I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX 300) for
the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are pretty much
useless now as you quite literally have to stand on the buttons to make them
work. The 4th unit one is only marginally better... To make a key work
requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it from different angles, and involves
considerable force.

Any idea what is going on here? Can I do something to fix it, or is this
simply the life expectancy of these phones? Is it worth speaking to the
manufacturer about it (out of warranty by now)?

I also seem to recall that the previous phone we had, a top of the range
Panasonic (DECT as well) developed a similar problem within 2-3 years which
resulted in buying the Philips.

BTW, we are pretty light users and the house is kept pretty warm (young
kids) - could that provide a clue?

"JoeJoe" wrote in message
...
I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX 300) for
the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are pretty much
useless now as you quite literally have to stand on the buttons to make
them work. The 4th unit one is only marginally better... To make a key work
requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it from different angles, and involves
considerable force.

Any idea what is going on here? Can I do something to fix it, or is this
simply the life expectancy of these phones? Is it worth speaking to the
manufacturer about it (out of warranty by now)?

I also seem to recall that the previous phone we had, a top of the range
Panasonic (DECT as well) developed a similar problem within 2-3 years
which resulted in buying the Philips.

BTW, we are pretty light users and the house is kept pretty warm (young
kids) - could that provide a clue?

Dismantle phone - remove keypad, these usually have conductive rubbery like
contacts on the back which bridge the relevant connections on the circuit
board when a key is pressed. Blow out all of the dust, fingernails, bits of
hair, etc that have accumulated and give the circuit board contacts a wipe
over with isopropyl alcohol. DON'T use this on the rubber pad itself, just
wipe that off with a damp cloth and allow to dry. Reassemble and be happy

Hellraiser..............

JoeJoe wrote:
I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX
300) for the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are
pretty much useless now as you quite literally have to stand on the
buttons to make them work. The 4th unit one is only marginally
better... To make a key work requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it
from different angles, and involves considerable force.

Any idea what is going on here? Can I do something to fix it, or is
this simply the life expectancy of these phones? Is it worth
speaking to the manufacturer about it (out of warranty by now)?

I also seem to recall that the previous phone we had, a top of the
range Panasonic (DECT as well) developed a similar problem within 2-3
years which resulted in buying the Philips.

BTW, we are pretty light users and the house is kept pretty warm
(young kids) - could that provide a clue?

Allmost all phones nowadays use a thin foil type membrane and render the
phone useless when the membrane pads start to wear out or stick.
Plead with phillips thatyou paid oodles of pounds for the DECT phones and
the guarentee has just run out and you would thought the phones would at
least lived out longer than 12 months? they'll probably send you another
set :-)
mention can new membranes be had for them as phillips do a spares
department or at least they used to?

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 08:48:41 +0100, Hellraiser wrote:

Dismantle phone - remove keypad ...

.... then dry out all the condensation that is causing the problem.

--
Nigel M

JoeJoe wrote:
I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX
300) for the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are
pretty much useless now as you quite literally have to stand on the
buttons to make them work. The 4th unit one is only marginally
better... To make a key work requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it
from different angles, and involves considerable force.

Any idea what is going on here? Can I do something to fix it, or is
this simply the life expectancy of these phones? Is it worth
speaking to the manufacturer about it (out of warranty by now)?

I also seem to recall that the previous phone we had, a top of the
range Panasonic (DECT as well) developed a similar problem within 2-3
years which resulted in buying the Philips.

BTW, we are pretty light users and the house is kept pretty warm
(young kids) - could that provide a clue?

are the bateries removable ? are they dead ? FWIW we've had 2
philips kala DECT phones since they came out (6+ years c£90 ea)
and both of them have been in veritable building sites for most of that
time ergo, loads of dust and dirty hands. I've never dismantled them
to clean them and they both work fine. I have had to change the 2 AA
nicads which were supplied with the phones for nihm AA's about 2 years
ago but apart from that they work flawlesssly.

"JoeJoe" wrote in message
...
I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX 300) for
the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are pretty much
useless now as you quite literally have to stand on the buttons to make
them work. The 4th unit one is only marginally better... To make a key work
requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it from different angles, and involves
considerable force.

Any idea what is going on here? Can I do something to fix it, or is this
simply the life expectancy of these phones? Is it worth speaking to the
manufacturer about it (out of warranty by now)?

I also seem to recall that the previous phone we had, a top of the range
Panasonic (DECT as well) developed a similar problem within 2-3 years
which resulted in buying the Philips.

BTW, we are pretty light users and the house is kept pretty warm (young
kids) - could that provide a clue?


We had exactly the same problem with two of ours, took them apart, did all
the cleaning process and reassembled carefully - didn't make the slightest
difference and put it down to bad design.
My wife had a brilliant idea and purchased another set of Philips ones to
replace them !!! - lasted about16 months until they too had exactly the
same problem and were swiftly binned.
Next up were a set of Panasonics, the buttons are fine after just over a
year but the internal speaker on both units failed within 2 weeks of each
other - one is being fixed under guarantee but the other was 1 week over a
year old, Argos wouldn't honour it but Panasonic relented - due back soon
but not holding my breath.
Back to the 2 cans and string I think.
Franko.

We had exactly the same problem with two of ours, took them apart, did all
the cleaning process and reassembled carefully - didn't make the slightest
difference and put it down to bad design.
My wife had a brilliant idea and purchased another set of Philips ones to
replace them !!! - lasted about16 months until they too had exactly the
same problem and were swiftly binned.
Next up were a set of Panasonics, the buttons are fine after just over a
year but the internal speaker on both units failed within 2 weeks of each
other - one is being fixed under guarantee but the other was 1 week over a
year old, Argos wouldn't honour it but Panasonic relented - due back soon
but not holding my breath.
Back to the 2 cans and string I think.

LOL, I'll stick with my cheapo Binatone DECT phone thanks - 3 years old,
been dropped, thrown at the wall, left in a hot steam-filled kitchen, and
still works perfectly. The only thing I've changed is the NiCd batteries,
everything else is as good as new

Hellraiser............

In article ,
Franko wrote:
Next up were a set of Panasonics, the buttons are fine after just over a
year but the internal speaker on both units failed within 2 weeks of each
other - one is being fixed under guarantee but the other was 1 week over a
year old, Argos wouldn't honour it but Panasonic relented - due back soon
but not holding my breath.

Interesting how Argos aren't willing to accept the law of the land ...

NB The guarantee period (from the manufacturer) has no relevance to the
requirement for the retailer to repair & replace 'as reasonable' up to 6 years
from purchase. If you paid for a product that should last three years plus
then that's what you should expect.

--
John Cartmell john@ followed by finnybank.com 0845 006 8822
Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com
Qercus - the best guide to RISC OS computing

"John Cartmell" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Franko wrote:
Next up were a set of Panasonics, the buttons are fine after just over a
year but the internal speaker on both units failed within 2 weeks of each
other - one is being fixed under guarantee but the other was 1 week over
a
year old, Argos wouldn't honour it but Panasonic relented - due back soon
but not holding my breath.

Interesting how Argos aren't willing to accept the law of the land ...

NB The guarantee period (from the manufacturer) has no relevance to the
requirement for the retailer to repair & replace 'as reasonable' up to 6
years
from purchase. If you paid for a product that should last three years plus
then that's what you should expect.

They're usually good - I took some hair straighteners back for the Mrs, they
were 3 months out of warranty but they not only swapped them for an
equivalent set, but that set was on special so I got a £20 voucher as well


Hellraiser.............

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 12:30:02 +0100, Hellraiser wrote:

They're usually good - I took some hair straighteners back for the Mrs, they
were 3 months out of warranty

The trick with Argos is to buy a new one, and take the old one back.

--
Nigel M

In article , Nigel Molesworth
wrote:
On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 12:30:02 +0100, Hellraiser wrote:

They're usually good - I took some hair straighteners back for the Mrs,
they were 3 months out of warranty

The trick with Argos is to buy a new one, and take the old one back.

There is no need for a trick. Argos (and other retailers) should accept their
legal requirements.

--
John Cartmell john@ followed by finnybank.com 0845 006 8822
Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com
Qercus - the best guide to RISC OS computing

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 12:42:28 +0100, John Cartmell wrote:

The trick with Argos is to buy a new one, and take the old one back.

There is no need for a trick. Argos (and other retailers) should accept their
legal requirements.

Yes, but when you know you are in the right, it's just easier.

--
Nigel M

John Cartmell wrote:
In article ,
Franko wrote:
Next up were a set of Panasonics, the buttons are fine after just
over a year but the internal speaker on both units failed within 2
weeks of each other - one is being fixed under guarantee but the
other was 1 week over a year old, Argos wouldn't honour it but
Panasonic relented - due back soon but not holding my breath.

Interesting how Argos aren't willing to accept the law of the land ...

NB The guarantee period (from the manufacturer) has no relevance to
the requirement for the retailer to repair & replace 'as reasonable'
up to 6 years from purchase.

argos stores don't understand that. argos customer service HQ do.

I got a replacement for £100's worth of panasonic boogie box at month
13 after the cassette deck failed. I called argos store and they told me
no deal, 12 months, blah blah blah, even though I told them about the
6 year rule. no deal. so I called CS HQ and after a 1 minute opening
gambit which covered the law you detailed the CSR simply said yes,
that's fine, I'll call your local store to arrange replacement.

I was dumbfounded but pleased. even better when the manageress
who'd told me no dice was the one who handed me the replacement :-)

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 12:05:18 +0100, John Cartmell wrote:

NB The guarantee period (from the manufacturer) has no relevance to the
requirement for the retailer to repair & replace 'as reasonable' up to 6 years
from purchase. If you paid for a product that should last three years plus
then that's what you should expect.

Have you got an official source for this? It would be handy to
bookmark.

--
Nigel M

"JoeJoe" wrote in message
...
I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX 300) for
the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are pretty much
useless now as you quite literally have to stand on the buttons to make
them work. The 4th unit one is only marginally better... To make a key work
requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it from different angles, and involves
considerable force.

Any idea what is going on here? Can I do something to fix it, or is this
simply the life expectancy of these phones? Is it worth speaking to the
manufacturer about it (out of warranty by now)?

I also seem to recall that the previous phone we had, a top of the range
Panasonic (DECT as well) developed a similar problem within 2-3 years
which resulted in buying the Philips.

BTW, we are pretty light users and the house is kept pretty warm (young
kids) - could that provide a clue?

Thanks for all the good advice.

The batteries are removable, but the case is held by two screws (I think)
with some funny holes on the top that don't look like any screws that I have
ever seen before, so I don't think I will be able to open and clean inside.

I did however speak to Philips CS earlier today (09... number 15p/min -
*******s!) who accepted that this was not on with an 18 month phone, and
made noises that sounded to me like a replacement would be sent to me once I
produce the original receipt. Unfortunately we spent an hour last night
trying to find it (recent house move, etc) and it does not look like we
would be able to find it.

Where do I stand without the receipt (and out of the warranty period)? The
phone was bought from Costco if that makes any difference.

TIA.

In article ,
Nigel Molesworth wrote:
On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 12:05:18 +0100, John Cartmell wrote:

NB The guarantee period (from the manufacturer) has no relevance to the
requirement for the retailer to repair & replace 'as reasonable' up to 6
years from purchase. If you paid for a product that should last three
years plus then that's what you should expect.

Have you got an official source for this? It would be handy to
bookmark.

http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/fa...legoodsact.htm

--
John Cartmell john@ followed by finnybank.com 0845 006 8822
Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com
Qercus - the best guide to RISC OS computing

In article , JoeJoe
wrote:

"JoeJoe" wrote in message
...
I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX 300) for
the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are pretty much
useless now as you quite literally have to stand on the buttons to make
them work. The 4th unit one is only marginally better... To make a key work
requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it from different angles, and involves
considerable force.

Any idea what is going on here? Can I do something to fix it, or is this
simply the life expectancy of these phones? Is it worth speaking to the
manufacturer about it (out of warranty by now)?

I also seem to recall that the previous phone we had, a top of the range
Panasonic (DECT as well) developed a similar problem within 2-3 years
which resulted in buying the Philips.

BTW, we are pretty light users and the house is kept pretty warm (young
kids) - could that provide a clue?

Thanks for all the good advice.

The batteries are removable, but the case is held by two screws (I think)
with some funny holes on the top that don't look like any screws that I have
ever seen before, so I don't think I will be able to open and clean inside.

I did however speak to Philips CS earlier today (09... number 15p/min -
*******s!) who accepted that this was not on with an 18 month phone, and
made noises that sounded to me like a replacement would be sent to me once I
produce the original receipt. Unfortunately we spent an hour last night
trying to find it (recent house move, etc) and it does not look like we
would be able to find it.

Where do I stand without the receipt (and out of the warranty period)?
[Sale of Goods Act]

If goods do not conform to contract at the time of sale, purchasers can
request their money back "within a reasonable time". (This is not defined and
will depend on circumstances)

For up to six years after purchase (five years from discovery in Scotland)
purchasers can demand damages (which a court would equate to the cost of a
repair or replacement)

The phone was bought from Costco if that makes any difference.

A purchaser who is a consumer, i.e. is not buying in the course of a business,
can alternatively request a repair or replacement.

--
John Cartmell john@ followed by finnybank.com 0845 006 8822
Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com
Qercus - the best guide to RISC OS computing

Hellraiser wrote:

Dismantle phone - remove keypad, these usually have conductive rubbery like
contacts on the back which bridge the relevant connections on the circuit
board when a key is pressed. Blow out all of the dust, fingernails, bits of
hair, etc that have accumulated and give the circuit board contacts a wipe
over with isopropyl alcohol.

And try using a pencil eraser on the board. It gets rid of anything the
the IPA can't.

DON'T use this on the rubber pad itself, just
wipe that off with a damp cloth and allow to dry. Reassemble and be happy

I have used washing up liquid (diluted as normal) in the past.

Dave

In article ,
John Cartmell wrote:
In article , JoeJoe
wrote:

[Snip]

Where do I stand without the receipt (and out of the warranty period)?
[Sale of Goods Act]

If goods do not conform to contract at the time of sale, purchasers can
request their money back "within a reasonable time". (This is not defined
and will depend on circumstances)

For up to six years after purchase (five years from discovery in Scotland)
purchasers can demand damages (which a court would equate to the cost of a
repair or replacement)

Forgot to add this bit:

Q7. Do I have to produce a receipt to claim my rights?

No. In fact the trader doesn't have to give you a receipt in the first place
so it would be unfair to say that you had to produce one. However, it might
not be unreasonable for the shop to want some proof of purchase, so look to
see if you have a cheque stub, bank statement, credit card slip etc., and
this should be sufficient.

--
John Cartmell john@ followed by finnybank.com 0845 006 8822
Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com
Qercus - the best guide to RISC OS computing

JoeJoe wrote:
"JoeJoe" wrote in message
...
I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX 300) for
the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are pretty much
useless now as you quite literally have to stand on the buttons to make
them work. The 4th unit one is only marginally better... To make a key work
requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it from different angles, and involves
considerable force.

Any idea what is going on here? Can I do something to fix it, or is this
simply the life expectancy of these phones? Is it worth speaking to the
manufacturer about it (out of warranty by now)?

I also seem to recall that the previous phone we had, a top of the range
Panasonic (DECT as well) developed a similar problem within 2-3 years
which resulted in buying the Philips.

BTW, we are pretty light users and the house is kept pretty warm (young
kids) - could that provide a clue?

Thanks for all the good advice.

The batteries are removable, but the case is held by two screws (I think)
with some funny holes on the top that don't look like any screws that I have
ever seen before, so I don't think I will be able to open and clean inside.

I did however speak to Philips CS earlier today (09... number 15p/min -
*******s!) who accepted that this was not on with an 18 month phone, and
made noises that sounded to me like a replacement would be sent to me once I
produce the original receipt. Unfortunately we spent an hour last night
trying to find it (recent house move, etc) and it does not look like we
would be able to find it.

Where do I stand without the receipt (and out of the warranty period)? The
phone was bought from Costco if that makes any difference.

Out of warranty is no problem as others have pointed out.

Philips can hardly argue that they made the product, unless they're
trying to say they might be fakes. Did you fill in any manufacturer's
warranty registration card when they were new? They are not, however,
responsible, the retailer is.

Talk to costco. A credit card statement showing the transaction may
help. If they say no, talk to the manager and threaten him with the
sale of goods act. If that doesn't work, put it in writing, copying
area and head office management and threaten small claims court
proceedings.

See http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/i...aims/index.htm

and https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco2/index.jsp to claim online

MBQ

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 14:23:53 +0100, John Cartmell wrote:

http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/fa...legoodsact.htm

Many thanks.

--
Nigel M

.. wrote:
JoeJoe wrote:

I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX
300) for the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are
pretty much useless now as you quite literally have to stand on the
buttons to make them work. The 4th unit one is only marginally
better... To make a key work requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it
from different angles, and involves considerable force.

are the bateries removable ? are they dead ? FWIW we've had 2
philips kala DECT phones since they came out (6+ years c£90 ea)
and both of them have been in veritable building sites for most of that
time ergo, loads of dust and dirty hands. I've never dismantled them
to clean them and they both work fine. I have had to change the 2 AA
nicads which were supplied with the phones for nihm AA's about 2 years
ago but apart from that they work flawlesssly.

Heh! We also have kala phones (3), and have exactly the same problem as
the OP, and which is on the Round Tuit list for sorting out. The phones
are (predictably) affected in severity directly proportionally to the
amount of use they get.

David

Lobster wrote:
. wrote:
JoeJoe wrote:

I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX
300) for the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are
pretty much useless now as you quite literally have to stand on the
buttons to make them work. The 4th unit one is only marginally
better... To make a key work requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it
from different angles, and involves considerable force.

are the bateries removable ? are they dead ? FWIW we've had 2
philips kala DECT phones since they came out (6+ years c£90 ea)
and both of them have been in veritable building sites for most of
that time ergo, loads of dust and dirty hands. I've never dismantled
them to clean them and they both work fine. I have had to change the
2 AA nicads which were supplied with the phones for nihm AA's about
2 years ago but apart from that they work flawlesssly.

Heh! We also have kala phones (3), and have exactly the same problem
as the OP, and which is on the Round Tuit list for sorting out. The
phones are (predictably) affected in severity directly proportionally
to the amount of use they get.

David

perhaps you ought to wash your hands before using them ?

as I've said, we've had ours since they came out and have been in 3
houses, all of which have been building sites at one time or another
with all the attendant dust and rubble. the only thing which has gone
wrong is the batteries failed after a few years.

.. wrote:
Lobster wrote:

. wrote:

JoeJoe wrote:


I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX
300) for the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are
pretty much useless now as you quite literally have to stand on the
buttons to make them work. The 4th unit one is only marginally
better... To make a key work requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it
from different angles, and involves considerable force.

are the bateries removable ? are they dead ? FWIW we've had 2
philips kala DECT phones since they came out (6+ years c£90 ea)
and both of them have been in veritable building sites for most of
that time ergo, loads of dust and dirty hands. I've never dismantled
them to clean them and they both work fine. I have had to change the
2 AA nicads which were supplied with the phones for nihm AA's about
2 years ago but apart from that they work flawlesssly.

Heh! We also have kala phones (3), and have exactly the same problem
as the OP, and which is on the Round Tuit list for sorting out. The
phones are (predictably) affected in severity directly proportionally
to the amount of use they get.

David


perhaps you ought to wash your hands before using them ?

as I've said, we've had ours since they came out and have been in 3
houses, all of which have been building sites at one time or another
with all the attendant dust and rubble. the only thing which has gone
wrong is the batteries failed after a few years.

Never mind all that - do you have any kids?

Nuff said.

David

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
. wrote:
JoeJoe wrote:

I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX
300) for the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are
pretty much useless now as you quite literally have to stand on the
buttons to make them work. The 4th unit one is only marginally
better... To make a key work requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it
from different angles, and involves considerable force.

are the bateries removable ? are they dead ? FWIW we've had 2
philips kala DECT phones since they came out (6+ years c£90 ea)
and both of them have been in veritable building sites for most of that
time ergo, loads of dust and dirty hands. I've never dismantled them
to clean them and they both work fine. I have had to change the 2 AA
nicads which were supplied with the phones for nihm AA's about 2 years
ago but apart from that they work flawlesssly.

Heh! We also have kala phones (3), and have exactly the same problem as
the OP, and which is on the Round Tuit list for sorting out. The phones
are (predictably) affected in severity directly proportionally to the
amount of use they get.

David


Try a bit of Servisol Contact Cleaner. You may need to dismantle first.

Lobster wrote:
. wrote:
Lobster wrote:

. wrote:

JoeJoe wrote:


I have had one of the more expensive Philips DECT phones (Onis VOX
300) for the last couple of years now, and of the 4 handsets 3 are
pretty much useless now as you quite literally have to stand on
the buttons to make them work. The 4th unit one is only marginally
better... To make a key work requires 2-3 attempts of pressing it
from different angles, and involves considerable force.

are the bateries removable ? are they dead ? FWIW we've had 2
philips kala DECT phones since they came out (6+ years c£90 ea)
and both of them have been in veritable building sites for most of
that time ergo, loads of dust and dirty hands. I've never
dismantled them to clean them and they both work fine. I have had
to change the 2 AA nicads which were supplied with the phones for
nihm AA's about 2 years ago but apart from that they work
flawlesssly.

Heh! We also have kala phones (3), and have exactly the same problem
as the OP, and which is on the Round Tuit list for sorting out. The
phones are (predictably) affected in severity directly
proportionally to the amount of use they get.

David


perhaps you ought to wash your hands before using them ?

as I've said, we've had ours since they came out and have been in 3
houses, all of which have been building sites at one time or another
with all the attendant dust and rubble. the only thing which has gone
wrong is the batteries failed after a few years.

Never mind all that - do you have any kids?

do you allow your kids to maul your phones with dirty hands ?

Nuff said.

quite. chav ;-)