I have to say, FP has a lot going for it. Social responsibility, an amazing modular design on the FP2, a great community…
When my FP1 developed random glitches after 2 1/2 years, I thought long and hard whether I would stick with FP. The fault couldn’t easily be traced to a single hardware module, making a repair a non-option based on cost vs. chance of success. This was certainly the shortest-living phone I ever had. Would I give them another chance based on that?
Well, I argued with myself that the FP1 was a learning experience, and the FP2 would be the result of that experience. So I ordered it.
Maybe it was just bad luck (I certainly don’t have statistics on hardware faults), but just three months later, my touchscreen on the new FP2 started to act funny. The phone is still usable - in a limited fashion.
Here at least, the error was quickly diagnosed by support: The display module has to be checked and possibly replaced.
The wonderful thing: It’s so easy to remove and reinsert the display module, it’s amazing. So I was happy. I would wait for my replacement display module, then send in my damaged one, and all that time I could keep on using my phone.
Or so I thought.
The realities of support processes hit. No, I have to send in my display module first. No, there is no contract repair shop anywhere, where this could be done. No, there is no way I could get the display module up front (not even by offering the full price as security). Plus, they don’t even give a reason why it has to be so - “this is how it’s done”.
Which brings to mind the quote “Bureaucracy was created to fulfill the requirements of bureaucracy”
What initially sounded like “fixed in 5 minutes” now turns out to cost me hours and hours.
My options on spare phones are pretty bleak (unless I buy one just for that purpose) - I use my phones till they break, and most of my friends or colleagues either do that as well, or sell their still-usable phones.
In many ways, I would have been better off buying any phone from a provider. While I wait for repairs, I at least get a spare phone to use in the meantime.
I totally understand that FP is still on a learning curve, and that I cannot expect hardware quality on par with Nokia at it’s finest. Even so, the first glitches after 3 months? I have never had that with any phone in my life.
What I really do not understand is the inflexibility regarding support options. Why is it impossible to receive spare parts up front, even when offering the full price as security, and paying a moderate handling fee on top?
Well, I’m stuck with the FP2 for now, and as I said, it has a loot of good to offer. Still, I’ll think three times before buying another phone from FP.