Hey people
I sent my broken phone in to repair and the company that does the reparation is called Cordon Electronics. I jumped over a weird part on their website where they state that they develope systems for the military. Here is the link. https://www.cordongroup.com/en/defence-security-hardware-software-development.html
If you go to “Our Partners” on their website, Fairphone is also listed there.
Can it really be true that Fairphone is working together with a company like this?
I am unsure right now if I want to let them repair my phone or I should try it myself. I really don’t want to support war.
They proudly list Airbus as one of their private customers… monstrous. I think it’d be good if Fairphone could say something about this, and hopefully switch repair companies.
Does anybody know what I could do now?
In the repair quotation they say the internal display is broke as well as the core module but I can’t find the core module in the Fairphone Store. How can I then repair it myself if?
Well, we can try to troubleshoot it here but if the core module is broken, professional repairs may be necessary. The core module is not for sale as it’s most of the phone, so it would be ~€300 and at this point, FP is holding on to all the core modules they have for warranty replacements.
I made a copy of the quote I got from the repair center.
Can you read any valuable information in it for me?
Seems like I can’t do the reperation myself?
No, I can not read any valuable information in the repair quote that you got.
My advice?
Do not go through with it. Ask them to send you your device back. Then just order a new display and see if this is enough to fix your phone. If nothing else, it will be an interesting experiment. After all, you don’t even like this repair company. Do not be surprised if they charge you for sending/giving you your unrepaired phone back.
As for Fairphone’s partnership with this company, I’ve seen worse. Look at Samsung: https://www.rtbf.be/info/societe/detail_attention-aux-arnaques-a-la-reparation-sur-les-smartphones-samsung?id=10281789
Oh! - and please report back on how you got on. I’m curious.
P.S. rmf is right. The core module is not available. In the repair quote, they claim to replace the motherboard with a new one. Where the hell did they get their hands on a new core module anyway? That’s what I’d love to know.
Update: Silly question. Of course they have a few spare core modules. They’re an authorised repair partner.
Another update: the core module is currently listed as available on the repair price list and FAQ webpage of the Fairphone website. Thank you AnotherElk.
They clearly offer three opportunities on the quotation uploaded by @love : Repair for 224.17 Euro (for replacing of display and core module, that’s a fair price; I even would call it a bargain) Returning for 15.30 Euro Destroying it at no costs.
If they are the official repair center for Fairphone, they sure will have gotten their spare parts from Fairphone themselves. Otherwise they could not do their work!
I just have taken a look at the homepage of cordongroup.
That’s a really large and diversivied portfolio/company. I agreee with what @JeroenH has said.
Plus: Fairphone has to find a company, that can do the service efficiently and at a reasonable price. I have no idea, how many companies fit that description in Europe and are willing to work with Fairphone. I guess it will not be that much. And I for sure have no idea, what you will discover “hidden in their closet”.
What’s wrong with the military anyway? I presume they just work with the French military. There again, maybe Cordon Group helps the French military to help Saudia Arabia.
We can at least be fairly sure that FP will only use them for repairs - you send in a broken FP2, they replace the core module, send it back and then keep the broken one to see if it can be fixed/used for parts.
Maybe they’ll sell off whatever they have left when the FP2’s End Of Life comes around, though.
I am fairly sure, that Fairphone will have taken care, that spare parts and broken parts will be recycled.
Every other solution would be strictly against their selfproclaimed core values. https://www.fairphone.com/en/impact/reuse-recycling/
and this here:
And I guess, that’s the reason, they have chosen cordongroup.
They are active in recycling as well:
I am a bit confused now about the “Description / Intervention” Part in the Quote of Cordon Group.
Some understood it as a Display and Core Module replacement.
I understand the Description part to indicate where the repair is supposed to happen and the Intervention part to say what actually is going to be done. Is that not right?
I remember that the core module had a small knit and I didn’t just want to repair the display, that also was broken, because of the knit in the core module. I was worried that some “inner life” was damaged.
I then didn’t check if the “inner life” tech stuff in the core module was working or not because I am not educated enough and am in a tight time schedule with the phone.
So I sent it in for repair.
If the tech stuff in the core module is actually fine and there is only a knit in the board, then that might be why the cost is so low and why it is saying “exchange motherboard (swap)”, right?
Does anybody here think, that could be the case?
Would it make sense to then cancel the repair and buy a new display module to save money?
Or is that not a good idea because some core module stuff could actually be broken?
I hope I am not overwhelming with questions and you are able and willing to give me some good advise.
I agree.
Intervention is what they do.
Description is the part of the phone that is affected.
The motherboard is the core module minus the plastic frame.
Take a look at pictures 12 to 14 here:
So, if they swap i.e. exchange the motherboard, replacing the display by yourself will not do the trick in my opinion.
For just replacing more or less the display, the price tag would be hefty.
If you love your phone and want to keep it (I would), let them fix it and you get a phone that is as good as new, as the major parts are new.
I have no idea, if you will find a used FP2 in the forum or elswhere for less.
You will get all the modules with it, true, but you have no idea, if they are all working fine. And the replacement modules should at least be checked and tested, even if they should be refurbished ones.
Edit:
“Only” a knit in the board might be the most serious of defects any electronic device can face.
As I saw in a report on tv just yesterday. A technician said, that one drop of water in the wrong place can destroy the phone completely or a dive in sea-water can see it running afterwards just fine. You never know.
