I have a Google Pixel 8 Pro, had a software issue (started on Saturday 7 June) but covered under warranty. Google advised me to contact provider (EE) as they may be able to give me a loan phone for duration of the repair. Advised to go to particular store the following day to process.
Store said they were 'rusty' with the repair process as they said a store in neighbouring city is a repair centre and they don't get many repairs as people are usually sent there (first red flag). They were lovely, took me through the process, gave me a loan phone and I was on my way. Loan phone hadn't been reset properly so I was back in store the next day (Monday) to swap it for a working loan phone. Whilst I was there, the courier was collecting phones and the assistant noted my phone was the one being collected.
Tuesday rolls round and I get a message from the repair centre. I open it to discover photos of my phone, now with a visible crack/dent on one corner that was not there before. Repair centre is requesting photos from me to compare the damage to state of the phone prior to sending. Noone advised me to take photos. I call the repair centre. They apologise and say that as this was an in-store collection, the EE store will have taken photos. They check their system; there are photos available...but they're photos of the original loan phone I was given (a Samsung A6) and not of my phone. I explain my phone had a Speigen case and glass screen protector, which was only removed when I handed my phone to EE, so the damage has happened under EE's watch; either in-store or in transit. Repair centre apologises but explains they have to follow their own protocol, and the physical damage invalidates my warranty, so I need to pay £400 for repairs or my phone will be sent back to store without being repaired, unless EE store authorises repairs.
Hours of phone calls to EE store, EE customer services and technical teams and the repair centre and they are all saying it's the other departments' responsibility to sort this out, including two complaints that were closed by customer service as "the store needs to pick this up and deal with it through in-store procedure". My phone was scheduled for return to store on 20 June, and SMS said "we will let you know when it has arrived". I heard nothing until today, when I received 5 text messages back to back saying we have sent X amount of reminders for you to collect your phone and we may have to dispose of it if it is not collected (I immediately called the store to confirm I did still want my phone, but there were no assurances they were doing anything at all to resolve the issue).
The store admitted they 'forgot' to take photos of my phone before sending, which more than one customer service agent has said is against in-store procedures. The manager of the store said his team 'isn't required to take photos' and he won't authorise the store covering the repairs. He offered £50 as a gesture of goodwill, which EE technical team and retail complaints said was unacceptable and asked him to follow in-store procedures. I have had no contact from anyone at EE to update me on what they are doing to resolve this issue in over two weeks.
Please can someone provide some advice? My contract is until November 2025, but I didn't realise I am paying for the device until November 2026!
