yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
tldr:

Asus refunded after court case issued to them.

if you never had desire to use a bootloader-locked phone,

you can first send Asus a warning email,

let them know that settling without court involvement would waive the court fee on their end.

if they want another court case filed at them, then we can grant them their wish :)

under British Law, Asus violated Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008,

which prohibit misleading action/ omission that cause consumers make decision they would not otherwise.

the EU equivalent would be Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD); while USA's consumer protection laws vary by state but have their equivalents.

Court Case Application (UK):

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

Court Case Application (EU):

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citize...-resolution/formal-legal-actions/index_en.htm

feel free to ask

ASUS refunds Zenfone buyer for failing to provide bootloader unlock tools as promised

If you bought a Zenfone and expected to be able to unlock the bootloader, a precedent has now been set that you can get a refund.

www.androidauthority.com

origin text:

almost a year since freedom was taken away from zenfone series with unfulfilled promise, legal action is the last solution to this issue.

we once wanted to support this underdog brand.

they promised to re-release the bootloader unlock tool, some of us trusted them, preordered ZF10 to financially support them.

However this is how Asus reward our support, by being ungrateful and disgraceful:

ignore us for half a year since deadline had passed;

suppress free speech in Zentalk forum by banning some of us & deleting our threads of concern;

finally, Asus staffs bend the forum rule by suggesting bootloader-unlock app's failure no longer count as issue with device, attempting to legitimise their shameful actions.

all these add together don't look promising.

sorry asus, you picked wrong markets, where the civilized countries have law against this kind of dishonest business practice, make false promise to lure customers.

i will send a final warning email to Asus tonight, before proceeding court claim.

this will push Asus to either refund our zenfones, or fulfill their promise of bootloader unlock tool.

[more details in #2 post below]
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
major updates will be posted,

if you wish to receive minor updates, i can do that via xda pm.

feel free to pm me.

Timeline:

18/02/2024 sent warning letter to Asus UK

23/02/2024 after exchanging few emails, Asus said "We expect to release an official announcement soon"

18/03/2024 hand in court case application

it may take few days to deliver Court Letter, then Asus would have 14 days to respond.

05/04/2024 FULL REFUND ISSUED

refund details at post #48:

https://xdaforums.com/t/court-actio...-bootloader-unlock-tool.4657042/post-89440612

warning email sent to Asus on 18th Feb:

Asus' bs response on 20th Feb, claiming "no obligation":

my stern reply on 21st Feb:

Asus' change of attitude on 23rd Feb:

Asus would keep evading responsibility until they get stern warning & court letter:

what a bunch of unprofesssional scums.
[Asus Zenfone 10] Esja:
Very exciting and I hope this moves Asus to finally make a new press release about this where they confirm a legally binding date for the unlock tool.
[Asus Zenfone 10] 1ynxy:
What are the chances that this forces Asus to act? Providing the bootloader unlock tool was never a legal requirement- though it appears the EU is slowly moving in the direction of deciding that it should be one. It's definitely arguable that they have, at points, promised a release of the unlock tool, though the dates they supplied are relatively vague. If you can prove that one or more people purchased a device in response to these promises, there might be a case? I'm not familiar with the legal system, but I really hope so. Keep us up to date on this :)
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
Providing the bootloader unlock tool was never a legal requirement,

but making false promise to lure customers is another thing.

Asus can ignore customers,

but they cannot ignore court letter.

so they can either:

1) pay back unhappy customers whom Asus cheated, or

2) release the bootloader unlock tool as promised, or

3) spend time & recources on a battle they're likely to lose, which should direct to option 1.

i guess its better to keep xda posts as technical as possible, so i'll only post important updates without going deep into the legal stuff.
[Asus Zenfone 10] TheMystic:
Where have they made such a promise?
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
if anyone is late to this Asus drama,

i'm not here to spoon feed them with information,

some internet search should be enough to give you an idea.

my own copy of evidences is currently reseved for the court, not for randomly pop-up individuals.

after this is over, i can upload the evidences as a warning to Asus' future customers, think twice before they purchase from the untrustworthy Asus.
[Asus Zenfone 10] Esja:
A press release last year.
[Asus Zenfone 10] sagnikd96:
What is your plan of action regarding this? Which country/court are you planning on making a case in? Have you hired legal counsel regarding this case? There may be potential for class action here, but this has to be done by a competent attorney.
[Asus Zenfone 10] cemg92:
This is AMAZING. Glad I'm not the only person that's mad as hell. It's very clear that Asus has lied to their customers about the ability to unlock the bootloader, and they continue to be incredibly vague about the return of the bootloader unlock tool. One of my biggest reasons for buying Android phones is because I love to tinker and try different operating systems. This is especially important due to the fact that Asus will not be supporting the software on the phone for much longer. I really hope they do the right thing and let the community take over if they can't be bothered to do it!!
[Asus Zenfone 10] INviSibl3KIL97:
Wow, great job guys! cannot lie i have been disappointed with Asus after buying the zenfone.

hope this will change things around
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
update:

we have exchanged few emails with Asus in the last 10 days.

on 23rd Feb, they said "We expect to release an official announcement soon",

well, we know what happened last time they said "soon" (or something like that),

we could be waiting for nothing forever if we don't whip that horse.

i offered them that they should let me know by 5th March, that the announcement will be made latest by 10th March; otherwise legal action proceed.
[Asus Zenfone 10] HawaiiFiveO:
We have to WHIP IT! 🤠
[Asus Zenfone 10] cemg92:
Godspeed, friend!
[Asus Zenfone 10] Esja:
Very exciting! But I am worried when they say "official announcement" - that sounds like they will announce something bad instead of "announce the realease date" or something like that. :(

You are doing a great job for the community.
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
its likely that i will have to proceed legal action,

Asus foolishly think we would trust them and wait (again) for a vague "soon".

it will be under British Court & British Law, Asus violated regulation such as:

Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 prohibits unfair commercial practices, including misleading actions or omissions that cause consumer to make a decision they would not have otherwise made.

any Asus-phone customers living in England & Wales, feel free to pm me by 5th March.

i could include your gain in one of my plans, without you doing anything.
[Asus Zenfone 10] pescat8:
I am not a lawyer, so I do not know the details, but under Japanese law, this would be a violation of the "消費者契約法（Consumer Contract Act）".
[Asus Zenfone 10] Shun_5377:
there's still no official word form ASUS about the bootloader unlock tool (6 Mar 2024, time zone UTC+8)
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
Asus emailed me the following this morning:

we're finalising the Court Statement, will keep you guys updated :)
[Asus Zenfone 10] FIERA03:
I'm not directly affected by the issue as I am using unlocked Zenfone 9, but this is very important for my future purchase of ASUS Phone Series.

I hope result of the lawsuit is good for us all.
[Asus Zenfone 10] Missignal_Dev:
Watching the thread and waiting for any good news, even though I don't have an ASUS device. OEMs making the decision to deprive the customer's ability to do whatever they want to their own purchased device is unfortunate and full of foolishness.

Even worse is they are coward enough to not even clearly telling their decision to the customers. They should definitely compensate the customers that they frustrated in some reasonable way.
[Asus Zenfone 10] Shun_5377:
Is the provision of the bootloader unlocking tool related to the EU's Digital Markets Act? I'm not sure. It's just an idea that suddenly popped into my head.
[Asus Zenfone 10] lem22:
The DMA targets "the largest digital platforms operating in the EU". Asus has no digital platform and (un)locking the bootloader also is not related to a digital platform.
[Asus Zenfone 10] SnowFuhrer:
ROG 7 here, you have my support. I bought this phone for the intent of unlocking, and while it was being shipped or a bit before, the unlock tool went down, and I have been sad
[Asus Zenfone 10] BassFuzz:
Zenfone 8 flip here, I had to involve a lawyer to have my phone repaired under warranty because assus decided that using their tool to unlock the bootloader meant voiding the warranty (here in the EU it doesn't).

Glad to see their ass dragged to court, you're doing god's work brother.
[Asus Zenfone 10] Rover4444:
It's the 11th now, time to see what happens next. Been waiting months for their issues to be resolved after I heard their initial announcement. I'm hoping the garbage they've been pulling for the past 6+ months hasn't totally destroyed the people who wanted to dev and make ROMs for this device in the first place. If only the Pixel 8 had a headphone jack...
[Asus Zenfone 10] Androiduser2390:
I don't use an ASUS phone, but we should not need bootloader unlock codes and unlock tools. The OEMs should be required to just have OEM unlock in developer options and boot to fastboot and unlock the thing.
[Asus Zenfone 10] FIERA03:
3 days have passed since the "Final Deadline", how is the litigation process going?

I know it's difficult to be public everything, but I think it would be reassuring if you could keep us informed of any progress.
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
sorry about the delay,

to avoid unneccessary time spending,

we started drafting the court statement at deadline.

court statement's draft is finalised,

court application will be sent out tomorrow :)

after the application is sent, the court will send defendant letter (which may take few days for process & deliver), and then Asus would have 14 days to respond.
[Asus Zenfone 10] Event_Horizon:
Update us please
[Asus Zenfone 10] fmild:
i hope for the good news
[Asus Zenfone 10] dsdavis6:
Another disappointed UK zf10 user here. Good luck!
[Asus Zenfone 10] TheStylus5Gmodder:
I support this. While I don't plan on unlocking my ZF10 bootloader, I want others who planned on doing so to have their privileges granted.
[Asus Zenfone 10] palamosteliaro:
Thanks for this. I was thinking to upgrade my ZF9 (already unlocked thankfully) to the ZF11 but its not happening now. Phones are unusable to me without root.

If there is anyway we can help, please tell us OP.
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
court case application is handed in.
[Asus Zenfone 10] louisjuin:
Moving from Oneplus 5t, I tried the nothing phone (2) but it is way too big for me.

I think the zenfone 9/10 is ideal for me as it is compact and has a jack port but with the bootloader issue it is way less interesting.

I hope this court action will succeed 🙌
[Asus Zenfone 10] Gtoonm:
Dude, make sure to mention a flash tool for unbricking the phone as well.

I've talked with many developers who have decided to not develop a custom Android version for a specific device simply because there's no simple way of flashing the stock software and unbrick it.

I remember the developers of custom ROMs like LineageOS and Evolution X stopped making stuff for Oneplus phones after the 9 pro (even though they are fairly easy to bootloader unlock), because there was no unbricking tool to fix their mistakes when testing ROMs and basically skipped the 10 and almost the 11 until somebody here managed to crack the unbrick tool, and soon after many ROMs for the OP11 appeared.
[Asus Zenfone 10] Esja:
Does anyone know if Asus issued a response to the court action in this matter?
[Asus Zenfone 10] rom4ster:
Hoping for good news,
[Asus Zenfone 10] nadskhnzx:
If u wish to sell zf9 lmk
[Asus Zenfone 10] nadskhnzx:
Anybody want to sell his zf9 with unlock bootloader please contact
[Asus Zenfone 10] rschat1020:
This is awesome that someone is taking action against this. If I purchased a phone with my own money, I should be able to do whatever I want with it, even if it may be risky. But I lost trust in ASUS long before this, I've had 2 zenfone's in the past, and they just turned off randomly and never powered on again. (and keep in mind these phones have had no damage whatsoever)
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
not yet, i haven't received any letter from Asus.
[Asus Zenfone 10] palamosteliaro:
If you are in the EU it might be worth it, but outside you are better off getting something else.
[Asus Zenfone 10] nadskhnzx:
Want unlock bootloader one
[Asus Zenfone 10] tatagami:
Have you received anything from Asus or court yet? How many days does Asus have left to respond to the court case?
[Asus Zenfone 10] Shun_5377:
There's still no official word form Asus about the bootloader unlocking tool (5 Apr 2024, time zone UTC+8).
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
Update:

FULL REFUND ISSUED.

refund of £770 covers:

£700 ZF10,

£70 Money Claim Court fee.

under British Law, Asus violated Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008,

which prohibit misleading action/ omission that cause consumers make decision they would not otherwise.

the EU equivalent would be Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD); while USA's consumer protection laws vary by state but have their equivalents.

if you never had desire to use a bootloader-locked phone,

you can first email Asus with my court case,

and let them know that settling without court involvement would waive the court fee on their end.

if they ask for second wave of court actions, then we can grant them their wish
[Asus Zenfone 10] BotchedRPR:
This basically confirms that they do not plan on continuing the bootloader unlock program soon, if ever
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
tbh, i personally prefer a refund.

after all these lies & disgraceful actions from Asus, i don't really wanna use Asus product anymore;

and after all these delays, probably some if not all rom developers had lost interest.
[Asus Zenfone 10] BotchedRPR:
I did as well, waiting 4 months for redmagic that i lost interest. Very nice job hrsh.
[Asus Zenfone 10] Gtoonm:
I wonder if this could apply in the US? I'm using an ROG 8 pro and the only downside was that I would never manage to unlock it.

I don't know if my state has a similar law. But I am inclined to try.

Does the refund means you also have to return the device? And also, what email did you contact?
[Asus Zenfone 10] belegdol:
I wonder how applicable this sentence is for other EU countries like e.g. Germany.
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
i've responded to your pm,

i haven't decided to show the details in public or not.
[Asus Zenfone 10] NisseGurra:
ASUS refunds Zenfone buyer for failing to provide bootloader unlock tools as promised

If you bought a Zenfone and expected to be able to unlock the bootloader, a precedent has now been set that you can get a refund.

www.androidauthority.com
[Asus Zenfone 10] Missignal_Dev:
They are so quick writing the report :ROFLMAO:
[Asus Zenfone 10] Asia9:
I have the same questions.Can u sens me pm ?

And congrsts,good job!!!
[Asus Zenfone 10] vijayp2123:
anyone know how to unlock bootloader without Asus app or unofficial method for Asus ZS630KL (Zenfone 6) Android 11....?
[Asus Zenfone 10] Esja:
Wow, incredibly job by you, hrsh45 - maybe the most important part about this will be that the issue reached the top Asus leadership and they had to consult the legal team.
[Asus Zenfone 10] Esja:
The ROG Phone 8 was released long after the tool was removed, but given Asus' continued promises that the tool was making a comeback, maybe you could win a case also for the ROG 8. I was personally also interested in the ROG 8 but without the bootloader it will be completely useless.
[Asus Zenfone 10] D-IMAN:
We need some kind of common topic on the forum, where people with other models from ASUS and from different countries would share their results of the fight against ASUS in court.

It would be interesting for me to watch how ASUS is humiliated!

P.S. hrsh45, congratulations on your victory!
[Asus Zenfone 10] GoodyOG:
Boy I envy people who are from places where laws work. Lord knows if I try this, no one will listen to me. Congrats on your victory OP.
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
"this has to be done by a competent attorney"?

that's not true.
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
those who are expecting message from me, should have received by now.

if not, just tell me here or pm.
[Asus Zenfone 10] Horstorm:
Great job @hrsh45 !

I'm also interested in details, I'd like to give it a try also in EU. Could you please also let me know in pm?
[Asus Zenfone 10] matteventu:
Well done @hrsh45 :)

A quick question: was your ZF10 purchased from Asus themselves? Or from a third party retailer (if so, which one?)?

Thank you!
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
purchased from Asus directly.

but even if from third party, you can still apply against Asus, as its their misleading influenced the purchase decision.
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
<Moderator Edit>: Replaced abbreviated profanity. - @roirraW "edor" ehT

if Asus messes around, we start second wave of Court Actions.

Court Case Application (UK):

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

Court Case Application (EU):

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citize...-resolution/formal-legal-actions/index_en.htm
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
those who have been contacting me,

you should have received a reply from me within the last hour.

if not, lemme know :)
[Asus Zenfone 10] pescat8:
ASUS is not very popular in my country and the market is small, so I have to wait for discussions abroad as I can't gather people and have little information. I don't think I can ask for a refund alone in a country where ASUS is such an unknown name and get it back. I appreciate everyone's efforts, but I am very disappointed with ASUS' decision. I only hope that my anger will be conveyed to ASUS and they will reinstate the tool.
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
are you outside EU, if i may ask?
[Asus Zenfone 10] pescat8:
Yes, I live in Japan, famous for Xperia. But I bought a Zenfone 8 Flip 2 years ago because I like the flip camera and now that the updates have stopped, I wanted to install a custom ROM and came across this thread. Of course, since it was 2 years ago, the warranty should be expired.
[Asus Zenfone 10] Esja:
Wow, lots of media are writing about the legal victory over Asus:

Asus loses court battle to Zenfone owner over lack of bootloader unlock

Asus loses a court battle to a Zenfone buyer in the UK who demanded bootloader unlock tool

www.androidpolice.com

ASUS no longer lets users unlock their bootloaders... and it got sued

For years, tech-savvy smartphone users have been unlocking their device's bootloaders in order to experience their phones to the fullest extent. Users

www.androidheadlines.com

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Zenfone-bootloader-unlock-tool-outlook-bleak-as-ASUS-refunds-customer-over-missing-feature.823523.0.html

TikTok - Make Your Day

Zenfone owner who won bootloader unlock case VS Asus encourages other users to ask for refunds - Xiaomiui.Net

Asus just lost a case against a man from the UK after it removed the bootloader unlock tool from Zenfone. The decision forced the company to refund the person

xiaomiui.net

Xiaomiui also said: "We have reached out to Asus about the matter to ask about its next step to prevent bigger issues involving the case it lost. We will update this story with more details soon."

Hopefully we get a statement from ASUS soon.
[Asus Zenfone 10] NisseGurra:
"While the case is a bit of reassuring justice to Zenfone buyers that were counting on bootloader unlocking and root access to augment Asus's lacklustre software support, it does further solidify suspicions that Asus will never enable bootloader unlocking on its Zenfone devices again."

Fully agree, no more unlock of asus devives
[Asus Zenfone 10] LinerFWZ:
Very happy to see you succeed, unfortunately I'm currently in an area where the Zenfone series is not officially available. But I won't be considering their new phone offerings after that anyway
[Asus Zenfone 10] RoughRunner:
I was literally about to buy this phone tomorrow and I remember they only promised to unlock the bootloader, I'm lucky I found this thread before I got it. I have had my OnePlus 6 for 6 years keeping it alive with ROMS, but recently the glass back cracked and I thought its about time for a new phone. I don't know what phone to buy now, this phone was pretty much perfect if you could ROM it after the updates stop. Headphone jack, physical fingerprint reader, plastic back with metal sides, high refresh LTPO display and its a good size. Even if I only want the display, headphone jack and metal sides, I only see the way more expensive Xperia phones as an option. I use the headphone jack everyday and I don't want to give up on it and live with a stupid dongle for the rest of my life. Ugh why are Asus so stupid? I guess it must be true that they are winding down their smartphone business since they just repurposed another phone for the Zenfone 11 and aren't allowing bootloader unlocking...

If you guys want to stick it to Asus, can you recommend another phone? My Nexus 5 got beaten up with its plastic frame so it has to be a metal frame, and I would like a headphone jack. If I have to forgo the high refresh rate display and plastic back then so be it, but I don't think there's a phone like that...
[Asus Zenfone 10] Esja:
I've been considering the Sony Xperia 5 V. It's got excellent size and specs, and it can be rooted. But apparently it's quite complicated.
[Asus Zenfone 10] kivulallo:
I'm in the same shoes as you are, but with a OnePlus 5T and display+touch panel glue slowly disintegrating. I was following the Zenfone series for a long time and really prepared for it to be the replacement... Well, don't know what to do now. There isn't any decent alternatives out there, only by taking large compromises.

Hopefully they come up with something useful in the "statement regarding the issue" at the end of April. I also hope my phone will survive until then.
[Asus Zenfone 10] LinerFWZ:
For your needs, it's hard to find an alternative to Sony, but it only has 8G RAM and the stock system is terrible compared to Asus, arguably the worst stock system I've ever used, It's hard to salvage even after unlocking the bootloader, I'm struggling with this too
[Asus Zenfone 10] hrsh45:
i cannot recommend sony,

the ratio of its phones is a comically long,

also i don't have respect for a company spitting at its home country & bootlicking america.

i'm using s10e, which got almost everything, side finger-print, headphone jack, sd slot, probably all major roms;

but slightly outdated hardware & camera, without 5g, & smaller battery.

(avoid snapdragon version though)
[Asus Zenfone 10] 1ynxy:
On April the 6th I emailed the suggested point of contact, stating that I wished for the same resolution & would settle out of court in order to avoid Asus having to pay the court fees in addition to the refund. I referenced this case as precedent. Unfortunately it looks like relying upon Asus to be compliant isn't going to work.

This morning I received only a single sentence response-

It looks like I will also be attempting to get a refund through small claims court.