Very disappointing warranty and after-sales experience
I purchased a refurbished Sony Xperia 5 IV from Fonezone for AED 490. After only around three weeks of normal use, a green line appeared on the screen. The phone had not been dropped, damaged, or repaired by anyone else.
I contacted Fonezone expecting their advertised warranty to provide reasonable support. Initially, I was told that the screen repair would cost AED 250, and I agreed to pay this amount simply because I wanted to get my phone working again.
Then I was informed that the screen was not available. After that, I was told that they would keep my phone and provide a replacement, but I would have to pay AED 400 for the replacement.
This is extremely disappointing. I bought the phone for AED 490, and now I am being asked to pay AED 400 for a replacement while Fonezone keeps my original phone. Even more frustrating, without repairing my phone or providing the replacement, I was also expected to pay AED 25 for shipping/collection.
What concerns me most is the customer experience and the lack of a clear, consistent solution. Fonezone advertises a lifetime warranty on refurbished devices and states that manufacturing defects can be repaired or replaced under the warranty.
I understand that warranty terms and conditions apply, but when a phone develops a serious screen issue after only a few weeks, I believe the customer should receive a fair and transparent solution rather than being asked to pay almost the original purchase price again.
I am sharing my experience so other customers can carefully consider the warranty and after-sales support before purchasing.
I hope Fonezone reviews this case and provides a fair resolution.