As I mentioned in my previous blog posting, my Sony Ericsson P990i died because of the Update Service. I tried to call their customer service, but no luck. Then I send an email to them. Here is their reply:

Sony Ericsson P990i Dear Antony,

Thank you for contacting Sony Ericsson Online Support.
After doing a bit of research on this end, I was unable to locate any repair centers in Canada that would be capable of repairing your phone.

However, depending on the location where you purchased the phone, you may have another option. If you purchased the phone from United States dealer (Online, or at the store) and you have a mailing address in the US we can return the phone to, then it may be possible to get the phone repaired in the US.

If this is what you would like to do, please contact us at the number listed below so we can validate your warranty and have the phone serviced.

As part of Sony Ericsson’s commitment to excellent customer service, we offer a wide variety of mobile products to suit your lifestyle. If you require more information, or have any other questions, please visit our website at http://www.sonyericsson.com or call us at 1-866-766-9374.

Best regards,
John

I don’t want to send my phone to the US. I may have to wait for a couple of weeks before I get my phone back. So, I was asking around my friends and colleagues. Someone suggested me to bring the phone to a store that sells phone accessories, such as headset, phone cover, etc.

Since there is no other choice, I went to that store. It is owned by a Chinese immigrant. The store is small and “hidden” at the corner of a small shopping mall.

  • Owner: “What can I do for you, sir?“
  • Me: “I have a Sony Ericsson P990i. It is now dead. Last week I tried to update the firmware via Sony Ericsson Update Service; but the update process failed. Now the phone cannot even reboot.”
  • Owner: “Let me see.“

He tried to switch on the phone.

  • Owner: “I’ll try to re-flash the phone. Do you want to wait or leave the phone here?“
  • Me: “The sooner the better. Just do it now.“

He went inside his “secret room”; and 15 minutes later, he went out with a smile on his face.

  • Owner: “Your phone is working again now.“

Wow… isn’t it amazing? None of the official Sony Ericsson Service Centers all across Canada can repair the phone; but this small store did the job.

My only question is how they get the software for the phone. Is it from the “official” channel, meaning Sony Ericsson?