I am going to share with you guys about my experience with Zenfones.
I started off with a Zenfone 5 after I got rid of my Samsung S4. In less than a year, I encountered a screen crack on its Gorilla glass. Subsequently, the phone just went bogus and is currently in bricked state. It just meant that even if I spend the money to repair the screen, the phone is still essentially a paper weight.
It doesnt help more that its an Intel Chip.
So, I gotten a Zenfone Selfie to replace that fallen Zenfone 5. Again, in less than a year, the screen cracked. But this time round, I buy it from Challenger, which they convinced me to be a member where i get "free warranty for cracked screen". I paid membership fees. However, when i really send it in to repair, i was told that i need to pay 10% of the screen price. I was actually okay with that.
Afterall, the phone costs $399 and i doubt the screen is very expensive.
Now, this is where my nightmare with starshield starts. StarShield is a repair company with Challenger, where they allow you to buy insurance and additional warranty, It gives all android devices free 1st year screen crack warranty. This is because screen crack is the only issue that the original warranty doesnt cover.
I first called starshield and they doesnt know about this. So i called Challenger to clarify. Apparently Challenger call centers doesnt know about it too!
After a few days of emails and clarifications, I was told to bring my phone down to any challenger that has Starshield counter.
The phone reaches the counter and the guy just collected it without giving me any proof of collection. It wasnt after i emailed starshield before i received my service chit from them via email.
the promised time was 14days to collection. But they have no stock of the screen and they didnt bother to inform me until i chased them after 10 days to learn about the status of my phone.
I asked to collect back my phone until the screen arrive then i send it back in, since according to them, it will take 3 to 4 weeks for the screen to come.
True enough, the screen came and i requested for immediate fixing, which they declined. Mum went to collect the next day. I got it back, only to realised they have given me a screen with a defect.
On my off day, i brought it down again for rectifications, and end up they took 3 hours to change multiple screens as all the stocks they have are in pretty damned shape. I was about to collect back my phone when i realised that they fixed the phone, but spoilt my caller receiver and vibration module.
I asked to collect the next day, which they declined again as they are shifting from Funan to Pasir Panjang. So Wed is 29th, the day i stucked for 3 hrs, 30th is last day at funan, and 1st July is a friday and their first day at new place. I can only collect on monday 4th july.
Come 4th july, i collected my phone, and upon using, i realised the screen was insensitive and always scroll itself without me touching.
now i need to find a nice day go down again.
The staffs are friendly and nice. I just think their engineers have skill gaps and their processes needs to improve.
So as i have no spare phone, i gotten a zenfone laser as spare.
This is because there is no xiaomi off the shelf.
and zenfone is the only one at that price point that comes with 4g and big screen.
pray for me that i dont get trashed phone again.
