Google Nexus 6P RMA – battery issue
As winter months began I started to see the infamous Google Nexus 6P battery issues. The device would die within few minutes when used outdoors, if not fully charged. Because it happened randomly and before the whole internet exploded about it, I have been ignoring the issue. When I got around to actually do something about it, it was too late. My shop warranty expired. Fortunately, Huawei offers 2-year manufacturer’s warranty. This is the story of Google Nexus 6P RMA.
More on the issue
The Google Nexus 6P has been with me for over a year and I had no other issues whatsoever. It appears that the device and its battery is affected by the temperature. UK is not the coldest country out there with winter temps staying around 5 degrees. That’s 5C not 5F (before you get a heart attack, 41F). While battery performance can be affected by the extreme temperatures, Britain is unable to provide me with any of the extremes. This renders the phone useless, even if you keep it inside your pocket, answering a phone is long enough to cause the issue.
Contacting the Huawei
To get in touch I used the Contact us form from the Huawei website. Promptly enough, (same day) I received a reply asking for few details about the phone and information that an envelope for the Google Nexus 6P RMA will be sent. Entire process should take up to 10 days + shipping.
Dear Mr. Mat Thank you for contacting the Huawei Customer Care. We are very sorry for the inconvenience that you are currently experiencing, and we advise you to submit your unit for an inspection to our Authorized Service Centre. To book your device for a repair, please provide your details and we will complete the repair request: Forname
Name
Street Number
Address
Postcode
Town
Country
Phone number
Product model
Serial number
IMEI
Do you have the proof of purchase?
Locked status of the device
Problem description In approximately 2 working days, a jiffy bag will be sent to your address. This jiffy will be used by yourself to send the device to the repair center. The jiffy bag will contain a letter with instructions on how to pack your device correctly, what to include and not include as well as a repair reference number, so please be sure to read it once you receive it.
Then the information about the backup has been issued as Huawei is not responsible for the data loss. I won’t bore you with details and will keep this brief and relevant.
Sending the phone – requirements
To get the Google Nexus 6P RMA done properly, you will need:
- the phone
- the reference slip (comes in the prepaid envelope)
- a copy of the receipt (you can get it re-issued if you bought it in a store)
To send the device back it’s good to de-authorize the google account to avoid it being locked up. As the Google Nexus 6P is rooted and unlocked, I thought I would reverse it back to stock to increase my chances with Huawei. Again, this is something that took more time than suppose to. I kept getting the “your phone is corrupted and you should not use it” message at the boot, after locking the bootloader.
The long story short, I encrypted the device, flashed original Android 6.0 image, and when an OTA update came through the message finally disappeared from the screen. My Nexus 6P was ready to go for the repairs.
Be sure to take the envelope to the post office and obtain the postage confirmation.
Google Nexus 6P RMA is completed
The phone returned a few days later, taking 6 days including a weekend. Very fast! The repair receipt got me confused a little. No battery has been mentioned.
I reached out to Huawei asking for the clarification. This is their response:
Regarding your query, please be advised that the service center does not make partial repairs, in case there was some issue found with the case of your device it must have been replaced as the service center offers a warranty for the entire device after the repair process, so all the faults found must be repaired. In case there are any issues with your device after the repair, please let us know.
As this is a battery issue, it will take some time to test it. I really hope that device becomes reliable again. If this is the case, this will be the last post about the Google Nexus 6P RMA. Otherwise, expect a follow-up article and me complaining about it again. Overall I found the entire process easy and fast. The device is in the same condition as it was when sent off for the RMA. I’d like to hear your stories. Has anyone done RMA with Huawei before?
