iPhone 6(S)/Plus Battery replacement: poor Apple customer service

[MN7119]

My wife’s iPhone 6 has become useless. Battery goes from 100% to below 20% within minutes after taking it from the charger. She took it to the Apple store back in December and was told battery was OK and she should reinstall iOS. She did but battery issue remained. When Apple announced they would replace batteries for $29 she immediately tried to book an appointment but the first one available was today. Today she left her work and drove 35 minutes to the Apple store for her appointment only to be informed that no stores in our area have batteries available and she will get a call from them in about 10 days when they expect to get more batteries in. The Apple guy at the store told her “everyone is replacing their batteries”.

So here are my issues:
- You make a customer waste over an hour of its working day driving to an appointment that you knew would not happen. Why call in 10 days when the battery arrives and not call in advance to cancel the appointment today?
- if “everyone” is replacing their batteries I think Apple has a much bigger problem in their hands. Are they doing a good job in informing when one should replace the battery? Or is this becoming a new way of Apple to make another revenue stream over existing customers (I am pretty sure that even at $29 Apple is still making a lot of money on this)? Or will this reflect in customers that would potentially buy a new phone to hold on their old ones with new batteries for much longer?

My wife was mad. I am really mad of all this BS.

 

[sumsingwong]

Seems like are making it difficult to discourage customers.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Common sense would indicate that these batteries will be in short or out of supply due to the demand. It has only been a week or two. I would have called the store to ask if they had a battery before driving to the store.

You can get as mad as you want but I can not see this being Apples fault. If you think Apple is still making money at $29 for materials and labor . . . .well that is sad.

 

[LovingTeddy]

Common sense would indicate that these batteries will be in short or out of supply due to the demand. It has only been a week or two. I would have called the store to ask if they had a battery before driving to the store.

You can get as mad as you want but I can not see this being Apples fault. If you think Apple is still making money at $29 for materials and labor . . . .well that is sad.

Bettery is dirt cheap.

There are few issue with this case:

1. His wife went to Apple Store and had her phone checked by Apple Store employee. Apple employee told her the battery is OK. Apple didn't solve her problem in first place. None of the following will happen of the Apple Store Employee replaced her aging battery in first attempt.

2. Apple itself should known the battery would be in short supply. Apple should prepare for the rush.

3. If customer booked an appointment for the day and specify want the battery replacement. Apple store employee SHOULD reserve the battery for the customer.

4. Battery is dirt cheap. The battery for the iPhone cost lot less than 25 asking price. Apple is taking huge profit margin for battery replacement in the first place (before it ask asking 79 dollars). Apple correcting it's throttling problem by asking customer paying for Their mistake. This is not the best customer services.

There are lots of things Apple did wrong. Customer made appointment for battery replacement, Apple acknowledged the appointment, customer will have expectations of getting battery during that appointment. Well, Apple store employee did not do good job.

 

[MN7119]

FYI the appointment was booked by phone and they knew it was a battery replacement appointment. Are you telling that my wife had to call before to confirm? You are kidding, right? An email to her (they booked under her Apple ID) informing they did not have a battery would be enough.

Also, if you think Apple is losing money by replacing batteries at $29 ... well that is sad. Maybe you should short their stock if you think that is the case.

Common sense would indicate that these batteries will be in short or out of supply due to the demand. It has only been a week or two. I would have called the store to ask if they had a battery before driving to the store.

You can get as mad as you want but I can not see this being Apples fault. If you think Apple is still making money at $29 for materials and labor . . . .well that is sad.

 

[MacDawg]

"Everybody" is wanting a battery replacement now, even if it isn't needed
Just like people who get a scratch want Apple to give them a new phone
Or those who break their phone just to get a new one to sell
Crazy

So not surprising that battery stock is low or non-existent

 

[44267547]

Seems like are making it difficult to discourage customers.

You think it's Apples goal is to 'discourage' customers after offering a new battery replacement program? They have a policy set in place, demand is high for the battery replacements and appointments fill fast depending your location. And you think Apple is trying to discourage customers from taking advantage of the battery program given the circumstances ? Your comment isn't logical.

 

[Newtons Apple]

FYI the appointment was booked by phone and they knew it was a battery replacement appointment. Are you telling that my wife had to call before to confirm? You are kidding, right? An email to her (they booked under her Apple ID) informing they did not have a battery would be enough.

Also, if you think Apple is losing money by replacing batteries at $29 ... well that is sad. Maybe you should short their stock if you think that is the case.

Well I would sure call but that is just me. If you hang around here, YOU should have known to call to confirm they had batteries.

No reason to short their stock. Apple will easily be able to absorb the cost of replacing these batteries. Apple will be just fine and so will you!
[doublepost=1515444907][/doublepost]

Bettery is dirt cheap.

There are few issue with this case:

1. His wife went to Apple Store and had her phone checked by Apple Store employee. Apple employee told her the battery is OK. Apple didn't solve her problem in first place. None of the following will happen of the Apple Store Employee replaced her aging battery in first attempt.

2. Apple itself should known the battery would be in short supply. Apple should prepare for the rush.

3. If customer booked an appointment for the day and specify want the battery replacement. Apple store employee SHOULD reserve the battery for the customer.

4. Battery is dirt cheap. The battery for the iPhone cost lot less than 25 asking price. Apple is taking huge profit margin for battery replacement in the first place (before it ask asking 79 dollars). Apple correcting it's throttling problem by asking customer paying for Their mistake. This is not the best customer services.

There are lots of things Apple did wrong. Customer made appointment for battery replacement, Apple acknowledged the appointment, customer will have expectations of getting battery during that appointment. Well, Apple store employee did not do good job.

Good Grief! You are wound up for sure. You seem more mad than the OP!

I am sure that Apple IS preparing for the rush but being only a week or so, they can not be expected to have the number of batteries they need on hand for weeks and weeks.

After reading all of this would you take a 30-45 minute ride to the Apple store without calling and confirming they had the battery?

 

[thadoggfather]

I had an appt today but they won’t tell me if they have in stock and say he store won’t tell the support people on phone

I do t wanna go if they don’t have in stock. Waste of time

 

[MN7119]

Interesting!!! I never call an Apple store when I have an appointment to know if they are open, if they Genius guy is not sick, if they have a power outage at their site, etc.... When I order a product for store pick up I don’t call in advance. My wife got an email confirming her appointment so that should be enough. Things change and if they did they should have let her know in advance. When I have an appointment to replace a battery and THEY were the ones that booked for that specific date and time since that is when they would be able to replace the battery I don’t expect I need to call to confirm.

Well I would sure call but that is just me. If you hang around here, YOU should have known to call to confirm they had batteries.

No reason to short their stock. Apple will easily be able to absorb the cost of replacing these batteries. Apple will be just fine and so will you!

 

[newellj]

You think it's Apples goal is to 'discourage' customers after offering a new battery replacement program? They have a policy set in place, demand is high for the battery replacements and appointments fill fast depending your location. And you think Apple is trying to discourage customers from taking advantage of the battery program given the circumstances ? Your comment isn't logical.

I agree, there's just no way Apple is trying to give people a frankly $h!77y experience like this woman had. It's just rubbing salt in the wound, by the pound. Bad for everyone, and Apple does not like pissing off customers.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Interesting!!! I never call an Apple store when I have an appointment to know if they are open, if they Genius guy is not sick, if they have a power outage at their site, etc.... When I order a product for store pick up I don’t call in advance. My wife got an email confirming her appointment so that should be enough. Things change and if they did they should have let her know in advance. When I have an appointment to replace a battery and THEY were the ones that booked for that specific date and time since that is when they would be able to replace the battery I don’t expect I need to call to confirm.

In my opinion, people at your local store dropped the proverbial ball. Given the particular situation and demand by the masses, I can see how things like this can happen. It is frustrating for sure. Sometimes, we humans make mistakes.

Getting mad and wanting to give someone 'what for' may feel good but, it won't solve anything. The best thing to do, is to fill out the survey when it comes to your email, along with calling Apple and politely letting them know what transpired. Politeness and understanding go a long way.

As frustrating as this was for you and your wife, try and keep some perspective. We are talking about a phone battery. Plenty of things in this life more important.

 

[MN7119]

Don’t get me wrong. There are many more important things in life than a phone battery. Also, life goes on and we will get it replaced when they have it available. Just wanted to share this here since many more people may be wasting their time driving to an Apple store to replace a battey.

In my opinion, people at your local store dropped the proverbial ball. Given the particular situation and demand by the masses, I can see how things like this can happen. It is frustrating for sure. Sometimes, we humans make mistakes.

Getting mad and wanting to give someone 'what for' may feel good but, it won't solve anything. The best thing to do, is to fill out the survey when it comes to your email, along with calling Apple and politely letting them know what transpired. Politeness and understanding go a long way.

As frustrating as this was for you and your wife, try and keep some perspective. We are talking about a phone battery. Plenty of things in this life more important.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Don’t get me wrong. There are many more important things in life than a phone battery. Also, life goes on and we will get it replaced when they have it available. Just wanted to share this here since many more people may be wasting their time driving to an Apple store to replace a battey.

Your story reminds me of the "Soup Nazi" episode of Seinfeld. Maybe the Mrs. didn't order correctly.


No battery for you. Come back 10 days. Next!

 

[donawalt]

I took my daughter's iPhone 6 in on Thursday, I had a Genius Bar appointment. I tested her battery with coconut battery, at 100% it is actually at 38% charge! They tested it, it failed. They said it would be about a week for the battery to come in, I think they are trying to stock batteries but just in the say 20 minutes I was there, I was one of 5 people at "the battery table" - they had a specialized tech guy handling them all. So are they getting 20 customers an hour at this one store? That's a lot.

Well, I got an email Sunday my battery is in - I have 5 days to come in and get it replaced. So it was only 3 days to come in. I think they are doing pretty well under the circumstances.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

When you have a warranty issue or a recall for your car you have to take it to the dealership regardless if they have the parts in stock or not. If you call on the phone and ask to order parts without the car being there they won’t do it. You bring the car in, the service writer writes up the car and sends it back to the tech. The tech orders the part, you get your car back along with an explanation that the part is ordered and you need to bring the car back when the parts arrive. Apple treats the battery replacement in the same manner. I’m sure in the coming weeks, battery supplies in the store will go up dramatically to meet the demand that is inevitably coming.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Interesting!!! I never call an Apple store when I have an appointment to know if they are open, if they Genius guy is not sick, if they have a power outage at their site, etc.... When I order a product for store pick up I don’t call in advance. My wife got an email confirming her appointment so that should be enough. Things change and if they did they should have let her know in advance. When I have an appointment to replace a battery and THEY were the ones that booked for that specific date and time since that is when they would be able to replace the battery I don’t expect I need to call to confirm.

Then you just keep it up, I am sure your wife appreciates your lack of help.
[doublepost=1515450061][/doublepost]

I took my daughter's iPhone 6 in on Thursday, I had a Genius Bar appointment. I tested her battery with coconut battery, at 100% it is actually at 38% charge! They tested it, it failed. They said it would be about a week for the battery to come in, I think they are trying to stock batteries but just in the say 20 minutes I was there, I was one of 5 people at "the battery table" - they had a specialized tech guy handling them all. So are they getting 20 customers an hour at this one store? That's a lot.

Well, I got an email Sunday my battery is in - I have 5 days to come in and get it replaced. So it was only 3 days to come in. I think they are doing pretty well under the circumstances.

This is how it is surposed to work.

 

[Pnr2020]

Common sense would indicate that these batteries will be in short or out of supply due to the demand. It has only been a week or two. I would have called the store to ask if they had a battery before driving to the store.

You can get as mad as you want but I can not see this being Apples fault. If you think Apple is still making money at $29 for materials and labor . . . .well that is sad.

I disagree when you book your appointment you click battery replacement. They should message or phone you if there not in stock.

 

[wproct]

A lot of back and forth here, but here is my opinion. Apple definitely dropped the ball in the case of the Thread starter's problem, period. However, given the situation and what is without doubt going to cause a huge run on batteries, maybe Apple needs to require a prepayment for the battery, and then notify the customer when the battery is available, and hold it for the customer's appointment. I think a customer would be content with that.

 

[Pnr2020]

A lot of back and forth here, but here is my opinion. Apple definitely dropped the ball in the case of the Thread starter's problem, period. However, given the situation and what is without doubt going to cause a huge run on batteries, maybe Apple needs to require a prepayment for the battery, and then notify the customer when the battery is available, and hold it for the customer's appointment. I think a customer would be content with that.

Yep that would work. I’ve read people click on battery replacement booking appointment traveling 50 miles to be told out of stock

 

[5105973]

Are the Apple Stores replacing the batteries on a walk-in basis? I was under the impression that one needed an appointment for it. And if so, I think common sense is on the side of the OP to believe in good faith that if the appointment has been confirmed, that a battery is in fact available for the appointment to be fulfilled. With just about any other kind of business that books appointments, the burden of courtesy falls on whomever causes the appointment to be null and void to inform the other party of the need for a cancellation or a rescheduling.

It is particularly the responsibility of a business to inform its customers of a need for a cancellation or a rescheduling. This holds true for doctors offices and salons and auto mechanics to name but a few.

I therefore can’t understand people saying it is “common sense” that his wife or he should have called again after receiving an email confirmation of the appointment, to ensure Apple had the battery.

I would have thought a company with Apple’s reputation for customer service—for which we pay that “Apple Tax”—would do the courtesy of letting the customer know the appointment would need to be canceled.

And he’s not complaining to us expecting us to fix the situation or even get angry. He just wanted everyone to know this is a possibility and he’s not the only one it’s happened to.

Whenever I go to the Apple Store I always see plenty of employees. Surely one can be spared to check the appointments for the day and email a customer about anything that might delay or postpone their appointment. If the customer fails to check their messages or emails, well that’s on them.

And why assume the masses aren’t having battery problems? It’s now a known issue, after all. I’ve seen people with battery and performance issues on their 1-3 year old iPhones. My own year-old 7 Plus was not keeping a charge very well. Why must we always side with Apple and bash the customer around here? Why not assume there are a fair number of customers who have been limping along on slowed down or fast draining iPhones who now know what the problem is and are simply seeking the remedy offered?

 

[pgoelz]

Apple correcting it's throttling problem by asking customer paying for Their mistake. This is not the best customer services.

Please keep in mind that the "throttling problem" is NOT the root cause of the overall issue. Battery degradation is. And battery degradation with use is normal. Apple merely changed the way the phone manages power to mitigate the effects of a degraded battery. Prior to that, the phone could simply abruptly shut down if the battery was sufficiently degraded. If you want to blame Apple for anything, take issue with how many cycles the battery can withstand before degrading to the point where an un-throttled phone is in danger of shutting down. Or perhaps not informing the user that the battery has degraded.

Making genuine replacement batteries available for $29 installed regardless of the number of cycles or overall condition is a reasonably priced resolution in my book (and I'm the one who complains about non-replaceable batteries). Plus, it sounds like they will be adding some battery condition information to ios at some point.

Paul

 

[donawalt]

Agree 100%. Their mistake was not communicating they were doing this, but it's a reasonable approach too get a phone with a failing battery through the day.

 

[JediZenMaster]

Are the Apple Stores replacing the batteries on a walk-in basis? I was under the impression that one needed an appointment for it. And if so, I think common sense is on the side of the OP to believe in good faith that if the appointment has been confirmed, that a battery is in fact available for the appointment to be fulfilled. With just about any other kind of business that books appointments, the burden of courtesy falls on whomever causes the appointment to be null and void to inform the other party of the need for a cancellation or a rescheduling.

It is particularly the responsibility of a business to inform its customers of a need for a cancellation or a rescheduling. This holds true for doctors offices and salons and auto mechanics to name but a few.

I therefore can’t understand people saying it is “common sense” that his wife or he should have called again after receiving an email confirmation of the appointment, to ensure Apple had the battery.

I would have thought a company with Apple’s reputation for customer service—for which we pay that “Apple Tax”—would do the courtesy of letting the customer know the appointment would need to be canceled.

And he’s not complaining to us expecting us to fix the situation or even get angry. He just wanted everyone to know this is a possibility and he’s not the only one it’s happened to.

Whenever I go to the Apple Store I always see plenty of employees. Surely one can be spared to check the appointments for the day and email a customer about anything that might delay or postpone their appointment. If the customer fails to check their messages or emails, well that’s on them.

And why assume the masses aren’t having battery problems? It’s now a known issue, after all. I’ve seen people with battery and performance issues on

I disagree and personally would call ahead myself as I did when I wanted to make sure they had enough stock for my X in case there was an unfortunate variable with my order.

Apple isn’t here to be someone’s nanny and hold their hand. From the mass paranoia that has been occurring is it a suprise that they are out of batteries?

Do you know how their concierge system works? When you go to the store your appointment is pulled up at that time which is why if you don’t cancel your appointment no on calls to to see why at a doctors office.

 

[5105973]

I disagree and personally would call ahead myself as I did when I wanted to make sure they had enough stock for my X in case there was an unfortunate variable with my order.

Apple isn’t here to be someone’s nanny and hold their hand. From the mass paranoia that has been occurring is it a suprise that they are out of batteries?

Do you know how their concierge system works? When you go to the store your appointment is pulled up at that time which is why if you don’t cancel your appointment no on calls to to see why at a doctors office.

Okay your last sentence makes no sense. You start out talking about Apple’s concierge system and then talk about patients canceling at a doctors office. And actually, some doctors offices do call if a patient is late or misses an appointment, generally to inform them they are being charged for failing to call in a cancellation. I haven’t done that to my doctor but I’ve heard the staff make the calls while sitting in the waiting room.

And on the occasions my doctor has been called away on an emergency, his office as called to inform me my appointment was canceled. The only exception was when the emergency call came in right as we were taking my father-in-law up to the office.

Anyway...

If it’s their system at the cause of an incident like this, creating customer ill will, then Angela Ahrendts or someone a level or two below her would do well to look at revamping it.

Nobody is asking for a nanny. My goodness, it’s simple courtesy, that’s all. Now if you are buying something known to be in short stock I suppose it’s good to doublecheck and ensure there has been no snafu that would cause you to have lost the item you reserved. Still, if you have an item reserved for pickup and a confirmation email stating so, as well as a follow up email (which my husband did get when he reserved an X for pickup for me) I think you’d be well within your rights to feel put out if you discover one has not been reserved when you got there.

That’s all this guy is saying. It is poor customer service to permit an appointment to be made that can’t possibly be fulfilled and a bit worse to send out a confirmation and no further communication if there is going to be a problem. It’s poor communication, poor service. It doesn’t matter if other businesses are as lax. It should matter to a business that wants to “think different” and give customers better than the usual big corporation kick in the butt. He’s not asking to have his hand held.

PS. Again, what mass paranoia? There are a LOT of iPhones out there over a year old. The batteries are known to degrade pretty quickly over time. They need to be replaced or the device slows down. Where is the paranoia?

Why think and speak so disparagingly of fellow Apple customers? Apple is not royalty and we are not ignorant peasants.