Is the N97 ever going to be good?

[gazza447]

I am updated to V21 which specifically mentioned phone call reliability as one of the latest fixes but mine has seen no improvement. I cannot get a signal from in my house which is of vital importance to me as i spend alot of my time there. I live in a built up town and not in a remote area so that isnt the problem.

Since getting the N97 ive had most of the software issues everyone else has had but been very patient and hoped the firmware updates will fix these but im starting to lose patience. I was so happy when i got the phone expecting it to be the amazing flagship phone it claimed to be but i cannot use it for even the very basic things that it (and many other cheaper phones from even years ago) should be able to do.

My call reliablity is so bad that im often disconnected from calls after a minute or so of barely being able to hear each other. At the end of the day this is a phone and the bare minimum i expect is to make calls!!

Secondly is the camera. I havent used it in about 4 months as my cover is scratching the lens and i dont want to cause more damage to the lens. This is a feature i expect to work aswell.

I dont want the hassle of sending my phone away for days/weeks and having it returned with the same problems as this is an inconvenience I shouldnt have plus a waste of time if its not even fixed like many stories ive heard.

Is there a way i can legally cancel my contract with vodafone or get a replacement phone that isnt an N97 and do i have a leg to stand on?

I would like to point out that i have many other minor problems but i feel these 2 common problems are ones that nokia/vodafone MUST resolve for me even if it means not continuing my contract

Thanks in advance

[buxz777]

right here is my advice and sevearla people i know have done this and managed to swap their handsest with vodafone

remember stay calm no one want to help and angry nasty person

right i have found the voda mods to be very very helpfull , sevearl times they have helped me/family/friends when calling 191 got me no where

register over at the eforum then start a post need help with my account in the n97 section , write a post saying that you are really unhappy at the minute with the service from vodafone and you are struggling to make a phone call and are getting shoved from pillar to post and would really appreciate some friendly help as your getting a bit concerened about things but cant get help from anywhere , try not to mention the faults about the n97 , just aska mod that you need assistance wth your account

they should send you an email sking for your details for security

in this email ask them to ring you back so you can speak to someone about your problems as you have repeated them sevearl times before and just want to talk to a helpfull customer service rep

when you get the call back explain that you have had the n97 since whenever , that you have sent it away for repair sevarl times to nokia as vodafone told you it would be quicker that way , explain that your camera still scratches and the gps wont work and the phone reboots etc and nokia have failed to fix this for you even though you have been without the phone on 2 occasions for up to two weeks at a time

explain about the signal and that you have another phone that gets signal and that the n97 just wont tell them you have read about peple getting a swap phone sent out and voda taking the n97 back tell them there are sevearal phones you would cnsider a fair exchange and that you just want a working phone

tell them that the iphone and the n900 both come up in terms of hardware as near matches and that neither suffer from prolems like the n97 and that you would be happy with either as you just want a working phone

explain that you know its not vodafones fault and more nokias and that youre not havinga go at them but tat the minute your loosing all faith in them as your service provider due to nokias faulty handset and that you just want a phone you can use without problems

i know sevearl peple that have had swapouts and that voda have taken the n97 back its causing them more problesm then its worth mate in returns and fixes

you may have to do 1 return with vodafone but try and say that youve done this with nokia twice as voda said it would be quicker for you

there are sevral people on the eforums waiting for a new n900 that voda have said they will swap their old n97s for due to it not being fit or not being repaired properly

dont demand anything straight away mate just be nice , stay calma nd explain your difficultys and what you think would be a fair way to resolve them for both partys

get back to us

[gazza447]

thanks, this has been very helpful. ill put the wheels in motion now (if my works internet doesnt block the sites) or when i get back and ill give a report with my progress

[gazza447]

quick question, will i have to go through phones4u rather then vodafone for this? im assuming i will have to as it was phones 4u i took the contract out with

[gazza447]

sorry to bombard you lol but would face to face with people in store be beneficial do you think?

[buxz777]

hummmm this has thrown a spanner in the works as you got it from a 3rd party especially smeone like phones 4u who are one of the worst people to geta phone from , they have good offers but the customer services are beyond belief mate .

you will have to take the phone back to phones 4u not vodafone , phones 4u sold the phone to you so they are liable not vodafone , they arent as customer friendly as vodafone and you wont get the same repsonse as what you would have done from a voda mod

infact they will probably lie till blue in the face saying stuff like ''no sorry dont know anything about gps issues'' or ''looks like you scartched the camera lens''

however you still have consumer rights but you have to play ball , i believe that you will have to go in and let them try and repair the handset and then when the handset isnt fixed you hav so much more leaway with your rights and can then get the case in motion however you have to give them an opurtunity to fix the problems 1st

here is a link to read through

Consumer Direct - Mobile phones

Consumer Direct - Making a complaint

Your mobile phone rights - Dealing with mobile phone problems - Your rights - Which? Advice

next time cut the middleman out mate and go direct i find yu get much better service then if you go through a dodgy middle man like cpw or p4u who wll say anything to clinch the sale or get you out of the shop

i would personally go into store and ask to speak to the manager , i would take his name down and let him know that your phone is useless and it has been away for repair to nokia twice allready yet nothing has been fixed and you want to know what your options are as youre not happy and believe the phone is not fit for purpose , do they still sell them in phones 4u?? if they dont ask why not :-)?? ask them what there returns rate was and isnt it weird how you cant find any major networks that have carried on supplying the n97 classic , i would listen to what he says your options are , he may be very helpfull etc , if he trys fobbing you off , i would pull out a copy of the consumer rights pages in them links and go through it with him and then ask him why he was trying to fob you off and not let you have your consumer rights , i would then maybe ask to a senior superviosr via phone or higher manager on the phone and let him know that a member of staff has lied to you regarding the n97 and is trying to make it hard for you to follow your consumer rights

at the end of the day they should offer you a reapirif the reapir comes back non working then you can access more rights and ask for your money back / cancellation of the contract / etc etc

its all in them links i provided you with mate

hopefully you get somehwere with this it isnt going to be as easy as what it would have been with voda as they seem to off had enough of the n97 and are letting most people who have tryed to get it fixed swap it for like for like

like i say phones 4 u will be a different kettle of fish and you will have to fight for your rights with them , at then end of the day if your not getting anywhere in store remain calm and ask to speak to a senior member of staff either by phone or in person

ps

before you go to store print out the consumer laws and also the all about symbian or nokia users thread where nokia admitted a fault with the gps and camera cover

[gazza447]

thanks for your time. youve really been more then helpful!!

[buxz777]

makes noteds of dates you went to store , who you spoke to , timeframe of repair , customer services level each time you had to approach them , it will be easier to write a letter of complaint etc if needed if you have dates names to back your up in you case mate :-)

glad ive helped please keep us updated

[mart360]

AFAIK with Voda, they have a 3 strikes and its replacement time.

My 2nd Gen N95 had the recurrent GPS failure, and all Voda did to rectify it was reflash the SW,

(reflashing SW, does not fix HW faults!!!)

After 3 failed repairs, they changed the phone for a similar model

i got an Omnia ,

My N97 hasnt been used for a month now,


Mart

[gazza447]

started by sending phones for your an email as i was at work and unable to visit the store until the weekend. i detailed all my problems to them and get a response the following day stating that i need to ring their customer resolutions team. as i finished work after 6 which is when they stop working, i phoned the customer services and explained the situation to them and tried to be polite yet forceful with them that i didnt want to send my phone off for further repair "attempts" as it would prove useless however they said that the phone had to be sent off a total of 3 times before i am liable for a replacement which i found unacceptable. as i was busy over the weekend i decided not to do this but on my first day back at work (today) i recieved another email from the resolutions team saying they were still waiting for me to contact them.

i replied to this email saying i contacted the customer services due to my work hours but could arrange to leave work early and contact them and that i was unhappy with the reponse i got from the customer services. if i ring them today, can you think of anything i can say/do to support my claim. also what is the difference between the customer services and resolutions team? am i likely to have more joy with the resolutions team?

thanks for your help