Charge for Warranty Exchanges

[TheJoester09]

So I'm on T-Mobile US, and my wife has been having issues with her 8x. I called T-Mobile and they determined that the problems are due to faulty hardware so they offered a warranty swap, but they're asking $20 for the exchange in addition to shipping costs! I know it hasn't always been this way because I had to exchange my Touch Pro 2 back in the day and I only had to pay for shipping. I've never heard of charging a fee for warranty exchange! I understand if it were an insurance claim, but this is due to faulty hardware and 100% out of our control, so what gives? Does anyone know if other US carriers charge for this? I'm considering ditching T-Mobile near the end of the year once our contract runs out, and this issue may play a role in deciding which carrier to go to next.

 

[mase123987]

I have never had to make a warranty or insurance claim. That does surprise me though. Honestly, I think it should be illegal to have a warranty that requires the owner pays shipping, but that's me.

 

[phirefly]

I got my 920 swapped by AT&T through the mail for free under warranty. Back when I was with Sprint they were also free.

 

[TheJoester09]

I have never had to make a warranty or insurance claim. That does surprise me though. Honestly, I think it should be illegal to have a warranty that requires the owner pays shipping, but that's me.

It's not even the shipping that I have an issue with; it's the $20 fee for no apparent reason other than greed!

 

[TheJoester09]

I got my 920 swapped by AT&T through the mail for free under warranty. Back when I was with Sprint they were also free.

Thanks for the info. I was already leaning towards AT&T because they always get the best Windows Phones and this makes it that much better.

Can anyone with Verizon weigh in on this?

 

[HeyCori]

I'm considering ditching T-Mobile near the end of the year once our contract runs out, and this issue may play a role in deciding which carrier to go to next.

What are your other reasons for wanting to leave T-Mobile?

 

[TheJoester09]

What are your other reasons for wanting to leave T-Mobile?

The service is terrible if you don't live in a big city. I used to live in Orlando, FL and it was great because in that city the service was everywhere. Now I live in Tallahassee, FL, and it's AWFUL. I get zero service inside of my building at work, and the entire section of town where I work is either 2G or no service at all. My wife and I take a lot of road trips too, and it's just not reliable while we're on the road.

We actually already made the switch, and we decided to go to Verizon. Full LTE sitting at my desk at work, topping out a 30mbps. It's a wonderful thing! Also, I made sure to ask about warranty swaps, and they definitely DON'T charge (in fact, they laughed at the thought of it).