OFFICIAL - De-Branding Invalidates Nokia Warranty

[dez_borders]

I can now state from personal experience, that debranding your Firmware invalidates your Nokia warranty, and even if the original Product Code is set using NSS after de-branding, the Nokia engineers can detect what has been done, and return your handset UNREPAIRED and with a voided warranty.

I had debranded from Orange UK to EURO1 variant last year, and was up to V21 FW when my handset developed a screen fault.
I reset the product code to my original (Orange UK) code, but could not downgrade the FW back to an Orange UK Variant.
I sent in the handset the the main UK NCC (Thorbury Freepost service). Apart from the screen fault everything else worked perfectly.

The handset was returned yesterday with a note saying
"Please note your phone has not been repaired. After inspection by an accredited engineer, it is deemed to be outside the warranty conditions.
Mobile phone IMEI xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Product Code xxxxxxx has been refused repair due to the following:-
Unit has been received with incorrect software.
Unit has higher software than authorised."

Not only is my warranty void, but now the handset is bricked and will not boot. (Presumably the NCC attempted to re-flash & downgrade the FW)

Be warned folks, debranding is great unless you ever need a warranty repair...

[Casperuk]

depends on what is wrong with it though, if you brick it then your in trouble.

if it's a faulty slider, would they even check the firmware?

[Ratkat]

It didn't help that you changed your product code back to the Orange one.

Nokia repair centres will always try a frimware update first, if you had left your code as Euro1 the update would have worked, but as you changed it back to the orange one Phoenix would have tried to install the older firmware immediately bricking the phone.

That doesn't mean they would have fixed the screen, but they wouldn't have bricked the phone.

You can contact these guys

http://www.kingmobilephone.com

they can usually fix botched firmware upgrades, alternatively if you are still under contract phone Orange and tell them it just stopped working (don't mention anything else) and they may do a doorstop swop.

[kontraband]

realistically then, its better to brick the phone yourself and send it in... rather than doing any messing with the firmware..

its a typical service provider fob off tho... as all the service providers f/w just removes or adds extras into the fw itself. Changing you code etc etc still works with the handset... yadda yadda yadda... Im sure you know the rest.

[lovesign]

I guess this is where insurance comes in handy

[Casperuk]

was it a nokia repair or an orange repair?

if the code was Euro1 and went back to orange they would have clocked straight away it was fiddled with.

[dez_borders]

Originally Posted by Casperuk

was it a nokia repair or an orange repair?

if the code was Euro1 and went back to orange they would have clocked straight away it was fiddled with.

It was a Nokia repair as I bought out my Orange contract in month 12 of 18 (bad reception in new office)

I was on Euro1 and (foolishly) changed it back to the original Orange code before sending to Nokia.

As per another user in this thread, if I had not changed the code back then the NCC would probably not have bricked the handset, although they probably wouldn't have fixed the fault either.

I consider it a lesson well learned...

[dez_borders]

Originally Posted by Ratkat

It didn't help that you changed your product code back to the Orange one.

Nokia repair centres will always try a frimware update first, if you had left your code as Euro1 the update would have worked, but as you changed it back to the orange one Phoenix would have tried to install the older firmware immediately bricking the phone.

http://www.kingmobilephone.com

they can usually fix botched firmware upgrades, .

Thanks for the advice, and the recommendation. I will check out Kingmobile.

[L11]

I've sent my phone for repair through o2 3 times without bothering to change the firmware or product code back and they've fixed it everytime.. Only once they bothered to change the product code back for me.

[dez_borders]

Originally Posted by L11

I've sent my phone for repair through o2 3 times without bothering to change the firmware or product code back and they've fixed it everytime.. Only once they bothered to change the product code back for me.

Yes, it appears I might have had better luck with a network repair, although that was not an option once I cancelled my contract. You live and learn.

I will probably send it for dead-phone flashing to kingmobilephone.com (£20 inc P&P) then find out how much it will cost for a paid repair of the screen fault..

[seki]

by the service center .. I think they stuffed up and took the easy option ..

I do think it was a mistake to change your product code back since it was no longer an O2 "branded" device.

I would like to ask folks with experience of Phoenix whether that program can reflash "bricked" phones? - I've not used it.

Dez sending my solution to your problem via PM

[Ratkat]

phoenix struggles with S60 dead phone flashes, although it copes with S40 phones like the 6280 just fine.
It will dead flash some S60 phones, depending on version you are using, but the version of phoenix widely available is a bit old for the latest devices.
All the revived S60 devices i have seen have been done using jaf or similar.

[RogerPodacter]

wow this sucks. i've read so many claims that debranding the phone does not void the warranty as long as an official nokia firmware is loaded onto the phone. so i would think the generic v21 firmware would be fine. now we all know at the expense of your troubles!! sorry

[dez_borders]

Originally Posted by RogerPodacter

wow this sucks. i've read so many claims that debranding the phone does not void the warranty as long as an official nokia firmware is loaded onto the phone. so i would think the generic v21 firmware would be fine. now we all know at the expense of your troubles!! sorry

Thanks for the sympathy. I am annoyed at myself for setting the code back to the original one, I thought I was doing the safest thing for warranty purposes, as I expected the NCC to check the code was correct.

Nokia NCC did stuff up by bricking my handset, but probably only because the automated NSU/Phoenix style tools tried to downgrade the FW to the current Orange FW because of my code reset.

I now have to choose between paying someone to try and dead-flash and repair the screen or sell it for spares/repairs on eBay and get a contract replacement (O2 Online offer the N95 free on £25 24-month tariff)



The important information for AAS members to learned from all this is:-

1. De-branding FW DOES invalidate the warranty (if the NCC checks)
2. Do NOT reset your product code to the original one after de-branding
3. NCC Engineers can tell the FW version even on a bricked phone


Hope this helps some of you avoid the same problems as me.

[chrsfrwll]

To a degree I disagree, though I hope I never have to follow through. If you have a screen fault, I think under European law you would have a strong case to argue that it would have to be fixed, as the software update would have nothing to do with the state of the screen. It's a similar argument I've used for a car that was remapped but developed a problem with brakes.