As many FP2 users appear to have the same issue, I thought it useful to share my experience:
My display is not fully working correctly (Touch screen not working in a vertical zone of about 25% in the left side). It appears several other users have the same issue so it looks to be systemic.
When issuing the support ticket, I learnt that displays were out of stock. From this forum, I learn this appears to have been the case already since autumn 2016.
April 24 2017 I was informed that there is a small stock of displays available.
However, these are not for sale: they are solely intended for FP2 users sending their fairphone back for repair.
As I am a business user, this process implies I need to use/buy another mobile, and move twice all data/stuff etc: quite a burden. If I have to move once to another Phone, I just buy one and do not go back to Fairphone2 as it is less work, unless I feel really strong about the Fairphone brand. I have offered to Fairphone that I don’t care about warranty and prefer to buy a display and pay it upfront.
After several exchanges (I really admire their friendliness!), the answer was still that this is against their policy, excusing for the inconvenience.
Bottomline: They have displays but you and I are not allowed to buy them.
If you put these 3 things together:
(1) displays have been out of stock since autumn last year
(2) FP now claims to have small stock but doesn’t put them for sale: only available to users that send back their FP2 for repair
(3) FP does not give any indication about when the Display Module will be available again for sale for own repair despite many users asking for this
This implies Fairphone has a huge problem with the display.
As a fan of Fairphone, and being involved in product development myseIf, I appreciate how tough their challenge must be. It must be huge.
The only thing that I really am disappointed about, is that FP had the opportunity to keep me happy, by just allowing me to buy a display from their stock, and FP decides that this is not possible, hiding behind the policy. I have finally sent an email to support explaining that such behaviour is not “fair”, actually unethical (they can help me but don’t want to), besides the fact that the claim wrt self repair could be considered a plain lie (fairphone users cannot easily exchange the display themselves as the unit is not available since almost a year). The support guy was sympathetic, realizing this dichotomy, and escalated this message to HQ.
HQ has not responded in the last month.
I feel sorry for the support guys that remain truly friendly but must be in between the hammer and the hard place, being aware of this high level unresolved issue but being powerless as it prevents them from providing good service and maintaining happy customers.
Einstein said: In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
FP has left me with the feeling they are missing this key opportunity with their existing customers. But of course I have no view on what it would imply if they would sell the display: do they actually have the view that so many users have issues with the display that their current small stock cannot handle this so they cannot afford to sell?
Bottomline: the FP policy to not sell the FP2 display module despite its availability forces me (and I guess others) to abandon the FP for another brand …
I am putting this message on this forum, curious to see if others have the same experience and to hopefully, as a community, be able to change the mind of HQ … I’d hope they can continue to deliver on their promise …