iPhone 13 Pro "Bad Apple" Customer Service Experience

[Zyon22]

Follow up #3 to my original post seen here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/speaker-grill-is-loose.2345039/?post=31109454#post-31109454

So basically to recap.. and explain my life story lol

About a month ago I purchased an iPhone 13 PRO from BestBuy. Shortly after I noticed the screen clicked and there was a noticeable gap on the top of the phone.

The First Time

1. The person at the apple store said the screen clicking was normal ( I believe this all the store models do it)
2. The original representative agreed the gap was a defect and decided to replace the screen. I really wanted a replacement but he said it would fix the gap.

I waited 3 hours at the Apple store for them to replace it.
When they finally returned... they CLAIMED that the phone had a "ton of issues causing the noise" however

To my disappointment, the clicking was still there and I think there was still a gap. I asked for a replacement and was firm. They only agreed to reopen the phone again and recheck. when they brought it back they left Epoxy hanging out the edge of the phone (like where does epoxy even go lol.)

1. Around this time. A certain employee was helping me that sorta had an attitude with me where I would ask about an issue, and she would just say NOOOOO it's fineee
2. she told me "It's just your perception of the gap"

The Second Time

Anyways I left with the issue not fixed. I went back the next day hoping for a shift change. I talked to the manager who, after some debating, he agreed to replace it ONE time and he would even have to lie about the repair in the computer and the tech would get in trouble but he did it anyway. I got the replacement. Gap at the bottom of the phone. and screen clicks.

So basically the new device has

1. A gap at the bottom
2. The glass back of the phone clicks and makes a squishy sound even in loud rooms

Around this time I bought apple care

replacement fine for a few weeks until I dropped my phone and cracked it ironically (a couple of days ago)

The Third Time

I bought it back. they were not happy to see me but I paid the money and got the screen replaced.

The new screen is the worst one yet. It has a massive gap at the top and the earpiece speaker moves up and down between the area where the gap is easy. (Maybe cause I was messing with it but it shouldn't do that regardless) Also the Rude employee made a suprise experience by bringing out my "repaired" device. I mentioned the gap and the glass clicking and he literally blew me off AGAIN and said that they wont repair devices cause I will keep finding issues with them. oh and also they scratched tf out of the frame on the side

1. To be fair the gap is only big at the top and left side. the other sides are completely flush
2. Also to add onto another poster. I did notice that I can "move" the display around with my fingers
   1. I understand the amount it's moving is very very minimal. maybe .20 MM at most thanks rafal886 for pointing that out.

Today I found that the left and top gap fit about 1 piece of paper only which is surprising given how big they look under the light (so maybe between 0.10mm and 0.20mm is the gap size)

Fast Forward to today The Bestbuy Experience ​

I also went to Bestbuy right before going to the different apple store. (The place where I bought it) At this point it's only like 2 or 3 weeks out of the return period. I brought it up to the Geek Squad guy.

He was the nicest person yet. He clearly said there was an issue and it could be exchanged through the store using the Verizon warranty, I asked to downgrade to an iPhone 12 which did not have the earpiece speaker in that location. He agreed to do that.
They unboxed a brand-new iPhone 12 and BAM they said they could not continue the replacement since Apple did not change the serial number of the original phone to the replacement. and hence, they did not match

(Different Apple Store) Trip #4​

I went to the next Apple store over (45 min's away) upon arriving I explained the story again. she went to go ask the technicians and came back with the manager who looked like the dude from YouTube who hosts "Tech Quickie"

Anyways he said that he could not and would not replace the device or the screen because the issue was "cosmetic" including the scratches they caused as well as the speaker grill being loose.

I was very very persistent. I mentioned the trouble at BestBuy trying to exchange because of the serial numbers not matching the original. Apparently apple only updated the serial internally and would not share any of the notes with me. However at this point the amount of notes on the Apple account was over a couple pages.

He basically explained there was nothing he could do at all. the only way to repair or replace is to have an issue with the phone. (as if the speaker was not an "issue" to him apparently)

Bestbuy Trip #2 (different store)

After retrieving the original box for the ORIGINAL phone I went to a different BestBuy. He explained since the serial number on the phone does not match the entire BestBuy warranty is void and I HAVE TO go through Apple.

So that bring's me to now

After spending the whole day trying to resolve this I have gotten nowhere. At this point im only mad about the device being scratched and the phone having a loose earpiece. I am slightly worried about the fact I can move the screen a bit with only the forces of
my hands

The "Gap" is extremely annoying to think about all the dust and dirt that gets in it especially near the earpiece, which, keep in mind has a gap at the bottom too.

What I have discovered from the display models

1. ALMOST all of them have some kind of gap. I probably looked at a dozen or 2 recently and at least 3 had a pretty big gap at the top of the phone.
2. The earpiece will be a little loose especially on ones with top gaps. some of them you can move the earpiece some of them not. but not as bad as mine (Not sure how it's adhered down if at all)
3. All of the ones from iPhone 12 and up do make a clicking sound near the bottom of the screen
4. None of them make noise on the back glass like mine does
5. You can move the display a bit even on the display models even if it's only a small amount.
6. A few of the display models had a minimal gap if at all. completely sealed and flush those ones the earpiece is solid af

Things I have yet to try

1. Calling Verizon and asking about the device warranty through them
2. Calling Apple care and literally begging them for a new device express replaced without a CC hold (I don't have funds for a charge hold)
3. Third Apple store ("Which won't work cause they have a small essay about me in the computer system" )

If anyone else has any similar experiences or tips just let me know ill be here.

At this point I might just wait and try to trade in for iPhone 14 and maybe break even on the 13 Pro idk

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

Can’t believe I read this whole thing

 

[Zyon22]

Can’t believe I read this whole thing

And I can't believe I wrote it at midnight lol

 

[OhMyMy]

No way you can convince AppleCare to send you a replacement without a hold. You maybe a customer but you're still a stranger. Without a collateral they won't be sending you one and I highly doubt a supervisor at any level would be able to override that.

 

[Zyon22]

No way you can convince AppleCare to send you a replacement without a hold. You maybe a customer but you're still a stranger. Without a collateral they won't be sending you one and I highly doubt a supervisor at any level would be able to override that.

I’m more than willing to give them a card to charge I don’t want them to charge it unless I don’t return it tho. I’m not sure if banks allow holds on debit cards without enough funds but if they do that would essentially lock the card out until they get the phone back

 

[jav6454]

Any pictures of the gap? Also, I thought you were going to handle this thru your credit card insurance?

 

[Zyon22]

Any pictures of the gap? Also, I thought you were going to handle this thru your credit card insurance?

Wym? I never said anything about credit card insurance? Also not my phone but the gap is almost exactly like this

 

[OhMyMy]

I’m more than willing to give them a card to charge I don’t want them to charge it unless I don’t return it tho. I’m not sure if banks allow holds on debit cards without enough funds but if they do that would essentially lock the card out until they get the phone back

If you have enough credit left on your credit card then that'd be locked and would show up as a "pending purchase" and would clear out once they remove the authorization after receiving the defective device.
The whole point of a debit card is to use the funds already in your account. You can't overcharge it unless it's a specific kinda transaction like an ACH debit for your credit card payment in which case it'd go into overdraft.

If you don't have the funds, I wouldn't bother trying to get a replacement thru AC+. It's great if you can get it replaced via other avenues but if not just forget about it. You've got 2 yrs to get it replaced. Try your luck down the lane.

 

[Zyon22]

If you have enough credit left on your credit card then that'd be locked and would show up as a "pending purchase" and would clear out once they remove the authorization after receiving the defective device.
The whole point of a debit card is to use the funds already in your account. You can't overcharge it unless it's a specific kinda transaction like an ACH debit for your credit card payment in which case it'd go into overdraft.

If you don't have the funds, I wouldn't bother trying to get a replacement thru AC+. It's great if you can get it replaced via other avenues but if not just forget about it. You've got 2 yrs to get it replaced. Try your luck down the lane.

Yeah I don’t even have a credit card. I just got old enough to even get one and it’s not like my credit is good anyways.

Yeah don’t really have any good ideas except trade in when 14 releases

 

[satpak]

Sorry you had to go through this. I had a very similar experience with my iPhone 13 Pro (bought from BB as well). I had only screen to body gaps though, no other issues.

The conversations with Apple store employees were ditto and I also had the epoxy issue. The "geniuses" also had an attitude and were very firm that it was all my "perception of the gap". 2 screen replacements and after numerous visits to Apple store, finally found an Apple store employee who agreed to talk to the higher ups and agreed to replace the device.

 

[Zyon22]

Sorry you had to go through this. I had a very similar experience with my iPhone 13 Pro (bought from BB as well). I had only screen to body gaps though, no other issues.

The conversations with Apple store employees were ditto and I also had the epoxy issue. The "geniuses" also had an attitude and were very firm that it was all my "perception of the gap". 2 screen replacements and after numerous visits to Apple store, finally found an Apple store employee who agreed to talk to the higher ups and agreed to replace the device.

Interesting. They used the “perception of the gap” words exactly. How many stores did you have to try. I only have 1 more store that’s plausible

 

[Shreducator]

My advice return the phone and get your money back. Take the loss and move on. You state you are young and do not have the funds to cover a replacement hold even if you had a credit card which you don't. You have now spent how many hours with this problem? This could be a comedic act. Flip the bird to apple if you makes you sleep better at night and get an affordable android phone. There's more to life.

 

[Andeddu]

This gap issue seems to be within threshold of what’s considered “normal” to Apple. A lot of 13s seem to have a gap which tells me that that it’s not a defect rather it’s part of the design. Obviously I wouldn’t like a gap collecting dust however the device will still be IP68 water resistant so you shouldn’t worry about the robustness of the chassis. Apple obviously do not want people returning 13s due to this superficial issue so they’ll make you jump hoops. If you don’t like it, I suggest you switch to Samsung or another brand.

 

[Dealmans]

Just drive over it then take it in and get it replaced with AC.

 

[BNIB]

Just drive over it then take it in and get it replaced with AC.

This could be a good idea tbh. Apple is so arrogant sometimes

 

[Zyon22]

My advice return the phone and get your money back. Take the loss and move on. You state you are young and do not have the funds to cover a replacement hold even if you had a credit card which you don't. You have now spent how many hours with this problem? This could be a comedic act. Flip the bird to apple if you makes you sleep better at night and get an affordable android phone. There's more to life.

I can’t even return it otherwise I would have

 

[ian87w]

These kind of stories is what usually put brakes on me purchasing Apple stuff since Apple prices in my country are at least 30% more than US MSRP, and we don't even have official Apple presence. Most people owning Apple products in my country usually fly to Singapore for support (before the pandemic).

Hope you can get some resolution.

 

[Zyon22]

These kind of stories is what usually put brakes on me purchasing Apple stuff since Apple prices in my country are at least 30% more than US MSRP, and we don't even have official Apple presence. Most people owning Apple products in my country usually fly to Singapore for support (before the pandemic).

Hope you can get some resolution.

Unfortunately I might just have to wait for the next model to release so I can trade in

 

[Zyon22]

This could be a good idea tbh. Apple is so arrogant sometimes

Except then I have to pay 99$ for an issue they caused and also that would use all my apple care for the year

 

[sre.live]

As someone who notices gaps, clicks and all tiny cosmetic imperfections, I'd sell this phone at a loss on ebay or facebook marketplace.

I did an "apple store hike" with iPhone 6 back in the day. Sim card slots were not flush with a lot of units. And then with 6s - screen brightness wasn't uniform, darker at the bottom. Likely because of introduction of 3D touch. Almost all units were like these. Out of 60+ 6s iphones I've seen, only one was "perfect".

With 13 pro it could be multiple batches with gaps like these. It could be one large batch. In both cases finding "the perfect one" would be tough.
If it's a minor thing like this, and Apple will consider it minor, in my opinion (like sim cards and screens with 6 and 6s), they usually fix it in the next gen.

 

[jav6454]

Wym? I never said anything about credit card insurance? Also not my phone but the gap is almost exactly like this View attachment 2007110 View attachment 2007112 View attachment 2007111

Now, that is a gap, but I believe it falls within the design tolerances. That said.... The 13 Pro is a 1st gen design. That's a #1 reason as to why I always wait for the "Tick" cycle on the iPhone.

 

[Zyon22]

As someone who notices gaps, clicks and all tiny cosmetic imperfections, I'd sell this phone at a loss on ebay or facebook marketplace.

I did an "apple store hike" with iPhone 6 back in the day. Sim card slots were not flush with a lot of units. And then with 6s - screen brightness wasn't uniform, darker at the bottom. Likely because of introduction of 3D touch. Almost all units were like these. Out of 60+ 6s iphones I've seen, only one was "perfect".

With 13 pro it could be multiple batches with gaps like these. It could be one large batch. In both cases finding "the perfect one" would be tough.
If it's a minor thing like this, and Apple will consider it minor, in my opinion (like sim cards and screens with 6 and 6s), they usually fix it in the next gen.

I contacted apple and I have a call scheduled with a senior advisor later so we will see

 

[satpak]

Interesting. They used the “perception of the gap” words exactly. How many stores did you have to try. I only have 1 more store that’s plausible

Well, they didn’t use the exact words “perception of the gap” but you get the point…

2 stores, tried multiple times though. And for the record, I was just out of my 14 day return window.

 

[ManuCH]

I believe those gaps are all within tolerance and anyone just using the phone normally wouldn't even notice them.

If they're so hard for you to see, just return it and change brands. Apple phones will likely always be like that.

 

[jav6454]

I contacted apple and I have a call scheduled with a senior advisor later so we will see

When is your visit to take place?