Smartphone Breakdown Woe

IanFogg | June 25, 2007, 05:55 PM

A few weeks ago my six month old mobile phone -- a Windows Mobile device -- developed a screen fault. Inevitably, this happened on a Sunday.

I called my operator who told me that:

1. I could not take the phone to a local store for repair/replacement. I had to return it to them for diagnosis by post, although there are lots of shops run by that mobile operator near where I live in London.

2. They could not loan me a suitable replacement phone in the interim. At least they could loan me a phone, but the handset would just be a basic voice phone that would be unable to remotely match the contacts/diary/sync/email on which I relied upon with my smartphone.

3. If the phone fault was not covered by a warranty repair, I would have to separately contact the handset insurance company -- although my mobile operator had sold me the handset insurance -- to arrange for repair. Clearly, this would take longer, and interestingly the insurance company was not open on Sunday.

If mobile operators sell smartphones, that are specifically about email, PIM etc. How can their customer service be so poor as to not loan a suitable replacement? This is surely an opportunity for a high end mobile phone retailer, or for other networks, to jump on.

A friend with a similar handset with the same operator had an even worse experience. The operator diagnosed his fault as "accidental damage" and said he had to claim insurance. The insurer -- remember separate company -- claimed it was a warranty fix, refused to pay up, and pointed my friend back to the operator. Last time I asked, and I'm afraid to ask again, my friend told me the buck passing was still ongoing as it had been for weeks.

Anyway, upshot for me was that I sent the phone away, and switched back to one of my many spare smartphones. My operator was extremely quick with the repair. So, after just four days, I had a working smartphone in my hands again.

In the interim, I went back to using my old Palm OS Treo 650, and almost started using a Nokia N80 Symbian handset.

The experiences of using all three smartphones in the same week has prompted me to write up the pros and cons, and why, despite many good points, all of them have significant flaws that leave the door open for new competition, such as a certain phone due to launch in the US on Friday. I'm aiming to write an entry on a few different existing smartphone during the next week: keep an eye on this blog.

The reason is simple: the only way to understand a mobile phone is to live with one on an hour by hour basis. Only then, do seemingly minor flaws become gaping defects; only then do advertised specifications that list impressive features pale in the light of too many clicks; do little performance delays and lack of tactile response mean you bump into someone in the street while trying to find a contact.

Only by living with a smartphone does the real experience come to the fore.

And, only by losing a smartphone when it breaks, do you discover the cold turkey experience of living without, after having being hooked.