Motorola Cell Phones: Buyer Beware!

by | Jul 26, 2009 | Motorola | 2 comments

A few months back I was in the market for a new phone. I read a bunch of reviews and went to my local AT&T store to compare models. At the time, I was choosing from the Motorola Q9 Global, Blackberry Curve, and Blackjack II. I ultimately chose the Q9. This post is not really about my decision criteria nor is it a review of the Q9. Rather this post is about my experience with the Q9 since I purchased it 8 months ago.

I was happy with the phone for the most part. It performed well, had good reception, and a great speakerphone.

The Honeymoon’s Over

Then the phone broke a few weeks ago.

And did it ever. The power adapter receiver / head phone jack receiver completely broke and actually came out of the phone. It even took a bit of the phone’s main board out with it!

Here’s the hole in the Q9 where the power adapter receiver used to be…

Here’s the power adapter receiver after it came out of the Q9. You can see the pins on the second image that are supposed to be attached to the Q9’s motherboard.

Ok. I’ve had phones break before. The phone is less than 8 months old, so I call AT&T tech support and start the warranty exchange process. I go through the drill about resetting the phone, checking for water damage, and checking for other signs of abuse to the phone. Nothing, just a few scuff marks on the screen. I actually treated this phone pretty well.

Alright, now that 20 questions is done, I’m expecting the tech support rep to take my shipping information so she can send me my warranty replacement.

Warranty Denied!

The tech support rep explained to me that apparently it is Motorola’s policy that physical damage is NOT covered under warranty! Physical damage is not covered? Isn’t that the whole point of a warranty? I could understand that damage resulting from mistreatment of the phone would not be covered, such as my driving over the phone with my car. But, when an internal piece of the phone breaks off and comes OUT OF THE PHONE, surely that should be covered under warranty. Just to be clear, the AT&T support rep told me that this was Motorola’s warranty policy for ALL Motorola phones, not just the Q9.

The only thing that saved me from having to pay a tidy $300 to replace the phone is that I had purchased additional phone insurance. Even with the insurance, I still had to pay $74 ($3 monthly premium plus $50 deductible) to replace a defective phone that should have been covered under warranty.

Call to Action

So what can we as consumers do to keep from being mistreated like this? Simple: make Motorola feel your displeasure financially. How? Here’re a few ideas:

  1. Thinking of buying any Motorola phone? Don’t. Buy one from a competitor instead.
  2. Already have a Motorola phone? Post a rating anywhere that sells the phone or a comment anywhere that reviews the phone. Rate the phone 2 points less than you otherwise would, and make it clear that it is for the terrible support policies. For example, if you were going to rate the phone 4 out of 5 stars, rate the phone 2 stars. Here’s a list of sites that have reviews or sell the Motorola Q9:
  3. Tell your friends, family, and co-workers. Word-of-mouth is still the most trusted form of information dissemination.

Anyone from Motorola reading this? Please change your support policies. You’re poor support policies are tarnishing what is otherwise an excellent product.

2 Comments

  2. Eugene Rosenfeld [former MOSS MVP]
    Eugene Rosenfeld [former MOSS MVP] on October 29, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    That's a good idea. Though I firmly believe that the best way to encourage a company to correct poor practices is to provide financial incentive. I.e, honor your claims or poor product reviews will lead to lower sales.