The phone’s symptom was that when I launched the camera app, the camera would normally switch using the “camera function switch,” but the app wouldn’t recognize the main camera, so I could only use the inner (selfie) camera.
I thought the repair would be free because I was enrolled in “Anshin Keitai Support Plus” (Secure Mobile Support Plus), but then…
- The camera part was recognized as faulty and needed replacement… Free
- The phone’s rear cover was scratched… Paid
- The USB charging cover was scratched… Paid
They said that because 1-3 had to be done simultaneously, it would be considered an out-of-warranty repair and cost 5,200 yen. However, personally, I don’t have a problem not repairing the phone cover or USB, as their damage could be considered natural wear and tear. (To begin with, I don’t even recognize them as being scratched to the point of causing functional problems.)
Somehow, I can sense an ulterior motive to collect fees for a faulty repair, which leaves a bad impression.
When I told them on the phone that I only wanted repair #1, they said, “It’s highly likely we can’t accept it because the manufacturer won’t meet their shipping standards, but we will try to talk to them.”
No, no, whether the repair result is accepted or not is my decision, as I made the request!
It’s fine if the phone comes back with a working camera. If they can guarantee a scratch-free condition within the warranty repair scope, then by all means, go ahead. But I don’t want them to go out of their way to treat it as an out-of-warranty repair.
Despite paying a monthly insurance premium of 380 yen (and being an au user for over 12 years), to be treated this way at the repair stage makes me unable to hide my irritation…
Looking it up online, it seems the response from “Anshin Keitai Support Plus” is not very good.
It appears that 380 yen a month doesn’t seem like much of a financial burden at first glance, but in reality, I’m paying 4,560 yen per year.
I’m only just realizing now that I break even if it breaks once a year, and I won’t get my money’s worth unless I have two faulty repairs a year…
au will contact me again tomorrow or later, and I really hope for a customer-centric response.
(I used the replacement phone delivery service in July 2013, so at this point, the replacement phone delivery service would cost 6,000 yen. I wish they would propose something like, “If you wait two more months, you can renew your phone for 3,000 yen.”)
Depending on this response, if it’s too terrible, I’m seriously considering MNP (Mobile Number Portability) for all three family lines. Seriously…