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Cellular Phone Forum / Manufacturers / Ericsson / April 2005T68i Owner: DON"T BUY ANY SONY ERICSSON PHONES!
Having been mostly a Nokia and Motorola user for the past 8 years, I was enticed by the features of the T68i, so I bought one, including the "standard" accesssories for me: a car kit, desk stand, headset, etc., totalling around $500, back in April 2003. Having used the phone for about 4 months now, I can without any hesitation tell everyone, DO NOT BUY THIS or ANY SONY ERICSSON PHONE!!! The problems... 1. Poor, poor signal reception: The signal reception on the Sony Ericsson is absolutely awful compared to ther phones I have used. Prior to using the T68i I never missed any calls or pages. With the T68i, missed calls and pages are very common. 2. SLOW user interface: On startup, it takes at least (and I'm not exagerating here...) 45 seconds before I can actually use the phone. And once it is up and running, button presses usually take about 3/4 to 1 second to respond. It is hard to navigate through the menus quickly because you are never quite sure when the phone is going to stop scrolling through the menus or phonebook, and you are never sure if you pressed the key you thought you did. 3. BUGGY software: I have lost all of the contacts in my phone twice... I don't really enjoy typing in 120 names with an average of 2 phone numbers per name over and over again. There is PC software you can download to synchronize with Outlook, but I was never able to get it to work consistently. 4. BUGGY software: Yes, I'll say it again... the software is very buggy. If I move outside my signal coverage area (which, with the poor reception, is often), the phone will freeze up. But you can't tell its frozen until you try to use it. Everything looks normal until you try to place a call. No telling how many calls I have missed. Another problem that seems to be related: even after I turn the phone off, it comes on periodically searching for a signal. So even turning the phone off won't prevent it from freezing up when I'm outside my coverage area. When this happens, you have to remove the battery to reset it, but removing the battery often can lead to the my last (and biggest) problem..... (HERE'S THE KICKER) Yesterday the clip that holds the battery on the phone broke, so I called Sony Ericsson about getting a replacement. First thing they told me, was that because there was "physical damage" to the phone, that I had voided the warranty, and my only recourse was to send the phone in and pay the standard phone repair fee to get it fixed. How much is that fee? $190!!!! There is no way in **** I am going to pay $190 to replace a half-a-cent piece of plastic. So then I emailed customer support, hoping for a better, or at least different, response: --------------------------- The clip that holds the battery in place broke on my phone today. I called Sony Ericsson to see about getting a replacement part to fix the problem and was told that SE cannot sell the part to me. I asked what my options are, and I was told the only option I had was to send the phone in and pay the $190 standard repair fee, even though my phone is only 3 months old. I was also told that because there was physical damage to the phone, the warranty is now void. Why should I spend $190 for a part that costs a half a cent to make? Unless this is somehow resolved in a more acceptable fashion, you have forever lost me, and everyone that asks me for phone recommendations, as customers. ---------------------------- And the response I got back... ---------------------------- Dear Valued Customer, Thank you for contacting Sony Ericsson Online Support. Sony Ericsson's Warranty service provides coverage for the duration of one year from the date of purchase. However, a warranty criterion is needed to obtain such repair services. For Warranty Terms & Conditions, please refer to user manual supplied with your phone. The Proof of Purchase/Original receipt specifying the date of purchased and the serial number may be required. If you are still experiencing difficulties or have additional questions then please call the Sony Ericsson Contact Centre at 800-374-2776 for further help. ---------------------------- Not even a word about my situation... just a generic response basically telling me I'm screwed. I HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT EVERYONE AVOID SONY ERICSSON LIKE A PLAGUE, LEST OTHERS HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCE I HAVE! >Having been mostly a Nokia and Motorola user for the past 8 years, I was >enticed by the features of the T68i, so I bought one, including the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >The problems... >[SNIP] You didn't like your phone, so nobody else should buy one, or any other Sony Ericsson phone? Sorry you had a bad experience, but this is silly. Lots of people like the T68i. I really like my T39m; likewise my P800.  SignatureBest regards, John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/> HELP PAGES FOR CINGULAR GSM + ERICSSON PHONES: <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular > [POSTED TO alt.cellular.ericsson - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE] > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Ericsson phone? Sorry you had a bad experience, but this is silly. > Lots of people like the T68i. I really like my T39m; likewise my P800. "Didn't like" it? I think the problems he had drift a little ways outside the bounds of mere personal preference. Lots of people HATE the t68i also. Doug- As for the phonebook loss, you can periodically go into the phonebook menu and find an option something like "copy to SIM," which most phones do directly with each entry you store. This way you will only lose any numbers you saved since the last time you performed the SIM copying operation. When the phone zonks out, it will lose its own storage but then you can do a "copy FROM SIM" and get them back. You can also do a master reset (somewhere in the menu), which says it will delete all info stored (but not stuff stored on the SIM card). Then go into the ringers and pictures menus and delete everything you don't need that the phone will let you. >>>[SNIP] >> You didn't like your phone, so nobody else should buy one, or any other Sony >> Ericsson phone? Sorry you had a bad experience, but this is silly. >> Lots of people like the T68i. I really like my T39m; likewise my P800. > >"Didn't like" it? I wrote "bad experience" -- if you're going to use quotation marks, please stick to what I actually write. >I think the problems he had drift a little ways outside >the bounds of mere personal preference. Lots of people HATE the t68i also. Pretty much any product has those that don't like it. As far as the T68 is concerned, I used one for a considerable period of time, and FWIW I didn't experience the problems listed. My only complaints were difficulty reading the screen in bright sunlight, and fair RF performance. SignatureBest regards, John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/> HELP PAGES FOR CINGULAR GSM + ERICSSON PHONES: <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular I'm just providing a warning... I hope you don't end up having an experience like mine. But it does seem typical from what I have heard talking to other Sony/Ericsson owners. -DJ > [POSTED TO alt.cellular.ericsson - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE] > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Ericsson phone? Sorry you had a bad experience, but this is silly. > Lots of people like the T68i. I really like my T39m; likewise my P800. > I'm just providing a warning... I hope you don't end up having an experience > like mine. But it does seem typical from what I have heard talking to other > Sony/Ericsson owners. I went through four T39m's at the tail end of 2002 (all replaced under warranty by Orange UK, not SE directly) before getting hold of a phone that worked. The earlier phones had either unstable firmware (constant crashes) and/or dodgy microphones. Now, I'm very happy with the phone, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that SE have had issues in recent times with the quality of their product development. Your experience with your T68 emphasises that. Quite simply, they've been putting out phones that weren't ready for market (IMHO). I like the look of the T610, but there's *no way* I'm going to opt for that phone until it's had the sadly expected post-release development -- or until someone can convince me that *finally* SE have got something right first time! Stu C >I went through four T39m's at the tail end of 2002 (all replaced under >warranty by Orange UK, not SE directly) before getting hold of a phone that >worked. The earlier phones had either unstable firmware (constant crashes) >and/or dodgy microphones. I've had two T39m's, and both have been excellent. >Now, I'm very happy with the phone, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist >to see that SE have had issues in recent times with the quality of their >product development. ... I disagree. I've had several other Ericsson phones, and all have been very good. SignatureBest regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES: John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular This thread is obviously very subjective. My wife has just acquired a T68i and I've had a day to play with it. The menu speed is more than adequate and the signal strength is no weaker than my T39m so far, although I have not tried it in fringe areas. The build is not metallic solid like the T39m but certainly much better than some of the flimpsy Nokias that take flip covers I've held in the past eg. 8250. There's been no sudden shutdowns or other funny businesses so far. Ever heard the phrase "isolated incidence"? I'm no fan of the T68i, I find the screen on it to be a little, er, crap. But that doesn't mean all SE phones are bad, and your case doesn't even mean that all T68i's are bad. You should have bought from somewhere or on a network that will allow you to return the phone if you're not satisfied, so don't act like a victim when it's your own damn fault. My own fault??? The problems I was having were due to a flaw in the design of the phone. And NOBODY is going to take a phone back after 4 months. I am not the only one having the problems I have listed... Other T68i owners I have talked to complain about the same things to one degree or another. Recently I went out and did a little research on the internet, and it seems as though many Ericsson owners are unhappy with their RF performance. It seems like Ericsson's commitment to producing a product that works well on the networks in the USA is less than full. I called SE's customer service at LEAST a half dozen times trying to get these problems worked out. I was very polite every time, yet the CS reps I talked to were condescending and completely unhelpful every single time. If my situation was an "isolated incidense" Sony Ericsson should have at least been willing to talk to me. Or at the very minimum not voided my warranty when the battery clip broke (again, poor design). Since they classify the broken battery clip as "physical damage" my warranty is now void, and they won't even look at my phone now without me shelling out $190. I don't think so. -DJ > Ever heard the phrase "isolated incidence"? > I'm no fan of the T68i, I find the screen on it to be a little, er, crap. > But that doesn't mean all SE phones are bad, and your case doesn't even mean > that all T68i's are bad. You should have bought from somewhere or on a > network that will allow you to return the phone if you're not satisfied, so > don't act like a victim when it's your own damn fault. > My own fault??? The problems I was having were due to a flaw in the design > of the phone. And NOBODY is going to take a phone back after 4 months. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > seems like Ericsson's commitment to producing a product that works well on > the networks in the USA is less than full. I realise that the phone some people like others will dislike, but if you are going to "research" a problem how about being fair about reporting the results? Yes, some people have reported problems with SE RF performance, others have reported similar problems with various Nokias, Panasonics, etc. Every phone compnay seems to have the odd problem phone. Doing a Google on T68i reveals just as many happy customers as unhappy ones (give or take a couple) so your problems seem more like isolated incidents than run of the mill. And yes, no-one is going to take a phone back after four months as most of the problems you report should have been patently obvious in the first four days! The software for backup works for most people so perhaps your computer has a compatability problem? And since when did one bad phone mean that ALL were bad? And looking at it from SE's point of view, considering the paucity of GSM networks in the USA I'm afraid American market demands will generally come a poor second to European and Asian markets. > I called SE's customer service at LEAST a half dozen times trying to get > these problems worked out. I was very polite every time, yet the CS reps I [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > void, and they won't even look at my phone now without me shelling out $190. > I don't think so. If it was an isolated incident then all the more reason for SE to presume it was poor handling rather than a design fault. A Google search reveals you as the only person since the phone's launch with this problem who has bothered to report it (and most people who have problems are very fast to report them). I've looked closely at mine and I'm buggared if I can work out how the hell it could get broken without some brute force and ignorance! I change SIMS about twice a day on average and this particular phone is now over a year old - no damage (that's not to say every other phone will be exactly the same, but I can see why SE is sceptical). I agree there are some design faults in the T68 such as the way that the SIMS sit, but at least I knew about that before I took the phone out of the shop. Just how much did you check before buying this phone may I ask? If there was a perfect phone out there we'd all be buying that and there'd be no competition, but since most of us have different requirements the manufacturers produce a variety, and count the profits from people who buy based on flashing lights rather than useability, or whatever. I am sure if you really did some proper research that you've read all the reasons why those of us who like T68i's like the model, presuming it is compatable with our telco's infrastructure (I am with Vodafone in Australia, and have also roamed with this one to New Zealand and Hong Kong without problems). If you have a serious problem with the phone, get over it, and get something that suits you better, and perhaps this time you'll check it out properly before paying over your hard earned. ALL T68is' RFs are "bad", very very BAD. That's a fact. It's personal opinion regarding UI, size, etc. I will not buy another SE product because of my "bad" experience with the T68i. About phone book... you should be able to save to SIM. Or keep a copy on your computer (Bluetooth). > Ever heard the phrase "isolated incidence"? > I'm no fan of the T68i, I find the screen on it to be a little, er, crap. > But that doesn't mean all SE phones are bad, and your case doesn't even mean > that all T68i's are bad. You should have bought from somewhere or on a > network that will allow you to return the phone if you're not satisfied, so > don't act like a victim when it's your own damn fault. >ALL T68is' RFs are "bad", very very BAD. That's a fact. Not true. SignatureBest regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES: John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular > ALL T68is' RFs are "bad", very very BAD. That's a fact. It's > personal opinion regarding UI, size, etc. I will not buy another SE > product because of my "bad" experience with the T68i. No, that's your subjective opinion, not a fact. My T68i absolutely trounces any of the Series40 Nokia's for getting and holding a signal. If yours is any different, it is quite obviously faulty, so I'd recommend getting it looked at by a proper Service Centre. As far as the UI goes, it is slow and different, but like anything else, you will adapt to it if you give it the chance. The slowness of the UI is more than outweighed by the plethora of features you get on the T68i that work perfectly out of the box, >>> Unlock Your Phone's Potential <<< >>> http://www.thephonelocker.co.uk <<< I think that most people in this NG know about the T68i's poor RF. Is is different in the UK? I don't care about it "holding a signal" if I can't understand what the other person is saying (or if they can't understand what I'm saying). I've had the Samsung R225 and the Motorola T722i. And in my opinion, those two models were far better. Same service provider BTW. I will stay away from SE phones. > > ALL T68is' RFs are "bad", very very BAD. That's a fact. It's > > personal opinion regarding UI, size, etc. I will not buy another SE [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > chance. The slowness of the UI is more than outweighed by the plethora of > features you get on the T68i that work perfectly out of the box, >I think that most people in this NG know about the T68i's poor RF. ... I disagree -- the T68i is better than that. SignatureBest regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES: John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular > ALL T68is' RFs are "bad", very very BAD. Did you disconnect the antenna or something? T68i may not have the sensitivity of a spy satellite, but it sure isn't bad either. > Having been mostly a Nokia and Motorola user for the past 8 years, <SNIP> I' d say it was user error. Some of the problems you faced could be atributable to network problems. Given the fact tyou are obviously stateside, this wouldn't surprise me. As for having to retype all your phone numbers in again... More fool you! There are multiple ways you could have backed up your contacts. Never mind. Paul I have been a T-Mobile (formerly VoiceStream) customer for 7 years, and this is the first of 7 phones that has had connection/signal problems. Every phone prior to this has worked GREAT! As for backup... SIMs don't provide a backup of all of the contact info... only the first part of the name and the "primary" phone number. No email addresses, photos, ringtones, etc. The XTNDConnect software won't make a connection long enough to be useful. It starts to connect, but loses the connection with the phone before I can do any type of backup. Believe me, I have spent PLENTY of time trying to come up with a reliable way to do backup of my contacts. None have been acceptable. The point shouldn't be what I used for backup... it should be that I shouldn't have to re-enter my contacts in the first place... A phone should not lose its contact information for no reason. -DJ > > Having been mostly a Nokia and Motorola user for the past 8 years, > <SNIP> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Paul > As for backup... SIMs don't provide a backup of all of the contact info... > only the first part of the name and the "primary" phone number. BTW, your problems are not just on your unit (they all have slow menus and other issues), EXCEPT for the losing-the-phone-book thing. If you can get a warranty exchange, that will probably fix it. i'm now onto my fith t68i. iv'e had various problems, the first one i spilled a cup of tea over! the second one i dropped from a height, but all of them without exception has had very poor reception, they were all replaced next day from orange ,ow this one has the same problem orange will replace it with a different type of phone and i will be happy, i'm gonna get the samsung v200 which is great the pain in the arse with the se was that if you took a photo you had to save it to the phone then save it to the pc which all took time because the camera has more memory than the phone so you have to send them to the pc then delete them then save them from the camera to the phone then to the pc then delete them from the camera etc etc. i foud that with all this changing phones i've had to back up the phone book a few times this has been no trouble at all! i've used an infra red adapter which cost £30 and a blootooth adapter wihick cost £20 and both are very easy to transfer both to and from my pc and now to my mac. the phone itself is great but as you say it's no good if you can't make calls i won't be getting another se either sorry > i'm now onto my fith t68i. iv'e had various problems, the first one i > spilled a cup of tea over! the second one i dropped from a height, but > all of them without exception has had very poor reception, they were > all replaced next day from orange... Either you are accident prone, a chronic abuser or just a big RF sink... And why should Orange replace your phone when you abused the phones? What did you tell them? wh There are a lot a rumors about T68i phone. Let me report a fact: I own and use a T68i for 3 years, and I am delighted with it ! > why | There are a lot a rumors about T68i phone. | | Let me report a fact: | I own and use a T68i for 3 years, | and I am delighted with it ! Well, let's just say that you have been fortunate. I have always been very satisfied with my Ericsson/Sony Ericsson phones, GH197, GH688, SH888, T39m, K700i, but when I got a T68i as a work phone from my employer a few years ago, I was very disappointed from the start already. I noticed from the beginning that's it's very slow, much slower than the T39, for example, which has a similar operating system and command and menu system, and similar functionality (BT, IR, built-in modem, GPRS, HSCD, Calendar, Calcularor, etc.). Just recently, it ceased functioning, by not allowing me to make calls anymore and not receive incoming calls either. It was just recently replaced by a Nokia phone, my first Nokia ever btw, but that one seems to work fine though. Signature/Danne __________________________________________ d a n (dot) a l t e m y r (at) t e l i a (dot) c o m |
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