News Forum Phone database

> New Topic
> Reply
< Esato Forum Index > Sony Ericsson / Sony > General > Thanks to mwarner and a message to all Bookmark topic

Thanks to mwarner I've found a little something out, your all be interested in this.

I purchased a sim free K800i when it first came out last year from eXpansys and noticed that I could'nt update my firmware to the latest which is on the UK Sony Ericsson update service.

Why would this be then? after doing some homework on this I've found out that yes eXpansys do buy handsets which are meant to be sold elsewhere in Europe.

In my case the K800i was meant to be sold in Germany, I wont be able to update the firmware on it until the latest firmware on the UK update service is available on the German Sony Ericsson update service.

You can change your CDA yes via such places as wotan but messing about with your phone like this does invalidate your handsets 12 month warranty.

I've got an email here from the Product manager of eXpansys which confirms that yes they buy handsets from all over Europe.

In my opinion eXpansys can get stuffed in the future as my handset was and is still marked up as "UK". This is clearly false advertising!

Here it is http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=132648, see UK? No it's not though.

Be warned!

_________________
I myself

[ This Message was edited by: Toney_Ericsson on 2007-05-11 20:40 ]
--
Posted: 2007-05-11 18:48:27
Edit : Quote


Cheers for the 'heads up' ;-)

This message was posted from a WAP device
--
Posted: 2007-05-11 18:52:47
Edit : Quote




No problem, this is another rip off company that needs exposing.

Your be better off buying direct from Sony Ericsson. At least your know what your getting!

I had this conversation with a chap at the Sony Ericsson Store in High Street Kensington the last time I was in there and he said "theres got to be something wrong with the handsets they sell on eXpansys" when I was having a conversation about sim free handsets.

And thats what it is.
--
Posted: 2007-05-11 19:20:45
Edit : Quote




There's no such "rip-off." This is common practice for mobile phone distributors/importers. They get them from all over the world and cannot/do not track the countries of origin.

You paid for a new K800i with English. You received a new K800i with English. How are you ripped off

If it's that much of a bother, all you need to do is take your phone to a service center and have the language pack replaced with the one for the UK. Then SEUS will connect to the UK server for the latest UK-market firmware.

It's not a big deal at all. Here in the US, I've received phones via legitimate importers that originated in the markets of Canada, SE Asia, and E Europe. They all worked perfectly fine out-of-the-box. I agree, the limitations this places on SEUS is a minor annoyance, but that's the extent of it.

And I've never, ever heard a knock against eXpansys AFAIK they're one of the most reputable Internet retailers in existence.

--
Posted: 2007-05-11 22:42:05
Edit : Quote


The main problem with this is the fact that expansys are marketing the handset as a UK derivative, which, in the case of some customers, is not the case.

A UK handset is one that is produced to be sold in the UK. Now expansys have the absolute right to source the handset anywhere they wish, and retail them BUT according to UK law, the goods must be described accurately, and the end consumer must be furnished with accurate and truthful information.


Describing the handset as a UK model is not accurate, describing it as a handset with UK English is accurate, or as a Euro handset, with English.

The fact is that nearly ALL Sony Ericsson handset ship with English worldwide.

I agree, Expansys are generally a decent retailer, but they do on occasion try to minimise costs by 'ignoring' some basic UK legal retail requirements.

For example;

They intimate that any device has to return to the manufacturer for any problem, this is ILLEGAL, the contract that the consumer has is with the retailer, and the retailer is fully responsible for handling the problems.

That said, many UK phone retailer try that trick with the public.

It is one of the major complaints to Trading Standards in the UK

[ This Message was edited by: floatlite on 2007-05-11 22:35 ]
--
Posted: 2007-05-11 23:35:19
Edit : Quote




Wow, I wasn't aware of all of that. I apologize for my ignorance

--
Posted: 2007-05-11 23:38:50
Edit : Quote




The price of this handset at the time at eXpansys was the same as any high street store but the difference is that it's not actually a UK K800i as I've been told. eXpansys obviously buy handsets on the cheap, import them and sell them as UK handsets.

I've never ever bought a sim free UK Sony Ericsson handset which will not update properly with the UK Sony Ericsson Update Service until I used eXpansys.

Bothering with sending your handset to Sony Ericsson for 2 weeks to get the correct language pack installed is too much bother when it's meant to be a UK handset and priced up the same as a proper UK handset.

Reputable? my arse, I know of several customers who have had issues with them.

The purpose of this thread is to make people aware. Me personally? seeing as say the price of a Sony Ericsson K810i which will be my next phone is actually cheaper in high street stores such as the Sony Ericsson store or even the Carphone Warehouse rather than eXpansys I think I know where i'll be getting a UK sim free K810i from and I'm sure it will be a proper UK handset out of the box without a need to faff about.

I won't be bothering with eXpansys again.



--
Posted: 2007-05-11 23:43:03
Edit : Quote


*Bump* so everybody sees this little deceptive trick expansys does.

If your happy paying the going price that of a UK version sim free handset which is really a cheap import which is meant for another country but marked up as a UK version which it is'nt then fair do's.

Me.... nope.

_________________
I myself



[ This Message was edited by: Toney_Ericsson on 2007-05-14 03:30 ]
--
Posted: 2007-05-14 04:25:01
Edit : Quote


*Bump*


--
Posted: 2007-05-18 20:15:03
Edit : Quote


thank you for that information.
--
Posted: 2007-05-18 20:23:24
Edit : Quote

---

New Topic   Reply

Forum Index