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#61
Originally Posted by shallimus View Post
according to the agent I spoke to, cell phones enter Canada tax free.
That's odd. I had to pay 12.5% GST+PST on my phone that I bought in the USA and was sent to BC...
 

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#62
Originally Posted by shallimus View Post
My allegedly-repaired-by-Palco N900 has been delivered to my friends in the US.
Great!

Good news: according to the agent I spoke to, cell phones enter Canada tax free.
That sounds very odd.

$103 for Nokia US to repair it and send it back to my friends in the US
This itself appears to be relatively good value. KLC is selling the LCD for 89.00 € plus shipping etc.

After recently dropping my N900 I came to realize that it's very possible that I will damage the device outside of it's warranty. I've since downloaded the Service Manual and I've put the necessary tools on order in the event. If I were to mess it up, well... I'd probably buy another N900 ... and learn the hard way a second time

Potentially $26 brokerage fee (for UPS to clear it through customs)
USPS may have been a better option. However being properly insured in the shipping route can be a risk when it comes to the value of the device... and then taxes come into play.

Here's a question: how much is my N900 worth right now?
This has crossed my mind more than a few times! I've sunk over 1000 bucks into everything so far

Of course, my assessment will remain incomplete until I can determine whether or not Palco have successfully repaired my phone...
A big issue is the time investment into Canadian warranty claims. It's a 3-4 week process at best. I shot about a week just on phone calls getting everything rolling. In addition, I cut my landline years ago which in my case means buying a temporary AWS device or going back to CDMA on pre-paid which adds to the cost of getting repaired...

Thanks for detailing your Canadian claim cycle.

Best of luck in the home stretch!
 

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#63
Originally Posted by bioman View Post
That's odd. I had to pay 12.5% GST+PST on my phone that I bought in the USA and was sent to BC...
Seems likely that that agent didn't know what he was talking about, I agree.

I'm visiting my friends in the US mid-June, and I've decided that (much to my chagrin) it seems the easiest way to get my phone back is to wait and reclaim it in person, rather than suffer the indignity and cost of paying yet more to retrieve something which I already own.

Originally Posted by Kriek View Post
A big issue is the time investment into Canadian warranty claims. It's a 3-4 week process at best. I shot about a week just on phone calls getting everything rolling. In addition, I cut my landline years ago which in my case means buying a temporary AWS device or going back to CDMA on pre-paid which adds to the cost of getting repaired...

Thanks for detailing your Canadian claim cycle.

Best of luck in the home stretch!
Thanks for the moral support!

I'll update again once I know if it's actually fixed.
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#64
Got my phone back finally. The screen has been replaced, and it appears to be working as expected.

So I did get it fixed, but it costs me twice as much and took more than twice as long just because I live in Canada. Also if I hadn't been headed to the States to visit my friends, I would have had to have paid import duty on the phone itself or on the repair work (!) depending which Canadian Customs official you listen to).

I also had to chase up with repeated phone calls at every step. If I had not done so, I'm fairly sure my phone would be languishing in the limbo of Nokia's third-party repair contractor's processing department.

Ah well. What changes have I missed in the last 3 months? ;-)

Thanks to everyone who added their thoughts, advice and experiences to this thread. Hopefully it will be some use to anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation to me (hopefully not).
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Posts: 568 | Thanked: 969 times | Joined on Dec 2009 @ Toronto
#65
lol @ self

As it's been almost 3 months since I used my N900 I've forgotten the lock code! Luckily I read this thread before I secured the device. I'll have to wait til I get home this evening to run the decryption.
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#66
Originally Posted by shallimus View Post
My allegedly-repaired-by-Palco N900 has been delivered to my friends in the US. Looks OK, but they don't have the battery so can't test (also don't have the technical know-how to really make a complete assessment).

Spent 10 minutes on hold with Canada Border Services Agency to determine if there is any way to avoid paying tax on something I already own and which only left Canada to be repaired.
Then followed yet another phone conversation with someone who (understandably) doesn't care about my phone repair as much as I do...
...and we're done.

Good news: according to the agent I spoke to, cell phones enter Canada tax free.
Bad news: I have to pay tax on the repair work carried out in the US... because apparently getting taxed once just isn't enough. I understand why Canada has to tax such a thing (protect domestic workforce etc. etc.) but does that really apply in this case? Apparently it does. Bastards.

As it stands I'm looking at the following charges:
  • $35 to send it to my friends in the US
  • $0 for them to send it to Nokia US
  • $103 for Nokia US to repair it and send it back to my friends in the US
  • $40 for my friends to ship it back to me (just shipping cost)
  • Potentially $26 brokerage fee (for UPS to clear it through customs)
  • Potentially $13.39 import tax (13% tax on the the $103 repair fee)

This all adds up to around $220 (as the Canadian dollar isn't that far off parity I am too lazy to convert the various values, but I'm only going for a ballpark figure).

Here's a question: how much is my N900 worth right now? No battery, no back cover, screen was broken but has been repaired (but not inspected by anyone who cares about it). Would you buy it from me for $220?

This isn't me offering it for sale (I'm not). Rather, I'm trying to figure out if this process has been worth it or not. Of course, my assessment will remain incomplete until I can determine whether or not Palco have successfully repaired my phone...
Hi N900 owner,
I have the same problem, I drop my N900, window crack and the LCD starting to spread everywhere in the screen.
I live in Canada-Montreal and I found this boutique in Downtown of Montreal, Citi Mobility. They can Repair it !!!!
I gave them a deposit of 55$ ... they order the parts.... after 1 week 1/2 the parts arrived, I gave my phone for 2 days... AND Bingo...the screens is brand new. My N900 work flawless.
It cost me in total 270$Cad. withh out shipping and sending or duty free.
I found boutique that can repair In Toronto and Vancouver too.
If you guys live in Canada.. there is hope that your N900 can be repair without sending it to the USA and avoid Duty-Taxes.

Synd
 

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#67
Canada has an N900 crack problem?
 
Posts: 87 | Thanked: 26 times | Joined on Mar 2010 @ Canada
#68
Originally Posted by Synd View Post
I found boutique that can repair In Toronto and Vancouver too.
Thanks for this. What is the name of this repair store in Toronto? It would be great to have a good address for repairs "just in case"!
 
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#69
Originally Posted by bioman View Post
Thanks for this. What is the name of this repair store in Toronto? It would be great to have a good address for repairs "just in case"!
The name is MingWireless Torontophonerepair.com
adress is :
250 Dundas Street West Unit 106
TORONTO
Ontario
M5T 2Z5
CANADA
Phone: 416 - 979 - 8848

i hope this can help you guys
 

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#70
Thanks Synd!!
 
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