One of the many downsides of living in a country that is going through economic problems is that even the most important and entrenched consumer rights are often trampled upon. In a lot of countries, the customer has the right to return faulty electronic gadgets like phones and either get them replaced or repaired for free because these items often have a free warranty. Unfortunately, it is something a lot of Zimbabweans are not used to but today I am here to tell you that it is still possible to get a phone on warranty in Zimbabwe and get it repaired or replaced for free if it is faulty.
Most of us buy our phones from the so-called grey market. In this country it means visiting your street seller, a search on Facebook Market, scouring through WhatsApp groups or some dimly lit corner shop. You will be lucky if your phone comes with its original box and accessories and thank heavens if you even get a receipt for the sale. There are no guarantees as soon as you leave the shop after the “initial testing” is done. Calling the process of verifying your new phone is working and testing is a stretch. Most of the time we just turn it on, make a test call and walk out. We do not even charge it to make sure it’s charging and there is no easy way to test battery capacity before the sale is made.
You are missing out on your free iTel, TECNO and Infinix warranty
Yes, you are reading that right. Whenever you buy one of these brand new phones in Zimbabwe you get a box that comes with a warranty card among other things. Do not throw that warranty card and receipt away because your phone comes with free 12 months warranty. This means that if you discover some manufacturer defects on the phone such as it refusing to start for no reason, overheating or some strange distortions on the screen you can get it repaired for free.
This service comes courtesy of Carlcare Service Centers that are spread across Zimbabwe. There are currently about 17 Carlcare Service centres around Zimbabwe waiting for you to walk in with your phone and repair it for free! Carlcare offers official after-sales service for TECNO, Infinix, Itel, Oraimo and Syinix brands.
How does it work?
- First, you need to make sure that you buy your phone or device from an authorised iTel, TECNO, Infinix or Oraimo dealer. Our friends at Pindula Market have an official iTel dealer with unbeatable prices on their platform.
- When you buy your phone from such a dealer they enter the phone’s unique ID (IMEI) into their system including the date on which it was bought. This is important as other dealers do not do this, especially street dealers.
- If you encounter a defect such as refusing to charge, refusing to start etc less than 12 months after making the purchase you can just take the phone to a Carlcare Center
- The warranty covers the manufacturer’s defect and not damages caused by you such as dropping the phone in liquid or onto the ground. In such cases Carlcare will still repair your phone if you want but you will be charged for the service.
Where can I find Carlcare Centers in Zimbabwe?
This is an issue we will probably cover in another article as there are quite a number of Carlcare Centers. For those in Harare you can visit the following centres:
- Itel home, Shop number 50 Cameroon Street, Harare. Phone: +263715503548
- M Floor, Club Chambers, CNR Nelson Mandela and Third Street, Harare. Phone: +263242700133
- Shop #g11. Nicks Mall, corner Chinhoyi and bank street, Harare. Phone +263715673706
- 8th, South East wing, Stand No.17891, Beverly Court, 100 Nelson Mandela Avenue, Harare. Phone: +263242700133, +263242721549
- No. 73, Cameroon Street, Harare. Phone: +263-0777534787
- Shop No 4, Margolis Plaza, Corner Harare Street and Speke Avenue, Harare. Phone: +263-0772801263
- 47 Cameron Street, Cnr Cameroon, Charter and Bute, Harare. Phone: +263715503548
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