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#1 March 29 2019

duke-of-bytes
Member

bad service from phonefinity

On mother’s day i purchased a Samsung A30 from phonefinity and it was one bad experience:
phonefinity was extremely nonchalant: the phone had very bad sound, it would crackle and make all noises when the volume is high, i called him and he was like:" yeah take it to ctc “, CTC said they found no problem so i told him, i even told him ill pay extra and get something more expensive maybe an S9 or an s10  , but he told me if CTC didn’t find a problem what can i do for you. he was very Amhaz-like .

another point is he doesn’t give you an invoice while delivering the phone, so no TVA or whatsoever - called him several times because ctc did not accept the phone without an invoice, eventually after one hour he sent me a picture of an invoice

it was stupid from my side:
1- the price between phonefinity and CTC is practically the same (less than 5 dollars difference)
2- purchase it directly from CTC
3- the person who received the phone was tech illiterate and did not check and few days (to get the sim and such)

Now i am stuck with a bad phone
Be aware of shady phone sellers like PHONEFINITY - purchase directly from the source – even though they did not even honor their warranty.

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#2 March 29 2019

mmk92
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

Are you sure this is not a common issue?

Given that it is a low-end phone, it could have a low-quality speaker.
Looking through online reviews can shed light on this problem.

If the issue is obvious, it doesn't make sense for CTC not to honor the warranty; if it's as bad as you described, they cannot pretend that it's not faulty.

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#3 March 29 2019

duke-of-bytes
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

mmk92 wrote:

Are you sure this is not a common issue?

Given that it is a low-end phone, it could have a low-quality speaker.
Looking through online reviews can shed light on this problem.

If the issue is obvious, it doesn't make sense for CTC not to honor the warranty; if it's as bad as you described, they cannot pretend that it's not faulty.


even talking on the phone ( regular calls ) are very bad : crackling , noisy , scratching - i had 100$ phone and they were better than this
the A30 is a new phone so there are barely reviews ( and most claim it has very ok sound )
CTC took the phone for 3 days but then said there is no issue - i am 99% sure they just turned on and heard the intro sound .

As for phonefinity he responded like he doesn't give a damn , the phone was just purchased and he told me to take it to CTC instead of replacing it !!! or when told me :" if ctc didn't find a problem what can i do for you ?!"

Very Amhazy behavior .

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#4 March 30 2019

infiniteloop
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

He gives me 10 days full replacement period if any fault appear in case there are no official warranty, he prefers to sell with official warranty so he doesn't have to lose money replacing phones, he just trust in ctc they will fix it

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#5 March 31 2019

duke-of-bytes
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

infiniteloop wrote:

He gives me 10 days full replacement period if any fault appear in case there are no official warranty, he prefers to sell with official warranty so he doesn't have to lose money replacing phones, he just trust in ctc they will fix it

Why purchase from him then if CTC offers same price,free delivery and same warranty

He literally said : شو بعملك اذا ctc قالوا ما فيه مشكل

I used to be a big fan until this happened..very disappointed in his bad customer service and i am seriously thinking complaining to the ministry of commerce and the consumer protection just for the point of it

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#6 March 31 2019

Aly
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

I am not really defending phonefinity and never bought anything from them, but imagine you got it from CTC directly and you faced the same issue with your phone (very bad sound), you take it to CTC for warranty repair or replacement, the same thing would have happened and they will tell you there is no problem with the phone ... same scenario i guess.
I think you should be more blaming CTC for their bad troubleshooting rather than the reseller.

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#7 April 1 2019

duke-of-bytes
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

Aly wrote:

I am not really defending phonefinity and never bought anything from them, but imagine you got it from CTC directly and you faced the same issue with your phone (very bad sound), you take it to CTC for warranty repair or replacement, the same thing would have happened and they will tell you there is no problem with the phone ... same scenario i guess.
I think you should be more blaming CTC for their bad troubleshooting rather than the reseller.

Then i can legally pursue other solutions and their service would be better knowing it is directly from them

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#8 April 1 2019

sero
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

Concerning the question why buy from phonefinity, i personally bought a galaxy tab from the guy, it was cheaper than any other store (including CTC). And he gets phones that no one sells over here (example oneplus/xiaomi....)

However if the price is the same i would definitely buy from CTC instead.

Concerning warranty and legal pursue, Warranty is provided by CTC and not phonefinity, so any issues with the phone should be followed by CTC. You cannot legally blame phonefinity for the phone issues as he's not the owner of the warranty.

Also i heard lots of people complaining about CTC's support quality. Lots of people struggle with their support team to fix their phones.

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#9 April 1 2019

duke-of-bytes
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

sero wrote:

Concerning the question why buy from phonefinity, i personally bought a galaxy tab from the guy, it was cheaper than any other store (including CTC). And he gets phones that no one sells over here (example oneplus/xiaomi....)

However if the price is the same i would definitely buy from CTC instead.

Concerning warranty and legal pursue, Warranty is provided by CTC and not phonefinity, so any issues with the phone should be followed by CTC. You cannot legally blame phonefinity for the phone issues as he's not the owner of the warranty.

Also i heard lots of people complaining about CTC's support quality. Lots of people struggle with their support team to fix their phones.

maybe their service is bad , but you can return the phone if not used - but with phonefinity you are just dealing with a shady middle man
think about it , how can he be cheaper than the source ?!

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#10 April 3 2019

Elie335
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

I also have a bad experience with the guy, not going in details.

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#11 April 4 2019

Locha
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

Phonefinity is one of the best online stores I've ever dealt with in Lebanon. It's been years that I've been working with the guy and not a single issue so far.

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#12 April 4 2019

LifeEngineer
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

I've bought many phones from this guy, for me or my relatives, and never had any issue with him or with the phones.

But that doesn't mean that the guy's service is good or bad, it means I simply was lucky while you weren't.

I can imagine he will refer to CTC and can probably do nothing for you in that case, I'm afraid.

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#13 April 4 2019

potato
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

Also used phonefinity service id rate it 4 stars (remove 1 because order was delayed 1-2 hours when agreed on timing it happens..). however  i would like to note this is not the correct place to rate shops, google reviews should be also used to get more visibility. For me phonefinity is more reliable than amhaz or class.

Last edited by potato (April 4 2019)

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#14 April 4 2019

Draguen
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

also been buying my phones and family phones from him, never had any issues.

He's the one shop i trust blindly when it comes to phones

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#15 April 4 2019

duke-of-bytes
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

in case you have any issues he will refer you all to CTC , there is nothing you can do about it .. he will not replace the device or help you in any other way
better to purchase it from CTC or a local store where at least you can have some service
i already started with a consumer protection complaint - i refuse to be played like this even for 300 $

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#16 April 4 2019

mmk92
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

I think you're wasting your time.

It was a bad choice of words when he said "شو بعملك اذا ctc قالوا ما فيه مشكل", but it makes sense.

He's a reseller and they would have said exactly the same about your problem if you bought it straight from them.


What you need to do instead is to build a better case for yourself.
The way you go about doing this is for example either properly demonstrating your issue to them in-person. If you're not capable of doing that, you will need a control device. The control device could be something they have on display or a video on YouTube; by using a control device, you'll be able to demonstrate how there are discrepancies between your device and a working one.
When you have undeniable proof, they will have no choice but to address your concerns.

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#17 April 4 2019

duke-of-bytes
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

mmk92 wrote:

I think you're wasting your time.

It was a bad choice of words when he said "شو بعملك اذا ctc قالوا ما فيه مشكل", but it makes sense.

He's a reseller and they would have said exactly the same about your problem if you bought it straight from them.


What you need to do instead is to build a better case for yourself.
The way you go about doing this is for example either properly demonstrating your issue to them in-person. If you're not capable of doing that, you will need a control device. The control device could be something they have on display or a video on YouTube; by using a control device, you'll be able to demonstrate how there are discrepancies between your device and a working one.
When you have undeniable proof, they will have no choice but to address your concerns.

my point is not repairing the phone , i do not care about it anymore - i already got my mother in a law an S10
the point is how to treat your client , but in Lebanon we do not believe in accountability , this is why this country is a mess .

example : i got a thinkpad from the states , had some heating issues , they told me return it for a refund or you can get a 500$ rebate on a new machine

same thing with amazon , i got a ubiquity toughcable carrier grade from them , turned out it had a defect , received a replacement without any issue


if you cannot honor your words and back up the product you sell , then don't do it !!! and if you insist , i will fight you

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#18 April 4 2019

Mhdskr
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

Hello Everyone,
Out of transparency, this is Mohamad the owner of Phonefinity.
I was informed about this thread the next day it was created, funnily enough by a customer who ordered a new phone. I waited a few days to see how this develops and it did just as I expected. I would like to thank everyone who has defended and recommended my store in this thread and others.
Since Tarek (OP) has set to badmouth my business by all means possible, on facebook, LebGeeks forums and Google, it's time to expose him for the spiteful unreasonable falsifier that he is.

1. On my website, and unlike most if not all others, I state the duration and the SOURCE of the warranty for each device, so when it says "1 year official CTC Warranty" it means what it clearly means. they have the manufacturer authorized service center and the customer and I, the dealer, have to abide by their terms and conditions, and when I referred you to them, it wasn't because "I don't a give a damn" or cz I'm "nonchalant", it was because Christina (the "tech illiterate" person who received the phone) works 200m away from the service center, and to get a replacement you have to file a claim within 7 days of finding a defect, so in order to speed things up and guarantee you get a replacement I sent you straight to them.

2. I have no recollection of you calling me. Our communication was through Whatsapp below is a screenshot of our conversation.

2KQvCTc.jpg

my 1st voice message was basically explaining my first 1st point (above). To transcribe my second I literally said: "iza ctc 3am bi2oulo ma fi shi ghalat bil telephone, ya3ne ma fi shi ghalat bil telephone, shu fiyye a3mel ana", which echos what mmk92 and others have said

mmk92 wrote:

Are you sure this is not a common issue?

Given that it is a low-end phone, it could have a low-quality speaker.
Looking through online reviews can shed light on this problem.

If the issue is obvious, it doesn't make sense for CTC not to honor the warranty; if it's as bad as you described, they cannot pretend that it's not faulty.

In fact, that was exactly what CTC/comtek representative told me. they said the customer probably didn't like the phone or he's being unrealistically picky and I'm inclined to agree with them after you said you bought a S10.
Now everybody can see what response you chose to take and immediately blocked me! With a few nice words I could have been a great deal of help and most probably would have been able to help you get a replacement.

3. Regarding the invoice: I don't hand in printed invoices because it's faster. Most of the times, I pick up or have the devices picked up from the sources and have them delivered to customers without going near my printer. it's the main reason why I can provide same day deliveries in Beirut for orders placed before noon. That being said, when a customer asks for a printed one, I arrange for it. Corporate customers always ask for ones so I provide official ones with fiscal stamp and number. This has nothing to do with your problem! If you think that the invoice would have protected you, maaaan, you'll be very disappointed. I told you on fb you need education about VAT and I'm telling you here you need education about what the invoice can and can't do. In fact, I'm willing to give you an official invoice to help out with your "consumer protection complaint". I'd love to know how much time and money you'll be wasting.

Back to where you said you called me several times (which you didn't) and waited 1 hour (which is a lie), here's a screenshot of my conversation with Christina
christina.jpg
She called ONCE asking for invoice, I asked for her email address, and in less than 20 min I sent her an invoice by email. That's a fair time to get to my computer and pull out my records to make an invoice with the phone's IMEI and correct date of sale, don't you guys think? and when she didn't get the email immediately I went back and sent it to her in pdf format.

4. I'm not saying my prices are the cheapest but they are definitely cheaper than CTC. Only during pre-orders we are mandated to sell at their price but I don't ask for deposits (whenever possible), which is a huge plus and you know it but choose to ignore it, plus my delivery time is shorter.

5.

duke-of-bytes wrote:

[...] how can he be cheaper than the source ?!

If you ever go to Samsung's showroom in Dbayeh just think about its expenses you'll begin to understand why they have the highest price in the market. But you're probably not in the market, you could have been texting me from Congo for all I know, you confused City Center with City Mall when you first placed the pre-order, remember?

Not that you deserve any advice but what you could have done, and still can, is send a "tech literate" person to the service center, prove your case and stand you ground, and don't accept a defective device (assuming it is). based on experience I'm sure they'll cave. But if you wanna "fight" me instead then bring it on, baby!

I'm a man of my word and in 10 years in this business I only had 1 other bad review, a child who asked me over the phone to reserve a phone for him for a few days (as if I don't get this kinna request every single week!) and by the time he called again it was sold.

Elie335 wrote:

I also have a bad experience with the guy, not going in details.

I don't know who you are, but please get in touch with me, If there's anything I can do to rectify the situation and change your mind I won't hesitate. I'm a man of reason.

Last edited by Mhdskr (April 4 2019)

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#19 April 4 2019

Aly
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

++ Respect, Phonefinity guy.

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#20 April 5 2019

Ramnesia
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

Never had a problem with all the phones I bought from Phonefinity. Mohamad is very helpful and offers a great service.
Keep up the good work.

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#21 April 5 2019

duke-of-bytes
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

1- I bought the phone from YOU not from CTC
2- the phone was not not used for more than 30 minutes when the sound defect was found
3- you clearly told me : إذا CTC ما لاقوا شي أنا شو بعملك
4-i wanted to pay online but your online payment is not working ( another sign for the ministry of commerce to check maybe ?? )
5- why bother purchase from you if CTC offers the same price and free delivery if you don't go the extra mile for your clients ?

accountability is everything , and i will follow with this until the end starting with a Consumer protection case and the ministry of commerce .

good luck

Last edited by duke-of-bytes (April 5 2019)

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#22 April 5 2019

chosen2k
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

I'm not taking any sides here, but here's what I think regardless of who did what or what happened.

In sales, there's always room for improvement.

@Mhdskr yo buddy, in my eyes, the guy bought the phone from YOU. It is your responsibility to fight with CTC and not his.
If for example I bought a phone from you because your shop is next to my house; probably I did that out of convenience. IF the phone is defective I don't want to go to CTC, I don't even care who they are and where they are and how to deal with them. I want to deal with you, since for me you are now their representative. I will never have the technical knowledge or the leverage you have a "to stand my ground".
For CTC I'm 1 customer. For CTC you are worth a lot more than me.
Again, in my opinion, if the phone is defective, it is your job to get it replaced from CTC.

Now, you could have easily gotten the same model and did a side by side comparison is the sound the same? Are CTC technician messing with your customers? Are they messing with your business and gave you a bad batch of phones?
You did not do that and you automatically sided with CTC without making sure for yourself.

Additionally, about the invoice "no matter how far the printer is", it should be your #1 priority to provide invoices to all types of customers (corporate or others) and protect them and your shop at the same time.

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#23 April 5 2019

Mhdskr
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

duke-of-bytes wrote:

Still a thief..tell that to the consumer protection case i opened against you

good luck with that

chosen2k wrote:

I'm not taking any sides here, but here's what I think regardless of who did what or what happened.

In sales, there's always room for improvement.

@Mhdskr yo buddy, in my eyes, the guy bought the phone from YOU. It is your responsibility to fight with CTC and not his.
If for example I bought a phone from you because your shop is next to my house; probably I did that out of convenience. IF the phone is defective I don't want to go to CTC, I don't even care who they are and where they are and how to deal with them. I want to deal with you, since for me you are now their representative. I will never have the technical knowledge or the leverage you have a "to stand my ground".
For CTC I'm 1 customer. For CTC you are worth a lot more than me.
Again, in my opinion, if the phone is defective, it is your job to get it replaced from CTC.

Now, you could have easily gotten the same model and did a side by side comparison is the sound the same? Are CTC technician messing with your customers? Are they messing with your business and gave you a bad batch of phones?
You did not do that and you automatically sided with CTC without making sure for yourself.

Additionally, about the invoice "no matter how far the printer is", it should be your #1 priority to provide invoices to all types of customers (corporate or others) and protect them and your shop at the same time.

I totally understand what you're saying, and if tarek had the decency to use this reasoning with me instead of out right calling my business shady and blocked me I would have helped. That said, I don't fully agree with you: although convenience is a major reason why people choose one store over another (my store is online by the way, so how far/close is irrelevant), nobody's gonna shell a few to several hundreds dollars on a device to the first convenient store they happen to know. Warranty reputation and customer support comes before convenience for electronics (you're not buying a 2$ pack of cigarettes here) and that's why people trust and buy official reseller's sourced products.
As I said earlier, the reason I sent Christina directly to the service center was because she works 200m away from it and it was more convenient to her to go there and ask for a replacement within the first 7 days of activation. And to set things straight I am not in any way CTC's or any other company's representative and the customer need NOT to have a technical knowledge or any kind of leverage to get the best service and support they deserve (although how technical do you need to be to say that the speaker is making an unusual noise? but I digress).
Here's a shocker to everyone, CTC in specific, and other companies in general, prioritize the end user over the dealers in this kinna scenarios coz they know the dealers can't just get mad at them and stop selling their products because our business depends on them but a customer can make a big a deal out of a bad experience such as this (and I diverge here, but companies such as CTC and Huawei are going more and more towards direct sale to customers trying to eliminate middle men from distributor to shops to maximise their profits. for those who don't know, Eddy Cherfan, the owner of CTC, also owns HiCart and Swipe stores at Khoury home branches).
I didn't automatically side with CTC. In fact, I too acknowledge they don't have the best customer support (Huawei's is way better), but there's a way to make a point and calling someone's business shady and blocking them is not the way to go. After 10 years in the business I genuinely believe that the customer is NOT always right and this guy is a case in point.
As for the invoice it doesn't protect anything. Invoice and warranty are not related. The invoice is a mere proof of monetary transaction.

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#24 April 5 2019

Mhdskr
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

duke-of-bytes wrote:

1- I bought the phone from YOU not from CTC
2- the phone was not not used for more than 30 minutes when the sound defect was found
3- you clearly told me : إذا CTC ما لاقوا شي أنا شو بعملك
4-i wanted to pay online but your online payment is not working ( another sign for the ministry of commerce to check maybe ?? )
5- why bother purchase from you if CTC offers the same price and free delivery if you don't go the extra mile for your clients ?

accountability is everything , and i will follow with this until the end starting with a Consumer protection case and the ministry of commerce .

good luck

I already answered every other point, I'm not gonna repeat myself. but regarding number 4: this is a joke right? late April fools maybe?

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#25 April 5 2019

duke-of-bytes
Member

Re: bad service from phonefinity

this is my consumer protection case number  20190405-711908
and my lawyer is checking the ministry of commerce complaint laws

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