Warranty - Does the developer preview void it?

[lcw731]

I did, and very little of what you said is correct.



Regardless of what the Nokia warranty says, it is a fact that any carrier-sold locked devices (apart from iPhones) are covered by the carrier, not the manufacturer (in the US). The Nokia support contract does not matter here unless it's a phone purchased directly from Nokia.


.

Where did you get your info? I just had my 920 bought from AT&T on contract repaired by Nokia under warranty and they had no issue with it and made no mention of having to go through AT&T. I even told them specifically I didn't want to go through at AT&T because I didn't want a refurbished phone with someone else's problem, I wanted to keep the phone I had.





Sent from my RM-915_nam_usa_228 using Tapatalk

 

[anon(7817172)]

Thanks for this. As much as it reassures me and made me feel positive, I didn't send my phone with WP8.1 for warranty repair and instead just flashed it back.

And for those like me who need warranty repair, running PDP and don't feel 100% that you'll get the warranty, then just flash it back. My Nokia Lumia 925 was running WP8.1 PDP, and I just flashed it back to WP8 with GDR3. Right now, my phone is at the Nokia Care Point to be sent somewhere for warranty repair.

Reason for me flashing back the firmware for warranty? I just don't want Nokia to call me next day and say "Oh, we can't do the repair because of WP8.1 PDP." And then me saying OP's explanation of warranty, etc.

 

[anon(7817172)]

If I upgrade my lumia 520 to wp 8.1 can using preview for developer can I back to wp 8 from wp 8.1 ???

Yes. I just did that now. I'm not saying 100% it works for everyone, but it worked for me. Some people in the forums claim to have bricked their phones. Well, I don't know what they did to get that, but as for me, it works perfectly.

 

[Thelosouvlakia]

Guys, guys.
Nokia DeviceMaker=Microsoft.
They can't just deny you the guarantee for something they made. It's stupid enough for them to do such a thing.

 

[T1Cybernetic]

Good news Although it would be great if we never have to use the warranty in the first place

 

[Mellifluous]

Interesting thread and I thought I'd chip in with my experience, which has been that Nokia will repair handsets with 8.1 installed, although they will reset it to 8.0.

Last month the power button of my Lumia 520 failed so I dropped it into a Nokia Care centre in the UK under the 2 year manufacturers warranty. They fixed it in a day and when 8.1 came out, I installed it on my 520.

A week ago, the button failed again and I dropped it back in for repair. I was a bit nervous but a few days later I got the phone back and it's working fine. They had to send off for a part and it looks like they replaced the power "knob" you see when you remove the cover, as there's a bit of solder.

I think if you deal with Nokia directly they are unlikely to decline to help based on the software you're running. I would imagine their wording is more aimed at jailbreaking/homebrew software where you are using the phone beyond their intention. If 8.1 was a beta release only limited to Microsoft employees and I had downloaded it from a piracy site, I am sure they would refuse cover, but if it is a version that is widely available then it seems unreasonable to withhold support for genuine faults which exist regardless of the 8.1 installed.

Re the carrier/seller/manufacturer debate, in the UK you can return devices for repair via both seller and manufacturer (at least for Nokia and Apple). Which you go to can depend on the issue. If it's a software issue, then going to Carphone Warehouse (a Best Buy type place for phones) can solve the issue faster as they can do software reinstallations there. If it's a hardware issue, it is quicker dealing directly with Nokia or Apple. For Nokia, shops like CPW will be sending the devices back to Nokia anyway. With Apple, their policy is replace on the spot so again, much quicker. It is only advantageous to go through the shop if you want to fish for a refund if the issue becomes protracted - e.g. after sending my 710 back three times via CPW, I negotiated a full refund.

 

[Glad Bernard]

A week back the headphone (3.5mm) socket on my six month old 520 (WP 8.1 DP installed) was not working. I dropped the phone at my local Nokia Care Centre (India) and it was repaired within the day under warranty. No questions asked ! :smile:

 

[Thelosouvlakia]

I'm wondering how other OEMs handle guarantees. No words from Samsung or HTC or Huawei yet?

 

[hopmedic]

Samsung
It's pretty much the same. They cover defects in manufacturing and workmanship, and they don't cover anything that is caused by something they didn't provide. They use a lot of words to say what is essentially this.

You see the words "resulting from" used many times in the "not covered" part of the warranty. That means, for instance, that if you put some software in the phone, and THAT is the CAUSE of the problem, not covered. If you put that same software in the phone, and a problem comes up but is not CAUSED by that software, you're covered. Again, we're talking hardware. These warranties never cover software. And if the problem were software, you could uninstall/reinstall/reflash, whatever it takes, but you could restore the phone to its original condition without having to replace the phone, so there's no need for it to cover software problems. A hardware problem cannot be solved by reinstalling anything. All the warranty covers is hardware.

 

[anon(8657436)]

Samsung
It's pretty much the same. They cover defects in manufacturing and workmanship, and they don't cover anything that is caused by something they didn't provide. They use a lot of words to say what is essentially this.

You see the words "resulting from" used many times in the "not covered" part of the warranty. That means, for instance, that if you put some software in the phone, and THAT is the CAUSE of the problem, not covered. If you put that same software in the phone, and a problem comes up but is not CAUSED by that software, you're covered. Again, we're talking hardware. These warranties never cover software. And if the problem were software, you could uninstall/reinstall/reflash, whatever it takes, but you could restore the phone to its original condition without having to replace the phone, so there's no need for it to cover software problems. A hardware problem cannot be solved by reinstalling anything. All the warranty covers is hardware.

Spot on, warranty is only hardware. Also, if out of your warranty period, you go to them and ask them to reflash your phone, they will do so and the only charge they will make (usually they do it for free) will be service fees that has nothing to do with a cost on their part. Warranty is actually a way to reduce repair costs on your part.

 

[SlingLaker9811]

Thank you for the insight, hopmedic! Now all my doubts are cleared.

 

[slyronit]

I live in India. I faced all 3 scenario possible with this

1. My 925 was on GDR3 with preview for developers and later got Lumia black firmware update. It stopped booting one day, so Nokia fixed it for free. So it doesn't matter if you are currently on a supported OS but have used Preview for developers before.

2. However, if you take the phone to Nokia care with 8.1 on it already, they refuse to fix anything software related and refuse to fix any hardware under warranty. This happened with my 925 whose vibrator stopped working. I had to pay for the repair and they void my warranty.

3. My wife's 720 had issues with the earpiece. I flashed her back to Amber using Nokia Product support tool and took it to Nokia and they fixed it as usual.

 

[bionicgt]

so does it void it or not?

 

[anon5997296]

I think it doesn't do anything to the warranty. It's just upto Nokia whether to refuse to repair your phone or not. I mean it just gives them a reason to charge you for the repair. According to their mood I guess..

 

[hopmedic]

so does it void it or not?

Did you read the first post?

 

[bionicgt]

Did you read the first post?

It's way too long, I'm at work.. I just asked if it does or not...

 

[hopmedic]

The point is that rather than answer the same question each time someone asks, they get directed to the answer where it was already provided.

 

[Coy032]

This is a very nice write up. I just want to make sure I am understanding this correctly since I recently dropped my phone and the screen shattered. I have Windows 8.1 Preview downloaded on my phone which I got from the Preview for Developers app. From my understanding that does not violate section 4.7 of the booklet because it was released by Microsoft. Since it was given out to the public and can be downloaded by everyone by doing a few simple things I am safe on this issue. Correct? The fact that the Preview says "May be void" makes me nervous, as it seems like it did for others.

What I am concerned about is Verizon being Verizon and telling me they can't help me. They always use really skewed sentences and never to the point. You said you sent your phone into Nokia, how would I go about doing this? And would they fix my screen? And yes I am still in warranty, barely.

 

[Ashwin P]

so does it void it or not?

Technically, no. As the OP has written, you are on the safe side if you can argue the elements.

BUT, there is a reason why Microsoft warns you that your OEM/Carrier MAY void your warranty. They are not saying that they would, just that there is a possibility. They are throwing the onus on to the OEM/Carrier.

Now, Nokia, says "unauthorized software" would void warranty. But they do not explicitly state whether Microsoft provided software is "unauthorized". Strictly speaking, only Nokia provided software should be called "authorized". But then, this is a grey area.

So at the end you are left at the mercy of the Nokia care center. In places like mine (India) they cause you trouble as long as the bill of repair is low. But for expensive repairs, they try to find ways to deny you warranty. Am not talking about just Nokia, but with all brands/products sold here. Other countries would have a different ethic/culture.

If it is me, I wouldn't take a chance, and would flash back 8.0 before taking it to repair.

 

[hopmedic]

This is a very nice write up. I just want to make sure I am understanding this correctly since I recently dropped my phone and the screen shattered. I have Windows 8.1 Preview downloaded on my phone which I got from the Preview for Developers app. From my understanding that does not violate section 4.7 of the booklet because it was released by Microsoft. Since it was given out to the public and can be downloaded by everyone by doing a few simple things I am safe on this issue. Correct? The fact that the Preview says "May be void" makes me nervous, as it seems like it did for others.

What I am concerned about is Verizon being Verizon and telling me they can't help me. They always use really skewed sentences and never to the point. You said you sent your phone into Nokia, how would I go about doing this? And would they fix my screen? And yes I am still in warranty, barely.

Since the problem is a broken screen, the warranty is irrelevant here. The warranty does not cover:

6. Defects or damage caused by: (a) misuse, (no need to go any farther)

The insurance that you have through Verizon (I'm assuming you have it, but you may not - the monthly charge for insurance) is not a warranty, but is insurance. I do not know the details of that insurance, but it is not through Verizon. I'm thinking it might be Assurant, but not positive. If the insurance covers damage (I think it does, but I haven't looked it up), then you're fine. Pay the deductible and get the phone replaced (it will be a refurbished phone). So you're not going to be covered by the OEM warranty, but the damage insurance shouldn't have anything to do with whether you've upgraded the phone or not. Again, though, I haven't read their T&C.