS is now fine. Tried it on my way to work this morning and what a surprise it's dropping the signal lock all the time. Carphone Warehouse suck I'll try the guy out at Newark now.

Waited till after Xmas and finally took my N97 into Phill Taylor electronics at Newark on Tuesday. Picked it back up 1 day later and it is now working fine full signal lock not dropping signal at all and the accuracy is fine.

Trouble is I no longer really like the N97 because of all the hassle. My mate at work got an iphone for Xmas and it looks so good I suspect I'll be deserting Nokia before very long.

bobthebuilder wrote:Trouble is I no longer really like the N97 because of all the hassle.

Have you any idea how illogical that statement is?

Anyhow, best of luck if you go for an iPhone 3GS. A workmate says his iPhone 3G/2G reception is terrible compared to his old phone (same network).

I went to a Nokia care centre today and i was explaining the problem and they said yes we're replacing all n97 back parts. and i'll get my n97 back within three working days

dez_borders: You said you used an NCC in Edinburgh? This is also my nearest, but I've had conflicting info from both the ones I've contacted there.
Can you please let me know which one you used?

The Carphone Warehouse in Princess St said they can't do repair on site but will flash it as standard to see if that fixes the fault (not likely) and will send to Nokia for repair as it's a delicate job. However, there is likely to be a 7 - 10 day turnaround.

The AIM Centre place on Dalry Rd, also listed on Nokia Website as being an NCC in Edinburgh, told me they could fit the part while I was there.

Now I'm seeing posts about backplate replacement too I'm unsure whether I get it fixed in store, or try manage without my phone for the duration of the repair in the hope that Nokia/Carphone Warehouse do all/any fixes it needs?

pepxsounds wrote:dez_borders: You said you used an NCC in Edinburgh? This is also my nearest, but I've had conflicting info from both the ones I've contacted there.
Can you please let me know which one you used?

The Carphone Warehouse in Princess St said they can't do repair on site but will flash it as standard to see if that fixes the fault (not likely) and will send to Nokia for repair as it's a delicate job. However, there is likely to be a 7 - 10 day turnaround.

The AIM Centre place on Dalry Rd, also listed on Nokia Website as being an NCC in Edinburgh, told me they could fit the part while I was there.

Now I'm seeing posts about backplate replacement too I'm unsure whether I get it fixed in store, or try manage without my phone for the duration of the repair in the hope that Nokia/Carphone Warehouse do all/any fixes it needs?

I used the independent one, Aim Centre on Dalry Road. Friendly and efficient.
CPW would by my last resort, in fact I would use the Freepost Nokia Repair centre before any CPW!

I will probably have the backplate replaced in a few months, as I have some scratches on the edges of the camera lens - but so far not affecting picture quality so in no rush 😉

dez_borders wrote:I used the independent one, Aim Centre on Dalry Road. Friendly and efficient.
CPW would by my last resort, in fact I would use the Freepost Nokia Repair centre before any CPW!

I will probably have the backplate replaced in a few months, as I have some scratches on the edges of the camera lens - but so far not affecting picture quality so in no rush 😉

Thanks mate! I think I will use AIM Centre too and just ask about the backplate while I'm there. I guess it's in their interest to do as many fixes as they can if they get paid by Nokia for it.

Hi all,

I have 2 N97's and I had an excellent service from CPW in Trafford Park, Manchester.

I called up, they had the parts in for one (new GPS antenna and camera lens/cover) and did the repair within an hour. They also took my details and called me a few days later when part were in for the other one, again all done within an hour.

10/10 for service.

I also have to say the GPS on my N97 is every bit as good as my old N95 now - perfect and Ovi maps now works flawlessly. If you are nt happy with the performance of the GPS on your phone you must get this fix done, it's well worth the hassle.

dez_borders wrote:Have you any idea how illogical that statement is?

Not very illogical I'd say, the whole experience of the n97 has been disheartening at best for me.

I still think my n95 is awesome - currently using it whilst my n97 is in the peterborough care point for new gps, new camera, deadspots in the touchscreen and - the icing on the cake - no longer starting up.

But then then n95 only had software issues.

I've had 3 n97's in 9 months, camera lens replaced 3 times and frankly I wish I'd never bought it. If Nokia ever see fit to resolve the camera & gps issues (which apparently they have) it'll still have not enough c: to be the poweruser device it should have been.

Disappointed...

Unfortunatly I'm stuck with the phone. I've had the GPS and Lens' replaced and the phone swapped once and I'm still have trouble. I've had to purchase the bluetooth gps just so I can use this phone as I intended to when I ordered it.

davecozens wrote:Not very illogical I'd say, the whole experience of the n97 has been disheartening at best for me.
...
If Nokia ever see fit to resolve the camera & gps issues (which apparently they have) it'll still have not enough c: to be the poweruser device it should have been.

It's sad and strange at the same time that your experience has been sooooo different to mine... and to the 75+% of N97 owners in UK who didn't return their handsets to their network provider for replacement with a different model. I had the GPS issue briefly, and have the camera lens scratch now (not bad enough yet for me to bother about), but at least these a now quickly fixable for free. I also don't have any out-of-memory issues on C: so I don't know what I do different to you?

I wish you better luck with your next model of handset, from whatever supplier. 😉

dez_borders wrote:It's sad and strange at the same time that your experience has been sooooo different to mine... and to the 75+% of N97 owners in UK who didn't return their handsets to their network provider for replacement with a different model. I had the GPS issue briefly, and have the camera lens scratch now (not bad enough yet for me to bother about), but at least these a now quickly fixable for free. I also don't have any out-of-memory issues on C: so I don't know what I do different to you?

I wish you better luck with your next model of handset, from whatever supplier. 😉

I can only echo this. The only times i have had the out of memory error what when i used Nokia Messaging. It, stupidly, stored a LOT of email of the c: drive and started causing out of memory issues. I can only think Dave has been incredibly unlucky or something else is not right. We have 2 in our family, i know of 5 others who have them. Only the GPS and camer is the issue which Nokia fix perfectly well.

I use the phone heavily and constantly - in fact it's almost replaced my laptop for most uses.

It does have it's shortcomings, but then again show me a phone doesn't. It's by far the best handset i've had in the last 17 years (I started on a vodafone analogue handset in 1993). The last 14 years have all been Nokia handsets which were (in order):

2110
3110
9000 communicator (Good idea but I didnt keep long, too bulky)
8110 "Banana phone"
6110
7110
6210
7650 (First symbian phone I owned)
6600
6630
N80
N85
N95
N97

I've tried other phones but none seem as well made as Nokia handsets. We'll see what somes next - especially is Symbian^3 is anything like the teaser videos. We just need to get more developers on board to have an better range of apps.