RGS020428 - Blackview Active 8 Pro - After Sales Support Nightmare

<div>We purchased a Blackview Active 8 Pro from Takealot. After 5 months of use (7 months after purchase) of this Mil-Spec IP 68 rated table the screen failed and it was returned and repaired under warranty. From the onset my concern was that RuggedSA could not guarantee that the OEM IP68 rating will be retained after the fact. This is further evident from their 3 month warranty on repairs. After initially being told that the table is not waterproof by the General Manager and challenged to this fact, he was educated about what an IP rating is and we promptly got "blocked due to company policy". Our concern and query then got bumped up to the Head of Customer Care, needless to say a further bout of back and forth proceeded to be had and at no stage was it noted or guaranteed that the OEM IP rating would be retained after the fact. It was however continually noted that water damage is not covered under warranty. Herein the problem. RuggedSA was compromising the IP68 rating by replacing the failed screen and could not guarantee the repair past the 3 month window and if the tablet where by some miracle have the unfortunate mishap of being splashed in a puddle or fall in a some water and the device gets damaged this will not be covered yet all the while the IP rating isn't guaranteed after the repair. The tablet was then returned and several issues where evident straight out the box. This being that the internal lenses of the front camera had a delamination and this flaw was somehow missed through 3 QA procedures that occurred on 3 different days which speaks volumes of the fact that this is merely a paper exercise and not an actual QA process. The bezel of the screen wherein it is recessed was also damaged in all 4 corners from the pry tools used to remove the defective screen. It was also noted that one of the corners of the screen was not recessed and close to the top of the bezel which is a clear indicating that the installation and application of the glue or adhesive compound was app**** in a non-uniform manner and also reduces the drop and fall protection of the screen. This was a bitter pill to swallow as the tablet after only 5 months of use was still in mint condition and it came back looking used and battered. Throughout all this we where also told a new device cannot be issued as replacement devices are only issued after a device has been repaired several times for the same fault. You guessed it "company policy". I then eventually got hold of the Executive Directors contact details as the Head of Customer Care flat out refused to escalate the matter. His reply was not worth the electrons used to get the email to my inbox and it is evident they are more concerned about getting you money as indicated by the Managing Directors bio on linked in "grow the companies revenue exponentially year on year, with more than 1000% since completion of its first financial year in 2016". In summary I would aggressively dissuade anyone from purchasing any products from RuggedSA as their after sale service is lacking. As per my email they sell rugged devices but do not support or guarantee them after repair. You will be left destitute without any recourse or retribution and will be stonewalled throughout. Please also afford yourself the courtesy of reading up on their website regarding product warranties prior making a purchase and being left hanging out to dry. If anyone wants to dispute the above I will gladly share the correspondence for you to make your own deduction and form your own opinion on the matter.</div>