Duo camera always not working; Fail repair service

[Scramjet]

Hi guys. I got my One M8, WWE Asia version (CID HTC__044) on April 6, a day after it was released in Singapore. Unfortunately, someone else, while admiring my phone, dropped it screen face-down and it cracked. I sent it in for repair on the 12th of June, and the customer service officer said it would take about 2-4 days for the repair to finish. I ended up getting back my phone on the 21st, with all the data in it gone. Lucky I had made a backup with Titanium Backup.

However, not only was all the data gone, they replaced the main board, and it was S-ON and locked again. Then I realised that the proximity and brightness sensors were messed up, and I had to send it in within two days of getting back my phone. Another three days without my phone.

Now, I realised that the Duo camera on my phone isn't working. I covered it and tried to take a shot, and the message 'don't cover Duo camera' didn't pop up. No Duo effects work, on photos I take now, such as UFocus. This wasn't a problem before I sent it in for repair.

This seems a lot of trouble to go to just for a cracked screen, and it isn't what I expected from HTC customer service. I even asked for a phone replacement but they refused. If I'd known that HTC customer service (at least in Singapore) was this bad, I would've gotten an iPhone.

I got the M8 because I really like HTC's phones, ever since I got my first HTC, the Sensation XE. Right now, my main question is, is there any way I can diagnose and solve this problem myself without having to send it in and then having some other problem? HTC Customer Service seems intent on not wanting to replace the phone. Neither do they seem to properly fix the phone either.

I'm really frustrated, and I'm an inch from stomping up to their office and swearing the heck out of them (even though it isn't the officers' faults, yes, I'm just being irrational). Their repair service seems really bad for a full-fledged company. I think I would've done better at some budget, road-side repair shop that costs thirty bucks. Please, help.

 

[jwsm]

First of all, never ever let someone else, especially one with butter fingers, handle your expensive new phone.

Seriously, why did they feel a need to replace the motherboard too? Is the phone that you got back the same one that you sent in, or could it be that they sent back a refurb. Either way it won't matter because your phone is not working like it is supposed to even after they supposedly "fixed" it twice, probably with refurb parts that have not been thoroughly tested. If they continue to play hard ball and tell you to go pound sand, I would take it to their social media and raise a stink about it there. From my experience, that is the fastest way to get results and hopefully a resolution.

Good luck.

 

[Scramjet]

Thanks for the reply. I'll give them a last chance (three times the charm?), and send in my phone on Monday. If they replace it, great. If not, and they do another bang-up job, I'm going to both HTC's international and Singapore Facebook pages and copy the rant over and see what they say.

About the motherboard, according to the CS officer, it was standard procedure to replace just about anything in the phone when the screen cracks. I attribute this to the low repairability of the phone itself - refer to iFixit.

I don't really want to give bad reviews about companies that I really like (HTC is one of them; as mentioned, I feel their phones are truly the best among Androids), but this kind of horrible CS is driving me crazy; I've never had such a bad experience.

P.S. On the bright side, HTC Singapore has this pick-up and delivery service that saves me the twenty-five minute train ride with a transfer included, to their service centre. I just have to call them, and the courier is at my doorstep within a couple of hours. I've got to give credit where it's due.