Some Sony Xperia owners could receive refunds for false waterproof claims

midian182

Posts: 9,662   +121
Staff member

Sony used to make a big deal of its “waterproof” Xperia smartphones and tablets, but in reality, they were never designed to be used while submerged in water. Now, following a preliminary settlement in a class-action lawsuit, owners whose devices suffered water damage could be due a refund.

A federal court in New York approved the lawsuit, which argues that Sony deceptively advertised its Xperia products as "waterproof" when they were, in fact, closer to “water-resistant.” 24 Xperia devices released between 2013 and 2015 are covered, including the Z1 and Z3, which, according to their ads at the time, could both be used underwater.

The class action seeks a 50 percent refund of a device’s recommended retail price if a customer had to file water damage claims, or a 12-month warranty extension for devices still currently in warranty (six months for those out of warranty).

The Verge notes that “this may not be the final value the company is liable to refund." Sony will need to agree on final terms and settle with the court again on December 1.

The suit, which only applies to customers in the US, also asks Sony to change its packing, labeling, and advertising. If you bought one of the affected devices and are considering taking part in the claim, make sure to sign up here before January 30, 2018. Eligible users must submit in-warranty service bills or proof of out-of-warranty service requests made to Sony.

Here’s a complete list of devices covered by the suit:

  • Xperia M2 Aqua
  • Xperia M4 Aqua
  • Xperia ZR
  • Xperia Z Ultra
  • Xperia Z1
  • Xperia Z1 Compact
  • Xperia Z1s (T-Mobile)
  • Xperia Z2
  • Xperia Z2 Tablet (Wi-Fi)
  • Xperia Z2 Tablet (LTE)
  • Xperia Z2 Tablet (Verizon LTE)
  • Xperia Z3
  • Xperia Z3 Compact
  • Xperia Z3 (T-Mobile)
  • Xperia Z3v (Verizon)
  • Xperia Z3 Dual
  • Xperia Z3+ Dual
  • Xperia Z3+
  • Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact (Wi-Fi)
  • Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact (LTE)
  • Xperia Z4 Tablet (Wi-Fi)
  • Xperia Z4 Tablet (LTE)
  • Xperia Z5
  • Xperia Z5 Compact

Permalink to story.

 
I have a Z3 compact with the following faults developed during two years of use:
- battery died only, replaced it;
- touchscreen only works on some parts, I did not drop it or damage it in any way - just stopped working on one day;
- audio jack works intermittently;
- volume down button doesn't work anymore;
- SD card retention slot is broken, the SD card doesn't stay in the phone;
- very low quality of the microphone when talking to someone else during a call, usually people complain that they don't hear me very well;
- WF + BT are broken, do not turn on after updating to Android 6.0;
- FM radio dead together with WF + BT;
- microsd flap has broke its rubber seal in 1 year so it doesn't stay closed anymore;
...and the list will go on, I am afraid of what else can break on this phone.

This was a very very very bad phone with very bad design, craftsmanship and with HW issues that Sony did nothing to acknowledge.
In my opinion they should refund the entire sum to the buyers.
It is a shame really,
 
I have a Z3 compact with the following faults developed during two years of use:
- battery died only, replaced it;
- touchscreen only works on some parts, I did not drop it or damage it in any way - just stopped working on one day;
- audio jack works intermittently;
- volume down button doesn't work anymore;
- SD card retention slot is broken, the SD card doesn't stay in the phone;
- very low quality of the microphone when talking to someone else during a call, usually people complain that they don't hear me very well;
- WF + BT are broken, do not turn on after updating to Android 6.0;
- FM radio dead together with WF + BT;
- microsd flap has broke its rubber seal in 1 year so it doesn't stay closed anymore;
...and the list will go on, I am afraid of what else can break on this phone.

This was a very very very bad phone with very bad design, craftsmanship and with HW issues that Sony did nothing to acknowledge.
In my opinion they should refund the entire sum to the buyers.
It is a shame really,

I've had my Z3's motherboard replaced as it was having issues with charging, both via wireless charging case and cable. Other than that no issues what so ever other than the speaker volume being a little on the low side.
My wife has the Z3 compact and has suffered from the seal around the charging port failing and now has to be closed with blutac... other than that we've been quite happy with the devices.
 
I might have got a phone from the initial lot and they probably corrected most of the issues that they got feedback from services. The WF+BT dead issue is known and Sony replaces the motherboard directly if you go to a repair center, for example.
In any case, these days phones are not made to last anymore unfortunately.
 
I have faced a similar set of issues on the Z3 compact, in the end flashed Cynagenmod to extend its life before it borked completely. Worse thing was GiffGaff (UK mobile network pigging back on O2), not honouring the issues in the warranty and having to deal with their incompetent repair service provider who broke the device even more (It only had software related issues but after they got their grubby hands on them, there were several hardware issues as well).
 
Back