Sony Xperia Z5 Compact Warranty for Cracked Screen

<p>On 8 January 2016 I proudly took possession of my new Sony Xperia Z5 Compact on a two-year contract with MTN. It was an amazing phone, with a wonderful camera and everything else I needed in a phone.</p> <p>On 8 March 2016, I was speaking to a friend on Whatsapp, and inbetween messages put my phone down next to me on my bed. When I picked it up to read the next message, I couldn't unlock it. After a couple of tries, I noticed that there was a crack across the screen in the middle, from left to right.</p> <p>On 14 March, I went to the nearest MTN store to ask how I should proceed to have my phone fixed. They informed me that I needed my contract, and R350 to pay for the courier. Having just moved, I had no idea where my contract was, and there has not been an opportunity for me to get together the R350 for the courier.</p> <p>When I eventually did take the phone in for repair, on 10 September 2016, I didn't have to pay the R350 that I was told previously, and was assured the phone would be fixed within three weeks. Had I known that before, I would have taken it in long ago!</p> <p>On 23 September 2016, when I enquired, I was told that my phone would be returned by 28 September 2016, and that there were no charges.</p> <p>On 29 September 2016, enquiring again, I was told that fixing my phone would cost R2978.30, and asked whether I accepted the charges. Of course not!</p> <p>I launched a query with HVRC Repairs (# ********** 4), and was informed that a request for a breakdown of the cost has been placed (REQ: ********** ), but "the repair is not considered as warranty repair due to a cracked LCD, dents and light scratches and that voids the warranty."</p> <p>I specifically checked the phone before handing it in at the MTN branch for dents and scratches (which are cosmetic and should not influence warranties!), and there were none. The cracked LCD was the reason for the warranty repair, so cannot possibly be the reason for the refusal of the warranty repair.</p> <p>Having spent 7 months getting R350 together, there is no way that I'm ever going to see my phone again if I have to pay R2978.30 for warranty repairs. I'm not sure whether I should blame MTN or Sony for this ridiculous stance on the matter, but either way, I have a contract with MTN until January 2018, and I'm certainly not upgrading it at the end of that, and certainly not buying a Sony phone again.</p>