Clearing up the issues regarding phone warranties, insurance and what you are entitled to as a consumer...

As anyone who has worked in telco can tell you, or retail for that matter, you'll come across the best and worst of all types of people on a daily basis. For telco staff, nothing brings out the worst in people more than a broken, shattered, frozen, lost, stolen or faulty mobile device.

Consequently, consumers can often feel angry, irritated or disgruntled as to what happens next. This article will attempt to shine a bit of light on the differences between warranties, insurance and consumer responsibilities.

Manufacturer's Warranty

First and foremost, every single mobile device that can be purchased across the Australian retail landscape comes with a minimum of a 12 month manufacturer's warranty. This covers manufacturer's fault, which encompasses issues such as phone performance and reliability. Basically, a manufacturer is responsible for anything associated with a mobile device's performance, that hasn't been affected by outside influences.

All mobile device manufacturers have ELF (Early Life Failure) and DOA (Dead On Arrival) policies. ELF covers the occurrence of warranty issues within a specified time period such as 14 or 30 days from the date of purchase. Issues occurring during this period allow telcos to replace the mobile device with a brand new one. If the issue can be replicated so that telco employees can acknowledge it, they can replace the faulty handset with a brand new one. Remember though that this isn't always possible on the spot due to stock availability, and you may have to wait for the store to receive a replacement handset for you.

Certain problems may also need the manufacturer's approval before a replacement is issued, so be patient.

DOA covers handsets that are faulty straight out of the box. This is easily managed as it occurs at the point of sale. The same principle apply as ELF and the unit can be replaced with a brand new one.

Anything that occurs after the ELF period but before the end of the manufacturer's warranty will require that your phone is sent to a mobile care centre. It sucks having your phone sent away for 10-15 business days, but that's the way it goes sometimes....


Insurance

Every customer that signs up to a mobile plan is offered the option of insurance for their handset. Or at least they should be... If not, that salesperson needs to wake up and start cross-selling :) But in all seriousness, before flying off the handle and abusing poor telco staff, just remember that you had the option to cover yourself for theft, loss, physical damage, water damage etc, but chose not to. Insurance essentially covers you for anything that doesn't fall under the umbrella of your manufacturer's warranty. You'll pay an excess, but such is the case with any type of insurance. Paying $100 to replace that brand spanking new 64GB iPhone 4S or that shiny new Galaxy Nexus sure beats buying one outright.


So there you have it. Just a few things to think about before going nuts at a telco employee. Also remember that the more you carry on like a twit, the longer you'll probably have to wait for 'stock to come in' or for your handset to return from servicing. We didn't manufacture the devices, and as such, we do have relevant channels through which to follow up problems. Just a little common sense combined with manners and you'll have your handset back as soon as possible :)