Gearbest failed to repair smartphone and offer only 1/4 worth as refund.

Hello please advise on further approach…
link to full log

Bought MI-4C on April 2016 for 209.99 $ from GearBest and all was good until touchscreen started to feel ghosts at January 2017, in other words issue known as ghost screen.

Ghost screen makes renders touchscreen and phone unusable due to random touches, almost like AI but more like unusable phone.

After doing quick google research I discovered that this is not so rare issue for smartphones and it’s hardware related so luckily my order was still covered with 1 year repair warranty.
That where I started the support saga.

Summary:

In the end they failed to repair it and offer only 50$ refund, is it possible to receive anything more substantial then quarter of the device worth or it’s my best shot at them?

Please help with your experience / knowledge.

Keep pushing for more money. I find that it usually isn’t worth the money to send anything back to china especially if you need tracking.

Had it happened within the 180 day paypal protection period you would have had more options but they have you by the short hairs now.

My smartphone started doing that and it turned out to be battery/charger related.
Maybe try a different battery or clean the terminals.
Search ghost screen - battery.
:beer: Good Luck

MI-4C battery is built in, and anyway phone is in China with Gearbest support team.

My main question is what is best reply in that case.

How did you fund the payment? If it was a credit card or Paypal via a credit card then the CC company might be able to help.

Hey man. I have no personal experience with such a case, but I have read plenty about people in a similar situation. It sounds like standard procedure for them to offer a stupid low refund; it’s the start of the negotiation process. It seems that staying calm, and explaining the same thing over and over again that you cannot accept their offer is required. It takes time and a lot of back and forth messaging, but this seems to maximise chances to success. Good luck!

I doubt that you will get a full refund, as you had the working phone for 8 months. Push for the refund, but only to get them to offer more. Don’t expect 100% of the money back, but 50% would be more realistic (and you’d be lucky to get that).

But they do have the phone, according to the op he's gone to all the effort to return it, in that case full refund or replacement of the device should be in order?

What does warranty means? It should work for 12 month, right? If it failed, regardless how many months it was in use (under 12 months) and it’s cosmetic condition phone should be repaired or replaced.

That’s not the first case when gearbest let down their customers.

I have exactly the same problem, my phone with ghost screen at gearbest now. Waiting for the solution.

Their reply is pathetic. You should get back a working phone or a refund equal to your purchase price.

MIUI 14 -Xiaomi Global posted on Official MIUI forum, but no replies there. I will try to contact Xiaomi directly, thank you!

I like your idea :slight_smile: care to suggest the magic phrasing? :innocent:

Crossed fingers for you, please update how they respond in your case please.

I was surprised from them trying to push the low offer :frowning:

Truly lame support procedure it seems :frowning:

Lame or not lame, when you see a pattern then you can use this knowledge in your favour. :wink:

Yes, it is a negotiation culture, like many other countries in the world. Just keep pushing and trying to get a better “deal”. I agree that 50% should be reasonably attainable through negotiation.

Thank you all for your support :slight_smile:
After considering your comments I’ve decided on my reply to GearBest, will update on developments…

“full refund + compensation for suffering”

Hilarious! It’s worth a try!

It’s a bit confrontational. They might just dig their heals in.

I will not be buying anything with a screen from Gearbest. Thanks.
Batteries….check
Flashlights….check

Yeah I agree with this sentiment. Lots of people will just shut you out at confrontation. I generally get the best results when I use a calm demeanor. If you are able to get a rep to actually feel bad for you and empathize with your situation, they will be more willing to try to help you out. Also remember that this is a negotiation and it may take a few back-and-forth to finally get what you want. Don’t get overly frustrated in the meantime.

Here is Xioami reply, sent them same email as title post:
“Greetings from Xiaomi! I understand your concern and apologize for the inconvenience caused to you. I would like to inform you that as of now we are not selling our products through official global website in your region and also the seller which you have mentioned is not our authorized seller so we would not be able to assure you regarding them. I would request you to get in touch with the vendor/website from where the device was bought for support. Please write us back in case you need any further assistance, we will be happy to help you. Regards, Suyash Xiaomi Customer Support”

Well agree, and actually reply was nothing special.
From how I see its either to demand escalation since Ahern is explaining that he did what he could have done, or contine with same demands or both of the above.