I’ve always been a proponent of Apple’s refurbished products and there are no shortage of forum members extolling the virtues of Apple’s iPhone replacement program. Most have had great success, with Apple providing them with an iPhone that looks new. If you had a minor scratch on your non-working iPhone, there’s a bonus in picking up a replacement. My experience today at the Genius Bar at the Apple Store in Roosevelt Field, NY has forever changed my opinion of their customer service and why you can no longer trust Apple’s iPhone Replacement Program.
Despite being a multiple iPhone household, my first brush with the Genius bar occurred roughly 4 months ago on May 11th when my wife’s iPhone 4 had an issue with her microphone. She could hear callers, but they could not hear her. This was a hardware issue, one that Apple had a history of covering, despite being out of warranty. That policy had changed along with the introduction of Apple Care Plus, which retails for $99. This extends your coverage and also covers you against various mishaps. My iPhone was out of warranty, so Apple did not owe me a free replacement. For better or worse, Apple’s program was no different than how most companies handle products out of warranty. My options were to re-up for a new 2-year contract and purchase a new iPhone 4S or pay $149 for a replacement iPhone, which would have no impact on my wife’s current ‘out of contract’ status. I opted for the $149 option. This would provide me with what I understood was an iPhone that was “as good as new”. That would be sufficient to get her to September, at which point resale on an iPhone 4 could defer the cost of the replacement. Fair enough or so I thought.
Yesterday, her iPhone was stuck in a boot cycle and I was lucky enough to get it to display ‘Connect to iTunes’. I advised her that any data which had not been backed up would be lost. I charged it for a good five hours and then attempted to factory restore it to iOS 5.1. My attempts were met with a nasty ‘2001’ error. A relatively new iPhone, I immediately scheduled a Genius appointment for this morning. At the time, I was unaware of Apple’s warranty on replacement phones. Truth be told, I was hoping that flexibility I heard so much about would apply to my situation, since it was a relatively short time-frame since I was leaving the Roosevelt Field Apple Store with this iPhone.
I arrived late for my 9:40 appointment and was quickly seated and greeted by Lillian. I explained what happened, then helped her remove my wife’s iPhone case. Under the snap case was the original plastic from when we received the iPhone. I’m a stickler for keeping iPhones in tip-top shape. Nobody gets by without a case and it’s surprising that I hadn’t put a screen protector on her iPhone. I must be slipping. Lillian took the iPhone and went in back for roughly 20 minutes. She returned and pretty much come to the same conclusion to what I had surmised from my troubleshooting. This was not a software issue. What followed took me by complete and utter surprise.
“We cannot service this iPhone”, said Lillian. She continued, “It’s been tampered with and we have no way of retrieving the serial number.”
I proceeded to inform her of the history of this particular iPhone, at least post-May 2012. My wife doesn’t install iOS updates. She rarely, if ever, properly backs up her iPhone and installation of apps is a rarity. You could say she fits the role of your semi-typical iPhone user. Lucky for her, she has me on staff. I’m fairly proficient at troubleshooting software problems and that’s the extent of my abilities. I’ve never come in contact with a pentalobe screwdriver and the closest I’ve gotten to an iPhone repair was linking out to a teardown in a blog post. If there is a hardware problem, then it’s time for a trip to the Apple Store and they’ll make things right, provided we as customers take care of our phones. I was wrong.
“There is absolutely no way that either myself or my wife had anything to do with anything that’s gone awry with the internals of this iPhone”, I said.
I argued that it was a refurbished iPhone and perhaps there was an issue with quality control. Lillian would not back down from her assertions that somehow it was tampered with between the date of purchase and today’s Genius bar appointment. Unless my 10 month old is handy with pentalobe screwdrivers, that didn’t happen. Shocked, amazed. I kept my cool, but was less than thrilled with where this conversation had been going. I’m paraphrasing, but Lillian went on to describe what she had found.
“We were unable to scan the serial number, it wasn’t smooth and there were fingerprints. I also found a screw which had been lodged next to the power button. This is inconsistent with new iPhones.”
Hey Lillian, this isn’t a new iPhone. We bought it here, just 4 months ago and it is refurbished. Lillian quickly corrected me, saying they are new iPhones and not refurbished. I didn’t think it would curry any favor, but I did play the ‘I cannot wait to write about this on my iPhone blog’ card. This was less about getting my way and more about letting them know that I had an outlet to inform others of the quality control of these ‘new iPhones’. This probably did more harm, as it appeared as if my Genius had an “aha” moment. He writes for a iPhone blog, he must a thief. Let’s face it, that is exactly what they were alleging this morning.
“I’m sorry, but we are not able to service this iPhone. I should have refused service initially upon my findings”, said Lillain.
This went on for five minutes or more, when she took the iPhone again. I was rooting for Lillian, because I wanted to receive an apology and perhaps change the perception among Geniuses that these phones weren’t susceptible to quality control issues. Gone for roughly 15 minutes, she returned and gave me the broken iPhone. She left once again, only to return with Myra. This could only mean one thing. I was the irate, in-the-wrong customer that required back-up.
“Your iPhone is out of warranty. We were able to find your serial number on the back of the SIM card tray, although we cannot use this as a valid method of retrieving serial numbers.”
Now they were inferring that I was a customer who:
- Had my iPhone replaced 4 months ago for a legitimate hardware issue
- Purchased a broken iPhone
- Did something to the internals to where they could not scan the serial number
- Swapped my wife’s SIM card tray from the replacement iPhone with the broken iPhone
Myra informed me that the SIM card tray swap is the newest trick among thieves.
Before I left for the Apple Store today, I advised my wife that should this be out of warranty, we weren’t going to pay an additional $149. Not only because we’re less than a month away from a new iPhone, but also out of principal. Refurbished, Replacement, Remanufactured. Whatever they want to call it, they sell these phones as if they were new, as Lillian continuously asserted during our conversation. These are new phones.
The discussion at this point had ran it’s course. My options were to call Apple Care and spin my wheels some more or simply buy a new phone. I made one last ditch effort to restore my good name, suggesting they connect this iPhone to XCode. I was met with blank stares. If this sort of thing happened with another company, I’d bring my business elsewhere. Not an option. But I wasn’t done…
There was something bigger on my agenda at this point then getting my broken iPhone replaced. Information normally flows from behind the counter, but it was time to turn the tables. Surely Geniuses can be taught something new, right?
I informed both of my now attentive geniuses that before I showed up, my mind was already made up regarding my unwillingness to part with another $150. I then proceeded to advise them that perhaps they needed to think differently about the quality control of their replacement iPhones. I provided them with a scenario of a typical Apple customer who was under contract and under warranty. That person would be out of luck, to no fault of their own. I’ll admit, I did get a little preachy, but it was warranted. The assertions were clear – they felt that I was at the Genius Bar attempting to pull one over on them.
Sometimes being in the right isn’t enough. When your character is attacked, it’s not a great feeling. For me, it was worse than not having my iPhone repaired. I’m not going to do anything crazy like swear myself off iPhones, but I can tell you one thing. I will no longer trust Apple’s iPhone Replacement Program.
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What a horrible experience! Are you going to call AppleCare?
I called and entered my newly found SN#. The automated system asked me to either pay $29 for a one time incident or hang up.
The automated system doesn’t sell AppleCare. Liar.
“The automated system asked me to either pay $29 for a one time incident or hang up.”
That’s exactly what happened and the name calling is unnecessary.
haha EXACTLY THAT IS THE PROBLEM. APPLECARE MEANS APPLE DOESN’T CARE!!
That’s seriously abysmal — and wouldn’t you know that today the lock button on my iPhone 4 decided to stop working…
As an update, I plugged this iPhone into Xcode and the ECID was available. I wonder if that would have been enough for them to identify this as the iPhone I purchased from them. Guess it wouldn’t have mattered, given their refusal to acknowledge that some replacement iPhones suffer from a lack of quality control. Let’s say I prove my point that it was indeed the original iPhone, they’d still suggest I was behind the ‘repair work’ that has gone on inside this iPhone. I’d be afraid they might frisk me, looking for a pentalobe screwdriver in my sock.
Well, that didn’t take long. Using the About This Mac, the SN# shows up when you toggle the USB tree and locate Apple Mobile Device (recovery mode). Sure looks to me like a serial number that starts with QR.
wow, I’d be fit to be tied after all of that. the last time I had any dealings with a replacement iphone, it went rather smooth, but I was still under apple care for another 3 months. But if I went through what you did, I’d be out on a soap box in front of the store giving a sermon to all that walk by
I’d agree that most have great success with the Genius Bar, AppleCare and under warranty iPhones. I’m definitely in the minority on this one. I’d also venture to guess that most iPhones they see with this sorts of damage internally, are done by those with questionable motives or overreached when attempting to do some sort of out of warranty repair. I don’t fall in either of those categories, so didn’t appreciate being painted with such a broad brush.
That is one downside of having a product that is so popular, and makes so much money. They don’t feel the need to go above and beyond to help you. If they think you are wrong, that’s it. What do they care if just one person is unhappy out of millions. Sorry about your experience.
Going above and beyond? Name another phone manufacturer at even has the option for 2 year phone support. And spending $30 to get support when your device is far outside its support isn’t even an option with most other companies.
It is by law that manufacturers need to provide 2 years warranty, so hence it’s not Apple ‘offering extra’, it’s something they are obligated to by law. Bet Apple didn’t tell you that x].
That is some world-class bullshit. Are you going to take it back and try for a different genius? This one sounds like she’s just been through new employee training and hasn’t gotten “the talk” yet.
Each new purchase comes with a one year warranty. When you have a product replaced, it either is covered under the original warranty, or, a new 90-day one–whichever is longer. Nothing lasts forever.
This would be an entirely different story if that warranty expiration was the story Apple stuck to. Instead, they went as far as accusing Chris of modifying the phone. That is absolutely inexcusable.
Exactly. The original iPhone 4 was out of warranty and they offered to replace it for $149 on May 11th. Yesterday, I was denied service on the very phone they sold me, claiming someone had modified the internals of the iPhone under my watch. The phone in question is pictured above. As you’ll note, it was in stellar condition, with the original plastic on the back plate. I was able to confirm the SN# (confirmed after entering at AppleCare online), something they were not able to do. Funny, I managed to find this without undergoing the rigors of Genius training.
With that confirmed, I’m not sure what conspiracy theory would make sense, other than Apple sold me an iPhone that should never have passed through their stringent quality control checks. I accept that I was out of warranty, if only by 17 days. Apple does not owe me a free replacement for an out of warranty device. The response from them should have been the same as on May 11th. This iPhone has a hardware issue. You are out of warranty. If you’d like a replacement, it will cost you $149. Honestly, if I were them, I would have done everything to get the iPhone back from me. This would allow them to further research the history of the device and find out why it managed to find its way into the hands of a consumer.
This is more of an “I found an idiot to deal with” rather than an Apple problem. I took my wife’s phone back last year because the home button did not work well. The Genius(that title cracks me up) because all they do is replace and they don’t really fix anything. Anyway he replaced the phone even though he noted water damage just because it turned on. Unfortunately they may have already noted your account. I would still try a different store. Never let a moron be your last recourse. Try someone else. They may have more time in and realize the big picture, which is to keep the customer happy. I once got a free upgrade on a flight just because it was the persons last day and she was upset with the airline. My point is everyone handles things differently.
Unfortunately for you, we know you are gonna buy more iPhones because you work for an iPhone forum. If it were me, that would be my last iPhone because the only power we really have is to not give them anymore money in the future.
Wow such a strong contrast to my experiences with Apple. Even after AppleCare+ was introduced, I’ve had multiple out of warranty devices replaced for things as small as a piece of dust under the screen. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s shocking to me that they would accuse you of tampering with the phone. Even if it were the case, and a customer was trying to get one over on them, taking an accusatory stance can’t be the best approach, can it? I’m wondering if there is any path of escalation you can take – perhaps a note to mr. Cook?
I got the iPhone 4 nearly 2 years ago, on my sons advice & pretty much fell in love with it straight away. To cut a long story short, I dropped my phone & it stopped working. My son assured me not to worry just make an appointment in an Apple store & I could get it fixed or failing that get a refurbished 1. Had that appoinent today & told them how I broke my phone & really needed it fixed. They took the phone away, only to come back a few minutes later to ask how I really damaged my phone, again I explained that I dropped it & to my horror I was accused of tampering with my phone as there was a part missing from it. I told the salesman that my phone had never been tampered with by anyone & asked him to get a 2 nd opinion, obviously this has never happened to him before & took him a few minutes but 2 other salesmen came over & said it had missing parts. I have never tampered with my phone & kept telling them this but was not believed & when I said it must be a manufacturing fault they told me Apple never make mistakes & they were 100% certain of this!!! I’m left feeling angry, let down & frustrated!!! Can anyone help me & tell me where do I go from here? Incidentally when he put my phone together again it worked, but the salesman said he didn’t know how long it will work for.
This just happened to me today, my iPhone 4S, under apple care warranty, had been dropped one too many times so it would no longer show the display. I bought my 4S brand new from the same apple store i went into and have had no other third party fix it or even look at it. They were the ONLY people to take my phone away from me since i bought it. When they came out of the back room they informed me that my phone had been tampered with and the serial did not match the serial on itunes. They insisted i must have taken it to a third party dealer but I know for a fact i have not. This is CLEARLY an issue on apples end that needs to be looked into.
I recently purchased a “new” iphone 4 through my employer’s ATT Premier website. This site offers our company’s employeeds discounts, etc on ATT products. Well, the phone I received stopped working after only a few days. The phone wouldn’t charge and also the button wouldn’t exit me out of applications so I could view other screens. I called ATT and they said that I needed to take the phone to an Apple retail store for repair or replacement. At the Apple store, I was advised that the phone has been tampered with. Apparently there are components missing from inside the phone, tamper labels show the phone has been opened and the screen has been replaced with an unauthorized third party screen. Because of all this, Apple won’t replace or repair the phone. Incidentally, the charging issue is related to a connector on the batter that was damaged when said tampering ocurred. I was shocked and went back to ATT and they also won’t do anything and say I need to deal with Apple. So, I’m curious why ATT is either selling phones as new that are not, or why they are having unauhorized service / refurbishment done that violates their agreement with Apple. Oh, yeah, by the way the phone serial number is already registered to another iphone user – in Alabama. I reside in Texas.
I remember the time when apple cared and would replace anything for free or close to it, because you were an apple customer and not Microsoft. Has the greed gotten too much, has it made them forget who put them where they are, YES. Surely the genius STEVE JOBS would understand.
Steve Jobs wasn’t greedy? Maybe his illegitimate daughter that he refused to recognize for years…or maybe Steve Wozniak could help you with that one =)
what I find most interesting is that itsnoted as such,.. I read about someone buying a phone Brand new and that happened to them too….. I think CHina is sending a signal to apple
THIS IS RIDICULES, IV BEEN ALSO ACCUSED BY APPLE THAT I HAVE TAMPERED WITH MY PHONE. MY NEW APPLE IPHONE 5 ‘ S MIC STOP WORKING AND I CAN HEAR PEOPLE BUT THEY CANT HEAR ME AND I SENT IT IN FOR SERVICE.. KEEP IN MIND I JUST HAD BOUGHT THE PHONE 4 MONTHS AGO PAYED FULL POP FOR IT. STILL UNDER WARRANTY. YET THEY GOT BACK TO ME WITH ” SERIAL NUMBER DON’T MATCH AND IT BEEN TAMPERED WITH” THIS IS BULLSHIT!!! SOMTHING NEEDS TO BE DONE!! WHY WOULD I TRY TO FIX IT MY SELF OR HAVE A THIRD PARTY PAY TO TRY TO FIX IT WHEN IM STILL UNDER 1 YEAR WARRANTY??? IV BEEN AN APPLE IPHONE CUSTOMER SINCE THE FIRST ONE CAME OUT AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT A LONG TIME LOYAL CUSTOMER???
This is good (or maybe not) to hear other people are having similar issues. I just took in an iPhone 4S that I have had about a year and bought it new and never had an issue. My external speaker has been having issues, so I took the phone to an Apple Store. After opening the phone they said that the “logic board” was not Apple so they would not warranty the product. Of course there was no use in arguing, but it is a little unnerving to think that before I buy one of their products I should ask for the device to be opened up in front of me and have the internals verified before I leave a store. Yikes!
Don’t get me wrong I understand how frustrating it must be to, one break your phone or have it malfunction and second have the apple store give you the run around when you expect them to accomodate you. But I would be willing to bet that 99/100 times the people are more than happy with their service at the genius bar (assuming they are like you and have legitimate claims). Apple has been more than generous with me and my Iphone “problems”. Since I was sixteen when I waited in line for what now looks like a big hunk of mangled metal, I have loved these phones almost to the point that it is absurd, preparing all year putting a little money away for the new phone that is going to come out. Since the first Iphone, I have had every model and them some, for every phone that I have bought it would eventually make its way out of the case and fall victim to the floor before the new Iphone came out the following year. Now including the iphone 5 I currently own that makes a total of 9 phones, 4 of them being replacements. In every instance save one, where the microphone stopped working on my iphone 4, I should have been denied and required to pay the fee. In addition to this I own a Macbook pro computer (roughly 5 years old) within 6 months of owning It, I fell on my skateboard slamming my backback into the pavement completely ruining the harddrive. I arrived at the apple store nervous and 100% positive I would be informed that they do not cover physical damage, but he looked at it and simply asked me what is wrong with it, I said it runs really slow and he took it in the back and said you need a new hard drive we will order one, replace it and send it to your house free of charge. Now for obvious reasons they have to try and create a zero tolerance policy for tampering with phones because it is simply impossible to guarantee that the problem was or is apple’s fault when it has been touched by a third party (not saying that yours was). Thus if there is even a slight chance that it could fall under this cardinal sin then they must turn you away. My point is that my Iphone 5 bent when I sat down and the mother board cracked or so I think and I am going to willingly pay the 229 to get it “replaced” because over the years apple has more than taken care of me and my poor attempts to keep things off the ground, I am more than confident that in all 5 of my encounters with the Genius Bar could have turned south quickly but they were on my side and found loopholes that they could book the problem under. Lastly please let this story of my clumsy hands show you that apple is not some bloodsucking vampiric company trying to bleed you out by nickel and diming you to death (thats your service provider :-p) but rather a company that has helped me and showed compassion to me when they had no reason too.
I recently took my iPhone 4s into an apple store because my phone would get extremely hot when I charged it & I suspected that the battery was expanding causing the shape of my phone to morph. They tested it and said that the battery was not warped or overheating and accused me of either “sitting on my phone or slamming it in the door” I proceeded to tell them that I never put my phone in my back pocket and WHY WOULD I SLAM MY PHONE IN A DOOR!!!!! I love apple products but I am definately not loving their customer service. I am re-thinking ever buying any new apple products
I am sure you must have tampered the device otherwise your serial number is available on the sim tray. From what I know of is that under the replacement program they give you a NEW DEVICE they call it “REPLACEMENT DEVICE” apple cannot and does not replace your device with a “REFURBISHED” device. “REFURBISHED” devices are sold separately. Let me assure you that APPLE warranty is the best warranty/replacement service WORLDWIDE. All other manufacturers repair the device and ship them back to you or replace the devices with refurbished or reconditioned device.