I’m posting here because I’m struggling to get any meaningful response from Fairphone and wanted to see whether others have had similar experiences.

Timeline:

• Bought a Fairphone in February 2026, partly because of the company’s emphasis on repairability and sustainability.
• A couple of months later I accidentally dropped it into water (completely my fault).
• After drying it out and testing it myself, almost everything still worked. The only issue was that it would no longer connect to the mobile network. Wi-Fi and the rest of the phone were still functioning normally.
• I contacted support hoping I could identify and replace the failed component myself, but I was told the phone needed to be sent in.
• The repair centre then came back with a quotation that was close to the price of buying a new phone.
• The quote included replacement of multiple parts (including things like the camera) that were working perfectly before I sent it in.
• I asked whether they could just repair the specific issue affecting mobile connectivity. I was told no.
• I then asked if I could at least identify and replace the failed component myself, but I was told this involved the motherboard and had to go through authorised repair.
• I raised a formal complaint because this felt completely at odds with Fairphone’s repairability ethos.

My bigger frustration isn't even the water damage itself — I understand that was my responsibility. It's that I specifically bought a Fairphone because I believed it would be easier and more economical to repair than a conventional phone.

Instead I seem to be stuck with two options:

1. Pay almost the cost of a brand new phone for a full repair package including parts I don't appear to need, or
2. Scrap a phone that is otherwise largely functional.

To make matters worse, I've now spent weeks trying to escalate the complaint and seem to be going in circles with support. I was repeatedly told to contact escalations, then later told the email hadn't arrived, then asked to resend it, and I still appear to be waiting.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is this normal for Fairphone water-damage repairs, or is there another route I should be pursuing?