Smartphone makers, including Xiaomi, Oppo, vivo, realme, Poco and itel, have announced extension of warranty by up to two months amid the ongoing second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is expected to help customers in view of the lockdown imposed by several states, which could lead to stores being shut and restrictions imposed on movement for non-essential work.
For Xiaomi and Poco smartphones, if your warranty is expiring in May or June this year, you will get an extension of two months. Oppo has extended the warranty on its smartphones till June 30 and also set up a dedicated helpline number for customers to get real-time information on its service centres. Oppo customers can get in touch with the helpline on WhatsApp at +919871502777. The company said it has also put in place an AI-powered chatbot called Ollie to address customer queries.
Vivo has also extended the warranty on its smartphone devices by 30 days. However, it will only be applicable in areas where a lockdown has been imposed. To facilitate things for customers, vivo has announced a free pick-and-drop service for devices.
Realme has announced an extension of warranty till July 31 for products whose warranty expires between May 1 to June 30. “In these difficult times, we have decided to take a step towards the safety of our users. We would like to announce warranty extension till July 31 on all #realme products whose warranty is expiring from 1st May – 30th June,” the company said in a tweet.
In these difficult times, we have decided to take a step towards the safety of our users.
— realme India Support (@realmecareIN) May 19, 2021
We would like to announce warranty extension till 31st July on all #realme products whose warranty is expiring from 1st May - 30th June 2021.#StayHomeStaySafe pic.twitter.com/dVutb50276
Smartphone brand itel has also extended the warranty on all smartphones and feature phones by two months. The extension will be applicable on phones whose warranty expires between April 15 and June 15. The company said customers do not need to pay any additional charges to avail the extended warranty.
Arijeet Talapatra, CEO of TRANSSION India, which is the holding company of itel, said that the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has limited the access for customers to products and services as people are forced to stay indoors and added that the company has taken this step for the convenience of its customers.