Apple's watch exchange process is completely broken and horrible

[Donnation]

Forgive my rant but I have to get this off of my chest. I have a Series 5 Hermes 44mm watch that has a serious battery problem. It all of a sudden started dying within a few hours, and drains constantly at a rate of about 12% an hour. This just started happening recently and I've done nothing different with the watch and haven't installed any apps. I've un-paired and re-paired, restarted both phone and watch, erased both watch and phone and started from scratc. I'm done trying so I though I would call Apple.

I called Apple support today and spoke initally with a very rude representative. The guy has the nerve to say to me "I'm sorry your watch isn't lasting you more than 10 hours, but how exactly long DO YOU think it should last? This isn't a two day battery and you'll have to charge it throughout the day and that is normal." I told him that was nonsense and explained to him that I was getting about 20 hours before a few days ago. He tried to do a dianostic check on it but that wouldn't even work as my watch wouldn't run it. He had no answers and told me I'd have to send the watch in. I asked to speak to his senior advisor and these are the options I was given:

1. Unpair your watch right now so we can start a return process. I asked why I needed to unpair just to start a return process and he didn't know why but said he couldn't start the repair until I unpaired it. Then, Apple would send me a return box that I would receive in 3-5 business days. I asked if he could overnight the box and he said no, that they could only send it FedEx ground which was 3-5 business days. Well I'm going out of town on Friday and won't be back for 8 days, so that is a complete joke. Then he said that once I mailed it back, which would take another 3-5 days that they would check it and see if it needed to be replaced. If they found nothing wrong with it they would just send it back. He said the process shouldn't take any longer than 2-3 weeks. 2-3 WEEKS????? I said I already know it has a problem and I don't want it sent back to me telling me there are no problems. He said "That is for Apple technicians to decide, not you. If they see no issue with your watch they will return it back to you."

I told him 2-3 weeks was unacceptable as I would essentially be looking at a month without the watch with the shipping time included. He agreed that it would be nearly a month. He then said "Its too bad you didn't purchase a less expensive model. You could just excahange it in store for a new one since they stock those." I asked him if he thought that it was a little bit of a broken process when someone who buys a $400 watch can walk into a store and get it exchanged but someone who buys a $1500 watch has to ship it in and wait a month to get it fixed. He sat in silence and didn't answer and gave me the next option.

2. Do an express return. Apple will charge me the full amount ($1500) for a new watch, send it out, and then I can ship mine back to them. They said once they get it back they will refund the charge but it could take up to 10 days for the credit to occur. He also said I had 10 days from the date the watch is delivered to return my watch to them or I would be charged the $1500. I asked if I would be getting a brand new watch in the box and he said "No, just the watch casing, but it will be new. I said "How can I verify its new and not just a refurbished model when its not coming in the box." He said "Apple doesn't send out refurb's as replacements." I said "Is there proof of that?" He said "No, but we don't send out refurbs."

I then said "Well why are you charging me the full amount for a replacement when you are only sending me the watch casing?" He didn't understand my question so I rephrased it. I asked him "You know how the Hermes watches are just stainless steel watches with different watch faces on them right?" He said "Yes, that's correct." I then said "And the reason they are so expensive is because of the included bands with them right?" "yes he said, that is correct." I then said "So why are you charging me the full amount for a replacement watch when you aren't sending me the entire Hermes watch package" He simply said "Uh yes I see your point but that's how we do it." I said "So I am being charged $1500 for a stainless steel watch casing. I travel and if I don't get my watch casing back to you in 10 days you are going to charge me the full amount for a Hermes watch even though I was never sent the entire Hermes package?" He said "Uh yes, that's what we'll do."

I am doing the express exchange because I don't want to go a month without my watch, or worse just have it sent back saying that there is nothing wrong with it. But this return process is broken, horrible, and the reps for Apple that I spoke with were absolutely terrible. Not terrible in that they didn't know their stuff, terrible in that they acted like they couldn't give a **** if I had a properly working watch or not. I told the senior advisor that things like this were swaying me to buy elsewhere and his response was "If that's what you would like to do then that is your right." To me a proper response would be "Sir we value your business and apologize for this inconveneice and we are going to make sure this situation gets fixed ASAP." Not one time did either of them apologize for this major inconvenience or even tell me they appreciated my business.

Things like this nudge me harder and harder to move away from Apple. My rant is over and I apologize for the long winded post.

 

[melman101]

My question is, what if they don't find a problem with the watch you send in. Do you have to send back the replacement? Or do they just take a loss.

I know that has nothing to do with your story, that's just been on my mind.

 

[benshive]

Honestly that may not even be the way the returns are supposed to be carried out. I've found on several occasions that the support reps for Apple can be pretty disconnected from the company's actual repair and return policy. For instance, once I had a Macbook with a 3rd party battery that was acting up (I had to have it repaired elsewhere for liquid damage). I reached out to Apple support to see if they'd be able to swap it out for an OEM battery if I paid full price and they said absolutely, just make a Genius Bar appointment and they can do that for you. I emphasized to the support rep that it wasn't an Apple battery and I was told it wasn't an issue. I make the appointment and when I get to the store (which was quite a drive for me) I'm immediately told that it's Apple's policy that they can't touch my Mac if any 3rd party components had been used in it. I ended up needing to buy an OEM battery from iFixit and replace it myself.

 

[jbachandouris]

My question is, what if they don't find a problem with the watch you send in. Do you have to send back the replacement? Or do they just take a loss.

I know that has nothing to do with your story, that's just been on my mind.

They take the 'loss.' I always use the express replacement as Apple Watch issues can be intermittent and I'm not going to send it in and have some 'tech' say there's nothing wrong and then send it back unrepaired.

In agreement with OP, I also think it's beyond STUPID to not have any replacements in store. Really? They have 11 Pro Max replacements and they cost $1300+ new. Even SS doesn't usually cost more than $799. It's not like this product just came out.

 

[xraydoc]

Forgive my rant but I have to get this off of my chest. I have a Series 5 Hermes 44mm watch that has a serious battery problem. It all of a sudden started dying within a few hours, and drains constantly at a rate of about 12% an hour. This just started happening recently and I've done nothing different with the watch and haven't installed any apps. I've un-paired and re-paired, restarted both phone and watch, erased both watch and phone and started from scratc. I'm done trying so I though I would call Apple.

I called Apple support today and spoke initally with a very rude representative. The guy has the nerve to say to me "I'm sorry your watch isn't lasting you more than 10 hours, but how exactly long DO YOU think it should last? This isn't a two day battery and you'll have to charge it throughout the day and that is normal." I told him that was nonsense and explained to him that I was getting about 20 hours before a few days ago. He tried to do a dianostic check on it but that wouldn't even work as my watch wouldn't run it. He had no answers and told me I'd have to send the watch in. I asked to speak to his senior advisor and these are the options I was given:

1. Unpair your watch right now so we can start a return process. I asked why I needed to unpair just to start a return process and he didn't know why but said he couldn't start the repair until I unpaired it. Then, Apple would send me a return box that I would receive in 3-5 business days. I asked if he could overnight the box and he said no, that they could only send it FedEx ground which was 3-5 business days. Well I'm going out of town on Friday and won't be back for 8 days, so that is a complete joke. Then he said that once I mailed it back, which would take another 3-5 days that they would check it and see if it needed to be replaced. If they found nothing wrong with it they would just send it back. He said the process shouldn't take any longer than 2-3 weeks. 2-3 WEEKS????? I said I already know it has a problem and I don't want it sent back to me telling me there are no problems. He said "That is for Apple technicians to decide, not you. If they see no issue with your watch they will return it back to you."

I told him 2-3 weeks was unacceptable as I would essentially be looking at a month without the watch with the shipping time included. He agreed that it would be nearly a month. He then said "Its too bad you didn't purchase a less expensive model. You could just excahange it in store for a new one since they stock those." I asked him if he thought that it was a little bit of a broken process when someone who buys a $400 watch can walk into a store and get it exchanged but someone who buys a $1500 watch has to ship it in and wait a month to get it fixed. He sat in silence and didn't answer and gave me the next option.

2. Do an express return. Apple will charge me the full amount ($1500) for a new watch, send it out, and then I can ship mine back to them. They said once they get it back they will refund the charge but it could take up to 10 days for the credit to occur. He also said I had 10 days from the date the watch is delivered to return my watch to them or I would be charged the $1500. I asked if I would be getting a brand new watch in the box and he said "No, just the watch casing, but it will be new. I said "How can I verify its new and not just a refurbished model when its not coming in the box." He said "Apple doesn't send out refurb's as replacements." I said "Is there proof of that?" He said "No, but we don't send out refurbs."

I then said "Well why are you charging me the full amount for a replacement when you are only sending me the watch casing?" He didn't understand my question so I rephrased it. I asked him "You know how the Hermes watches are just stainless steel watches with different watch faces on them right?" He said "Yes, that's correct." I then said "And the reason they are so expensive is because of the included bands with them right?" "yes he said, that is correct." I then said "So why are you charging me the full amount for a replacement watch when you aren't sending me the entire Hermes watch package" He simply said "Uh yes I see your point but that's how we do it." I said "So I am being charged $1500 for a stainless steel watch casing. I travel and if I don't get my watch casing back to you in 10 days you are going to charge me the full amount for a Hermes watch even though I was never sent the entire Hermes package?" He said "Uh yes, that's what we'll do."

I am doing the express exchange because I don't want to go a month without my watch, or worse just have it sent back saying that there is nothing wrong with it. But this return process is broken, horrible, and the reps for Apple that I spoke with were absolutely terrible. Not terrible in that they didn't know their stuff, terrible in that they acted like they couldn't give a **** if I had a properly working watch or not. I told the senior advisor that things like this were swaying me to buy elsewhere and his response was "If that's what you would like to do then that is your right." To me a proper response would be "Sir we value your business and apologize for this inconveneice and we are going to make sure this situation gets fixed ASAP." Not one time did either of them apologize for this major inconvenience or even tell me they appreciated my business.

Things like this nudge me harder and harder to move away from Apple. My rant is over and I apologize for the long winded post.

While there’s little practical difference, they don’t actually CHARGE your credit card the full amount then refund it; they put a pending/hold on your card, and release the pending/hold when they receive your old watch back. They only put the charge through if you don’t return the old watch. But you can do this on a credit card that you don’t use much, if that’s an option for you.

I don’t suggest doing it if you’re on a time crunch, however, like going out of town. If you miss their window, you could get screwed.

I do agree, however, that by now, Apple should be able to handle all this in the stores like they can for iPhones & iPods. Not every store sells the Editions/Hermes, however, so that might be an issue with those.

Apple usually sends out a survey a few days after engaging a support call. Make sure to rate them appropriately.

 

[Donnation]

My question is, what if they don't find a problem with the watch you send in. Do you have to send back the replacement? Or do they just take a loss.

I know that has nothing to do with your story, that's just been on my mind.

If they don’t find a problem with my watch then they just keep the one I sent in. There isn’t a loss for anyone as they now have my watch and I have the replacement.

 

[Donnation]

They take the 'loss.' I always use the express replacement as Apple Watch issues can be intermittent and I'm not going to send it in and have some 'tech' say there's nothing wrong and then send it back unrepaired.

In agreement with OP, I also think it's beyond STUPID to not have any replacements in store. Really? They have 11 Pro Max replacements and they cost $1300+ new. Even SS doesn't usually cost more than $799. It's not like this product just came out.

That was my thought as well. It looks brand new and functions fine outside of the battery, so I wouldn’t put it past a tech saying “it’s fine, send it back to him.” There is clearly something wrong with it as the battery is at 60% and it’s been off the charger less than 5 hours and I haven’t touched it one time while wearing it.

I also feel that Apple should be sending me an entire new Watch with the box and bands just like I bought from a store. They charged me the full amount for a Hermès watch, but are only sending the casing. I am now most likely getting a refurb watch casing that someone else returned and I have no way to verify that it’s new. I also have to make sure I get it sent back or I’ll get charged $1500, which is the amount for a new in box watch. Apple isn’t sending me anything but the actual watch casing so there shouldn’t be that much of a charge attached to it.

I also find it ridiculous that if I owned an aluminum watch band I would be getting better service. I could literally walk into a store and come out with a new replacement. As someone who purchased one of their most expensive models, I don’t think it’s too much to ask to get that same treatment.

 

[jbachandouris]

That was my thought as well. It looks brand new and functions fine outside of the battery, so I wouldn’t put it past a tech saying “it’s fine, send it back to him.” There is clearly something wrong with it as the battery is at 60% and it’s been off the charger less than 5 hours and I haven’t touched it one time while wearing it.

I also feel that Apple should be sending me an entire new Watch with the box and bands just like I bought from a store. They charged me the full amount for a Hermès watch, but are only sending the casing. I am now most likely getting a refurb watch casing that someone else returned and I have no way to verify that it’s new. I also have to make sure I get it sent back or I’ll get charged $1500, which is the amount for a new in box watch. Apple isn’t sending me anything but the actual watch casing so there shouldn’t be that much of a charge attached to it.

I also find it ridiculous that if I owned an aluminum watch band I would be getting better service. I could literally walk into a store and come out with a new replacement. As someone who purchased one of their most expensive models, I don’t think it’s too much to ask to get that same treatment.

No you would not. Replacements of ANY watch are done through the mail. If you noticed, that was my main complaint with the 'repair' process. They have $1300+ phone refurbs in store, but NO watches. Dumb.

 

[aristobrat]

No you would not. Replacements of ANY watch are done through the mail.

It sounds like the OP was told otherwise by the phone support folks.

This is why I use the online chat feature when I need support. If the rep goes off the rails it's just a button click to get the whole chat transcript emailed to me and I can use that for follow-up if needed.

 

[Ledgem]

If they don’t find a problem with my watch then they just keep the one I sent in. There isn’t a loss for anyone as they now have my watch and I have the replacement.

It's still a loss for them. Essentially they have now sold two new Hermes Watches for the price of one brand new Hermes Watch; they have your Hermes Watch but will need to sell it as a refurbished unit instead, which means it's sold at a discount. I don't even know if the Hermes Watches are sold as refurbished Watches, so it's possible that they would need to refurbish it as a stainless steel Watch (non-Hermes), which would mean an even greater loss. Granted, I'm sure the markup on the Hermes Watches is huge because the cost, as you pointed out to the representative, has more to do with the band than the Watch or its slightly customized software, so it's not as large a loss as that sounds.

I find your story surprising, though. The takeaway for me is that your options are more flexible if you go with a cheaper model than the higher-end one. In most places, the more expensive one gets you better service, so this is pretty bizarre...

 

[staggerlee41]

First off, sorry you have to deal with this stuff, it sucks. It's also a testament to just how much we depend on our technology.

When I read the subject lines which are profound such as yours, I'm skeptical because many times people are just being unreasonable. I read your whole post and really don't disagree with anything you're feeling regarding your complaints.

It's a sad commentary that the Apple Tech said it's too bad you didn't buy a cheaper model. I seriously can't believe that was even said let alone that is the reality! What kind of message does that send to consumers? I mean really.

Out of curiosity, I'm assuming you purchased Apple Care, yes?

Lastly, I would honestly send this story in an email to Tim Cook and let him see what's going on. 1. YOU may benefit from a more expedited process and 2. Tim needs to see WTF is going on with this process because as you have articulated, it's very clearly broken.

 

[Donnation]

No you would not. Replacements of ANY watch are done through the mail. If you noticed, that was my main complaint with the 'repair' process. They have $1300+ phone refurbs in store, but NO watches. Dumb.

Oh I see. That is not what I was told on the phone. He told me that if I had gone with a model they carried in store that they would replace it right then and there.

 

[jbachandouris]

Again people: The 'repair' process for ALL Apple Watches is the SAME. ALL watches get sent back. Period.

If you have AppleCare+, which OP said he did, they charge your card (or place a hold) for the FULL retail price. They send you another watch (no bands). You have 10 days to return it or they charge you the full price.

OP's issue is that full retail price of the Hermes is $1500. The BAND is what raises the price. OP is understandably upset at the idiocy of charging the full price when all he is getting is the watch with NO band. It should be a MAX hold of $799 and even that is ridiculous.

There is NO reason why the stores don't stock ANY replacement watches when they stock $1300+ refurbished/white box phones!

 

[Donnation]

It's still a loss for them. Essentially they have now sold two new Hermes Watches for the price of one brand new Hermes Watch; they have your Hermes Watch but will need to sell it as a refurbished unit instead, which means it's sold at a discount. I don't even know if the Hermes Watches are sold as refurbished Watches, so it's possible that they would need to refurbish it as a stainless steel Watch (non-Hermes), which would mean an even greater loss. Granted, I'm sure the markup on the Hermes Watches is huge because the cost, as you pointed out to the representative, has more to do with the band than the Watch or its slightly customized software, so it's not as large a loss as that sounds.

I find your story surprising, though. The takeaway for me is that your options are more flexible if you go with a cheaper model than the higher-end one. In most places, the more expensive one gets you better service, so this is pretty bizarre...

I don't think they would sell it at a loss at all. What they will do is just fix whatever is wrong with it and then just use it as a replacement for anyone who files an AppleCare claim and needs a Hermes replacement. So in reality they don't lose anything.
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Again people: The 'repair' process for ALL Apple Watches is the SAME. ALL watches get sent back. Period.

If you have AppleCare+, which OP said he did, they charge your card (or place a hold) for the FULL retail price. They send you another watch (no bands). You have 10 days to return it or they charge you the full price.

OP's issue is that full retail price of the Hermes is $1500. The BAND is what raises the price. OP is understandably upset at the idiocy of charging the full price when all he is getting is the watch with NO band. It should be a MAX hold of $799 and even that is ridiculous.

There is NO reason why the stores don't stock ANY replacement watches when they stock $1300+ refurbished/white box phones!

Yes that is correct. It baffles me that Apple charged me the full price for the watch when all I am getting is the watch with no bands, box, etc. Its an absolute garbage way to treat customers and if the watch is being replaced then the ENTIRE watch should be replaced if they are going to put a hold on your credit card for the entire amount of what a new watch would cost in a store. If they were sending me a completely new watch sealed in the box I wouldn't have as much of an issue with it and I would gladly send back in my box with watch bands, etc and if I didn't take the full charge from Apple. At least that way if I missed my return window I'd have a new watch with bands and everything that I could sell and get some of my money back.

Apple just doesn't get it. This also significantly hurts my resale value if I want to sell the watch in a couple of years as I'll now have a watch that doesn't have a matching serial number and box. I'm being essentially punished by Apple for their faulty product and the way they handle their return process. I had planned on keeping it for longer than that but who knows if and when I'd ever want to sell it, and this automatically makes the watch worth less with mismatching serial numbers.
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First off, sorry you have to deal with this stuff, it sucks. It's also a testament to just how much we depend on our technology.

When I read the subject lines which are profound such as yours, I'm skeptical because many times people are just being unreasonable. I read your whole post and really don't disagree with anything you're feeling regarding your complaints.

It's a sad commentary that the Apple Tech said it's too bad you didn't buy a cheaper model. I seriously can't believe that was even said let alone that is the reality! What kind of message does that send to consumers? I mean really.

Out of curiosity, I'm assuming you purchased Apple Care, yes?

Lastly, I would honestly send this story in an email to Tim Cook and let him see what's going on. 1. YOU may benefit from a more expedited process and 2. Tim needs to see WTF is going on with this process because as you have articulated, it's very clearly broken.

I appreciate it. At the end of the day Ir realize these are very first world problems. It is frustrating though to be talked to like that from someone who's entire job is supposed to be to serve their customers and try to help them. I was simply read to from a list of checkboxes and when I asked a question that wasn't on their list I was met with silence. Apple just needs to fix this process for everyone and stop making the Apple Watch replacement process to freaking miserable.

 

[Itada]

The worst part is you’ll probably get the replacement watch and find it has exactly the same battery drain problem, because it could be caused by some edge case sync bug with watchOS/iOS, corrupt Health database, or similar. Good luck!

 

[staggerlee41]

I don't think they would sell it at a loss at all. What they will do is just fix whatever is wrong with it and then just use it as a replacement for anyone who files an AppleCare claim and needs a Hermes replacement. So in reality they don't lose anything.
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Yes that is correct. It baffles me that Apple charged me the full price for the watch when all I am getting is the watch with no bands, box, etc. Its an absolute garbage way to treat customers and if the watch is being replaced then the ENTIRE watch should be replaced if they are going to put a hold on your credit card for the entire amount of what a new watch would cost in a store. If they were sending me a completely new watch sealed in the box I wouldn't have as much of an issue with it and I would gladly send back in my box with watch bands, etc and if I didn't take the full charge from Apple. At least that way if I missed my return window I'd have a new watch with bands and everything that I could sell and get some of my money back.

Apple just doesn't get it. This also significantly hurts my resale value if I want to sell the watch in a couple of years as I'll now have a watch that doesn't have a matching serial number and box. I'm being essentially punished by Apple for their faulty product and the way they handle their return process. I had planned on keeping it for longer than that but who knows if and when I'd ever want to sell it, and this automatically makes the watch worth less with mismatching serial numbers.
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I appreciate it. At the end of the day Ir realize these are very first world problems. It is frustrating though to be talked to like that from someone who's entire job is supposed to be to serve their customers and try to help them. I was simply read to from a list of checkboxes and when I asked a question that wasn't on their list I was met with silence. Apple just needs to fix this process for everyone and stop making the Apple Watch replacement process to freaking miserable.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about resale value with mismatching serial numbers because you can sell it as a functional watch in whatever condition it's in and divulge the original was replaced by Apple. I'm not sure how much matching serial numbers matter to anyone other than a purist collector. The masses are probably most concerned with a functional watch in good condition at a reduced price from the latest version.

If you sell it to Apple as a trade in, yes you save yourself the hassle of trying to find a buyer but you get raked over the coals again on what they'll give you for your watch.

You can keep it, wear and enjoy it on different occasions, give it to a family member or another person you feel is deserving.

 

[44267547]

OP seems confused/mistaken on Apples process. Apple will _always_ place a hold on your credit card, but there’s no financial charge to your account whatsoever unless the items not received by the specific date they give you.

Side-note:

The reason Apple doesn’t stock refurbished Apple Watch models in store, Geniuses are not trained to make physical repairs on the Apple Watch, they arrive at a repair depot to an offsite facility, where they’re directly shipped from there to the customer.

 

[Donnation]

OP seems confused/mistaken on Apples process. Apple will _always_ place a hold on your credit card, but there’s no financial charge to your account whatsoever unless the items not received by the specific date they give you.

Side-note:

The reason Apple doesn’t stock refurbished Apple Watch models in store, Geniuses are not trained to make physical repairs on the Apple Watch, they arrive at a repair depot to an offsite facility, where they’re directly shipped from there to the customer.

I'm not confused at all. Apple put a $1500 pending charge on my Apple Card. What they are sending me is not a $1500 Hermes Watch sealed in its box. They are sending me just the watch only, no band and certainly not in a sealed box. My problem with that is what they are sending me is not worth what I am getting. If they are going to put a pending charge for that amount on my card then I should be getting what the pending charge is worth. If I should happen to not get my watch back to them in time then I am being charged the full price for a watch when that's not what Apple sent me.

Its also ridiculous that that is my only way of getting a watch replacement in a timely manner. As I described above, I was looking at nearly a month of not having my watch if I just sent it in to them, and also take the risk of them sending me the watch back by stating there is nothing wrong with it.

And I don't want a refurbished watch as a replacement. I want a brand new watch. I've had this watch barely over a month and getting a refurbished model as a replacement is unacceptable.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

I have a rant about the trade in program for the apple watch - max value is $200....

 

[CYB3RBYTE]

If it makes you feel any better op, I can confirm that the "$400 Apple Watch" he is talking about and the replacement of it is not an option in store either. They never keep stock of watches for Genius Bar exchange purposes. They only to sell as new ones. So if you went into the store you would get the same treatment regardless of how much you paid for your watch.

You will be getting a brand new watch. Trust me. Me and all the other people on the forum who have had to get a watch replaced will vouch for that.

They made you unpair the watch so that the activation lock would be removed. It's absolutely imperative that this happens otherwise they literally can't initiate a repair on their end of things. This is something my last specialist told me in a Genius Bar appointment.

You could also call back and speak with someone in AppleCare's customer service department about the situation. They will most likely take sympathy to what has happened, and in some rare cases they have the power to, let's say, correct situations with returns, etc.

The AppleCare person you dealt with did everything they had the power to do on their end of things. Whether or not they were rude at the time, that's only something you can perceive and know. However, battery life has improved for most people with the software updates sent out recently. Either some feature that is draining your battery is currently enabled, or something else could be happening. Who knows. Before you do anything I'd recommend turning off walkie talkie, raise to speak, etc. These are features that are known to drain battery.

 

[Donnation]

If it makes you feel any better op, I can confirm that the "$400 Apple Watch" he is talking about and the replacement of it is not an option in store either. They never keep stock of watches for Genius Bar exchange purposes. They only to sell as new ones. So if you went into the store you would get the same treatment regardless of how much you paid for your watch.

You will be getting a brand new watch. Trust me. Me and all the other people on the forum who have had to get a watch replaced will vouch for that.

They made you unpair the watch so that the activation lock would be removed. It's absolutely imperative that this happens otherwise they literally can't initiate a repair on their end of things. This is something my last specialist told me in a Genius Bar appointment.

You could also call back and speak with someone in AppleCare's customer service department about the situation. They will most likely take sympathy to what has happened, and in some rare cases they have the power to, let's say, correct situations with returns, etc.

The AppleCare person you dealt with did everything they had the power to do on their end of things. Whether or not they were rude at the time, that's only something you can perceive and know. However, battery life has improved for most people with the software updates sent out recently. Either some feature that is draining your battery is currently enabled, or something else could be happening. Who knows. Before you do anything I'd recommend turning off walkie talkie, raise to speak, etc. These are features that are known to drain battery.

It’s something with the watch. I was getting great battery life and then one morning woke up to it dead on the charger. It’s nothing i did or installed and it’s just the watch. It’s obviously screwed up in some way because he couldn’t even run a diagnostic on the watch because the watch kept restarting when he’d try to run it.

It’s good to know what I’ll be getting a new watch, but that still doesn’t make this ridiculous exchange process any easier, and the fact that they are charging me the full price for a brand new watch until I send mine back to them is completely ludicrous. I’m not getting a $1500 new watch in box sent to me, and I shouldn’t be charged that amount on my credit card. If anything it should be a Max $500 charge until mine is returned. And I should get 30 days to send mine back to them, not 10.

 

[jaytee86]

my sense of the pricing of the pending charge is so that it acts as a deterrent against the owner _not_ returning the watch.

Eg. if alu model casing is charged $100, i'd seriously consider not returning it as it means i get a 2nd casing at just $100. Imagine if it was just a cosmetic scratch, i'd sell it off again 2nd hand.. And before comments about premium model pricing come, typically policies work as a general application across the product line, hence every model is charged at its retail price.

Were you still within the 14 days return window? I believe the in-store exchange for new set could be due to still being in that window, so they treat it as a return/exchange and not a repair. Generally for all repairs via applecare post 14days, my experience is not a 1:1 exchange. Guess his comment about cheaper watches being more available is due to the stock availability of sellable stock in the apple store itself, where hermes and edition watches are more constrained. i have also experienced a return where there's no stock i can exchange with, hence going home empty handed.

 

[Donnation]

my sense of the pricing of the pending charge is so that it acts as a deterrent against the owner _not_ returning the watch.

Eg. if alu model casing is charged $100, i'd seriously consider not returning it as it means i get a 2nd casing at just $100. Imagine if it was just a cosmetic scratch, i'd sell it off again 2nd hand.. And before comments about premium model pricing come, typically policies work as a general application across the product line, hence every model is charged at its retail price.

Were you still within the 14 days return window? I believe the in-store exchange for new set could be due to still being in that window, so they treat it as a return/exchange and not a repair. Generally for all repairs via applecare post 14days, my experience is not a 1:1 exchange. Guess his comment about cheaper watches being more available is due to the stock availability of sellable stock in the apple store itself, where hermes and edition watches are more constrained. i have also experienced a return where there's no stock i can exchange with, hence going home empty handed.

I don't have a problem with the pending charge. What I have a problem with is what they are sending me while charging me full price. If they are going to give me a full price pending charge, then I should be receiving an entire new watch sealed in its box. I'm not getting that. I'm getting a just the watch casing only with no box or bands or anything. Again, if charging me full price then send me a full price item.

Apple is setting themselves up to win here and putting all of the risk on the consumer. If I don't happen to send my watch back to them in time, then I'm charged for a brand new watch price while only getting the watch casing. If they made it fair to the consumer they would send out an entire new watch sealed in its box. If I then didn't get it back in time I'd be getting charged for the watch, but at least I'd have a new one in its box that I could sell and not take as big of a loss on. Its a completely unfair and biased process that Apple is doing and it is not a great way to treat customers.

 

[GIBBI]

I have to agree here, the exchange process can be horrible, but I've also made good experience.

My wife wated to exchange her watch because there were some aweful scratches in it, because it collided with a wall. The technician told her that this is only a beauty problem so apple care plus won't take over even if she wanted to pay the fee for the exchange because it was self inflicted. Afterwards he also told her that there is a case now and if she would smash it intentionally they won't change it. It was very rude that they accused her to damaging it by herself completly to get a replacement after she didn't get the exchange the first time.

On the other hand a few weeks later I contacted the support because my watch fell down (without a broken screen, just scratches) and it was no problem to exchange it. The first replacement watch I've received had a scratch out of the box then, but they have also replaced it again.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

I'm sympathetic to the idea that a $1500 credit card hold when you're not sending in the band seems to be out of proportion, but here's the thing...

Bands are subject to wear-and-tear. They send out a new band and they'd get a used band in return. You think it'd be practical to refurbish watch bands? It might not be too hard to sanitize a stainless steel band, but how the hell do you sanitize leather and canvas? And as much as scratches add character to a nice piece of leather, you don't want them on something new out of the box. How much would they have to charge for "AppleCare+ for Hermes" if they had to send out a new $339-$539 Hermes band with each Hermes repair? Let's see... two accidental damage incidents and, for argument's sake, one "defects in workmanship and materials" repair per customer... that's three bands.

I'm sure it'd be all over the web if it happened. "Hey! Before your warranty expires, claim your Watch isn't working, do an express replacement, and get a brand-new watch band!"

Now, for regular mail-in repairs, where there's no need for a credit card hold... the last thing they want is to be responsible for everyone's watch bands. The repair centers are factory-like settings, where things are unpacked in Receiving then moved to another area for testing/evaluation. If the watch is replaced (rather than repaired and returned) the original band has to make its way to the shipping department in order to be packed up with the replacement unit that was pulled from warehouse shelves. If the watch is repaired, the band has to be handled/stored in such a way that it won't be accidentally switched with someone else's watch... The potential for getting a red elastomer sports band after sending in a brown leather band is endless. No, just no way. Again, these are factories, not the neighborhood jewelry store with one little old Swiss watchmaker in the back room.

Oh, and why do they require un-pairing before setting up a repair? Un-pairing does two things: 1) it makes a backup of the Watch to the iPhone, and 2) Turns off Find My iPhone. You definitely want a backup, and Apple definitely does not want to have to deal with removing Find My iPhone in order to test/evaluate units under repair. If they made it possible for repair shops to remove Find My iPhone, enterprising techs/repair shops would go into business unlocking stolen goods.

So yeah, $1500 sucks if you procrastinate and don't send your Watch to them in time. So don't procrastinate. Take the thing down to FedEx as soon as you have the new Watch setup. Get a receipt from FedEx that proves you handed the thing over to them in less than 10 days. And sure, bad, unexpected things can happen - floods, fires, you could be robbed on the way to FedEx, personal tragedies, etc. But since those are not routine, and there are still human beings at Apple who are able to deal with exceptions when they arise... as long as you can eventually return the Watch to Apple, things will work out in the end.

It seems like the "principle of the thing" is getting in the way of getting the thing done. Yeah, maybe Apple will charge you more than the item you sent them is worth, IF something goes seriously wrong. So do what you can to ensure nothing goes seriously wrong.