11 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE I took my phone in for repairs and what followed was 11 weeks of pure hell... all because I left a bad review
An Aussie mum has claimed a phone repairs company deliberately broke her phone after she repeatedly refused to delete a scathing Google review.
Danielle Fraser, 36, first visited Fone Lab Campbelltown, in southwest Sydney, to fix her Samsung Galaxy S24's broken screen for $350 in December.
She claims her phone was held hostage for over 11 weeks after she left the company a bad review in which she accused them of not honouring the warranty period twice.
In text messages obtained by Daily Mail Australia, Fone Lab told Ms Fraser her 'phone screen replacement has been done' and was ready to be picked up.
But when Ms Fraser arrived to pick up the phone, she claims an employee refused to hand it over after she refused to delete her bad review.
She said the worker then allegedly removed the fixed screen and replaced it with a broken one - despite Ms Fraser already paying hundreds of dollars in repairs.
'But before giving it back to me they spent over 20 minutes breaking it again,' she claimed in a TikTok video about her experience with Fone Lab.
'It was fixed and they broke it so they could give it back to me in the original condition that I gave it to them back in March.'
Ms Fraser's problems with Fone Lab began when she brought her phone back in to be repaired in March, three months after the initial repair in December.
The mum, who works two jobs as a bartender and in education, said her phone was still in warranty when she gave it to Fone Lab to be fixed.
The company repaired the device and asked Ms Fraser to pay $300, as her warranty had expired within the two days it had been in their possession.
She paid the $300 but just one day later, the phone screen went black.
Ms Fraser took the phone back to Fone Lab for the second time, where she was told the device needed to be sent to the screen manufacturer.
In April, she was told 'the warranty is void because there is a small fracture that they can see under a microscope'.
Ms Fraser claimed it was 'impossible' to see the scratch and 'had to take their word for it' as she was unable to prove she hadn't caused the damage.
Her husband returned to Fone Lab to retrieve the device to get it fixed elsewhere, but the workers refused to give it back.
It was at this point Ms Fraser contacted Fair Trading and wrote a Google review about her experience with the business.
In May, Fone Lab said it would 'replace the screen at no cost' but Ms Fraser would need to remove her negative review, which she refused to do.
She claims she was asked to return to the premises alone to retrieve her phone, which they confirmed had been fixed in a text message.
In footage of the encounter, Ms Fraser and the Fone Lab worker are seen filming each other as her phone, covered in sticky tape, was finally handed back.
Ms Fraser has since branded her experience with the company 'unfair and deceitful'.
'I feel like this is so wrong. This is so wrong on so many levels... to treat a customer like this, get mad at the customer for telling people... and then punishing the customer because they left a review,' she said.
She claimed her review and other negative reviews have since disappeared from Google and she is struggling to understand why.
Daily Mail Australia has seen a copy of Ms Fraser's review, which is no longer online.
Fone Lab has a 4.9 out of 5 rating on Google, from 95 reviews.
A spokesperson for Fone Lab Campbelltown said: 'The customer has paid for a service which was successfully completed as agreed.
'Unfortunately, the issue now presented is the result of physical damage, which is not covered under warranty. While we understand the customer's frustration, we must follow our warranty policy fairly and consistently.
'We also want to note that aggressive behavior towards our staff, as well as attempts to intimidate or harass the business on social media, are not appropriate and do not support a productive resolution.
'We remain committed to assisting our customers within the scope of our policies and encourage respectful communication so that we can work towards the best possible outcome.'
A spokesperson for NSW Fair Trading said they are 'aware of the complaint and has been in contact with Fone Lab Campbelltown to discuss the concerns raised'.
'Under the Australian Consumer Law, businesses must honour their warranty provided in addition to consumer guarantees which automatically come with a product or service, regardless of whether a customer leaves a negative review,' they said.
'In this case, the trader denied the warranty claim on the basis the damage to the phone screen appeared to be accidental or physical, which voided the warranty.
'The trader provided NSW Fair Trading with supporting evidence, including photographs, to justify its decision.
'The customer was informed of the trader's response and advised of their options to pursue the matter further, including seeking independent legal advice or lodging a claim with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).'
