On May 10, 2013 my iPhone 4S started to have intermittent smart signal and displayed a "NO SIGNAL" sign and difficult to pick up WiFi signal even while I'm in my office.
May 13, Election Day my iPhone worsened! No more signal anywhere else.
I frantically called up our office's Smart corporate contact in Cebu Ms. Hazel Amoyan.
She told me to go to the nearest Smart service center. I went to Ayala Smart service center ASAP.
A guy attended to me and checked my iPhone 4S. After several off and on attempts, he told me to just switch it off and or drained the battery for the phone to be refreshed.
Went home and did exactly what I was told. Somehow, there was signal but it lasted only for a few minutes then signal was gone for good.
Called again Ms Hazel & reported the updates of my phone. She advised me to go to the istore service center either Ayala or SM. Off I went to istore Ayala.
Waited for hours until the technicians surrendered & told me it's a hardware problem.
Called Ms Hazel again. She brought the unit to Smart & was returned to me and I was told to go to a phone repair center called "Airtouch" at SM CyberZone.
That was May 28, 2013. The verdict? Cannot detect SIM, base band chip, defective!
I asked Airtouch whether it can repair my iPhone. It told me, it will open my unit & that I have to execute a waiver that it is not liable for any damage to my phone after the technician opens it up?
I found that ridiculous. I told them I can't sign a waiver because the unit is SMART PLAN LOCKED!
Then went back to SMART service center in SM to tell them about my problem.
Finally, the girl that attended to me said i can still continue to use the SIM coz that carries the P2000/mo. plan, not the iPhone!
You mean, I'll buy another iPhone to use my SIM?
Yes, is the answer or SMART will change the SIM to fit other cellphone.
That defeats the purpose, right? I got a P2000/mo plan so I can have an iPhone 4S & now that it is broken, I will continue to use that P2000/mo plan?
Or go back to Airtouch service center, sign the waiver so it can can open up my iPhone & will try to repair it.
I took a risk. Did the last option but Airtouch's verdict was: cannot repair the unit!
So now I'm stuck with a defective iPhone 4S with a SIM plan of P2000/mo until May 2014!
Surely, there must be an alternative!
Why is there no service center for apple products (iPhone,iPod,iPad, etc) in Cebu?
