A Comeback Repair, a Warranty Claim and an Angry Regular

Not on the facts as they stand - but the conclusion must be earned, not assumed.

Evidence to gather before answering:

• Port condition: it is mechanically intact and its pins show correct continuity, so the component you supplied and fitted has not failed. The warranty covers the replaced part.
• The discoloured charge IC is a different component, outside the written warranty.
• The charger measurement of 9.4 V on a 5 V setting is a clear overvoltage source and the most likely cause of IC damage; the customer's own admission links it to the failure.
• Rule out your own work: inspect the port solder joints under the microscope for a VBUS-to-adjacent-pin bridge or a stray solder ball, and check the original job sheet and photos for pre-existing liquid damage or heat stress.

Reasoning: a warranty on a replaced part covers failure of that part, not consequential damage to other components caused by an external accessory. So this is a goodwill decision, not an obligation. That distinction matters - it lets you be generous without admitting fault.

Do the arithmetic before the conversation, not during it.

• Free board repair costs you ₹900 in parts plus 3 hours of labour.
• His value: about ₹6,000 a year in repair spend; at typical shop margins that is roughly ₹2,000–2,500 gross profit a year, and a courier operator with a fleet is a referral source.
• Losing him, plus a WhatsApp post to local traders, costs far more than ₹900.
• Fixing it free with no conditions also costs you: it confirms his claim that your port failed, sets a precedent for other customers, and the new IC will fail again if the 9.4 V charger keeps being used.

A defensible offer: charge parts at cost (₹900) with labour free, or a 50% discount, conditional on his replacing the charger - show him the 9.4 V reading, explain that the IC cannot survive it, and sell him a good charger from stock. That recovers some cost, protects the repair, keeps the relationship, and puts the cause where it belongs without accusing him of lying.

Treat the comeback as a process failure, not just a one-off.

Records:

• A job sheet for every intake with IMEI, fault as described by the customer, accessories accepted (charger, cable, memory card), cosmetic condition, and the customer's signature.
• Photographs before and after repair, plus microscope photos of any board work.
• The measured output of the customer's charger on intake - this single line would have settled the whole dispute.
• Replaced parts kept for 30 days and logged.

Policy:

• Warranty terms printed and explained at intake: parts only, period stated, consequential damage excluded, liquid and unauthorised-accessory damage excluded.
• A comeback rate tracked monthly; with ₹38,000 fixed cost and ₹280 average margin, break-even is about 136 repairs a month, so rework hours come straight out of profit.
• Bundle a tested charger with port replacements where the old one is suspect - it converts a risk into margin.
• Never browse customer data during testing; state this in the job sheet so privacy is visibly respected.