I contacted Seniors Rights Advocacy and asked them to help me recover the $200. They said they do not normally deal with such issues but they would have a go. JB refunded the money!
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Thanks for the update @george3018 and glad it worked out well for you.
A tip of the hat to them for helping you even though it was out of their normal scope.
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Hereâs a strong, clear post for CHOICEâs âBuyer Bewareâ page that highlights your issue with JB Hi-Fi in a way that maximizes visibility and impact:
âž»
Buyer Beware: JB Hi-Fi â Poor Customer Service & Consumer Rights Ignored
I want to warn fellow shoppers about my frustrating experience with JB Hi-Fi. If youâre considering purchasing from them, be aware of their shocking disregard for customer service and consumer rights.
I bought a Deebot Omni Pro T30 from JB Hi-Fi, and when it turned out to be faulty, they refused to honour my warranty/refund request despite Australian Consumer Law protections.
Despite multiple attempts to resolve the issue fairly, I was met with dismissive staff, unhelpful customer service, and outright refusal to take responsibility. JB Hi-Fi seems to bank on customers giving up rather than upholding their legal obligations.
Key Takeaways for Shoppers:
Be aware that JB Hi-Fi may delay, deflect, or deny valid consumer claims.
Always know your rights under Australian Consumer Lawâretailers must offer a remedy for faulty products.
Consider shopping elsewhere if you value good after-sales service.
Iâm sharing my experience to hold JB Hi-Fi accountable and prevent others from going through the same hassle. If youâve had similar issues, I encourage you to speak up and report them to Fair Trading/ACCC.
#JBHiFi #CustomerServiceFail #BuyerBeware
For the benefit of others considering the Omni Pro T30 product - are you able to share details of the fault?
To note JB HiFiâs online advice on warranty appears to be misdirecting the purchaser to the manufacturer as the first option.
Refer:
Googleâs - AI provides a different response more closely aligned with the ACL. The comment that the staff in store will determine the appropriate remedy is unreliable. Depending on the nature of the fault or defect with the product the purchaser may have the right to choose the remedy. Refer to the Choice guide below for further details.
For clarity given one may find differing versions on how to Choice provides the following advice consistent with the ACL.
P.S.
Also note the Google AI (experimental) and JB HiFi advice appears to be misdirecting all who have purchased an Extra Care warranty to go directly to the business (insurer) providing that service rather than note a purchaserâs rights provided by the ACL include returning the product to the store? IE JB HiFi cannot sign away those responsibilities. Perhaps in the fine print JB HiFi have this covered, not that most consumers will look further than what first appears as directions by either JB HiFi online or Google.
One CHoice
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I canât help but notice JB Hi-Fi is still at it with the shonky extended warranties.
I was browsing looking at computer mice and of course got prompted to purchase JB Hi-Fi âExtended Care.â The mouse I was looking at comes with a two year limited manufacturerâs warranty, and I was prompted to add 2 years of extended warranty for $17.80. 4 years warranty on a premium mouse seems reasonable for that price.
Except of course you need to read the note below that offer. It doesnât commence from the end of the manufacturer warranty, it commences from a 12 month âvoluntary warrantyâ JB Hi-Fi provides. Aside from the obvious fact that consumer law probably has you covered for that period ($20 mice commonly last for a decade or more), it just seems dodgy that JB Hi-Fi arbitrarily decides when extended warranty starts. Not worth the paper itâs printed on!
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Ooh, thatâs got to be worth a Shonky.
Why donât they go the whole hog and commence the extended warranty at the same time as the manufacturerâs warranty? 
Not here they donât but OK âŠ
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The 12 months after purchase applies to items of less than $1000 purchase price, âextendingâ the warranty to 3 years⊠For those over $1000, the âextended warrantyâ extends the manufacturerâs warranty, up to a maximum of 5 years:
If one buys a <$1000 product with a 3/3+ year warranty or >$1000 product with a 5/5+ year, there are little benefits of the Extra Car Repair Warranty has no real benefit other than it is transferable should one sell the product. When buying a product, most consumers wonât be worried about transferring the âextended warrantyâ to the purchaser should they sell the product.
Other âbenefitsâ are available through the Australia Consumer Law, including products which are outside the manufacturers warranty.
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Hello.
I had a positive experience.
Bought a Motorola mobile phone from JB.
It was faulty. Fortunately I live fairly close to one of the larger stores.
I called them, then went to the store and counter.
I waited a short while and they replaced the phone with very little todo.
I think I was served by the senior member of the team - polite and efficient.
Thatâs around two years ago now but I was impressed with the service.
Choose well, regards Joe.
My partner bought a Samsung A15 at a JB Hi Fi store about 18 months ago. Supposedly it is under warranty for 2 years. Recently it began to overheat while charging and failed to charge. An error message was displayed which stated that if this continues, take the phone to an authorised repairer.
We took the phone to a nearby JB Hi Fi store and they sent it off to an authorised Samsung repairer. The technician who examined it declared that there was corrosion in the USB port and this is not covered by a warranty. He would repair the phone for a fee approaching $200 plus an assessment fee. We refused.
The A15 does not have wireless charging and does not have an IP rating for dust and moisture. We only recently discovered IP ratings. Nevertheless, this phone has been well looked after and the charging port should not fail within 18 months. If there is, indeed, corrosion, it is a design fault from using inferior materials.
I had an old Samsung S10 for a couple of years and it also had a USB charging port failure. Unfortunately this was just outside the warranty period. Fortunately the S10 had wireless charging. Unfortunately the USB port no longer worked for data transfer.
Both phones have been replaced. The S10 with an S25 and the A15 with a Motorola Edge Pro 50. With our experiences, wireless charging was considered essential, as well as a decent IP rating.
I think JB Hi-Fi should have honored their warranty for the A15. I donât buy the story that USB corrosion is due to misuse. But will we pursue the matter? Yet to be decided.
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Being an armchair tech not having seen the device, heat and failing to charge is often a battery that has reached end of life. To wit I recently disposed of some NiMH packs in cordless handsets that got hot during charge and refused to take more than the barest surface charge. They were fairly old with few cycles on them since we and most of Australia moved from âlandlinesâ to mobiles, ie not be most conducive for battery longevity.
Most quality connectors are self cleaning, meaning their routine operation of plugs being inserted and removed are sufficient to keep them âelectrically cleanâ although they could corrode given a sufficiently hostile environment. For the latter in addition to the obvious most people think about, even lint accumulated in oneâs pocket over time could be a cause.
If you still have the failed mobile it might be instructive to take a jewelers type magnifier and have a look at the USB for anything obvious to reinforce your scepticism or provide piece of mind.
Plz keep the topic updated.
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Assuming that you are adamant that your partner has not directly exposed the phone to water (e.g. not dropped it into water), neither do I.
Even with adequate materials most electrical connections will not last forever. But that means failing after e.g. 10+ years, not failing after 18 months.
⊠which makes it basically uneconomic to repair, as you could buy a brand new identical phone as a replacement for âaboutâ that amount.
I would push back with JB HiFi. You donât really lose anything by doing so and, who knows, you may be able to negotiate something that provides a benefit to you.
If I have not misunderstood though you have already given up on the Samsung A15 repair/warranty and just paid to replace it with a different make and model?
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