On November 24, 2011, my wife took in my 32GB 3G iPhone to have the Zagg invisible shield replaced, since it had proven to be defective and was peeling off. The product was under warranty, and the sales assistant, Blaire (no last name was provided), was happy to replace the shield. Prior to this, I have never had any problems with my iPhone it had performed admirably.
When Blaire was applying the Zagg shield, she sprayed generous amounts of Zagg solution directly onto the device. Not knowing that this was an improper application of the product, my wife did not question her. We had specifically sought out the services of Best Buy, since they offered a professional installation of the said product. With a professional installation, one would assume that the person applying the product would have an extra special intimate knowledge of the application process. One would assume that she would have at least taken a glance at the Zagg website where it specifically states:
Please do not spray shield spray directly onto your device. We suggest spraying a Micro Fiber cloth and then gently wiping & cleaning your device until you are satisfied with the results.
Within ten minutes After the Zagg shield was installed, my wife brought the phone to me at my place of work. It was at that time that I noticed that the screen on the phone had gone black. The lighting on the phone was so dim it was barely visible.
It was at this time that I did a little Google search to discover that if moisture enters an iPhone, the screen will become black. This would make sense, since I discovered that the phone had just been sprayed with Zagg solution, solution being the operative word. The major component of Zagg solution is water, as identified on their website.
The next day, I went into the store and explained my situation to the department manager, Rob **. As Murphys law would dictate, my phone was working at the time and showed no signs of the blackness I had described to him. I had indicated to him that I was having problems with the phone screen. He was skeptical and was not convinced that it was due to moisture, as they did not use moisture, but rather Zagg solution. It appeared to me that he was unaware that the major component of Zagg solution is in fact water. He went on to explain that Zagg solution was indeed safe to spray on electronic devices because it had no effects on electronic components. He even went on to explain that a device could be submerged in this solution and nothing would happen to the device!
He did email Zagg on my behalf with a query to my problem. However I never did see the text of the question he raised to them. I took his word and waited for a response.
Of course when I went home, my phone once again went black. The duration of the blackness over the next few days grew and grew, until currently the phone is always black. It has become a Zagg protected paper weight.
I had tried to phone the Zagg phone number on the website to no avail. This number will not connect to a live person, or even a recording device! I was lead through a maze of push button menu options, none of which was applicable to my issue. I then thought it would be prudent to email Zagg directly. Again this proved to be fruitless. The publicly listed email address I sent my correspondence to had not or will not send a response either electronically or via the phone.
Unable to contact Zagg, I then focused my attentions on contacting Best Buy via their customer service email. To my surprise, all correspondence sent to this email was sent back to me as undeliverable. Really.
On Monday November 28, 2011, I was getting very concerned. I contacted the Best Buy store again and talked to Blaire, the clerk that applied the Zagg shield. I questioned her about the technique she used when applying the Zagg shield and shared with her what I had learned about its application, not to directly spray the solution on the device. It was at this point that she told me that she was trained to spray the solution directly on devices by the training program she had attended. She also went on to say that she had done several installs without any problems. I am sure that this information is correct. She informed me that there was nothing she could do and that she had discussed the situation with her managers, and they all agreed there was nothing that they could do either. I was told the matter of my black screen was solely the responsibility of Zagg. Best Buy would have no part of solving this issue.
It was at this point I asked for the store manager. I was told the manager was not in. I asked for the name and contact information of the store manager but was told they could not give out that information, as it was private. Really.
I then asked for the name and contact information of the district manager or territorial manager, customer relations officer or any other politically correct title relating to customer issues, but I was also denied this, as it was private. Really.
Blaire did take my information down and I was told that a Jody would call me the next day, and that this individual was the Manager. I waited.
On Tuesday November 29, 2011, I had not heard from this Jody so I decided to call the store directly using the phone number from their website. Four tries and a total of 38 minutes on hold I finally was able to talk to a person. I explained this situation to this individual and they understood that moisture and iPhones don't mix. She did seem understanding, however powerless to help. She informed me that Jody was out of town. I asked if there was a Manager around. She mentioned that a Chelsea would help me and that she was the Manager today. I waited.
After approximately 30 minutes on hold, Rob **, the department manager, answered the phone. I was a little surprised. He mentioned to me that he was aware of the situation, he had discussed it with his Managers and that there was nothing that they could do. He was powerless, impotent, and unable to help. I had requested to him if there was anyone in the chain of command at Best Buy that could help me. He said no.
I questioned him about the application techniques used by Best Buy when applying the Zagg shields. He repeated what I was told by Blaire. He went on to say that he was taught by Zagg representatives in Toronto to directly spray the solution onto the devices and that in fact this was standard operating practice that they employed.
I queried him as to why the Zagg website states that this is not to be done, he answered, We were told to ignore this.
I had requested from Rob **, some contact person with an operable email and/or telephone number at Zagg that I could contact. To his credit, he did supply me with the name of Sydney ** at Zagg, who has actually sent me some correspondence.
Zagg has taken the position that it is a Best Buy customer service issue:
I understand how frustrating this situation must be for you and I am very sorry to hear about the experience that you have had with Best Buy. I understand your position and that you feel you are between a rock and a very hard place, and for that I am very sorry.
Unfortunately, we are unable to control our resellers policies and decisions as they are not owned or operated by ZAGG. Because of this, you will need to continue to work with the reseller if you would like more assistance with this. I assure you that I have passed on your concerns about the installation processes that Best Buy said they were trained to do, to the proper department
I had originally requested that Zagg contact Best Buy on my behalf, however it seems that request was denied. However, they feel sorry for me.
Rock and a Hard Place
Needless to say this has been a very negative experience. I had specifically sought out the services of Best Buy to install my Zagg shield, since they offered a Professional Installation. I thought this would afford me some protection as a consumer, and that Best Buy would honor their obligations under the laws of Manitoba.
I am afforded some protection under The Consumer Protection Act of Manitoba.
Personal liability of seller
58.1 In every retail sale or retail hire purchase of goods or services, the seller is personally liable to the buyer for all duties, liabilities, obligations and warranties applicable to the sale or hire purchase by this Act of by contract and the seller shall bear all expenses incidental to having the goods serviced under any warranty whether given by the manufacturer, seller or a third party.
Warranty contract liability
58.2(1) Notwithstanding any provision in a contract to service or repair goods including an extended warranty contract, and subject to subsection (2), the seller of the contract is liable to the buyer for the performance of all obligations under the contract to service or repair the goods, whether or not the seller is a party to the contract and whether or not the seller received a fee, commission or other remuneration for selling the contract.
I brought my phone into Best Buy to perform warranty work on the Zagg shield, whether it was ignorance, poor training, incompetence or negligence on the part of the said Best Buy employee, Blaire, the result of the improper application of the Zagg shield has left my iPhone inoperable.
Previous to this Zagg application I have had no issues whatsoever with my iPhone. It was only after it was exposed to an inordinate amount of moisture directly administered to it (Zagg solution is approximately 90% water) did it go black. This occurred within minutes of this application. One could conclude from these series of events that the Zagg solution application had a direct negative effect on my device, causing the screen damage.
Replacement or repair to a standard that would be acceptable to Apple (the manufacturer of the iPhone), would be a realistic solution to this problem. This would be considered expenses incidental to having the goods serviced under any warranty as outlined in 58.1 of The Consumer Protection Act of Manitoba.
I am requesting that Best Buy comply with the laws of Manitoba, and swiftly implement the above mentioned remedy.
cc: Best Buy Canada Ltd. Canadian Headquarters
cc: Better Business Bureau of Manitoba and Northwest Ontario
cc: Director: The Consumers Protection Act of Manitoba