iPhone 6(S)/Plus Anyone else being dicked around on depot (main-in) repair?

[farmermac]

I happen to live in one of the pockets of the US with no apple stores anywhere nearby. Like several times since 2008, I opted to send one of our iphones in via mail-in repair. Apple usually turns around the phones in 1-2 days tops. This time, Apple took 3 days to even look at the phone, accused me of having a non-authorized apple part in the phone, escalated it to engineering (took 3 days) to get a verdict that somehow my wifi module is dead and I need to pay them $130 + battery cost to get the battery replaced.

Nevermind that the phone worked perfectly fine on wifi and has been in a case since day 1. I respectfully declined the repair and 4 days later they have still not shipped the phone back to me, even though they gave me a tracking number. Ive had like 15 iphones between wife and I. This is by far the worse repair experience between reps that dont know whats going on, non existent issue being used to deny a repair, and not getting my device back.

 

[jav6454]

Your question is....? Have you escalated the issue with Customer Service managers?

 

[farmermac]

Your question is....? Have you escalated the issue with Customer Service managers?

The question is very obviously in the title

Has anyone else had issues with depot battery replacements ?

I have two iPhone 6 that have functioning batteries but before the end of the year would like to get new batteries.

The customer service managers said there is a snowstorm in the east And that is the reason the shipment hasn't left California. I live in the Midwest nowhere near the east

 

[jav6454]

The question is very obviously in the title

Has anyone else had issues with depot battery replacements ?

I have two iPhone 6 that have functioning batteries but before the end of the year would like to get new batteries.

The customer service managers said there is a snowstorm in the east And that is the reason the shipment hasn't left California. I live in the Midwest nowhere near the east

If the iPhone was shipped to Apple, it most likely didn't make it to California. Apple has Service providers all over the country. They most likely just sent it to the nearest one. Like I stated earlier, escalate your issue to a Manager/Supervisor.

 

[farmermac]

If the iPhone was shipped to Apple, it most likely didn't make it to California. Apple has Service providers all over the country. They most likely just sent it to the nearest one. Like I stated earlier, escalate your issue to a Manager/Supervisor.

It went to a California address per the tracking information.

I did call and escalated And Here's what's the escalation wielded: since they claimed that I had an unauthorized part in the phone, it went to some engineers who then said it failed a bench test for wifi antenna strength, but that there are no unauthorized parts in the phone. Of course there aren't any because I bought to directly from Apple. My case ID online still says I have an authorized parts.

This is really just to get some feedback from others and on Reddit it looks like a lot of people are having issues with the depot repairs

 

[jav6454]

It went to a California address per the tracking information.

I did call and escalated And Here's what's the escalation wielded: since they claimed that I had an unauthorized part in the phone, it went to some engineers who then said it failed a bench test for wifi antenna strength, but that there are no unauthorized parts in the phone. Of course there aren't any because I bought to directly from Apple. My case ID online still says I have an authorized parts.

This is really just to get some feedback from others and on Reddit it looks like a lot of people are having issues with the depot repairs

Like I said, Apple uses many Service Providers when doing mail-in repairs. Hell, even Apple Stores do the exact same thing.

Most likely the Service Provider who got your phone is a rotten one in the bunch.

 

[rmm805]

I happen to live in one of the pockets of the US with no apple stores anywhere nearby. Like several times since 2008, I opted to send one of our iphones in via mail-in repair. Apple usually turns around the phones in 1-2 days tops. This time, Apple took 3 days to even look at the phone, accused me of having a non-authorized apple part in the phone, escalated it to engineering (took 3 days) to get a verdict that somehow my wifi module is dead and I need to pay them $130 + battery cost to get the battery replaced.

Nevermind that the phone worked perfectly fine on wifi and has been in a case since day 1. I respectfully declined the repair and 4 days later they have still not shipped the phone back to me, even though they gave me a tracking number. Ive had like 15 iphones between wife and I. This is by far the worse repair experience between reps that dont know whats going on, non existent issue being used to deny a repair, and not getting my device back.

I had the same thing happen where they said non-authorized part, except it was the LCD. I’ve never had the screen replaced and I’ve only had the phone serviced once (by Apple in 2016 for the battery).

 

[farmermac]

I had the same thing happen where they said non-authorized part, except it was the LCD. I’ve never had the screen replaced and I’ve only had the phone serviced once (by Apple in 2016 for the battery).

When did this happen to you? What did you end up doing? (authorize the repair for extra $, or get the device back?) My phone's been gone for 11 days now.

 

[rmm805]

It was within the last two weeks. I escalated and got someone who agreed to do take care of it this one time. That said, I’m sure Apple will have my phone for some time now as they don’t have the batteries.

 

[farmermac]

Phone is back in my hands, unrepaired as expected, with rep saying April is when they are quoting battery replacements

 

[Newtons Apple]

It is pretty well common senses that it will take a while for battery production to ramp up.

No conspiracy here.

 

[jav6454]

Phone is back in my hands, unrepaired as expected, with rep saying April is when they are quoting battery replacements

High demand of batteries right, its best to be patient.

 

[Mr. Momotaro]

I had the same thing, they claimed there was a part missing in my phone and tried to charge me $130+ for it. I fought them off, but they still haven't fixed my phone or even sent it back unrepaired. It's been over three weeks. I'm not sure why you'd even bother accepting replacement requests if you can't fulfill them.

 

[rmm805]

I had the same thing, they claimed there was a part missing in my phone and tried to charge me $130+ for it. I fought them off, but they still haven't fixed my phone or even sent it back unrepaired. It's been over three weeks. I'm not sure why you'd even bother accepting replacement requests if you can't fulfill them.

Same here.

 

[Thor_1]

It is pretty well common senses that it will take a while for battery production to ramp up.

No conspiracy here.

High demand of batteries right, its best to be patient.

I was unable to get an appointment at my local Apple Store (probably a good thing since they may not have had a battery). Chatted with support, who sent me to a battery task force or special unit for help. Got an email 3 days later saying my reserved battery was in and I had 5 days to take the phone in. Battery replaced after 2 hour wait, no appointment.

 

[Scottsdale]

iPhone 6s sent in two weeks ago for $29 battery replacement. It was serviced twice previously, as it had the original battery and the screen replaced both at the Apple store nearest me. Last Monday they said it had non-genuine parts in it and therefore would be $149 to fix. I called Wednesday and spoke with a lady for 53 minutes and swore I didn't have anything in there Apple didn't put in it. She said she would call back Sunday with an answer as to why Apple said it had non-genuine parts; it would take 48 hours and she was off work Friday and Saturday.

On Sunday, the Apple representative called and said it was noted the display in not genuine. I am shocked as they just want $149, or should I be shocked that someone stole my iPhone from my pocket and switched the display or did Apple actually put a fake display in it? Needless to say she says she will look into it and have them take a second look. Monday, Apple sends me another email saying they have sent it back to me since I didn't bother letting them know whether I wanted to pay the $149 fee.

She calls me on Tuesday and says so sorry but it hasn't been sent back yet and it's too much work to try to find it. So, she will send me another box and put notes to fix it for the $29 when it comes back. I said, well now I will do my own investigation into whether Apple sold me a fake display or whether Apple just wants to do a "money grab" and get $149 from a solid customer who has been a long-term Apple proponent - advising everyone that Apple was the way to an easier and more enjoyable tech experience where we are not the product as with Google.

I don't trust this Apple. As an investor, I am repulsed by the lack of agenda being focused on strong product lines other than just iPhone - nearest I can tell, over 80% of AAPL profits come from iPhone which isn't a great business strategy. As a customer, I am repulsed by the treatment that used to be top notch which has now dwindled to a money grab for the executives' pockets. I truly believe customers are the last thing Tim Cook's Apple cares about while it was absolutely the first thing Steve Jobs cared about. The iPhone X shows Apple has no vision. If the "notch" provided a greatly superior user experience, I would say maybe AAPL can pick function over form, but FaceID is NOT better unless the user's fingers are wet.

I am seriously ready to find a new platform/ecosystem. I have a Samsung Galaxy S8. The display is beautiful and camera is wonderful, but Android is garbage (so slow in touch response). Windows 10 is really good, but so many issues with antivirus software always running and slowing down things. Love my ThinkPad, but could it really replace my seven Macs? The S8 is beautiful, but could I give up iOS? Those are the problems. I think I would be happy, as would most people, to be able to backtrack iOS software to any prior version.

Apple has lost my trust, and it's going to take more than a $29 repair to replace it as it seems that's nothing more than a scam to charge more money. Tim's worried about his stock, the environment and some other rights - I care about the last two, but the agenda of AAPL the publicly traded company should be that of the company that used to design great products, great software, and always ensured the customer came first... those were the days.

 

[rmm805]

iPhone 6s sent in two weeks ago for $29 battery replacement. It was serviced twice previously, as it had the original battery and the screen replaced both at the Apple store nearest me. Last Monday they said it had non-genuine parts in it and therefore would be $149 to fix. I called Wednesday and spoke with a lady for 53 minutes and swore I didn't have anything in there Apple didn't put in it. She said she would call back Sunday with an answer as to why Apple said it had non-genuine parts; it would take 48 hours and she was off work Friday and Saturday.

On Sunday, the Apple representative called and said it was noted the display in not genuine. I am shocked as they just want $149, or should I be shocked that someone stole my iPhone from my pocket and switched the display or did Apple actually put a fake display in it? Needless to say she says she will look into it and have them take a second look. Monday, Apple sends me another email saying they have sent it back to me since I didn't bother letting them know whether I wanted to pay the $149 fee.

She calls me on Tuesday and says so sorry but it hasn't been sent back yet and it's too much work to try to find it. So, she will send me another box and put notes to fix it for the $29 when it comes back. I said, well now I will do my own investigation into whether Apple sold me a fake display or whether Apple just wants to do a "money grab" and get $149 from a solid customer who has been a long-term Apple proponent - advising everyone that Apple was the way to an easier and more enjoyable tech experience where we are not the product as with Google.

I don't trust this Apple. As an investor, I am repulsed by the lack of agenda being focused on strong product lines other than just iPhone - nearest I can tell, over 80% of AAPL profits come from iPhone which isn't a great business strategy. As a customer, I am repulsed by the treatment that used to be top notch which has now dwindled to a money grab for the executives' pockets. I truly believe customers are the last thing Tim Cook's Apple cares about while it was absolutely the first thing Steve Jobs cared about. The iPhone X shows Apple has no vision. If the "notch" provided a greatly superior user experience, I would say maybe AAPL can pick function over form, but FaceID is NOT better unless the user's fingers are wet.

I am seriously ready to find a new platform/ecosystem. I have a Samsung Galaxy S8. The display is beautiful and camera is wonderful, but Android is garbage (so slow in touch response). Windows 10 is really good, but so many issues with antivirus software always running and slowing down things. Love my ThinkPad, but could it really replace my seven Macs? The S8 is beautiful, but could I give up iOS? Those are the problems. I think I would be happy, as would most people, to be able to backtrack iOS software to any prior version.

Apple has lost my trust, and it's going to take more than a $29 repair to replace it as it seems that's nothing more than a scam to charge more money. Tim's worried about his stock, the environment and some other rights - I care about the last two, but the agenda of AAPL the publicly traded company should be that of the company that used to design great products, great software, and always ensured the customer came first... those were the days.

I had the same issue. I’ve only ever had my iPhone 6+ serviced once and at a retail Apple store. When I sent my phone in for battery replacement they told me the LCD screen was not original. Luckily my advisor sided with me.