D Does i installing lli a microsd card void phone warranty? y

QIn March 2017, I bought a Sony phone from Carphone Warehouse on a 24-month Talktalk contract. I decided to install a bigger microsd card for photos, but as I did so the SIM – which should slide out with the existing microsd card – jammed. Carphone Warehouse said my actions invalidated the warranty and claimed the phone is now beyond repair. How could this be my fault?

Francis Wintis

AThe short answer is it’s not Francis’s fault. We’re not sure why Carphone Warehouse thinks fitting a bigger microsd card invalidates the warranty. Perhaps he spoke to a sales assistant who didn’t realise that phones are built to accept different microsd cards. Inserting one doesn’t require disassembling the phone. In any case, it’s easy for flimsy dual SIM and microsd card slots to move out of place and get stuck. Francis hasn’t done anything as drastic as root the phone, which lets users bypass restrictions to remove built-in apps, for example, or install new themes. This would have voided his warranty.

Unless Carphone Warehouse can prove Francis damaged the phone we don’t think he has to worry about the warranty. We’ve told the company to help, stressing that if the phone can’t be repaired Francis is entitled to a replacement or refund.

If Carphone Warehouse refuses to budge, Francis should consider whether the phone’s design renders it ‘inherently faulty’ under the Consumer Rights Act. This law covers a product’s design as well as its components. Design flaws can cause long-term problems because, unlike software, they can’t be fixed remotely by manufacturers.