Sometimes phones don’t work straight out of the box, or fail within a short period of time after purchase. In these cases a customer may be eligible for a brand new replacement phone as opposed to a warranty repair.
Below is a guide to what OBF & ELF are, the criteria, as set out by manufacturers, and the conditions that must be met in order to qualify for one of these processes.
Out of Box Failure (OBF)
Early Life Failure (ELF)
OEM OBF / ELF Qualification Criteria
Out of Box Failure (OBF)
Out of Box failure is defined as: an actual fault with the mobile device before the unit is sold to the customer. In order to qualify as OBF, the complete original sales kit (corresponding package and device IMEI) needs to be returned, meeting the following criteria:
OBF Qualification checklist
- Original kit contents verified?
- Distributor POD attached?
- Prior to sale, 0 seconds call time?
- No external abuse?
- Fault verified?
Early Life Failure (ELF)
Early Life failure is defined as: the mobile device or accessory developing a fault post sale but within 14 days of original sale. In order to qualify as ELF, the contents of the original sales kit need (box required but does not have to be original one, if customer cannot provide box note this on service ticket) to be returned, meeting the following criteria:
ELF Qualification checklist
- Original kit contents verified?
- POP attached?
- < 14 days from POP?
- No external abuse?
- Fault verified?
OEM OBF / ELF Qualification Criteria
OEM OBF / ELF Qualification Criteria
Please consult the specific manufacturers page for specific information relating to their criteria, and for a full list of box contents for each model.
Basic OBF / ELF Process flow
- Store receives device back from customer and confirms OBF / ELF as per OEM criteria
- Store completes returns information in Skyline and makes specific mention of “OBF OR ELF” and the fault within the notes field
- Store sends phone with box, packaging, all original kit contents (OBF)/or phone plus original kit contents (ELF – box required, does not have to be original one, if customer cannot locate box, make a note on Service Ticket), Proof of Delivery (OBF) OR Proof of Purchase (ELF) and Service Ticket documentation to Telegistics.
- Telegistics receipts the device within 14 days of return to store and completes assessment to confirm OBF / ELF. Please note that if a claim is received after 14 days from receipt at store, the claim will be declined.
- If confirmed OBF / ELF: Spark will credit the originating store for the device
- If claim is declined as unit does not meet criteria, Telegistics will repair and return the original unit back to the originating store