Sent my phone for repair - came back with 200+ pics on it

razor425

Evening all,

I left my phone into Carphone Warehouse a few month ago to be repaired. They held it for just over a week and fixed the problem. However, I discovered last night that someone had been using my phone during this period. I found 236 photos of different bits and pieces. It was definitely in someone's house as there are numerous pics of a man and woman in a house - pics of kitchen, bedroom and living room. Also there are numerous pics of CW staff while at work(at least 4 different staff members). What do people think I should do about this if anything?

Thanks in advance.

KERSPLAT!

Is it definietely your phone? Could there have been a mix up in shop and they have given you someone elses phone?

razor425

It is definitely my phone as i dropped it shortly before it went for repair and took a small chunk from it. The phone that was returned has a chuck missing in the same place.

JOSman

It's not your original phone, just a replacement. Delete the pictures.:cool:

Solair

Perhaps it's someone else's memory card or, phone internals, even if it's the same body shell.

razor425

It's my memory card also as they made me take this out of the phone before i gave it to them, could possibly me different phone internals. Can this happen? I'm not very up to date with these type of things.

foggy_lad

razor425 wrote: »

It's my memory card also as they made me take this out of the phone before i gave it to them, could possibly me different phone internals. Can this happen? I'm not very up to date with these type of things.

It is possible that while your phone was in the drawer in the shop awaiting collection some staff may have used it to show other customers the features of that particular phone?

razor425

It is possible that while your phone was in the drawer in the shop awaiting collection some staff may have used it to show other customers the features of that particular phone?

Yes foggy, that is possible - but 236 photos, about 100 of which were taken in or around someone's home. This is annoying me tbh.

foggy_lad

razor425 wrote: »

Yes foggy, that is possible - but 236 photos, about 100 of which were taken in or around someone's home. This is annoying me tbh.

bring it to their attention and tell them you are not happy that some other customer was using your phone and under data protection this should not happen.

razor425

bring it to their attention and tell them you are not happy that some other customer was using your phone and under data protection this should not happen.

That was my thoughts, just wanted to see what others thought.

Davy

Check the times and dates of the pictures

Buffman

razor425 wrote: »

What do people think I should do about this if anything?

I'd just delete them and forget about it. As others have said, the internal components of your phone have probably been replaced.

Millicent

Buffman wrote: »

I'd just delete them and forget about it. As others have said, the internal components of your phone have probably been replaced.

I don't think I'd just forget about it. Bloody cheeky if the phone was used while in for repair--I'd be hopping.

OP, is there a date on the photos? If so, have you called to complain?

razor425

Check the times and dates of the pictures

OP, is there a date on the photos?

Yes the photos were all taken 2 days after I left it in for repair.

foggy_lad

razor425 wrote: »

Yes the photos were all taken 2 days after I left it in for repair.

Then someone was using your phone while it was in for repair, can you even be sure it was sent for repair now or did they just keep it until the issue wasn't showing any more?

razor425

foggy_lad wrote: »

Then someone was using your phone while it was in for repair, can you even be sure it was sent for repair now or did they just keep it until the issue wasn't showing any more?

Good question foggy, I do believe it was sent for repair but can't say for sure. The screen used to freeze on occassion when locked, this no longer happens but I was never told if they found the problem or not.

alexlyons

how did it take you a few months to find these?

I'd definitely say it to them

razor425

alexlyons wrote: »

how did it take you a few months to find these?

I'd definitely say it to them

I don't use the camera very often, used it last week and when I went to look at the image later found all these extra pics. Just out of interest what do people think saying it to them will achieve?

Will_H

razor425 wrote: »

Just out of interest what do people think saying it to them will achieve?

World Peace??! Well say it to them and let us all know...!!!

Agent_99

razor425 wrote: »

I don't use the camera very often, used it last week and when I went to look at the image later found all these extra pics. Just out of interest what do people think saying it to them will achieve?

I would highlight it to them simple for the reason that if your phone developed another fault or the old one reappears then you would have some come back that it was misused whilst in their care the first time or the repair was done using second hand/refurbished parts.

Sidetracker

After it was repaired, they may have loaned it to another customer whilst they repaired their phone ?

brightkane

Just throwing this out there.

could it be that they updated the software on the phone and restored a back up of another phone when they did it?

razor425

Sidetracker wrote: »

After it was repaired, they may have loaned it to another customer whilst they repaired their phone ?

Possible but I doubt it.

Just throwing this out there. could it be that they updated the software on the phone and restored a back up of another phone when they did it?

I suppose this is possible not sure how it would happen though.

dahamsta

Anything dodgy in there? If it was me, I'd go into the shop and tell them that I needed a new phone for buttons, in case my finger slipped and all of the photos got published to Facebook and shared with Carphone Warehouse corporate by mistake. Oops!

razor425

dahamsta wrote: »

Anything dodgy in there? If it was me, I'd go into the shop and tell them that I needed a new phone for buttons, in case my finger slipped and all of the photos got published to Facebook and shared with Carphone Warehouse corporate by mistake. Oops!

Nothing dodgy but I may try this anyway.

Buffman

razor425 wrote: »

Yes the photos were all taken 2 days after I left it in for repair.

razor425 wrote: »

The screen used to freeze on occassion when locked, this no longer happens

My take on this is that the pictures relate to them either taking the pictures to help diagnose the problem, or test the phone after the problem was fixed, or both. Using the camera 200 times is a good way to determine if the screen is freezing. I'd imagine the pictures of the guys house is the tech who actually fixed your phone, testing it at home.

razor425 wrote: »

I was never told if they found the problem or not.

Well, if it's working ok now I'd imagine they found the problem.

razor425 wrote: »

Just out of interest what do people think saying it to them will achieve?

Absolutely nothing, fair enough they forgot to delete the photos, but it's easily done if you're working on dozens of phones at a time. No big deal IMO.

If you want to complain fire away and let us know how you get on.

dahamsta wrote: »

Anything dodgy in there? If it was me, I'd go into the shop and tell them that I needed a new phone for buttons, in case my finger slipped and all of the photos got published to Facebook and shared with Carphone Warehouse corporate by mistake. Oops!

Blackmail, seriously! Give me a phone or I'll post so random pictures of some random people doing random things online!:D

nogoodnamesleft

Well for one I wouldnt be too impressed if I was in the OP position.

First of all is the lack of professionalism the phone is in for repair not to be used for a staff member messing or trialling the phone for a customer or themselves. Second a phone contains lots of personal data, contacts, pictures, messages, call logs, emails, videos etc. If the phone was used you can be certain that these items were also viewed and possibly copied which is a data protection issue.

To identify if its the same phone you need to ascertain the IMEI number of the phone you have in you possession (*#06# for Nokia Handsets). IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity and is unique to each phone. If you have an original purchase receipt or the original box that the phone came in this will have the IMEI of your original phone. If both numbers match then someone was definitely using your phone as this is the only plausible explanation.

A firmware upgrade on a mobile device will wipe the phone memory and install new firmware. It will not effect the data card in the device.

wmpdd3

Could you just have the wrong memory card?

Buffman

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Could you just have the wrong memory card?

The OP removed the memory card, so I'm guessing the photos are on the internal memory.

Oryx

I dont understand the problem. Its not porn. Its not someone elses messages or numbers. Its random photos. It sounds to me as well like someone was given it to test for a day or two. (In my old job I used to be given wristwatches to wear for the same reason sometimes, our shop test rides bikes all the time). Far better that it was properly tested than handed back to you without being checked out fully. Yes, so they forgot to remove the pictures. Cant you delete them yourself?

razor425

Buffman wrote: »

The OP removed the memory card, so I'm guessing the photos are on the internal memory.

Yes photos are on internal memory.

I dont understand the problem. Its not porn. Its not someone elses messages or numbers. Its random photos. It sounds to me as well like someone was given it to test for a day or two. (In my old job I used to be given wristwatches to wear for the same reason sometimes, our shop test rides bikes all the time). Far better that it was properly tested than handed back to you without being checked out fully. Yes, so they forgot to remove the pictures. Cant you delete them yourself?

Yes I can delete them but that doesn't hide the fact that my phone was used inappropiately while in for repair. I accept that they may have been checking the camera but surely this can be done in store.

Also having looked through all the photos closely last night there are 2 of a few people in a pub/niteclub and another 2 of what looks like someone smoking a joint. Cant be sure if it is just a rollie however.

dahamsta

Careful now, the "shure what harm" brigade are in effect. NIMBYs in disguise I reckon.

dudara

dahamsta You know better - please stick to the original topic.

Riesen_Meal

Op - I used to fix phones for a living, we use to, in most cases - tell the customer to keep their SD card before sending the phone, sometimes some would slip through....

I would not look too much into it to be honest, maybe they were checking the camera and forgot to delete the pics off of it but the fact someones kitchen is on it is weird, sure it wasn't a work canteen?

And anyhow, on average we used to fix 38 phones a day, 9-5 so it was probably just a mistake...

Solair

Unless someone's put like strange psycho stalker photos or child porn or something equally awful / criminal on your phone, just delete the pics.

It's most likely that you have a chip / internal memory from another phone installed in your handset. Sometimes they recycle parts e.g. a phone that had smashed screen, but perfect memory may have ended up being used in the repair.

They should have done a factory reset on the phone before giving it to you though.

I'd let them know so that they can feed it back to whoever is repairing the phones, but I really don't think this is some kind of malicious act or, really worth worrying about.

You should *always* factory reset and erase a phone before giving it into a repair centre as this kind of thing can and does happen.

dahamsta

The OP has already stated that the SD card wasn't in the phone.

The OP has already stated that photos of CW staff were included in the batch.

Solair

There are times I just don't know why I even bother posting on these forums!

I'd just take the phone in and ask for an explanation if the OP is THAT concerned. It's most likely they were just testing the phone's camera and forgot to erase the pic.

In general, phone shop employees tend to have pretty decent phones themselves. It goes with the territory. They don't usually borrow customers' phones for nights out.

Perhaps the kitchen / bathroom area is in the back of the shop, rather than someone's home? A lot of shops have a staff rest area and it's quite possible / very likely that the repair centre does.

Dodge

Solair wrote: »

I'd just take the phone in and ask for an explanation if the OP is THAT concerned. It's most likely they were just testing the phone's camera and forgot to erase the pic.

Pics. 200+ of them. Including some in a pub/club

Of corse the only thing to do is contact the shop and seek an explanation.

dahamsta

In fairness Solair, if you're not going to read to read the rest of the comments, which you've just demonstrated again, you're not in a position to get snitty with people that have. Every single comment you've made has already been made and responded to by various people. You're just wasting you're own and everyone else's time. So I don't know why you bother either.

Solair wrote: »

There are times I just don't know why I even bother posting on these forums!

I'd just take the phone in and ask for an explanation if the OP is THAT concerned. It's most likely they were just testing the phone's camera and forgot to erase the pic.

In general, phone shop employees tend to have pretty decent phones themselves. It goes with the territory. They don't usually borrow customers' phones for nights out.

Perhaps the kitchen / bathroom area is in the back of the shop, rather than someone's home? A lot of shops have a staff rest area and it's quite possible / very likely that the repair centre does.

razor425

Solair wrote: »

There are times I just don't know why I even bother posting on these forums!

I'd just take the phone in and ask for an explanation if the OP is THAT concerned. It's most likely they were just testing the phone's camera and forgot to erase the pic.

In general, phone shop employees tend to have pretty decent phones themselves. It goes with the territory. They don't usually borrow customers' phones for nights out.

Perhaps the kitchen / bathroom area is in the back of the shop, rather than someone's home? A lot of shops have a staff rest area and it's quite possible / very likely that the repair centre does.

Testing the camera on the phone I could accept but pictures taken in what is most certainly somebody's home and a niteclub/pub is not on in my opinion. For this reason I will be bringing it back to them next week when I am back in Dublin.

orchidsrpretty

I remember watching a programme about CPW, some z list celeb had put her phone in to get fixed and her phone pics ended up being sold to a newpaper. It may have only been someone taking a few pics, but it could be a slightly different story if you had forgot to take some personal infomation off the phone and one of the workers used that infomation for their own gains. I would go to the manager and let them know that your phone was being used for a purpose other than repairing it.

RoboRat

Pics. 200+ of them. Including some in a pub/club

Where did the OP say that?

Original post..

It was definitely in someone's house as there are numerous pics of a man and woman in a house - pics of kitchen, bedroom and living room. Also there are numerous pics of CW staff while at work

Actually just seen his post above, question for the OP... are there actually pictures from a club/nightclub as you didn't mention that in the beginning? If it was my phone THAT would have been the part that pissed me off the most. I can understand someone taking my phone home for testing purposes, I often take work home but taking it out to a pub/club is another matter altogether. Are there really pictures from a club/pub on it?

Stripey Cat

Post some of the pictures here.

Go on.

Xcellor

Is it possible that someone from the shop lifted it thinking it was a spare or maybe even their own... Took it out that evening and then realised the next day and brought it back forgetting to delete the pictures taken...

At least someone tested your phone... and didn't just assume it was fixed

Gurgle

Xcellor wrote: »

At least someone tested your phone... and didn't just assume it was fixed

That's exactly what I thought, they (generally: the people who fix stuff) are often too quick to guess at the problem, swap out the part and give it back without making sure it was working properly.

Stripey Cat

Post the pics!

dudara

StripeyCat There will be no posting of pictures allowed. It is irrelevant to the thread.

Please take the time to read the forum charter and learn what is acceptable in this forum

dudara

razor425

RoboRat wrote: »

Actually just seen his post above, question for the OP... are there actually pictures from a club/nightclub as you didn't mention that in the beginning? If it was my phone THAT would have been the part that pissed me off the most. I can understand someone taking my phone home for testing purposes, I often take work home but taking it out to a pub/club is another matter altogether. Are there really pictures from a club/pub on it?

Yes there are 2 pics of 3 guys in a pub/niteclub. I didn't see these in the beginning as I had not looked through all the photos. I mentioned about the ones in the house as there were about 50 of them which were easily spotted. Clearly just missed the ones in the pub/niteclub. Also this is the part that pisses me off the most, I will definitely be looking for some answers now.

Originally Posted by Xcellor
At least someone tested your phone... and didn't just assume it was fixed

True but this isn't how I would have liked it to be done and never authorized by phone to leave CW apart from to go to manufacturer/repairer.

Stripey Cat

dudara wrote: »

StripeyCat There will be no posting of pictures allowed. It is irrelevant to the thread.

Please take the time to read the forum charter and learn what is acceptable in this forum

dudara

Is signing your posts acceptable? Because it's pretty obvious who they are from.

dudara

Most mods employ some convention to distinguish between
(a) when they post as a moderator and
(b) when the post as a regular viewer.

Some mods put their moderator posts into bold font. I choose to sign my posts. When you see me post without a signature, that is me posting in a personal capacity.

Again, I would advise you to read the forum charters and maybe spend some time in the Helpdesk/FAQ sections so that you get used to how Boards and the different forums work.

dudara