SGP-CV5 broken Where's the Customer Service Sony?

[Hollylouise]

Has anyone had any problems with their SGP-CV5? It's the leather case for the Sony Xperia Z Tablet, which I bought for £59. Within two months the elasticated string has become really lose and doesn't actually do it's job anymore and one of the plastic clasps has broken therefore not holding the tablet in place anymore. Now for £59 I would expect the claps to be made out of something a little stronger than plastic? Am I correct?

Well anyway I thought to myself "oh well Sony is a big company, I'm sure they will have outstanding customer service, I will contact them and highlight my issue" how mistaken I was!!!

I go onto the Sony website click on the SGP-CV5 item but they don't have a support page so somehow I get onto a contact us screen and select the product name from a drop down box and the email gets sent to customersupport.en@eu.sony.com. They promptly reply saying that because it's regarding the Xperia Tablet I need to contact SonyMobile. So I did, I forwarded the reply to questions.gb@support.sonymobile.com and the promptly replied saying that they only deal with the technical support of Xperia Tablets and that I need to contact Sony, as in fact my issue lies with the SGP-CV5 leather cover which is a Sony product.

SO.... I forward this back to Sony, who again promptly reply saying that they are sorry to hear that I am having issues with my Tablet Z and that I need to contact SonyMobile. I very quickly replied clarifying that I am in fact contacting them about the Leather Cover and not the Tablet. Well TWENTY emails later over the span of about two weeks backwards and forth between Sony and SonyMobile I have got nowhere. I am appalled that I am the one that is having to do all the work and just being fobbed off by both Sony and SonyMobile. Why is there not just one generic email that gets forwarded onto the specific team? And how is there not a complaints department? I have asked for the issue to be escalated countless times but it's always the same person replying, how does that work?

Has anyone got any ideas of how to resolve this issue?

[jumpsuit]

Hi Hollylouise and welcome to the Community.

Sorry to hear you've been passed around quite alot

I have escalated this for you so hopefully someone will be in touch with you in the not too distant future

[Hollylouise]

Thank you for the welcome but I am not sure who you are, if you have that power to escalate it then wonderful. I still haven't heard anything. Sony are now telling me that I need to email support@shop.sony-europe.com which I did on Sunday 23rd February 2014 but I haven't heard anything from them either. 

The problem with the leather cover SGP-CV5 appears to be a regular issue which hasn't been rectified and Sony's way of dealing with it is bad customer service hoping that their customers will just give up and leave it.

I have also just found a "I have a complaint" option on their drop down list on the contact us page so I've done that too, hopefully someone will talk to me.

[jumpsuit]

Hi again

This is a user based forum, but certain ranks can contact Sony if we can't help you ourselves.

Did you get the case from the Sony website? If so the advice given to me was for you to call the sales team on

0207 365 2413.

I was hoping that they would contact you, however if you can bear trying yet another route it may be worth a go.

[Hollylouise]

I see... yet another route, I refuse to phone anyone due to the outrageous cost. There is also the fact that Sony can say anything on the phone and there will be no record of it. If they have the cheek to lie in an email then I don't hesitate to believe that they won't lie to me on the phone.

I didn't buy the case from the website I bought it from my local Argos. I have already emailed the sales team on Sunday to Sales.GB@shop.sony-europe.com, I am yet to hear back from them.

[Nobody-in-particular]

Hi Hollylouise, as you bought the case from Argos they would be ones resposible for dealing with the faulty product not Sony, so why are you putting yourself through all this heartache surely you can take the case back to an Argos store and swap it for a new one or ask for a refund.

[Hollylouise]

Don't you think I said this in my first email I sent to Sony? I'm sorry but the problem now lies with Sony not Argos. They have lied, pushed me from one department from another. I am not happy with the way that I have been treated and I will not let this rest until they resolve it.

[Nobody-in-particular]

No I do not know what you said in your email to Sony!

I was simply trying to help and save you the time and effort but if that's the route you want to take then that it is your choice but your rights under the sale of goods act is between you and Argos, Sony is only the manufacturer.

[Hollylouise]

You're probably right, it might have saved me time and effort to go straight to Argos. I would just like to know what Sony are doing about this issue, I'm one of many that this has happened to, they can't expect to keep selling these at £59 each and not change the design can they? You say Sony is only the manufacturer, surely that is where the problem lies?

[jumpsuit]

Hi again

I automatically assumed it was Sony you purchased it from as you never mentioned Argos in your posts, and its Sony you were approaching to rectify the problem. Its the retailer and not the manufacturer you should initially deal with.

As Nobody-in-particular says above I would have returned it to Argos and I'm sure they would have replaced it / refunded you. I would always tell all our members here that if they purchase anything from a store then take the goods back there first.

I understand your concern about manufacture quality but I suppose its a bit like directly asking Adidas head office for an exchange if the trainers you bought in JD Sports are faulty. Wouldn't it just be easier to take them back to the store and get a quick swap / refund?

If you want an official answer from Sony about the quality of their product then yes carry on writing to them.

At least you don't have to phone that number now