The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty - Really?

[vtua]

Please share your experience if Huawei/Honor has rejected to repair your phone by claiming "liquid damage". It happened to me and the only written response I received is this:

 

[Tim1954]

Re: The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty

Yep. They run those amazing ads with phones being used in water, but won't honour warranty claims of you get the device wet...

 

[chanchan05]

Re: The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty

Yep. They run those amazing ads with phones being used in water, but won't honour warranty claims of you get the device wet...

Nobody does. The phones aren't rated water proof. They're rated water resistant. Resistant means they can still get water damage under certain circumstances. Also, enough drops and the phone may have enough stresses placed on the gel sealants to come loose.

 

[vtua]

Re: The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty

@Tim1954: Thing is that it was never exposed to liquid (no drops into water, no spills, no soaking in the rain, etc). I do admit that I started noticing strange things happening after I took the phone with me running in quite hot and humid weather. (That was the only instance.) Although, I would expect the device to be engineered as sweat and humidity resistant, there is a possibility that it is not true at all in case of the Honor 8. Alternatively, "liquid damage" could just be an excuse for not doing the work to fix the phone.

BTW, if you have any info regarding the number of people, who have been told their phone cannot be repaired under warranty because of the "liquid damage", would you care to share it with us?

 

[Tim1954]

Re: The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty

@chanchan, I'm well aware of the difference between water proof and water resistance, the point I was making being those misleading ads that trick the unsavvy into taking their device swimming etc... @vtua, I can't give you numbers re warranty refusals but there are many posts around the forums regarding that. The manufacturers themselves actually say they won't cover liquid immersion damage in the paperwork that comes with the phones.
And yes, high humidity plus running with phone in pocket could cause condensation inside the relatively cool metal contacts which could then be detected by the sensors and be evident upon inspection...

 

[vtua]

Re: The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty

And yes, high humidity plus running with phone in pocket could cause condensation inside the relatively cool metal contacts which could then be detected by the sensors and be evident upon inspection...

Any other phone I owned would take the running perfectly fine, so it is hard to believe that one timer would be anough for Honor 8. Further, it is really strange that the customer service is unable to substantiate their "liquid damage" claim.

 

[Tim1954]

Re: The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty

Yes, I've taken all my phones running, been caught in rain storms and never had any issues... One wonders..

 

[chanchan05]

Re: The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty

Any other phone I owned would take the running perfectly fine, so it is hard to believe that one timer would be anough for Honor 8. Further, it is really strange that the customer service is unable to substantiate their "liquid damage" claim.

Well not to create conspiracy theories, but I remember CPW in the UK losing a complaint about false water ingression findings to avoid honoring warranty. It was noted that the phone really had no water damage. It was some time back. So there is that possibility.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

Re: The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty

Yep. They run those amazing ads with phones being used in water, but won't honour warranty claims of you get the device wet...

It's because they are water resistant not water proof. There is no way to prove how much water a phone was exposed to, should manufactures replace phones left in the water for hours or taken with someone while diving?

 

[Tim1954]

Re: The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty

I see a future with phones completely sealed, wireless of course just around the corner...

 

[dpham00]

Re: The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty

Nobody does. The phones aren't rated water proof. They're rated water resistant. Resistant means they can still get water damage under certain circumstances. Also, enough drops and the phone may have enough stresses placed on the gel sealants to come loose.

Is the honor 8 even rated as water resistant? I didn't think that it had an IP rating?

 

[dpham00]

Re: The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty

Well not to create conspiracy theories, but I remember CPW in the UK losing a complaint about false water ingression findings to avoid honoring warranty. It was noted that the phone really had no water damage. It was some time back. So there is that possibility.

I have mentioned this before but if they are fraudulently denying your claim due to water damage when there wasn't any then you really should file a complaint with the state AG. Granted one complaint won't make much of a difference, but if they get a lot of complaints then they might do an oil investigation.

 

[vtua]

As much as all the comments are appreciated, I really need to put the discussion back on track. This thread is meant to give an opportunity for Huawei/Honor phone owners, who were denied warranty repair because of the alleged liquid damage, to share their stories. Thank you.

 

[west coast]

Re: The device has suffered liquid damage which voids the warranty

I recently sent my Honor 8 in for repair under warranty because some features were not working (auto rotate, compass app, proximity sensor). When the phone was received by the repair center, I received an email stating so and it also said that if the phone could not be fixed under warranty, I would receive another email with further instructions. I never received another email except for one containing a tracking number as the phone was being shipped back to me; after repair I assumed. When I received the phone back, inside the box was the same letter as vtua shows. It said it had liquid damage. I 100% dispute that. Plus, when the phone was returned to me it had the glass backing coming off, the fingerprint ID under the settings menu was gone and the camera is completely blurry. None of these issues existed when I sent it in for repair. I have contacted Huawei numerous times and they simply won't do anything. I have contacted the BBB and filed a complaint. Others that have experienced the same thing need to file complaints because that's the only way to get their attention.

 

[Kelvin N]

Isn't the water damage indicator in the headphone jack port?

 

[vtua]

@Kelvin N: I am not quite sure, but it seems there may not be any humidity indicator in the Honor 8. The customer service did not point any on a picture they have provided; red circles supposedly identify the liquid damage: