I took my Nokia 770 in for repair 7 weeks ago - still waiting. (They said it would not take longer than 2 weeks.)

What's your experience? What's the longest anybody waited so far? What's the average time?

This is an old one. Mine was never fixed and after 30 days (not business) I took the cash and got my 770 back. See also:

http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...ead.php?t=4928
http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...ead.php?t=5129
http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...ead.php?t=3664
http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...ead.php?t=4988
http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...ead.php?t=3761

etc...

Well, 30 days is express service compared to my 7 weeks ...

The threads you're pointing me to deal with Nokia USA and their repair policy. I'm in Vienna, Austria, and I'd very much hoped that being closer to Helsinki might make things easier. Obviously not.

I don't even have some kind of contact information; I took it to my local store. Guess I'd have to tell them now that I want a refund now instead of the 770; trouble is: I want the device back, not the money. I miss it so badly

Maybe I am wrong but I think for Europe the dispatch is done from Brussels.
Anyway, I need to sent back my N800 but these reports about the delays make me really think it twice..

Nokia UK: collected on Jan 24th, sent back after about a month, still waiting for call back regarding lost accessories (battery, battery cover, USB cable, charger, ...).
Nokia service & repair sucks all over the world. Their support lines are even worse. And there is NO way of getting through to whoever is in charge if a real problem (like mine) crops up: the guys on the phone won't let me speak to the manager, who cannot get through to the guy who's in charge (in the repairs department). Yay.

Is this about Nokia in general or only about their Internet Tablets? I'm asking because I never sent a Nokia phone for repair (just get a new one ), and I'd be curious if 770/N800-owners are treated worse than other Nokia customers.

Nokia's reverse logistics work very well for phones in general, so I'm surprised by convulted's broad claim.

And it's not that tablet owners are intended to be "treated worse"-- for whatever reasons, the RMA process for the tablets is not as robust as it could or should be. I'm not sure where the breakdown is occurring, but it isn't an intentional slight toward the tablets or their owners. The program managers want the platform to succeed. Their dilemma is getting the support stream informed. I'm afraid the current status quo will continue until the tablet is on equal footing (within the company) with phones... which could take a while. :/

I'm pretty sure it's not specific to Internet Tablets, the Nokia RMA process would most likely fall apart with any non-phone product. For example, a Nokia GPS module or the new Nokia in-car sattelite navigation unit... they'd all get second class treatment compared to that of a phone-based product.

The reason being that the first question the repair representative will ask you is "whats the IMEI number" despite being told the name of the device - they're programmed to only handle phones and have difficulty coping with anything that isn't a phone. When you explain the device doesn't have an IMEI number the usual response is "Oh. Err... OK, not sure what to do with that, can I put you on hold?"

As Nokia expand their product portfolio with more non-phone based devices they need to shake up their support process and make it less phone centric. Although given the number of phones Nokia sell each year, it may take a while.

Its not just non-phone products. I sent in my 770 for repair and later sent in my 6682 for repair. I took cash buyouts for them both, there repair process is the worst.

I was treated equally bad with both products, although Nokia sent back my phone after 1 week saying it was fixed, and it was not, so I had to pay for shipping again, and wait 30 more days to get a cash buyout.

I was able to get $240 for my 770, and $311 for my 6682, which was more than I paid for it, unless you consider the 35$ in shipping twice, then I lost a little. They really should fix thier repair process, providing me a NEW or USED replacment would have been cheaper for them then handing me cash. And ultimately perhaps not scare away current customer. I vow never to buy another Nokia phone ever!!!. The tablet, well, we'll see if the market ever gives us a real option.

Right. That's how I should have worded it.

And while penguinbait may have had a bad experience, as I'm sure others have, overall the phone repair process works very well at Nokia. I've seen it at work.