Out-Of-Warranty Cases - Screen Replacement Subsidy

Community Tech Talk | Hardware
1

Hey all.

Some of you may be familiar with a policy Motorola held in 2014 that covered display breakage one-time under warranty. It wasn’t publically advertized, but it was an awesome program for those that knew about it.

My question. Is this something that we should consider offering for V? The cost to Eve would obviously have to be considered in detail, but it was a part of the system that gave Motorola such a stellar reputation with their devices while under Google’s umbrella. I know I would love it for personal reasons, but it could also have a fantastic effect on our reputation, especially if we publicized it among the news agencies.

Now, a full replacement isn’t necessary, but even a 50% subsidy on display replacement for the first case could be warranted. A small increase in overall out-of-warranty repair costs could help recover potential losses. But really, who breaks their device screens on something this valuable…? It doesn’t happen too often. The peace of mind would be awesome for potential buyers.

  • Free initial replacement
  • 25%-75% subsidy
  • NO.

0 voters

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A small increase in overall out-of-warranty repair costs could help recover potential losses

Honestly, I dont think Eve should take potential losses on the first couple of years. I would reconsider my stance if you said that the price of the device, not out-of-warranty repair, will be increased as a compensation.

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3

create an optional extended warranty program at a charge.

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I must say, one of the things that I really like about Apple’s after sales service is the fact that if you go up to an Apple Store with a slightly duff iPhone or iPad, and it needs maintenance, you get it replaced with an entirely new (refurbished) product on the spot. Apple are pretty generous here, and I’ve had entire phones replaced for what are pretty minor faults, that have then given me entirely new, scratch-free screens and ding-free cases.

Similarly, I’ve appreciated it when Dell used to do that with laptop parts - I’ve had entire fascia sections replaced when they started looking weathered in the flimsiest of excuses.

This sort of thing makes a difference, it makes for happy customers who view getting a replacement device almost like receiving a new one. I know that I, for one, have had apple’s service weigh as an important factor on deciding on new phones and computers. My company recently decided on a supplier for phones and one of the major factors to go for a more expensive option was the after-sales replacements policy. This stuff is important.

Now, obviously, the two companies I’ve quoted are huge, and eve is not in their league, yet. But anything that smacks of giving customers “like new” replacements is definitely going to get an upvote from me, as it’s an investment in satisfaction and future sales.

That being said, at this point in time, I’d prioritise working out an after-sales service that has immediacy over one that gives freebies. My computer is a work tool, and I can’t afford to go without it for a few days. I’d much prefer a system whereby I receive a replacement in under 24 hours, transfer the data, and send back the faulty machine to be refurbished over a screen subsidy. This could be covered under @ctrev21’s extended warranty option, admittedly.

So yes, great idea, I like it, but there are other things you may wish to put attention and money on first.

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Keep in mind that when Apple sells you a device at multiple times the manufacturing cost, they can keep customers happy and their reputation pristine by giving out a new one every now and then. The margin for a product like the V is significantly lower…

Ultimately, companies don’t decide on a whim, “hey, let’s just give them all one free screen replacement, customers will think we’re awesome!”. There are whole departments of people involved, risks calculated, and ultimately the benefits (added unique selling point, higher customer satisfaction, reputation) will need to outweigh the downsides (added cost to the company).

Or, more likely, there will not be an added cost to the company. They’ll just spread the expected added cost across all devices by increasing the price. And in that case, every buyer of the V would be paying for the handful of people who break theirs…

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I don’t really feel this is fair considering the price saving on the initial IGG campaign.

We all like free things, but we can’t get it for less than RRP and want free/subsidized repairs for issues that we can genuinely attribute to our own clumsiness or misfortune.

If you’re willing to pay more for the computer initially I don’t see why this perk couldn’t be hidden in the bundle. But we’re getting a good deal as it is. The money has to come from somewhere to offer these types of privileged services.

Why would people pay more for out-of-warranty repairs so other people could benefit from one free screen repair that is naught to do with warranty while in or out of the warranty period??

Why not just get insurance for peace of mind???

EDIT: I now see @Helios has said similar things to what I’ve said :-/

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would you consider a DIY replacment kit similar to what I fixit it sells ?

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EVE, is not apple, or Microsof, or Motorola.
Is a SMALL company, making great products, without the big ass benefit margins the other companies have. The only way of such a thing being feasible would be to increase the price of the V.

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9

Oh, indeed. I think I may have been misunderstood here.

If Eve were to do this, the cost would have to be covered somehow. I assume it’s unlikely to be done at all, or if it is, that the money has been factored into the general income.

My points here are:

  • This sort of thing isn’t a silly question, customers appreciate it.
  • If the money exists to do this, I’d consider a more immediate machine replacement policy as something I’d prefer over a screen breakage subsidy.

But yes, I don’t know what Eve’s margin is on this machine, but I suspect the money for this sort of setup probably doesn’t exist.

10

If you break it, you pay it.

These “you get a free screen repair with a purchase” is just a way to make the price higher etc.

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It would take a team of people much smarter than I to figure it out, but it would be interesting to know - If Eve were to offer an add-on to the warranty, what would the price have to be in order to tip the scales slightly in Eve’s direction? It is basically additional insurance - these things are only offered if the insurance company can make money. (and fairly so)

12

I like the thought, but I think that at this scale, it’s simply not feasible for EVE to do. Also, AFAIK, EVE has already been fairly generous with a 2 year warranty, so until the company reaches a much higher output, I guess people will just have to try not to break their V

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13

It’s not about generosity, it’s an EU directive regarding warranties (read: law) for consumer goods.

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Yep, EU law mandates that anything sold here should have 2 years of warranty

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15

The Microsoft Store did this for me on my Lumia 950XL when the camera stopped working! Brand new device, got rid of all the dings I had on the front plastic (And immediately set to work adding new ones), just had to keep my battery and backplate, which were only 6 months old anyways.

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But for the IGG backers this warranty exists even if they live outside the EU. So, at least that is generous :stuck_out_tongue:

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No thanks.

Like… anyone who’s unlucky? Do you really think that most screens break because someone took a hammer? No, but you know how we say - shit happens.

I don’t think so.

I mean it would be cool to make screen replacements cheaper, but how would you cover the cost? We don’t want to increase the product price, we don’t want to make other repairs more expensive.

Let me give you an example: Joe is very careful with his tablet, but after a while the battery wore out and he needs a replacement. Bob is not really careful and he broke his screen. Why should Joe be responsible for paying for Bob’s screen? He has nothing to do with it and it would be unfair to ask him to cover even 0.1% of Bob’s repair cost, because the broken screen is entirely Bob’s fault.

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The only argument that might be placed against this is simply because there are 10 Bobs per 1 Joe, so the majority wins. Its how we have been deciding things here.

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I disagree. We were always trying to make as many people as possible happy. And this:

is not an excuse.
So basically that one poor Joe must pay for 10 devices that he has never even seen.

Let’s not look for scapegoats here. Nobody should pay for anyone else’s repair, under any circumstances, EVER.

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20

I disagree. Nobody would be unhappy if we had the backspace arrow instead of “oops”, but there was a handful of people that were explicitly not happy with the “oops”. Guess what, the majority voted for “oops” and it went into production.