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Sony Ericsson - Very Very Poor Customer Service
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro Cell Phone - Complaint
Review by ppartridge on 2012-06-22
Rating: 
MINNESOTA -- I bought this phone online. It worked fine for 3 months and then it started having problems. I've emailed the Vendor many times on information regarding the International Warranty and was told to contact Sony Ericsson. I have talked to them many many times and they keep saying that they can not repair the phone since it was from Hong Kong. They couldn't even give me the contact information on where to send it to be repaired. I payed $170.00 an no one will give me the information I am looking for. The last call I made to Sony they gave me an E-mail address in Hong Kong, but when I went to use that, it didn't work. Now I'm back to where I started from. I've never had to deal with such incompetence in my whole life. You would think Sony merchandise is Sony merchandise, no matter where you purchase it from. They should be able to repair it or at least give me the information I need to use the International warranty on THEIR product that I was offered.
Comments:
Posted by frak on 2012-06-22:
I'm sure this won't help, but your complaint prompted me to do a little research. I found this article about why cell phone companies don't honor international warranties. It's an old article, but may still provide relevant insight into your problem. Link:
http://texyt.com/mobile_cellphone_international_guarantee_warranty
A quote from the article: "Grey market phones are common on eBay, and at some of the more dubious stores. But if you bring a cool new phone home from your trip to Hong Kong, then you too have joined the shadowy ranks of the gray market importers."
Another (long) quote: "How to understand your mobile warranty
"If you look at a typical product guarantee agreement, it may appear that you can get warranty service anywhere in the world. There's a hidden catch with many warranties. Your agreement is with a local subsidiary of a multi-national company. So you must return the product to that local subsidiary's service centers. Of course, that local subsidiary doesn't have service centers in other countries. In other words, Nokia USA is not the same company as Nokia Finland, and your agreement with one is not an agreement with the other.
"But wait! Have you spotted the obvious loophole here? International mail. Couldn't you just mail your phone to a service center in the country where it was purchased.
"Well, sorry, mobile phone makers have though of that. You can't mail the phone to a service center. You, the original purchaser, must carry it in personally. (Actually, another person might be allowed to take the phone in for you; service staff will usually turn a blind eye to this – just don't try mailing it, you'll probably never see your phone again). You should be aware also that Motorola service centers are particularly strict about wanting to see documentation like a warranty card or purchase receipt."
Anyway, I'm sure you know this already, but here's a link to Sony's customer service info, complete with an online chat feature. Your specific model is listed. Link:
http://www.sonymobile.com/us/support/contact-us/
Good luck!
http://texyt.com/mobile_cellphone_international_guarantee_warranty
A quote from the article: "Grey market phones are common on eBay, and at some of the more dubious stores. But if you bring a cool new phone home from your trip to Hong Kong, then you too have joined the shadowy ranks of the gray market importers."
Another (long) quote: "How to understand your mobile warranty
"If you look at a typical product guarantee agreement, it may appear that you can get warranty service anywhere in the world. There's a hidden catch with many warranties. Your agreement is with a local subsidiary of a multi-national company. So you must return the product to that local subsidiary's service centers. Of course, that local subsidiary doesn't have service centers in other countries. In other words, Nokia USA is not the same company as Nokia Finland, and your agreement with one is not an agreement with the other.
"But wait! Have you spotted the obvious loophole here? International mail. Couldn't you just mail your phone to a service center in the country where it was purchased.
"Well, sorry, mobile phone makers have though of that. You can't mail the phone to a service center. You, the original purchaser, must carry it in personally. (Actually, another person might be allowed to take the phone in for you; service staff will usually turn a blind eye to this – just don't try mailing it, you'll probably never see your phone again). You should be aware also that Motorola service centers are particularly strict about wanting to see documentation like a warranty card or purchase receipt."
Anyway, I'm sure you know this already, but here's a link to Sony's customer service info, complete with an online chat feature. Your specific model is listed. Link:
http://www.sonymobile.com/us/support/contact-us/
Good luck!
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