Don’t buy anything with a battery at this shop if you want guarantee
in case that the part is defect.
The reason is that it is very expensive to send a Smartphone with a battery back to Hong Kong. From Germany shipping cost are 42€ (if shipping possible) because with the Battery the Smartphone is a dangerous cargo.
There is a way to send the Smartphone back for 9.5€ without the battery,
but Cafago is insisting that the battery is included.
I bought a Cubot Note Plus Smartphone at Cafago (October 2017) for 73€ which is now defect. The Smartphone did not detect any Sim Card since Jun 2018, all other functions are working.
I made a video and wrote a lot of mails to Cafago but till now I have no solution to get appropriate guaranty without high costs.
Here are the mails:
I wrote to Cafago at 10.06.2018
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Dear Sir or Madam,
last year I bought a Cubot Note Plus from you Company.
Order Nr. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It worked well till last week, but now It doesn't detect any SIM card.
I tried a few times to switch off and switch on the handy
but the SIM Card wasn't detected.
I tried 2 other SIM Cards in both slots ( Dual SIM) but it
didn't detect them either.
I entered the Service menu and started the Test of Intern devices,
but the Test stoped at the SIM Test without any message and
I had to restart the smartphone.
All other functions of the smartphone are working
So I am very sure, that the SIM Card electronic in this
Smartphone is defect and I want to send It back.
Please tell me how to proceed.
Mail from Cafago 12.06.2018
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dear customer,
Is that possible to bother you taking a detailed video which can show this problem specifically and send it to us? It would really help if you send the video by YouTube or other links. So that we can check it with our technicians and work out a solution for you. Thanks for your help and cooperation.
Best wishes,
Kelly
So I made a video where you can see clearly that a Sim card is working in another Smartphone but not in the Cubot. The link is still active, you can open the video. But the video is not enough for Cafago.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Kelly,
here is a link to a video where you can see that a SIM Card in the
Cubot Note Plus is not detected.
https://www.magentacloud.de/lnk/rLLiJkS1
password: Cafago
Mail from Cafago 13.06.2018
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear customer,
We have already delivered your information to our technical stuff and they will work out a reasonable solution for you asap. Please wait for another 48 hours patiently. Then you may contact us again and at that time we would give you a properly answer for this problem, hope for your kindly understanding.
Thanks for your cooperation and patience.
Best regards
Kelly
Mail to Cafago 18.06.2018
Hello Kelly,
now 4 days are passed since your last mail.
Can you tell me now how to proceed.
Mail from Cafago
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Christian Wiechering,
The technican told us the following words for your problem.
The phone does not recognize the SIM card.
Ask the customer to replace more than a few other SIM cards to try it out, or change to the other side of the card slot to try it out.
And use alcohol to clean the SIM card and the contacts in the SIM card holder.
Please try that in your side for that.
Best wishes,
Kelly
I had allready wrote in my first mail , that I tried 3 different Sim cards in both slots of the Smartphone but no Card is working but this information was vergotten buy Cafago.
So I wrote 21.06.2018
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Kelly,
in my first Mail I told you allready, that I tried different Sim Cards in both slots, and they
didn't work.
I cleaned the contacts and tried now again another SIM Card in both slots, without success.
How to proceed now?
Mail from Cafago 22.06.2018
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Hi customer,
Would you like to go to the local repair shop for repairs? We can give you a partial refund to cover your loss. What do you think of it?
Best regards,
Kelly
So I search for a repair Shop in Germany but did not found a shop a first.
Mail to Cafago 25.06.2018
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Dear Kelly,
I asked some Shops her, but no shop would repair a Cubot Note Plus Smartphone, only Samsung, IPhones, HTC...
I prefer to send the Smartphone back for repair/change to you.
Mail from Cafago 26.06.2018
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Dear customer,
As your previously wish,we could accept your return.However,there has four points you need to follow:
1. The cost of return demand to cover by yourself. Need to select the post office with tracking number.
2. Packaging items need original.
3. After receiving the package, we will refund you as soon as possible.
4. If you send, please contact me again and supply the tracking number.
If you agree with those points,we will send you an address.
Please let us know your final decision.
Looking forward to your early reply.
Best wishes
Kelly
Mail to Cafago 26.06.2018
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Kelly,
ok, I pay the return cost by myself.
Please send me your adress for returning parts.
Best regards
Christian Wiechering
Mail from Cafago
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Christian Wiechering ,
Thank you for your reply. It is my honor to serve you.
This is the returning address for you:
Contact Name:TOMTOP TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
Address: Flat1,8/F, 85-89 Ta Chuen Ping Street, Kwai Chung, N.T
City: Hong Kong Country: Hong Kong
TEL: +852 27739609
ATTN: MR TANG/MR LAI
There are 5 things pls pay attention: 1.Please kindly print / write order number No.cgXXXXXXXXXXX" on the parcel, so that we can recognize it when we receive the package. 2.Pls return back to us of the original package. 3.Please kindly write the reason why you return item in brief 4.You need to cover the return shipping cost 5.Pls advise tracking number when you return back to us There is a RMA form in the attachment.Please fill it out and put it in the parcel when you print it. Thank you for your cooperation.
PS:Please do remember to attach the RMA form inside the package to be sent back by you.
Regards!
Kelly
So I went to Deutsche Post to send the Smartphone back. But with the battery, the Smartphone is a dangerous freight and the Deutsche Post told me that there is no way to send the Smartphone to Hong Kong with Deutsche Post.
So I searched for a another way to send the Smartphone to Hong Kong but for a private person it is difficult and expensive to send a dangerous freight to Hong Kong.
So I worte to Cafago 2.7.2018
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Kelly,
I tried today to send the Smartphone back to you, but it is not possible to send a electronic
Device with a battery to Hong Kong.
https://www.deutschepost.de/content/dam/dpag/images/B_b/Briefe_ins_Ausland/downloads/dangerous_goods_230714.pdf
I can only send the Smartphone back without the battery. Is this OK?
Best regards
Christian Wiechering
Mail from Cafago 3.7.2018
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dear Christian Wiechering,
Sorry, you need to send it back to us with the battery.
You can just use the DHL e-commerce. Thanks.
Best wishes,
Kelly
This sounds easy but in Europe there are other regulations than in Hong Kong.
So I searched again for repairing Company and got the cost estimation of 77.70€ which I send
to Cafago at 4.7.2018
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Kelly,
for a Private Person in Europe, it is nearly impossible to send hazard goods to Hongkong.
See https://www.dhl.de/content/dam/images/pdf/dhl-infoblatt-gefahrgutversand-052017-en.pdf
The battery is the problem.
So I looked again for a repair shop in Germany and found the company "Mobiltec 24 GmbH"
Attached is the cost estimation of this company for repairing the smart card reader.
It is 77,70€
Do you pay this amount for repair?
Mail from Cafago 5.7.2018
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Christian Wiechering,
Sorry for the problem. Our manger told us we can refund you 20EUR at most , then we can end this problem.
Because you have used this item for such a long time. If not, you can just return the complete item back to us.
Best wishes,
Kelly
A long using time for a smartphone is for Cafago 8 month?
Only 20€ refund is for me an effrontery.
Here you can see that the guaranty is worth nothing.
In Germany the repair would completely paid, or a substitute device will delivered in the first
2 years after buying.
I don’t know how it is in Hong Kong, but I think that if I send back the Smartphone and the error is confirmed then Cafago gets a new or repaired part form the producer Cubot.
This is independent from the presence of a battery in the device.
Why does Cafago still insist of the presence of the battery?
It looks like Cafago is trying to avoid any guaranty for devices with batteries in this way.
The end of this story is still open, because I am now looking for someone in my company who travels to Hong Kong or China and sends the Smartphone from there to Cafago.