Have you had your Nokia cellphone serviced recently? If you have, like me you were probably flabbergasted at the price Nokia charges to repair cellphones. No wonder so many cellphones are stolen.
My 3330 started to cut out in the middle of conversations, so I took it to the cellphone shop up the road from my home. I was informed that it was most likely the power amplifier, which was no longer repaired on-site, and that it was a common problem in the 3310/3330 phones.
Since my phone is only 18 months old and six months away from an upgrade, I set off to a Vodacare outlet to get it fixed. On arriving at Vodacare, I was informed that I could only get my cellphone fixed at one of the repair centres in Woodmead, Bryanston or at Vodaworld in Midrand. They would either send it in for me, or I had to go there myself. So off I went to Nokia.
Nokia`s customer centre welcomed me with a sign warning that if I had the temerity to decline the quote, it would still cost me R136.80. I almost walked out. But like so many, my cellphone forms an integral part of the way I communicate with the world, so I gritted my teeth and joined the queue.
At the end of they day, if repairs are going to cost more than half the value of the phone, I might as well buy a new one, right?
Stephen Whitford, journalist, ITWeb
Once I reached one of the assistants, I quizzed her vigorously on how much this was going to cost me. I was horrified to find that no matter what was wrong with my phone, it would cost R274 for them to simply open it. If it needed parts, this would cost extra. The power amplifier alone would cost about R170.
If I were unlucky enough to own a grey-listed phone (a phone not brought into the country by Nokia), which I don`t, it would cost me R342 to repair it.
Some quick mental calculation revealed that my phone was going to cost over R400 to repair. I could get a second-hand 3310 for about that. This looked like an appealing alternative at this point. At least if I bought one, I`d have a working phone in hand immediately.
I was there anyway, and decided to go for it, as I need my phone in working order as soon as possible. It cost R527.30.
It really got me thinking. Gone are the days of good old 5110s that go on forever. If you own a bottom of the range phone it will either break in the first two years or the battery will give in.
Bottom-end batteries now only last a year to 18 months. A branded battery could cost anything up to R375, with generic batteries going for anything between R180 and R250. So every year to 18 months cellphone users are spending roughly R200 and that`s only on the battery. What if the phone needs repairs?
To the average man in the street, these are very real costs. Who can afford to spend a couple of hundred rand on cellphones every year? This is particularly pertinent when considering that the majority have prepaid cellphones because they can`t afford landlines or contracts.
Perhaps Nokia would rather I didn`t repair my phone because then I would have to buy another, providing more revenue for the company. At the end of the day, if repairs are going to cost more than half the value of the phone, I might as well buy a new one, right?
No wonder the market for second-hand phones is so huge, just look at the number of shops selling used cellphones, although one questions how many of these phones are stolen.
So when it comes to Nokia, it seems you either pay through the nose or pay through the nose.
Share