What !
So my wonderful mobile phone tried to update its software on Friday to the long-awaited Android 4.0 ICS.
It downloaded, installed, then froze. Permanently.
So this morning I took it to the Bouygues Telecom shop in Mérignac.
Which is boarded up. "We'll be back in August !" says the cheerful notice.
So I nipped into the Carphone Warehouse (in France just Phonehouse) to ask where the nearest open one was.
"Why ?" they asked. I explained the problem.
"Oh yes, that latest update is freezing everyone's phones. They have to send them back to Samsung. It's Bordeaux centre, Bègles or Bordeaux Lac."
The nearest was the Lac, so I went, parked, found the shop and queued.
For a long time.
Eventually it was my turn. I explained the problem.
"Do you have insurance ?" No, the phone is 6 months old.
"If you had insurance we'd just swap it now, but as you don't we'll have to send it off to Samsung." Ok, and how long will that take ?
"About three weeks." But you'll give me a loan phone ?
"Yes, but they're all very basic." So you're saying that I have paid lots of money for a smartphone, I pay for internet access by phone and for three weeks I won't get what I am paying for ?
"Yes. That's it. Of course, if Samsung say that your phone cannot be repaired, then you'll have to buy a new one." What ! It's six months old and has frozen because of your software update and you say I may have to buy a new phone !
They found me the loan phone, a smashed up old Nokia 5230, and warned me to bring it back in good condition ! I laughed and said I had never seen a phone in as bad condition as the one they were lending me, making a note on their sheet that the phone was in a damaged state.
I left disillusioned. Someone had persuaded me to give Bouygues Telecom a go because their after-sales service is good. Ha !
Oh well. At least I'll get a bit of peace from the ubiquitous emails for a while.
It downloaded, installed, then froze. Permanently.
So this morning I took it to the Bouygues Telecom shop in Mérignac.
Which is boarded up. "We'll be back in August !" says the cheerful notice.
So I nipped into the Carphone Warehouse (in France just Phonehouse) to ask where the nearest open one was.
"Why ?" they asked. I explained the problem.
"Oh yes, that latest update is freezing everyone's phones. They have to send them back to Samsung. It's Bordeaux centre, Bègles or Bordeaux Lac."
The nearest was the Lac, so I went, parked, found the shop and queued.
For a long time.
Eventually it was my turn. I explained the problem.
"Do you have insurance ?" No, the phone is 6 months old.
"If you had insurance we'd just swap it now, but as you don't we'll have to send it off to Samsung." Ok, and how long will that take ?
"About three weeks." But you'll give me a loan phone ?
"Yes, but they're all very basic." So you're saying that I have paid lots of money for a smartphone, I pay for internet access by phone and for three weeks I won't get what I am paying for ?
"Yes. That's it. Of course, if Samsung say that your phone cannot be repaired, then you'll have to buy a new one." What ! It's six months old and has frozen because of your software update and you say I may have to buy a new phone !
They found me the loan phone, a smashed up old Nokia 5230, and warned me to bring it back in good condition ! I laughed and said I had never seen a phone in as bad condition as the one they were lending me, making a note on their sheet that the phone was in a damaged state.
I left disillusioned. Someone had persuaded me to give Bouygues Telecom a go because their after-sales service is good. Ha !
Oh well. At least I'll get a bit of peace from the ubiquitous emails for a while.
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